Getting Started - ACKs

What does it take to play? Or, how to make a large ruleset easy to deploy.

In light of my recent overview of Classic Traveller, and the ACKs Imperial Imprint (ACKs II) coming out soon, I wanted to take a tangent on what gets in the way of players starting a game.

The Traveller Book comprised 150 pages for a complete and coherent ruleset that could be expanded and built upon as needed.

For ACKs, the core rulebook and Sinister Stone of Sakkara together, comprise roughly 325 pages, and this doesn’t even include the ability to create classes per the Players Companion (150 or so pages) and Domains at War.

The first edition Pathfinder rules was nearly 600 pages. Anyone reading these pages knows my opinion that, while old-school style games are possible, the 3.x chassis encourages some bad character development consequences, and the PF modules, splatbooks, and society play adventures are horrible for any player who wants their decisions to matter.

Traveller 5 is roughly 900 pages. I’ve already made clear that I like all the subsystems, but find it difficult to treat as a coherent game.

ACKs 2 will be roughly 1500 pages.

If you ask “does this make you nervous” I am, a bit. But I’m willing to give Alex the benefit of the doubt. Why? Because I know the original edition well, and I’ve seen the new rules.

Starship Troopers

One of my first exposures to wargaming proper was the Avalon Hill wargame based on the book of the same name. It may or may not not be as great as I remember it to be, but leaving that aside, the rules were both blessed and cursed by their organizational scheme: to wit, the rules were introduced as needed, scenario by scenario. The first one introduced basic combat, the second more units, options, then the bugs, undergound charges, etc., as you went through the scenario.

On the one hand, it made looking up a rule hell if you didn’t know what scenario it was introduced in. On the other, you got to “get” the basic gist of the game before layering complexity on, and a middle schooler managed to get through half the scanrios in solo play before being distracted by Panzerblitz, Afrika Korps, The Traveller Book, Battletech, and Basic D&D.

Why this is relevant

Or, why I’m giving Alexander Macris the benefit of the doubt - the expanded version.

First of all - the expanded rules are less an expansion of the core rulebook, than a collection and integration of rules that already existed if you wanted to play them. The players companion already existed if you wanted to create new classes. Ceremonial magic already existed if you wanted a radically different magic system, per the Heroic Fantasy guide and the Barbarian Conquerors of Kanahu. Many of the extended and variant rules for creating magic items, and many other things, already existed in the regular publications of Axioms, and you didn’t need them at all unless you wanted them.

Actually, you’d never even see them if you didn’t go out of your way to get your hands on them.

And I needed none of them to play. My Dwimmermount campaign was played nearly exclusively out of the core book and Dwimmermount¹. My first ACKs campaign simply using the core rules and Sakkara. The current Africanus campaign does use the player companion for a couple extra classes, and I’ve leaned on the Lairs and Encounters splatbook a bit.

The point is, until you get to the point you’re mustering armies and need the abstract army combat system (the more boardgame version is still separate), or want to really get into the weeds of what is possible, you do not need to use a lot of the rules. Much of what was in axioms was background - if you wanted to research new spells or craft custom magic items beyond the rules in the core book, or create whole new classes or races, or the costs of various magic items.

In short, while the Referee, as always, needs to have a deeper understanding of the rules, much of the rules are irrelevant until a player decides “I want to try ‘x’”.

Further, the rules I have seen so far, both from the original edition that I’ve played for years and the preview of the new edition, are clearly laid out, logically grouped, and clearly written. They have also been clarified somewhat from a decade of playtesting since the first edition. It says something for the quality of the ruleset that the online “Grey Brotherhood” game sessions are being run in ACKs II, using the Sinister Stone of Sakkara module from the original ACKs - this means that the fundamental system has gone through few breaking changes in how the game mechanics are structured. The combat and other mechanics are still the same clear and understandable, and more to the point, coherent rules that match up with what has gone before, much like Car Wars, until this latest edition, had the same recognizable system baked in from the original box set all the way through the significantly larger Compendium. Sure, a few things were tweaked, and a lot was added (including gas engines), but a killer cart was still recognizably the same across all of these editions.

Aside: The sea combat system apparently owes a little to Car Wars, at least for the impulse based movement system. And yes, ACKs now includes naval warfare rules.

If you need them.

Finally, a lot of the extra page count was used to clarify the rules. Case in point - the classes in the new rule book no longer refer across to other classes for shared abilities, but are self-contained entries. While the full descriptions of class proficiencies are still elaborated on in one place, each class now lists out the relevant list of proficiencies on its respective page, as well as in the section on proficiencies. Further, the monster and creature entries now apparently will have their own dedicated pages instead of being 3-4 entries per page. These expanded entries encapsulate everything relevant to the creature, including what parts are worth for resale as luxury or magic items, if competently butchered or rendered.

But how can all this complexity be easy to start up? I fully understand and agree with the viewpoint of several BROSR adjacent people that, in order to compete with videogames, since we’re already making a big ask in getting people to commit to regular sessions at a gaming table, virtual or otherwise, we need to make sure the games are complete as-is. Rules that provide enough structure so that unexpected situations can be slipstreamed in using existing mechanics, examples, if needed a starter module (can be separate) and easy to get playing as long as at least the GM knows what he’s doing, or is somewhat familiar with the rules.

How does ACKs accomplish this? I mean - we have not only a plethora of classes, an ability to design custom classes, but even within a class there are a number of possible perks/proficiencies that can be chosen. How do I figure out which one to take? How does a new player get this to the table quickly? I’d spent an inordinate and embarassing amount of money on Hero Lab when I was playing Pathfinder.

The short answer? As with markets, and everything else, Alex has done the math.

The longer answer - there are templates.

Let’s take the fighter.

Even in the original ACKs (above) you didn’t have to figure out what gear you were going to buy, or what proficiencies to pick. You could simply pick the default template, and have a playable and flexible character. Incidentally, that default template allowed you to more easily train henchmen to work effectively together.

A few changes have come up in character generation. While the original ACKs was 3D6 in order with an option I liked to roll up five such characters and pick the best, these are still possible in the revised rules. Alex has come up with a new wrinkle that guarantees a better set of stats sufficient for a desired character class, yet leaves room for significant randomness.

Character attributes are determined by rolling randomly. Pick one attribute and roll 5d6; drop the lowest 2 dice and tally the rest. If less than 13, increase to 13. Pick a second and third attribute and roll 4d6 for each; drop the lowest die and tally the rest. If less than 9, increase to 9. Roll 3d6 for each of the remaining three attributes.

In short, if one wants a mage, and wants to weight the character in favor of high intelligence, one can choose to roll 5D6 for Int, and guarantee at least a 13. Three of the stats are still raw 3D6, but it’s still entirely possible that a mage could end up with 18 Strength.

The real magic happens next. You can still, if you wish and the GM allows, completely customize your fighter from the allowed list of proficiencies. There are several other options. Every class now has a list of templates, different flavors, that fit the overall class, each with standard equipment and stock proficiencies. The default method is to roll 3D6 and pick the randomly rolled template - or any lower one.

Returning to the fighter, we have options like legionary - with weapon and shield fighting specialty and siege engineering as proficiencies - Corsair, with Swashbuckling and Seafaring, a mounted Cataphract, or a plain old thug. The GM also has the option, depending on the type of campaign and world, to just pick one as the standard.

The point is that the character types can be customized, extensively, but there are plenty of pre-built templates that cover most of the archetypes of the standard and included campaign classes. The concepts that a player, especially one entirely new to OSR/D&D, needs to know are fleshed out in a dozen or so pages. A brand new player can roll some dice, decide if he wants to be an explorer, a thief, etc., and what variant sounds cool, and be up and running without having to spend hours rolling up a character.

I mentioned Pathfinder earlier, right? Nothing like that.

Aside: I’m suddenly itching to do a Three Kings scenario involving some legionaries, a signifier, and treasure lost in the Zaharan desert.

What does it all mean

Yes, ACKs II will be large. The extra pages compared to teh existing core book are mostly comprised of two things - rules that weren’t needed to get started in the core game, or are a function of relevant information being better organized and placed where it is most needed - even if slightly redundant. Small quality of life organizational improvements are throughout - ranged weapon ranges are now in the table with weapons and gear. The equipment tables also specifically list the encumbrance, which system was already a near perfect balance of usability and verisimilitude.

Oh, and Goblin-slaying is an explicit proficiency name.

For more information on the upcoming edition, here is one of the recent interviews:

The kickstarter starts on October 24th.

1. We had a player create a few interesting spells including a summoning variant that brought forth a small pack of blink dogs.