Adventurer Conqueror King System vs Scarlet Heroes
Compare Adventurer Conqueror King System and Scarlet Heroes side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.
| Adventurer Conqueror King System | Scarlet Heroes | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy | Fantasy |
| Tags | Crunchy, Sandbox, Domain Management, Character Building, Simulation, Dungeon Crawl, Ascending AC | Solo-Friendly, Sandbox, Dungeon Crawl, Low-Prep, Random Tables, Heroic, Ascending AC |
| Core Mechanic | Roll d20 + modifiers vs. a target value for attack throws, saving throws, and proficiency throws. 18 classes across core (Fighter, Explorer, Thief, Mage, Crusader, Venturer), campaign (Assassin, Barbarian, Bard, Bladedancer, Paladin, Priestess, Shaman, Warlock, Witch), and demi-human archetypes. 110 proficiencies and 378 spells. Characters progress from adventurers to domain rulers with integrated systems for strongholds, realms, mercantile ventures, criminal syndicates, armies, pitched battles, and sieges. | Checks: roll 2d8 + attribute modifier + highest relevant trait vs. difficulty number. Attacks: roll d20 + attack bonus vs. AC 20. Unique damage conversion: each damage die reads individually (1 = 0, 2–5 = 1 point, 6–9 = 2 points, 10+ = 4 points), making a single hero viable against hordes. Heroes roll a Fray die each round to auto-damage lesser enemies. |
| Dice | d20 | 2d8 / d20 |
| Complexity | High | Low |
| Availability | Paid | Free quickstart |
| Runnability | 4 of 5 book tools | 4 of 5 book tools |
| License | All Rights Reserved | OGL 1.0a |
| Third-Party Publishing | Not yet researched | Not yet researched |
| Publisher | Autarch LLC | Sine Nomine Publishing |
| Year | 2024 | 2014 |
| Languages | English | English |
| Best For | Groups who want a B/X-rooted OSR game that seamlessly scales from dungeon crawling to ruling kingdoms, with deeply integrated economics, domain management, and mass combat. | Solo players, duet groups (1 player + 1 GM), or anyone wanting to run classic old-school adventures without a full party: one hero can tackle any module. |
| Highlights | Detailed domain and kingdom management rules, economics and mercantile systems are integrated throughout, mass combat scales from skirmishes to wars, 18 classes with quick-start templates, builds on B/X foundations | Solo and duet scaling makes any old-school module playable with one hero, Fray die and damage conversion solve the action economy, solo oracle and adventure generators included, compatible with B/X and OSR modules, Red Tide setting included |
| Considerations | 540+ page rulebook is intimidating, tightly coupled subsystems, fantasy-only with narrow genre support, very high GM prep for domain-level play | Solo adventure tools require creative self-GMing, Red Tide setting is baked in (though easily reskinned), limited character options compared to full OSR games, older layout |