We have an excellent video review of ACKS II today over on the Dungeons and GURPS channel, but this isn't all a review of another game, this is a great compare and contrast with GURPS, where GURPS does some things better (character & combat), and ACKS does most of the rest better.
ACKS II also removes the OGL and a lot of the OSR assumptions, and the review points this out, which is wonderful to see. I agree, most of the advice on how to run games you find on YouTube is slop, and listening to many creators on how to run a game will not only damage your enjoyment of the game, but I feel that it will eventually make you leave the hobby, disappointed and frustrated. And this bad advice comes from both 5E creators and OSR creators.
ACKS II also continued the de-OGL-ification of fantasy gaming, moving away from generic fantasy and into the creator's vision of a world and a game system. This is still a dungeon game, but there is enough different here to make players careful about their assumptions. Too often I find in OSR games "a green dragon is a green dragon" and the mystery, thrill, and unexpected elements are completely removed just to please the nostalgia gods. ACKS II does some of the familiar, but adds a lot of new.
This is also why I like the Pathfinder 2 remaster, they reinvented dragons to a point where you do not know what to expect when encountering one, and it isn't the same old same old. I like the concept of kitchen sink fantasy, but I abhor the predictability to where everything becomes a well-known block of stats that everybody knows. When players encounter a monster, there should be a fear of the unknown, and they will learn about the monster's strengths and weaknesses as they fight it! They will need to adjust and think on their feet, and this process of threat and discovery makes the game exciting and fresh.
Too much of the OSR puts monster stats, treasure, and magic on pedestals and expects nothing to ever change. Since creators have had to leave the OGL behind, we are seeing a renaissance in designs, content, and fresh ideas entering the hobby. ACKS II is one of those games.
Check this video out! I watched all the way through, liked, and I am subscribed to this excellent channel. It is a great video on how to GURPS-ify a system you like, and use the best parts while playing the game you love.
