Would ACKS be a good fit to capture the BECMI-feel?

[CandyLaser]

My recommendations:

• Old School Essentials comes up a lot here, and indeed it is a very good, clean presentation of BX play.
• Just play BECMI, or pick up the Rules Cyclopedia if you want (almost) all of the rules in one book. Why reinvent the wheel?
• Take a look at the work of Kevin Crawford, specifically Worlds Without Number and An Echo Resounding.
• Modiphius's Conan, like a lot of swords and sorcery, might be too dark in its default setting but its rules are solid.
• HYPERBOREA, formerly Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea, falls into the same boat as Conan in terms of darkness but can be reworked into something lighter fairly easily.
• Tales of Argosa might be a bit too low fantasy, but it has great rules for martial exploits and a more modern (i.e. 5e-like) rules set than some of the other contenders.

 

[Jahydin]

Here’s my questions:

1) The artwork for ACKS looks very sword-and-sorcery, Conan-esque. I know that’s judging a book by its cover, but can it do high fantasy? (There’s so many sword-and-sorcery games in this space I guess I’m just being extra cautious.)

It absolutely can and has lots of optional rules you can use to make that happen. For instance, there are separate treasure tables for Classic campaigns (standard OSR) or Heroic campaigns (High-Fantasy).

2) What is the difference between ACKS 1st and 2nd Edition? Sometimes people put out a 2nd Edition but folks pine for the earlier edition when things were simpler or the essence of the game was just right - ie. before folks had to fiddle with it and make a new edition. Is this the case with ACKS 2e, or is 2e a genuine improvement?

ACKS II is an improvement in just about every way IMO.
While ACKS was a cleverly houseruled B/X, ACKS II incorporates all the extra material that makes it clear why the system stands apart from the completion, namely its excellent world building procedures and high-level gameplay.

3) It sounds like ACKS can do the “nobodies to kings” vibe. Has anyone got to high-level ACKS play? How has it performed for you?

Not yet, but certainly going to try! Plan to use it to run Gods of the Forbidden North.

4) I understand it hasn't quite got an ascending or descending AC but something in between like a saving throw. How does that go in play? Does it feel intuitive and like D&D?

As others have said, it shakes out to be the same complexity as ascending AC. Just add the target's AC to your "THACO".

For instance, if you have a "10" to hit and attacking AC 4, you hit on a 14+.

---Break---
Okay, now I'll gush for a bit since I've been reading all my books cover to cover. There are a lot of little things that I'm really digging that separate it from other OSR systems:

• Fighters don't have Weapon Specialization! Being able to use every weapon they find is one of the best features of a Fighter, why take that away?!
• There's a Goblin Slayer proficiency you can pick up which made me smile.
• Clever ways of new PCs starting with more XP if death should happen.
• Race as Class, but with specific Race/Class combo builds is the perfect compromise for me.
• CLEAVE!!! If you kill an enemy you may attack again.
• Emphasis on killing, looting, conquering. That's the backbone of D&D for me, so nice to see the system lean into it completely.
• "Ranger" doesn't have to pick a favorite enemy, instead gets "Ambush" which lets them get a +4 to hit and deal extra damage. Paired with their Initiative bonus, this makes them feel more "Rangery" IMO.
• Thieves have better chances of succeeding in their skills thanks to getting bonuses if an ideal situations, such as +4 (d20 based) to pick locks if not rushed for time.
• Killer artwork! Nails the vibe I look for in my D&D games. Tied with Shadowdark, but in different ways.

 

[NN]

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[NN]

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[Gradine]

Seriously? If you don't like someone or disagree with them, it's okay to steal from them?

I don't care for the guy who lives down the street with the Trump sign in his yard, so I guess I just can steal his car with a clear conscience...

Only if you could somehow manage to download it

I mean, unless it's a Tesla, then we're getting into morally greyer territory

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Only if you could somehow manage to download it

I mean, unless it's a Tesla, then we're getting into morally greyer territory

Mod Note:

Really? After I warned someone else in this thread?

Next person to do this gets a vacation; how long will be a gamble.

 

[kronovan]

Based on what I have (just now, never heard of this before) read, the creator has threatened forums with legal action and sent in astroturfing teams to squash any criticism of his alt-right views.

Yes, this is the case @ RPG.NET and why you're not allowed to discuss it there.

I'm by no means savvy when it comes to OSR flavors of BECMI an B/X. That said, I've played Old-School Essentials a lot and my DMs have told me that the Advanced edition of the Players and Referees Tomes contiain the equivalent of BECMI and B/X content. As well as options to add in some AD&D content.
I've been pleased with the layout, the quality of writing and the affordable cost of the Player's Tome.

 

[Jahydin]

Oh, another touch I really liked was a section on when to "fudge the dice"; quite the blasphemous topic in the OSR!

But I couldn't agree more, it was all in the spirit of saving time and moving things along if nothing of note would come from the result, like the last creature getting dropped to 1 hp and you just want to end the combat.

 

[The Firebird]

I don't have experience at the table nor own the books. The first edition has a SRD released under the OGL, available a few places, including here. I linked to Magical Research, which is a good example of what it does differently.

I have checked out the SRD from time to time to see how it handles the economic & domain simulation parts. I've not used them in a game, because it seems there are a lot of economic assumptions built in and you'd have to adopt them more broadly for all the math to work--I have my own economic system so have to convert back and forth. But it is interesting to see a fleshed out take on it, and few systems attempt anything like this. If you're looking to handle this part in detail, then you can see if the SRD has the content you want.

 

[dead]

Thanks for all the info, folks! What about the short rest/long rest paradigm? Does it have a mechanic like that?

And what about healing? Does it implement anything to mitigate magical healing being abused? For example Worlds Without Number has a System Strain mechanic to help with this, I believe.

Also, there's another game called Dark Dungeons that was recommended to me. Goes up to level 36 just like BECMI.