Publisher: Autarch
The Borderlands has been contested throughout recorded history and its landscape is littered with ancient fortresses, blood-soaked battlefields, and dread ruins, all crumbling relics of the empires that once ruled there. Now the dangers facing the Borderlands are greater than ever. Monsters are slipping across the porous border to terrorize and plunder. Travel has grown perilous, and the border forts are becoming increasingly isolated and outmatched. The ambitious, bold, and greedy have begun to gather in Cyfaraun, ancient capital of the borderlands, seeking glory and gold. There, criminal gangs battle for control of the streets and terrible evils lurk in the twisting tunnels, dusty catacombs, and black, volcanic caves that lie below….
Adventurer Conqueror King System – Capital of the Borderlands (revised edition): A Review
If you are a fan of fantasy role-playing games, you might have heard of Adventurer Conqueror King System (ACKS), a game that combines old-school sensibilities with modern design. ACKS is a game that lets you play as an adventurer, a conqueror, and a king, exploring dungeons, building kingdoms, and ruling empires. ACKS is also a game that supports sandbox-style play, where the players have the freedom to create their own stories and adventures in a rich and detailed world.
One of the latest products for ACKS is Capital of the Borderlands (revised edition), a setting book that offers two sandboxes in one: a city sandbox (the Capital) and a wilderness sandbox (the Borderlands). Both sandboxes are full of adventure, danger, mystery, and opportunity for the player characters. In this review, I will give you an overview of what this book has to offer and why you should check it out.
The Capital: Cyfaraun
The Capital is Cyfaraun, the ancient capital of the Borderlands, a city in decline but still full of life, intrigue, and power. Cyfaraun is divided into eight districts, each with its own features, challenges, and opportunities. The players can explore the streets, markets, temples, palaces, and arenas of the city, or descend into the underground depths, where dark cults, terrifying monsters, and hidden treasures lurk.
The book provides a detailed description of each district, including its history, culture, geography, economy, politics, religion, and notable locations and NPCs. The book also gives tips on how to run urban adventures in Cyfaraun, such as how to use factions, rumors, events, and quests to create dynamic and engaging scenarios. The book also includes 10 random encounter tables for the city, covering different types of situations and locations.
One of the most innovative features of the book is the dynamic city-building system, which allows you to create new buildings and neighborhoods in Cyfaraun on the fly. The system is based on detailed historical research on the structure of ancient cities, giving a realism and depth never seen before. The system also allows you to track the changes in the city over time, such as population growth or decline, urban sprawl or decay, social unrest or stability, and so on. The system is easy to use and flexible enough to suit any style of play.
The Borderlands: A Land of Chaos and War
The Borderlands are a region contested for centuries by various empires and kingdoms, now in chaos and war. The Borderlands are dotted with ancient fortresses, bloodied battlefields, cursed ruins, and other places of interest. The players can face monsters that cross the porous border, claim the weapons of kings from the tombs of the Empyreans, challenge the mummified lords in the Valley of the Witch-Kings, and much more.
The book provides a detailed description of each region in the Borderlands, including its history, geography, ecology, inhabitants, dangers, and secrets. The book also gives tips on how to run wilderness adventures in the Borderlands, such as how to use hexcrawling, exploration, survival, weather, and travel rules to create immersive and challenging experiences. The book also includes 12 mini-dungeons for the underground, covering different types of environments and threats.
The book also contains a series of realms and domains in the Borderlands designed for use with the domain rules of ACKS. The players can rule over the Prefecture of the Borderlands or the dwarven vault of Azen Radokh. The book provides information on each domain’s history, resources, population, military, economy, politics, and challenges. The book also gives tips on how to run domain adventures in the Borderlands, such as how to use wars, invasions, rebellions, diplomacy, trade, and espionage to create epic and strategic scenarios.
Conclusion
Adventurer Conqueror King System – Capital of the Borderlands (revised edition) is a digital product available in PDF or hardcover format in color or black and white. The book has 240 pages and contains detailed maps of the city and the region, 10 random encounter tables for the city, 12 mini-dungeons for the underground, and many other useful information for players and GMs .
If you are looking for a sandbox setting that offers endless possibilities for adventure, danger, mystery, and opportunity, you should definitely check out this book. It is a well-written, well-researched, and well-designed product that will enrich your ACKS game and your gaming experience in general.
I hope you enjoyed this review and found it helpful.
Capital of the Borderlands (revised edition) on DrivethruRpg
