OSR ACKS 2

[Jahydin]

Adventure Conqueror King System 2 is on Kickstarter!

I'm constantly mining ideas from the first edition, so thinking about going in at $200 for all three hardbacks. They really do look beautiful...

Anyone else going to back it?

 

[SakanaSensei]

I'd rather not support the creator, given various unmentionable reasons.

 

[cbwjm]

I'm probably fi e with the 1st edition, I'm also not keen on the full colour aesthetic. Might pick up the pdf at some point once they're released after reading some reviews, needs to be different enough from 1e for it to be worth it.

 

[Jahydin]

I'm probably fi e with the 1st edition, I'm also not keen on the full colour aesthetic. Might pick up the pdf at some point once they're released after reading some reviews, needs to be different enough from 1e for it to be worth it.

The book I'm most excited for is the the Judges Journal:

The Judges Journal is divided into four parts. In Part I - Praxis, you get:

• Foundational principles that explain how ACKS II is intended to run, with advice on managing players, running campaigns, balancing player and character skill, and more.
• A complete weather generation system based on the real-world Köppen Climate Codes that lets you simulate weather with just a quick roll of the dice.
• Comprehensive monster encounter tables for 16 different terrain types that take into account the extent of civilization and the rarity of monsters
• A system of terrain encounters that generates environmental challenges on the fly as the players explore the wilderness
• A settlement encounter system that make urban environments another theater of exciting gameplay.
• Random vagaries of rule, war, and battle that help keep your world in motion with interesting events such as plagues, omens, declarations of war, and more.
• More than 150 marvelous magic items to astound, delight, and terrify your adventurers, each with a detailed description and lore behind its creation.
• Special rules for places of power, poison, and magical transformations, and other mechanics to enliven your campaign.

In Part II - Construction, we cover:

• The principles of setting construction using the top-down zoom-in methodology, with a comprehensive explanation of how to create a functional sandbox that creates emergent play.
• A realm generation system that allows you to bring your setting into the ACKS II economic and political framework, determining realm types, establishing urban settlement sizes, demarcating territory, and more.
• A settlement generation system with 9 ready-to-run points of interest such as mercenary guildhouse, merchant guildhouse, and thieves' quarter, along with dynamic building tables that let you fill each city block with establishments and occupants on the fly.
• A system of dungeon design that explains how to structure a dungeon by size and level, how to stock it with monsters, traps, and treasure, and more.
• A comprehensive NPC creation chapter that lets you quickly generate anything from a 0th level gongfarmer to a 14th level emperor, complete with entourage of vassals and array of magic items.

In Part III - Abstraction, you get:

• A system for abstract dungeon delving that allows your high-level heroes to dispatch their minions to explore dungeons, with resolution that reveals casualties and treasure.
• An abstract wilderness exploration system for fast-play hex and NPC expeditions.

Finally, in Part IV - Customization, we include:

• Rules for creating custom classes using a system of point allocation and level trade-offs. All of the classes in ACKS II were designed using this system, so anything you create with it will be seamlessly compatible with the existing material.
• Rules for creating custom races that go beyond elf, dwarf, and halfling. Whether you want sapient cockroaches, winged lizardmen, sinister serpent people, or just a bunch of weird elves, you can build it.
• A system of custom spell creation that takes into account magic type, magic school, effect, duration, targeting, and saving throws. The spells in ACKS II were created with this system, too.
• The mechanics of custom magic types that allow you to transcend the ordinary limits of arcane and divine magic. Create varieties of shaded magic that can cause horrific corruption, cross the boundaries of cleric and mage, and more.
• A set of variant rules that let you tailor the game to your preferences, ranging from alternative character creation methods, optional initiative systems, fate points for heroic campaigns, and more.

 

[amethal]

The book I'm most excited for is the the Judges Journal:

Thanks for that, I was in two minds about backing this, but the Judges Journal does seem interesting so I've taken the plunge.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Adventure Conqueror King System 2 is on Kickstarter!

I'm constantly mining ideas from the first edition, so thinking about going in at $200 for all three hardbacks. They really do look beautiful...

Anyone else going to back it?
View attachment 316437

Backed on day 1. Very excited about this!

 

[Micah Sweet]

I'm probably fi e with the 1st edition, I'm also not keen on the full colour aesthetic. Might pick up the pdf at some point once they're released after reading some reviews, needs to be different enough from 1e for it to be worth it.

All three ACKS II books are the result of 11 years of playtesting and interaction on ACKS I, compiling a wide variety of improvements made to the rules over the years. That's why the books come out so beefy.

 

[TwoSix]

All three ACKS II books are the result of 11 years of playtesting and interaction on ACKS I, compiling a wide variety of improvements made to the rules over the years. That's why the books come out so beefy.

Honestly, just integrating a lot of the best parts of Axioms into the core text is pretty great. The spell design and "make your own type of magic" article from Axioms #1 is fantastic game design.

 

[Alzrius]

Adventure Conqueror King System 2 is on Kickstarter!

I'm constantly mining ideas from the first edition, so thinking about going in at $200 for all three hardbacks. They really do look beautiful...

Anyone else going to back it?
View attachment 316437

I'd like to, but getting all three books in the wooden case is a hefty investment.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I'd like to, but getting all three books in the wooden case is a hefty investment.

The pdf tier is much more reasonable if you're on a budget, and the books will be available through POD on Drivethru eventually. Good extras available free to all backers as well, like a ACKS II conversion guide and a set of songs for table accompaniment.