An Introduction to Simulationism
And Various and Sundry Updates
Another week has passed already! I need to learn the time stop spell if I’m going to get everything done that needs to get done. Today marks the 27th episode of my YT Show Arbiter of Worlds. In this episode, I introduce the concept of simulationism in RPGs. If you’ve previously read my essay “A Manifesto of Simulationism,” this video will already be familiar to you. However, it was necessary to set the stage for future episodes.
Actual Play Reports of ACKS
There are more people playing ACKS today than at any point in the game’s 12-year history. It’s incredibly gratifying to me as a designer and it gives me hope that ACKS II will reach an even broader base. With the help of the Autarch Discordians, I compiled some links to ACKS campaigns:
And here’s our flourishing Substack community:
If you have a blog or third-party product that supports ACKS or Ascendant, please let me know and I’ll be happy to include you in my next round-up.
ACKS II Update
I have tentatively settled on October 24th as the launch date for my Kickstarter. Whether that will happen will depend on my proficiency throws, but that is my plan.
This September, Adventurer-tier backers of my Patreon got an updated beta of the ACKS II Revised Rulebook, Conqueror-tier backers got an updated Judges Journal, and King-tier backers are getting an updated Monstrous Manual. If you’ve been wanting to check out how ACKS II is shaping up, you can head over to the Patreon now.
If you haven’t already, don’t forget to subscribe to the YouTube channel, then head over to the links below for others ways to get involved in my recently-declared Simulationist culture movement. If you’re already a fan, be kind and spread the word!
Autarch Discord with the smartest, nicest gamers around [fixed!]
Autarch Reddit with a sub-set of the aforementioned smartest, nicest gamers
Ascendant Patreon with a new character and story hook every month
Autarch Facebook page with news and updates about our projects
Autarch Twitter channel with brief comments and witty quirks
Ascendant Comics Facebook page with sneak previews of the upcoming comics
Ascendant Comics Instagram page with tons of art and cosplay
Ascendant Comics Twitter channel with short messages and quirky wit
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I reread Six Cultures of Play recently and have a tentative theory on Trad.
Retired Adventurer makes Trad sound purely dramatist, and in its most railroaded form it may be so. But it was usually combined with gamist-simulationist systems like D&D (or Traveller, RuneQuest, or GURPS), and in its more thoughtful forms Trad gave an interesting synthesis with something for everybody. Most groups have players who favor different play styles of the threefold model, and contra Ron Edwards most are not purists, so the blend worked. That would explain both why Trad was such a popular culture of play and why it was the one that later cultures reacted against, strongly preferring one GDS play style over the others.
I am prepping a Mythras campaign to run for my friends next year some time. My own tastes lean pretty heavily simulationist, but the players are a mix. As I lay this next campaign on simulationist foundations, with sandbox and hexcrawl elements, I want to build something that will be fun for all of them.