I recently found the time to read through my copy of Adventurer Conqueror King by Autarch. I picked it up because I heard it was an OSR clone of B/X (Basic/Expert) Dungeons & Dragons (also called Moldvay/Cook) that added a much improved implementation of domain level play. I’ve always been a fan of the idea of domain level play in fantasy RPGs and thought it deserved a more detailed treatment than it usually gets. I was surprised to find that ACKS (Adventurer Conqueror King System) not only improves domain level play but just about every aspect of B/X D&D.
B/X D&D was the second edition in the Basic Dungeons & Dragons line and has more in common with Original D&D than 1st Edition. The lower complexity of the rules has both kept it popular over the years and provided the basic chassis for fan modifications and whole new games. Popular OSR clones like Labyrinth Lord, Lamentations of the Flame Princess and B/X Essentials all started with B/X.
ACKS wasn’t content to make minor modifications to the rules, however. ACKS is a true innovation that rounds out several areas that were sketchy in the B/X rule books. I think of ACKS as a later edition of B/X D&D that got firm support from the game company over the course of years. The complexity of the rules increase slightly but considering how light the B/X rules are I don’t consider this an imposition (and this is coming from a fan of rules-lite games in general). The departure from strict adherence to the Vancian magic rules established early in D&D seems like too much for some longtime fans of the game but I really liked it. Magic users can make effective use of more of the spells in their repertoire. I have long thought it odd that a magic system devised for science-fiction stories (where it was a remnant of ancient advanced technology) should become so entrenched in fantasy roleplaying.
The rules for domain level play are not only excellent but make a natural part of a game that also handles trade, economics and mass combat (although the mass combat is covered in a supplement). The real beauty is the systems that appeal more to higher level characters (like establishing a domain or leading an army) are easily ignored by those who don’t want to use them. Players are never required to deal with anything beyond the basics.
In addition to everything else I like about the game, ACKS makes itself useful in the form of a toolbox. I like to approach D&D as a toolbox I can use to build the fantasy campaign world of my choice. ACKS Player’s Companion and the recently published Heroic Fantasy Handbook and Barbarian Conquerors of Kanahu offer a variety of material I can use for my own campaign. Alternate rules, additional character classes and races, new kinds of magic, etc. are all there. Because the game is built from B/X D&D I can use material from B/X books and Labyrinth Lord with ease. I’ll be using Basic Psionic Handbook by Richard LeBlanc, for instance.
Adventurer Conqueror King is now my favorite fantasy roleplaying game. I heartily recommend you give it a try.
0 Comments