I think you're forgetting how the very first P&P games were made. Most of the best P&P games are even now generally made by 1 or a handful of people. It's laser focusing on one strong vision you'd love to see take concrete shape vs creating grey slop through committee based on market analysis reports.
@@MagnificentDevil irrelevant. A complex system isn't necessarily a good system. What a system needs, regardless of its complexity, is a person that understands the genres it wants it used for and understands how to tailor the rules to serve that purpose. And as a sidenote, it's more like over 1400/almost 1500 pages long.
For our ACKS group we wanted to jump into domain play right away, so I had the party inherit (as a group) a barony title to a village of 50 families. It was enough to play around with building palasades and blacksmiths and whatnot. But not enough to shower the party in gold and throw off the adventuring balance. Also we ended up saying that medieval villages don't actually have a lot of physical currency and the peasants all pay their taxes in wheat, cheese, and free labor. The most balance breaking thing the party did did was build a town blacksmith and then forced him to make platemale for everyone. I made the party go adventuring for a pile of iron to make the armor and they ended up stealing a plow from their neighbors.
Next time, look up how long a suit of plate would take a single skilled armourer to make, and remind them that this is a regular blacksmith. Then that no horseshoes, hammers, pitchforks, arrowheads or spearheads czn be made in this time either.
@blacklodgegames I have the original ACKS rulebook, but haven't had the chance to play it or really deep dive into reading it. I'll have to look harder at that 🤔
@icantafford ACKS II, the new edition, handles this through market availability for both available goods ready for purchase as market availability of proficient craftsman capable of constructing them, and the time it will take to construct them given there is someone who can do it. Each market class (civilization size) has availability for different classes of goods/craftsmen etc. If you're out on the borderlands, there may not even be anyone available in a given month to do the sort of work you need. It's awesome.
Alexander has definitively ascended to the top of the ttrpg throne with ACKS II. It puts every D20 system on my shelf to shame. Also, my god…the Art. Wow. This video is a great sell.
Looking forward to getting the hardcovers and running some ACKS II. This looks like another great supplement to add to what surely is an already amazing system.
I am also using The Shucked Oyster with ACKS2 domain play to add a gritty, underworld dimension to the campaign. A seedy port-city setting, filled with crime networks and smuggling rings, fits right into the complexities of running a domain. The players can exploit the city’s black markets and illicit trade for profit or take on the challenges of cleaning up its corruption, adding depth and moral shading.
Banger video sirs. This almost made me buy ACKs II for the second time! Be sure to mention carving up and training monsters, something that has never been done in DnD!
3.0 and 3.5 are the king editions of D&D. Pathfinder follows behind them. Based on the stronghold idea, I'd say Birthright setting is perfect for that. But that's an old man who yells at clouds opinion lmfao
"The dudes are jacked, the chicks are hot, and the monsters _need_ to be slaughtered because if you don't, they'll eat your children and sacrifice your family to the dark gods of Chaos and Murder." That is simply the best hype line for a product I've heard in a long while.
This is a great overview. I'm new to ACKS so this has my *hyped.* The Domain Play does indeed remind me of my early D&D gaming. It also kind of reminds me of the old _Living_ _Steel_ setting, Khand, in the sense of the escalating-to-epic structure. Very cool.
Excellent vid! And I for one greatly look forward to more ACKS content on the channel. Really looking forward to receiving the physical books next year.
I'm running a campaign using BECMI as it's core. Is ACKS a simple system to transition to? Asking because the campaign has been going on for a few years and doesn't seem to be losing steam.
@@axel8406 I've been converting some old BECMI modules and it's basically 1:1. The major change is THACO but it's basically the same, just flipped to make more sense. I did tone down the treasure a little to fit the 80/20 gold/monster XP progression however, but that's a published adventure issue. Also be aware that it's class levels is more B/X, so character hit max level at 14, not 36, which I don't see as a problem. As someone who got into D&D with the Red Box in the 80s, this is the BECMI 2.0 system I like to think I would have created if I had the talent.
@Arasaka thank you for the info. I'm going to check this out. Lvl limitation rarely become an issue due to how likely players are to meet them. I play with the old school mindset of deadly stuff is actually dangerous lol
@@axel8406 I think you'll be pleased! I'm really happy I backed it. I couldn't wait for the book releases so I've been using the backer PDFs to start prepping already, and I've been really happy with what I've been seeing so far. It's the update to BECMI I always wanted, especially in regards to Domain play and Mass Combat which, as pointed out in the video, has been absent from D&D for several decades. A grave omission IMO.
I homebrewed a stronghold system inspired by some of the third party supplements (but simplified). I do include bedrooms (well, quarters), but better living conditions give benefits for downtime.
D&D 3e had the supplement "Stronghold Builder's Guidebook" (128 pgs, pub. 2002) which was great for building out such things. Still worth taking a look at today.
@@dwil0311 you're aware that WOTC made some superficial Bastion rules to encourage players to buy VTT assets to play Sims and customize their Bastion, right? They're not your friends and the decisions they make are not in the interest of making a better P&P game.
Seeing someone wearing Pointy Hat in the thumbnail brought to mind the Darkwing Duck episode with the hat aliens that take people over when they wear them.
Bastions isn't a new idea in D and D. Its just another mechanic that WOTC is trying to take credit when the mechanic has been around since the 70s or 80s. It also lvl locks them, which is arbitrary. My go-to reference is the stronghold builder ls guide from 3.5.
I have been meaning to pick it up. I have developed a strong love for the zaniness that D100 systems generate. But I also want to look at ACKs Domain system. I have a feeling it can be adapted to other systems with little issue.
I love playing the sims with my wacky ensemble consisting of a cutesy goblin girl (she/them), a non binary tabaxi (cat/cats), and a HIV+ half orc in a wheelchair. Can't wait to shovel cash over to WotC
Fuck man, I started running a PF2e campaign at the start of the year after a 7.5 year pf1e campaign. Between this and your mythras videos, I wish I had have known about either of these games before committing to 2e. You made ACKs sound like the best thing since sliced bread.
This sounds cool. As a black guy and LGBT, I know WOTC has worked to try and appeal to me with their recent direction, but it just kinda sucks. It's really nice to see alternatives readily accessible.
Yep...Tales of the Valiant and Zobeck is where I am putting DM think time. A city that is aggressively capitalistic, fantasy punk, with actual racism/species-ism and politics! YEAH!
Hey Black Lodge, we really really need more videos on ACKS. There's a lack of quality videos like yours that dives into the game that's less than 10 mins. Could you make some catered to beginners explaining things like combat and roleplay for it?
Possibly, but we've got a lot of videos to make and beginner stuff for non mainstream games doesn't always perform well. Our videos that are explicitly about mechanics get lower views, so we have to find a way to tie it into a more interesting topic to make it work.
My innate cynicism prevents me from being more the cautiously excited. HOWEVER you may rest assured after watching this video, I am in fact cautiously excited to delver deeper into this system. You've made some rather large claims, BLG and I'm eager to see if the material backs that up. I see that the main book had a kickstarter roughly a year ago. Where can I purchase a physical copy?
The digital versions were just completed and physical delivery is coming in Q1 2025. You can get physical and digital copies through the Kickstarter linked in the description. After that, I believe they will come to drivethrurpg for print on demand, but you would have to check with the game creator to be certain.
I would say that I rarely think of The Roman Empire, but it seems like everyday another UA-cam video is bringing it up, usually by asking that question.
I am almost totally positive that TSR had detailed rules for building and supplying a full castle Back in the day. Yeah, the more I hear about D&D 24 the more I realize TSR is gone and WOTC is not for me. ACKS sounds much more like what I am looking for! Great video, Shame I live in an area where safe spaces, lines and veils are par for course and the kind of thing that make the players around me giggle and clap their hands with glee. Great video as always sir! This channel makes me remember what TTRPG was all about when I was a younger man! Honestly, I became much more of a World of Darkness player over the years before life took me out of TTRPG altogether, but there was always something fun about a good dungeon crawl or D&D campaign now and then as well.
I had heard of ACKS but never looked into it as d20 has never been my primary mechanics system, but this sounds exactly like something I want. The title alone reminds me of Conan's journey from the cold to the crown, and the Roman aesthetic is a welcome change from the usual medieval. Thanks for this. I read up a bit on it and backed the KS along with the other bundle added on. I have a feeling I'll be perusing the barebones pdfs a lot in Dec.... and with any luck will find eager players (or a game I can join as one) a year from now.
How much XP do I get if I engage in a merchantile endeavor to bring The Three Grimoires of The Mad Autarch from the Savage Lands of Youes'ei to the Shattered Kingdoms of Urhap?
ACKS II is the single greatest Old School Toolbox I've ever put my (digital and one day physical) hands on. Opening things up for my players to do custom spells / classes / item creation without having to say "no" or resorting to DM fiat. If I can replicate their math, I can trust the system to work. It's just that simple.
So you play a group of ruthless villains, greedy for gold and power? It might get hard to justify why there's no backstabbing among the PCs at some point (unless you want that).
funny how you give so much high praise to a system that even in the day most people just ignored. mage towers lords domains all Freking ignored by the bulk of players. its good for ONE kind of campaign when most wanted to run around kill monsters steel the loot save the day from some big bad and start over.
dnd lost my entire village. one group is playing dsa, and we play savage worlds. bastions is indeed stupid. if your players want a base they have to earn it through roleplay 💪🏻
I wouldn't necessarily say that. But it definitely reeks of the conflict-free vibe 2024 D&D is going for. They seem like they want to turn D&D into a cozy game. Also in the process of trying to to do so they have created new issues that are just as problematic. For example they replaced perceived racism with classism. And by making monsters like goblins and orcs "people" this means that all those times you slaughtered entire dungeons full of them over your adventuring career you were really just committing racially motivated genocide. Oops.
Besides your Locals, do you guys have a discord server or somewhere else I can engage with this community of relatively likeminded players and perhaps shill my products to? I might fork up for the Locals eventually but I don't know if I can in good conscience at this moment.
God I hate how it's been normalized to only use abbreviations without establishing what it stands for. Didn't know what ACKS was, not in title, opened video description and it wasn't there, it's not until like five minutes into the video. Why do people do this?
Is the proper term going forward that saying "acks" automatically means acksii? I have had more than one conversation recently where I mean acks and they mean acksii when talking about a topic. Curious what y'all think.
The ACKS II Kickstarter from last year is currently fulfilling. The digital versions are complete, physical books coming Q1 2025. They are available as an add on for the kickstarter linked in the description of this video, and then will be publicly available later in the year
Shit sounds good to me, how do i get a hardcopy, of the primary book?? if i can get one ill back their new kick starter, truthfully im in a bind, i was also thinking about getting mythras and backing this kick starter about cults and golems, I want/could get both, but i should only get one or the other
@@aled857 so here is what I would say in this situation: what kind of game do you want? Mythras and ACKS are very different games that offer very different experiences. Mythras is a more character focused and immersive game. It's great for fantasy that feels very personal. It has an excellent (and cheap) mass combat supplement if you want large scale battles too. But it doesn't have the sort of random tables and world simulation tools that ACKS has. ACKS is very much in the tradition of classic fantasy d&d, and scales all the way up into a massive war game. The world simulation tools in ACKS are unparalleled, but it is a *vast* game. If you want d&d on steroids, ACKS is 100% the way to go. Neither of these games are rules light, but because of the much broader scope, ACKS has way more rules and takes way longer to learn. I love them both (currently running ACKS, playing in Mythras) but they offer very different experiences. If you have a preference for one type of experience over the other, choose that game. But you don't need both simultaneously. Or choose the one that sounds more interesting to you at the moment, and wait until you can afford to pick up the other. I of course want you to buy the golems book when the Kickstarter goes up but not if you are strapped for cash, and not if you think ACKS sounds like the better option long term. Mythras for a character first approach. ACKS for the d&d approach. Both are good, but unless you have infinite money, you don't need them both at the same time.
26 днів тому
My question with Bastions is why are there level limits to upgrading your house? Like do I have to be level 12 to hire a carpenter to add an addition to my house? Weird.
The kickstarter from last year just fulfilled the digital versions. You can get digital and physical versions through the treasure tome kickstarter in the link in the description of the video. Physical books for ACKS II are being delivered Q1 2025 and will go on sale at all the usual places (dtrpg etc.) after that.
No, but there are many interviews with the game creator, Alexander Macris, talking about the system. Our first interview with him from november of last year goes over a lot of it.
I just read through bastions section in d&d master manual and I am so incredibly deeply astonished... I expect content, not necessary quality content, but content. And a lot of it. I am so disappointed.
The fact that this game is mostly made by one man speaks volumes to the inefficiency and impotence of corporations making games.
I think you're forgetting how the very first P&P games were made.
Most of the best P&P games are even now generally made by 1 or a handful of people. It's laser focusing on one strong vision you'd love to see take concrete shape vs creating grey slop through committee based on market analysis reports.
@@Iulian111None of those had anywhere near the complexity and completeness of ACKS. The core books are over 1000 pages.
Macris is not exactly the average designer, though.
One person has a much smaller audience size to cater to. This isn't anything new.
@@MagnificentDevil irrelevant. A complex system isn't necessarily a good system.
What a system needs, regardless of its complexity, is a person that understands the genres it wants it used for and understands how to tailor the rules to serve that purpose.
And as a sidenote, it's more like over 1400/almost 1500 pages long.
"How many times a day do you think about the Roman Empire?"
If you never stop, it's only once!
I honestly thought they will talk about
Lex Arkana ll ed.
Need more ACKS content. ACKS is the tits.
More to come!
Gary Arneson and Dave Gygax deserve more credit. True pioneers.
I see what you did there Fren Hook.
@@rwustudios I am impressed he said it with such a straight face.
So painful
Is this a joke?
@VirtuallyRealRPG they're assuming it is, but that's not what I saw
WotC D&D doesn't keep me up at night, but ACKS II PDFs actually did keep me up reading until 200 am this morning.
@@shetested6540very based
Not just 2 AM, but 200 AM! That's how you know he was really up late reading
@@007nikster2 🤨🤨
For our ACKS group we wanted to jump into domain play right away, so I had the party inherit (as a group) a barony title to a village of 50 families. It was enough to play around with building palasades and blacksmiths and whatnot. But not enough to shower the party in gold and throw off the adventuring balance.
Also we ended up saying that medieval villages don't actually have a lot of physical currency and the peasants all pay their taxes in wheat, cheese, and free labor.
The most balance breaking thing the party did did was build a town blacksmith and then forced him to make platemale for everyone. I made the party go adventuring for a pile of iron to make the armor and they ended up stealing a plow from their neighbors.
typical player character behavior
Next time, look up how long a suit of plate would take a single skilled armourer to make, and remind them that this is a regular blacksmith. Then that no horseshoes, hammers, pitchforks, arrowheads or spearheads czn be made in this time either.
@@icantafford ACKS has rules for this.
@blacklodgegames I have the original ACKS rulebook, but haven't had the chance to play it or really deep dive into reading it. I'll have to look harder at that 🤔
@icantafford ACKS II, the new edition, handles this through market availability for both available goods ready for purchase as market availability of proficient craftsman capable of constructing them, and the time it will take to construct them given there is someone who can do it. Each market class (civilization size) has availability for different classes of goods/craftsmen etc. If you're out on the borderlands, there may not even be anyone available in a given month to do the sort of work you need. It's awesome.
Alexander has definitively ascended to the top of the ttrpg throne with ACKS II. It puts every D20 system on my shelf to shame.
Also, my god…the Art. Wow.
This video is a great sell.
I doubt I'll play ACKS II anytime soon... Still too busy playing ACKS.
Looking forward to getting the hardcovers and running some ACKS II. This looks like another great supplement to add to what surely is an already amazing system.
WotC slop could never compete with ACKS tbh.
yeah no comparison
And yet they outperform ACKS both in quality produced and financially.
@@dwil0311 Coomsumer moment.
@@dwil0311Slob that corporate knob! 😛💦
@@dwil0311 quantity produced sure, but quality? Nah, not on their best day!
I am also using The Shucked Oyster with ACKS2 domain play to add a gritty, underworld dimension to the campaign. A seedy port-city setting, filled with crime networks and smuggling rings, fits right into the complexities of running a domain. The players can exploit the city’s black markets and illicit trade for profit or take on the challenges of cleaning up its corruption, adding depth and moral shading.
Banger video sirs.
This almost made me buy ACKs II for the second time!
Be sure to mention carving up and training monsters, something that has never been done in DnD!
To be discussed on another video!
3.0 and 3.5 are the king editions of D&D. Pathfinder follows behind them. Based on the stronghold idea, I'd say Birthright setting is perfect for that. But that's an old man who yells at clouds opinion lmfao
Armoires & Ottomans is my new favorite ttrpg
Everyone complained that 4e had too many video game aspects. Now 5.5e basically _is_ a video game.
Worse still, apparently that video game is Sims 4. Not even the kinda cool first entry, but 4.
The Dungeons & Discourse thumbnails 💀💀💀💀
I genuinely like her videos. She often jokes about her thumbnails too.
@@blacklodgegames Is Pointy Hat co-hosting something with her or something? Or is that an additional reference?
ACKS is awesome, but you know what makes it better? The Shucked Oyster.
the what?
@@Evan42 module BLG made for Shadowdark that has support for ACKS in it. It's well done and hilarious.
"The dudes are jacked, the chicks are hot, and the monsters _need_ to be slaughtered because if you don't, they'll eat your children and sacrifice your family to the dark gods of Chaos and Murder."
That is simply the best hype line for a product I've heard in a long while.
Who doesn't think of the Roman Empire daily?
Unironically, yes.
Those of us still fascinated by the Bronze Age and thinking daily about how we'd defeat the Sea Peoples.
Now that's what's best in life.
Selling some wargame armies right now, missed the leather bounds last time but I have to have it, not happening again
A true King!
Cannot wait to get these physical books in my hands!
I was already mining ACKS 1 for its many many awesome rules, and it has enhanced my games, and helped my players see some of their plans to fruition.
My boys and I were pretty sold on Castles and Crusades. I'm interested to give ACK II a go.
Both!
@@calvanoni5443C&C has a great Conan feel
The snark in this video is over 9,000! XD
Lol!
Kickstarted and got the physical copies of the core books. Can't wait to read ACKs
This is a great overview. I'm new to ACKS so this has my *hyped.* The Domain Play does indeed remind me of my early D&D gaming. It also kind of reminds me of the old _Living_ _Steel_ setting, Khand, in the sense of the escalating-to-epic structure. Very cool.
ACKS Ttreasure Tome on KS now
They hit 6-10 times the goal on Day 1. Pretty awesome
Excellent vid! And I for one greatly look forward to more ACKS content on the channel. Really looking forward to receiving the physical books next year.
ACKS is the spiritual successor to BECMI, which is the first RPG I got into. And ACKS is my only alternative for D&D style play.
I'm running a campaign using BECMI as it's core. Is ACKS a simple system to transition to? Asking because the campaign has been going on for a few years and doesn't seem to be losing steam.
@@axel8406 I've been converting some old BECMI modules and it's basically 1:1. The major change is THACO but it's basically the same, just flipped to make more sense. I did tone down the treasure a little to fit the 80/20 gold/monster XP progression however, but that's a published adventure issue. Also be aware that it's class levels is more B/X, so character hit max level at 14, not 36, which I don't see as a problem. As someone who got into D&D with the Red Box in the 80s, this is the BECMI 2.0 system I like to think I would have created if I had the talent.
@Arasaka thank you for the info. I'm going to check this out. Lvl limitation rarely become an issue due to how likely players are to meet them. I play with the old school mindset of deadly stuff is actually dangerous lol
@@axel8406 I think you'll be pleased! I'm really happy I backed it. I couldn't wait for the book releases so I've been using the backer PDFs to start prepping already, and I've been really happy with what I've been seeing so far. It's the update to BECMI I always wanted, especially in regards to Domain play and Mass Combat which, as pointed out in the video, has been absent from D&D for several decades. A grave omission IMO.
@@Arasaka that's making me more interested in it. I have been using chainmail for mass combat.
Damn, the spergs, speds, and tists are out in force in these comments. The Reddit war kazoo's are blaring.
They are going to be disappointed.
I homebrewed a stronghold system inspired by some of the third party supplements (but simplified). I do include bedrooms (well, quarters), but better living conditions give benefits for downtime.
D&D 3e had the supplement "Stronghold Builder's Guidebook" (128 pgs, pub. 2002) which was great for building out such things. Still worth taking a look at today.
It's a shame WotC D&D just ignored their own BIRTHRIGHT ruleset. Bastions could have been so much.... more.
yeah but is ACKs bastions a safe space that the GM has no power to effect?
cause you get that in 5E
Not sure what bastion rules you read, but that is apparently your own made up homebrew.
@@dwil0311🤡
@@dwil0311 you're aware that WOTC made some superficial Bastion rules to encourage players to buy VTT assets to play Sims and customize their Bastion, right?
They're not your friends and the decisions they make are not in the interest of making a better P&P game.
I suddenly feel a great temptation, or is it a calling, to splurge my euros on ACKS. That artwork is my kind of fantasy aesthetic too.
I'm waiting for the day WOTC makes extensive 'trauma' and 'mental health' mechanics, and SSRIs become a new type of healing item.
Psychic damage exists
This is the best case for/sales pitch for ACKS/II I've seen yet. Even better than the man 'Alexander' himself!
Seeing someone wearing Pointy Hat in the thumbnail brought to mind the Darkwing Duck episode with the hat aliens that take people over when they wear them.
Bastions isn't a new idea in D and D. Its just another mechanic that WOTC is trying to take credit when the mechanic has been around since the 70s or 80s. It also lvl locks them, which is arbitrary. My go-to reference is the stronghold builder ls guide from 3.5.
But strongholds in D&D don't let magic users build dungeons to lure creatures, and harvest them for spell components. ACKS does.
The stronghold builder guide is one of my favorite books!
@@MagnificentDevil now i got to get ACKS 2. Have you read the stronghold builders guide? It's a great supliment for building player bases.
I have been meaning to pick it up. I have developed a strong love for the zaniness that D100 systems generate. But I also want to look at ACKs Domain system. I have a feeling it can be adapted to other systems with little issue.
The wotc's biggest sandal line had me rolling on the floor. Good video!
I love playing the sims with my wacky ensemble consisting of a cutesy goblin girl (she/them), a non binary tabaxi (cat/cats), and a HIV+ half orc in a wheelchair. Can't wait to shovel cash over to WotC
I honestly dont know if you’re being sarcastic or not. Cutesy she/they goblin girl is a very popular character archetype
@@ShadestheMothman I forgot how common autism is in this hobby...
@@ShadestheMothman 💀
This made me laugh hard lol!
@@egg465 have you seen the cover of "Ravenloft - Heir of Strahd"? True horror, just not the right kind of it.
Fuck man, I started running a PF2e campaign at the start of the year after a 7.5 year pf1e campaign. Between this and your mythras videos, I wish I had have known about either of these games before committing to 2e. You made ACKs sound like the best thing since sliced bread.
lol damn that throwing shade at Dungeons & Discourse
@@kadeshaderow not at all, I love her channel. She's hilarious and would laugh at the joke I think
This sounds cool. As a black guy and LGBT, I know WOTC has worked to try and appeal to me with their recent direction, but it just kinda sucks. It's really nice to see alternatives readily accessible.
Yep...Tales of the Valiant and Zobeck is where I am putting DM think time. A city that is aggressively capitalistic, fantasy punk, with actual racism/species-ism and politics! YEAH!
THe campaign i"m playinf in PbP currently had us start in Zobeck...
God that was so long ago, no we are in the Shadowrealm...
Yet another superior installment.
Hey Black Lodge, we really really need more videos on ACKS. There's a lack of quality videos like yours that dives into the game that's less than 10 mins. Could you make some catered to beginners explaining things like combat and roleplay for it?
Possibly, but we've got a lot of videos to make and beginner stuff for non mainstream games doesn't always perform well. Our videos that are explicitly about mechanics get lower views, so we have to find a way to tie it into a more interesting topic to make it work.
And videos take a lot of time and effort so we only make them when we think we have something really interesting to say.
My innate cynicism prevents me from being more the cautiously excited. HOWEVER you may rest assured after watching this video, I am in fact cautiously excited to delver deeper into this system. You've made some rather large claims, BLG and I'm eager to see if the material backs that up. I see that the main book had a kickstarter roughly a year ago. Where can I purchase a physical copy?
The digital versions were just completed and physical delivery is coming in Q1 2025. You can get physical and digital copies through the Kickstarter linked in the description. After that, I believe they will come to drivethrurpg for print on demand, but you would have to check with the game creator to be certain.
Bastion is a money sink. For your wallleeetttt! (in Rich Evans voice).
ACKS + Ars Magica videos when?
Soon
slide whistle
@@blacklodgegames Ars Magicka, yes. Homebrewing magic like AM into ACKS II: Hells Yes.
I would say that I rarely think of The Roman Empire, but it seems like everyday another UA-cam video is bringing it up, usually by asking that question.
"Marvel superheroes at a Renn Faire" is about a funny description of 5E as I've ever heard.
@@tubebobwil I wrote that line knowing I'd find a clip of it too. First hit when I searched.
lol the birthday candles cracked me up. It's so appropriate!
I thought this was an ACK- joke lmao
Art reminds me of Conan
I am almost totally positive that TSR had detailed rules for building and supplying a full castle Back in the day. Yeah, the more I hear about D&D 24 the more I realize TSR is gone and WOTC is not for me. ACKS sounds much more like what I am looking for! Great video, Shame I live in an area where safe spaces, lines and veils are par for course and the kind of thing that make the players around me giggle and clap their hands with glee. Great video as always sir! This channel makes me remember what TTRPG was all about when I was a younger man! Honestly, I became much more of a World of Darkness player over the years before life took me out of TTRPG altogether, but there was always something fun about a good dungeon crawl or D&D campaign now and then as well.
There are thousands of people playing ACKS! Join the discord and I'm sure you can find a game to play in with normal people
I know the 1e DMG had prices for building a stronghold. It's been a long time since I've looked at them, though.
@@tomkerruish2982 many of the previous editions had it, but the domain game has been ignored in the modern game.
@blacklodgegames Somehow, I never thought I'd groan at the word "modern". "Post-modern", absolutely, but not just plain "modern".
1st and 2nd Edition had the rules for castles, wizard towers, thieves guilds, etc. 3rd edition 'streamlined' things.
the first 50 seconds ...
Old man yells at cloud
And in other news, clouds are made from piss now.
They told me that was rain that was going into my pocket!
Now with Gini, I finally clicked it!
I had heard of ACKS but never looked into it as d20 has never been my primary mechanics system, but this sounds exactly like something I want. The title alone reminds me of Conan's journey from the cold to the crown, and the Roman aesthetic is a welcome change from the usual medieval. Thanks for this. I read up a bit on it and backed the KS along with the other bundle added on. I have a feeling I'll be perusing the barebones pdfs a lot in Dec.... and with any luck will find eager players (or a game I can join as one) a year from now.
How much XP do I get if I engage in a merchantile endeavor to bring The Three Grimoires of The Mad Autarch from the Savage Lands of Youes'ei to the Shattered Kingdoms of Urhap?
@@Iulian111 4
LMAO Gary Arneson... Nailed it ❤
Ginny Di is catching strays from everyone here. I gotta say I'm here for it.
We have no issue with her, she just did a long video about it that inspired part of this.
ACKS II is the single greatest Old School Toolbox I've ever put my (digital and one day physical) hands on. Opening things up for my players to do custom spells / classes / item creation without having to say "no" or resorting to DM fiat. If I can replicate their math, I can trust the system to work. It's just that simple.
Imagine tying property to character level.
"Bastions" are just MMO player housing for D&D. I cannot wait for my ACKS II core books!
So you play a group of ruthless villains, greedy for gold and power? It might get hard to justify why there's no backstabbing among the PCs at some point (unless you want that).
Ok, I’m sold!
Thx for the video guys!
Sounds great!
I will wait for thos videos
funny how you give so much high praise to a system that even in the day most people just ignored. mage towers lords domains all Freking ignored by the bulk of players. its good for ONE kind of campaign when most wanted to run around kill monsters steel the loot save the day from some big bad and start over.
Great video, k3ep the ACKS coming
I can't wait until WOTC drops those exclusive Bastion Skins for $49.99!
I started with 5e and this still isn't the DnD I grew up with
Excited to see this
That discourse edit! 🤣
I own this. But im sold :)
I might be young in the scope of things but man this game sounds more like my childhood then should feel
dnd lost my entire village. one group is playing dsa, and we play savage worlds.
bastions is indeed stupid. if your players want a base they have to earn it through roleplay 💪🏻
Agreed. Where ACKS takes that farther is for having rules tied to the world for how that base lives and dies.
Love the dissing of Discourse, everything to her is 'the DnD scandal just got worse'...LOL!
@@Ratenef I like her channel a lot actually
WotC bastions are their idea of safe spaces for players with modern sensibilities
I wouldn't necessarily say that. But it definitely reeks of the conflict-free vibe 2024 D&D is going for. They seem like they want to turn D&D into a cozy game. Also in the process of trying to to do so they have created new issues that are just as problematic. For example they replaced perceived racism with classism. And by making monsters like goblins and orcs "people" this means that all those times you slaughtered entire dungeons full of them over your adventuring career you were really just committing racially motivated genocide. Oops.
Besides your Locals, do you guys have a discord server or somewhere else I can engage with this community of relatively likeminded players and perhaps shill my products to? I might fork up for the Locals eventually but I don't know if I can in good conscience at this moment.
@@RitsuCurisu no discord, but promo code FREN or MIDWIT will get you a free month at locals.
"redditers typing 'old man yells at cloud'."
If they knew their stuff they would call you a grognard.
Wow, you get a house / castle / tower at level 5? Not when you can actually afford it, just when you hit level 5? Infantilization much?
I add chainmail bikinis to my Shadowdark game. But you do make two very good points. 😇
God I hate how it's been normalized to only use abbreviations without establishing what it stands for. Didn't know what ACKS was, not in title, opened video description and it wasn't there, it's not until like five minutes into the video. Why do people do this?
Fixed in description, a very rarted mistake
@@blacklodgegames Damn bro, you fast.
@@dufjdh3u87rhhdbhfhd I know TTRPG is TableTop RolePlaying Game. I only just recently learned OSR, Old School Roleplaying.
Is the proper term going forward that saying "acks" automatically means acksii?
I have had more than one conversation recently where I mean acks and they mean acksii when talking about a topic.
Curious what y'all think.
I think i'd like this in book form. Can't seem to find a copy online anywhere!
The ACKS II Kickstarter from last year is currently fulfilling. The digital versions are complete, physical books coming Q1 2025. They are available as an add on for the kickstarter linked in the description of this video, and then will be publicly available later in the year
@@blacklodgegames thanks!
Nerd immersion does a good step by step of how to make one
D&D just got the Skyrim Hearthfire expansion, but probably with micro-transactions 😂
What are Ginny and Pointy Hat doing on the thumbnail?!?!?!?!
Oh that’s why
My queen?
Shit sounds good to me, how do i get a hardcopy, of the primary book?? if i can get one ill back their new kick starter,
truthfully im in a bind, i was also thinking about getting mythras and backing this kick starter about cults and golems,
I want/could get both, but i should only get one or the other
@@aled857 so here is what I would say in this situation: what kind of game do you want?
Mythras and ACKS are very different games that offer very different experiences. Mythras is a more character focused and immersive game. It's great for fantasy that feels very personal. It has an excellent (and cheap) mass combat supplement if you want large scale battles too. But it doesn't have the sort of random tables and world simulation tools that ACKS has.
ACKS is very much in the tradition of classic fantasy d&d, and scales all the way up into a massive war game. The world simulation tools in ACKS are unparalleled, but it is a *vast* game. If you want d&d on steroids, ACKS is 100% the way to go.
Neither of these games are rules light, but because of the much broader scope, ACKS has way more rules and takes way longer to learn.
I love them both (currently running ACKS, playing in Mythras) but they offer very different experiences. If you have a preference for one type of experience over the other, choose that game. But you don't need both simultaneously.
Or choose the one that sounds more interesting to you at the moment, and wait until you can afford to pick up the other.
I of course want you to buy the golems book when the Kickstarter goes up but not if you are strapped for cash, and not if you think ACKS sounds like the better option long term.
Mythras for a character first approach. ACKS for the d&d approach. Both are good, but unless you have infinite money, you don't need them both at the same time.
My question with Bastions is why are there level limits to upgrading your house? Like do I have to be level 12 to hire a carpenter to add an addition to my house? Weird.
Extremely
Where do you get ACKS II? I can only find the Kickstarter page. I take it the system isn't released yet?
The kickstarter from last year just fulfilled the digital versions. You can get digital and physical versions through the treasure tome kickstarter in the link in the description of the video. Physical books for ACKS II are being delivered Q1 2025 and will go on sale at all the usual places (dtrpg etc.) after that.
@@blacklodgegames Thanks.
Is there a free download to look at some of the system? You got me interested in this more than i have in a long while.
No, but there are many interviews with the game creator, Alexander Macris, talking about the system. Our first interview with him from november of last year goes over a lot of it.
@@blacklodgegames thank you for the reply. I'll definitely have to watch these interviews.
@@axel8406 he also has many, many actual plays of the game on his channel @TheArbiterOfWorlds
The Grey Brotherhood series is amazing! Each time a new episode is released it goes to the top of my watch list.
@@NegatveSpace is that a UA-cam series based on ACKS 2?
OK where do I join your religion?
You get Domains at level 5 now?
Just mansions really
@@blacklodgegames After watching all i can say is, Shame! No going from Farmer to General leading a grand army.
I needed this video. Thank you
I just read through bastions section in d&d master manual and I am so incredibly deeply astonished... I expect content, not necessary quality content, but content. And a lot of it. I am so disappointed.
@@antrodeldungeonmaster I just bought the DMG and it is pretty bad imo. Travel section is only 4 pages of "just make it up!"