Opening the Year with a Bang!

A New Trailer, A Graphic Novel PDF, and ACKS II

Jan 04, 2023

Happy New Year to all of you. 2022 was the most successful year that I’ve had to date in the tabletop RPG business, with almost $100,000 in crowdfunding raised. 2023 should proven to be an even bigger year!

Ascendant: Platinum Edition Trailer

My next crowdfunding project is Ascendant: Platinum Edition. Check out the majesty of this epic trailer:

The Ascendant: Platinum Edition Kickstarter will be launching in February. You can follow the project here by visiting the Pre-Launch page.

Ascendant: Star-Spangled Squadron PDF

The rewards for Ascendant: Star-Spangled Squadron have been dispatched to all of the backers who supported that project. If you missed out on getting Ascendant: Star-Spangled Squadron, however, don’t despair.

To read Ascendant: Star-Spangled Squadron right now, head over to DriveThruRPG or DriveThruComics and grab a copy today.

If you like the PDF and want the hardcopy, you’ll be able to grab it in the Platinum Edition crowdfunding campaign. You’ll also be able to get a copy in your local bookstores, thanks to a publishing deal with Baen Books. That’s right — I’m joining the likes of David Weber, John Ringo, and Tom Kratman as a Baen author. This will be the first time my work has appeared in bookstores.

Adventurer Conqueror King System: Imperial Imprint

Finally, I’m delighted to officially announce my next book for ACKS. Adventurer Conqueror King System: Imperial Imprint, or ACKS II, will be a 496-page compendium that updates and revises the rules for character creation, classes, equipment, proficiencies, adventures, campaigns, and warfare into one epic volume. It’s more than Like By This Axe, it will be available in our standard hardcover format as well as an exclusive leatherbound edition. There will be other books in the Imperial Imprint series as well, including a Judge’s handbook and creature compendium.

ACKS II is not just a new compilation of existing material published previously. It has many new features and improvements, both to the design and the layout. It corrects many longstanding complaints about the presentation of the rules, and subtly improves the game in ways that build on my 12 years of experience since first drafting it. However, ACKS II is not a “new edition” of ACKS, not in the sense that Wizards of the Coast has made new editions of D&D. It is almost entirely backwards-compatible with everything that has already been published. Lairs & Encounters, Heroic Fantasy Handbook, and all of our other amazing sourcebooks will be usable with, at most, a few pages of updates - less than the typical GM’s house rules. If ACKS was similar to Moldvay/Cook Basic/Expert, ACKS II is most similar to D&D Rules Cyclopedia. You will not be playing a different game, just a better version of the game you already love.

ACKS II has been quietly playtested by an able group of ACKS experts for the last two years and already stands at 426 pages of text. It will Kickstart in summer 2023, probably around Independence Day. There’ll be more updates on ACKS II in the days and weeks ahead, with examples of the new class formats, proficiencies, and more.

Advancing in the Face of Danger

If you’re subscribed to this mailing list, you’ve already heard that Wizards of the Coast has decided to “update” the Open Gaming License in ways that are unacceptable to those of us who rely on the OGL as an open license. If you haven’t read about this, I recommend you read my Twitter thread on this topic:

Alexander Macris @archon

Wizards has released its statement on the future of the Open Game License for D&D and it's a doozy. #OpenDnD? No, not at all.

dndbeyond.comOGLs, SRDs, & One D&DWe love the interest and passion the community has for D&D. We love D&D, too. So, when we see the D&D community concerned by rumors and misu...

As you’ll see, I’m no fan of their approach, and I’m skeptical they have the legal right to take action against those of us who rely on the original Open Game License. That said, only a fool would be unconcerned by the danger ahead. Nevertheless, there will be an ACKS Imperial Imprint. The only question is whether it will be under the OGL or not.

Check out the links below for ways to get involved in the Autarch community. If you’re a fan, be kind and spread the word!

Arbiter of Worlds

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