Best B/X series modules for use with ACKS

Which of the classic B and X series modules would youy like to try with ACKS, and why?

Which do you feel would make the best springboards for an ACKS campaign?

Which do you think would benefit from ACKS’ subsystems?

My upcoming hexcrawl is “New World” inspired. The party is sponsored by a nation to explore the land around their new colony and help protect it, with land titles as reward for their service. The new continent has ruins of an ancient civilization previously unknown and a few “barbaric” civilizations that require diplomacy or war to deal with. Not to mention potential problems with other nations and/or their own colonies. Should be fun.

I personally have run B1 (In Search of the Unknown), B2 (Keep on the Borderlands), and X1 (Isle of Dread) with ACKS. I recommend all three heartily.

B1: ACKS' focus on strongholds puts Rogahn and Zelligar's decision to create Quasqueton in the framework of the larger game. It lets low level players see what the future might hold - but also shows that just because you're powerful enough to have a stronghold doesn't mean your invincible. You can use the Mage's Dungeon rules to stock the lower levels of Quasqueton. You can assign a GP value to Zelligar's library, workshop, and laboratory, for magical research purchases. It's just a great fit overall.

B2: You can build out the Keep as a domain, assigning it peasant families, market class, and demand modifiers. The "hooks" such as the merchant's guildhouse, the jeweler, and the bandits can all be set within the context of a stronghold at the far-end of a trade route. You can use the Keep as the focal point for mass combat.

X1: Set up the Isle of Dread with its own domains, markets, and demand modifiers. Make the demand modifiers highly differentiated from the ones in your "civilized" areas, so that players can greatly benefit from arbitrage. The island is actually huge, if you measure it out, and the fact that much of the island is wilderness makes it ideal for adventurers who want to establish their own domains - carve out from the wilderness, import colonists, and grow. 

 

I’m running B4 The Lost City. We’ve only run 1 session, so I don’t have much to tell you about how it plays other than “It was fun” and “The PCs were so busy searching for food and water that they didn’t bother looking for treasure, and only ended up earning about 10xp each for the first session.”

As far as converting it goes, I did end up greatly expanding the actual Lost City. The map of the city provided in the module shows it as being in a cavern just large enough (based on urban population density data from Medieval Demographics Made Easy) to house the city’s current population of 200 families. That doesn’t fit with the backstory of the city having once been much larger and dwindling to its current state. But that has nothing to do with ACKS.

What was interesting is how well the number of leveled NPCs described in the module fits with the expected number of leveled NPCs expected in a 200 family settlement in ACKS, if you assume that the majority of leveled NPCs are members of one of the Lost City’s cult factions.

Throw in B3 with B1 and B2 within 3 30 mile hexes and stock the interior with a few dynamic lairs and you have the perfect ‘Level 1’ adventure area that will keep the players busy within their level range while still allowing them to explore freely.

I’m doing this right now, with the player exploring the B2 hex (which is based on the overland map in that module)which borders ‘civilization.’ They have already discovered a path in the woods to the south and that will lead to B1 and if they continue to the east out of the B2 hex they’ll find the Palace of the Silver Princess in the B3 Hex.

Actually, the cool thing about B1 and B3 is that, should they investigate them after reaching 3rd level, you can always up the level of the encounters within, since they’re both roll your own dungeons. That makes them perfect ‘border’ adventures for characters moving into the 4th to 7th level range of adventures.

LOL, how did my post for the other thread get here? Anyhoo…

I agree with B1-3, those are the earliest, and it makes sense that they would be ACKS-worthy.

Also, X1 - Isle of Dread, if the PCs decide to go boating. :slight_smile:

When you ran X1, what size did you make the domains and markets? It seems like it would be hard to unload a shipfull of trade goods in a Class VI market, or even a handful of them.