Announcing Star-Spangled Squadron Vol II

A New 48-Page Graphic Novel Launching as part of Backerkit's Comictopia

I’m delighted to announce a new crowdfunding campaign from Autarch and Ascendant Comics: Ascendant Star-Spangled Squadron Volume II.

The emergence of superhumans has thrown the world into chaos. As new ascendants manifest around the globe, a sinister organization known as Exodus embarks on a campaign of chaos, determined to use terror to accelerate humanity's evolution. Ascendant: Star-Spangled Squadron Volume II is a gripping 48-page graphic novel that plunges the heroes into a desperate battle against an enemy that thrives on fear and destruction.

Ascendant: Star-Spangled Squadron Volume II is launching as part of Backerkit's comic crowdfunding campaign Comictopia. As part of our commitment to Comictopia, we have partnered with the creators of the Sagaverse comic and role-playing game. Backers will be eligible to receive a special bonus item bringing the Ascendant and Sagaverse universes together.

Please sign up to show your support for the new campaign, which will be launching at 10:00AM PST on July 18, 2024. I’m in competition with some of the finest indie comic creators in the world, and I’m counting on the Autarch community!

ACKS Imperial Imprint - PDF Layouts Released

Last week, backers of the ACKS Imperial Imprint (ACKS II) received copies of the PDF layouts for the Revised Rulebook, Judges Journal, and Monstrous Manual. With these books combining to a total of nearly 1,500 pages, Glynn Seal of MonkeyBlood had his work cut out for him. But he delivered!

Next up will be delivery of the PDFs with art, which should come in July. If you missed out on the ACKS Imperial Imprint Kickstarter and want to become a late backer, please contact me at alex@autarch.co or on Twitter at @archon.

The Autarch Emporium

I get a lot of questions about which platform is the best choice for supporting me. The answer is the Autarch Emporium, where I sell my print runs as well as t-shirts and accessories. Since we’re celebrating Ascendant today, be sure to check out:

• Ascendant: Rogues Gallery RPG sourcebook

• Ascendant: Star-Spangled Squadron graphic novel

• Ascendant: Star-Spangled Squadron limited edition foil cover graphic novel

• Ascendant trading card pack

• American-made Star-Spangled Squadron t-shirt

Best practices of newsletter marketing demand that I ask you to buy now because supplies are limited. Seriously, though, the graphic novel is awesome if you enjoy superhero stories and the game is a simulationist masterpiece.

A Short Message

I’ve begun a new series on the Arbiter of Worlds YouTube channel. It’s called Arbiter of Worlds Shorts. These short clips distill the essence of my approach into one-minute soundbytes. Check out the playlist of shorts or take a peak at short #1 below. With thumbnails like this, this series is certain to be a hit!

Before All Others, the Elves

Work on Before All Others: The Cyclopedia of Elven Civilization continues apace! The Cyclopedia of Elven Civilization is written for three groups of gamers:

• Judges (gamemasters) who are creating and running fantasy campaigns using any of the Old School Renaissance (OSR) systems who would like to add more depth, variety, and verisimilitude to their elves. If you’ve ever said to yourself, “how do elves maintain a prosperous well-food society without any apparent farmlands or agriculture?”, this book is for you.

• Players who are participating in an OSR role-playing game campaign who would like to test out some new character classes and gameplay experiences. If you find yourself saying things like “I wish my elf could dynamically create new spells by singing songs of power” or “I want an elven fighter-mage who is also a ninja,” then this book is for you, too.

• Gamers who just really love elves. If you greet old girlfriends at your door by saying “mae govannen;” if you’ve secretly always know you’d look better with pointed ears; if you spend your lunch breaks hunting wild game with longbow and arrow; if your retirement account is structured to pay out in two centuries; and especially if you think Silmarillion would be a great book if only the elves were a bit more powerful, then this book is for you above all.

Last month, backers got an overview of the elven way of war, complete with excerpts from the in-world treatise Book of Nine Arrows. You can get previews of the sourcebook on the Autarch Patreon.

ACKS on Substack

Be sure to check out 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.

Support the Community

Once you’ve pledged for the Discord, head on over to these community links:

• Autarch Discord with one of the smartest, nicest gamer communities around

• Autarch Reddit with a sub-set of the aforementioned smartest, nicest gamers

• ACKS Patreon with sneak previews of ACKS II every month

• 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

• ACKS Forums with discussion for the game

• Ascendant Forums with FAQ and Errata for the game

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