I’m looking at many games at the same time (ACKS, Myths and Magic, Adventures Dark and Deep, etc.) - trying to find “the one”. I may end of stealing parts of each of course, but do like ACKS so far - just downloaded the “Core Book” and the “Players Companion”.
I enjoy charts like the random starting age chart, and see height and weight on the character sheet, but skimming through the books I did not see any charts to help fill that out. Perhaps there aren’t any? Why help figure out age but not height and weight?
Personally I’m of the opinion, if something is on the character sheet there should be rules or at least notes about it within the book. But, that’s just me.
I’ll keep reading and maybe I just missed the notes on it anyway. Though again, if needed I can steal from Adventures Dark and Deep (charts upon charts in that game!). ACKS though seems well laid out and nicely presented - so not trying to “nitpick” something I haven’t even read yet.
It’s a pretty central idea in the OSR - especially in games not based on AD&D 1E (as I believe Adventures Dark and Deep is) - that some things don’t need rules. I think it’s safe to assume that all players are pretty much capable of figuring out weights and heights for human characters. In the ACKS corebook, on page 30, in the first paragraph for dwarven vaultguards, we see that dwarves are usually around 4’ tall and weigh about 150 lbs. Similarly, on page 33, in the first paragraph for elven spellswords, we’re told that elves are usually 5’6" to 6’ tall and weigh around 130 lbs.
There’s also a fundamental problem with charts for human height/weight: I don’t think I’ve ever seen such charts in a RPG that can actually produce (especially with statistical fidelity) the actual range of human heights and weights. The AD&D 1E charts are particularly horrible: a male human is 5’ to 7’ tall and usually weighs, completely irrespecive of height, 175 lbs. Also, no human male can weigh less than 139 lbs.
Thanks for giving ACKS a try. Whether you use it as your default system or just lift the sub-systems you like best, it’s always great when someone new checks out the game.
As for your specific question, Rhynn has answered this as well as I could. We simply assume you’ll make them up.
In the Auran Empire Campaign book (which I promise I really will publish one day) I have height and weight notes for the various ethnicities but even there, no height and weight tables. Realistically the tables would need to incorporate details on the character’s STR, CON, DEX, and CHA … a hard job.
Thank you both for the replies…though again I ask, why help the GM/players with age charts but not height/weight? If someone can figure out height/weight, can’t they also figure out age?
Age has mechanical effects on characters (see pages 248-49, “Aging and Death”), whereas height and weight don’t have mechanical effects within the system as written.
Makes sense…it just that I’m a huge fan of “random charts”. I suppose I can just borrow from another game as needed, but of course I would like my game to “have everything” (which I know is a false hope).
Doesn’t weight have a mechanical effect in determining the movement speed of riding horses and warhorses? Their movement brackets are rated in stones, which I assume include the weight of a rider.