Another day, another Bundle - Aces and Eights

[ffutures]

Not sure why we're seeing so many of these, but here's another RPG bundle, this time for Kenzer's Aces and Eights RPG, an alternate world Old West setting. This was previously offered in 2015 and has a new core book - anyone who previously bought this bundle will get that free of charge.

https://bundleofholding.com/presents/2022Aces

This revived September 2015 Aces & Eights Bundle once again presents Aces & Eights, Kenzer & Company's comprehensive RPG of life in America's Old West -- actually an alternate-history 1850s, where North America is broken into small, fractious nations. But apart from a slight acceleration in arms technology, there is no fantasy element; the setting aims for realism.

The original September 2015 offer presented the 2010 Shattered Frontier edition of the Aces & Eights rulebook. For this revival, Kenzer & Company has kindly upgraded the corebook to the new 2018 Reloaded edition, funded in an April 2017 Kickstarter campaign. All previous purchasers of the original 2015 offer automatically receive the new Reloaded edition on their Wizard's Cabinet download page on the Bundle site. (The Reloaded rulebook isn't available on DriveThruRPG.)

Aces & Eights is full of imaginative systems, like the Shot Clock game aids -- targeting grids printed on transparent plastic overlays and placed on target silhouettes to identify hit locations. With the poker chip-based brawling system, characters become winded, tired, or knocked senseless in a fight. Beyond its realistically deadly combat system, the game focuses on a broad range of Old West life -- as Kenzer puts it, "the rest of the major western movie adventures beyond the gunfight." Dozens of professions cover the full range of possibilities in the Wild West: gambler, politician, lawman, cowboy, rancher, outlaw, craftsman, saloonkeeper, merchant, etc. Characters can change professions at will. The system rewards players for pursuing professions and gives characters in-game incentives to do more than follow the outlaw trail.

We provide each title complete in .PDF. Like all Bundle of Holding titles, these ebooks have NO DRM (Digital Restrictions Management), and our customers are entitled to move them freely among all their devices. (By publisher request, the DriveThruRPG versions of these files are inobtrusively watermarked.)

Ten percent of each purchase (after gateway fees) goes to this Aces & Eights revival's pandemic-related charity, Direct Relief. Direct Relief sends protective gear and critical care medications to health workers, with emergency deliveries to medical facilities across the US and to regional response agencies across the world.

The total retail value of the titles in this revived offer is US$140. Customers who pay just US$14.95 get all three titles in this revival's Player Collection (retail value $40) as DRM-free ebooks, including the lavish 339-page Aces & Eights Reloaded core rulebook (retail price $20), the Shootist's Guide with extra Target Silhouettes (retail $15), and the introductory solo adventure Bad Day at Buena Roca (retail $5).

Those who pay more than the threshold (average) price, which is set at $24.95 to start, also get this revival's entire Gamemaster Collection with seven more titles worth an additional $100, including the Judas Crossing location sourcebook (retail $20), Rustlers & Townsfolk and Rustlers & Townsfolk: Judas Crossing Edition books of nonplayer characters (retail $15 each), and four complete adventures: Trouble on the Sequoyah Star (retail $20), Fool's Gold (retail $10), Ghost Town (retail $5), and -- newly added in this revival -- Harshaw Creek, a Reloaded location sourcebook (retail $15).

Transparencies

The Aces & Eights combat system uses transparent Shot Clock and Shotgun targeting overlays. Print those .PDF pages onto inkjet transparency sheets such as 3M Recycled Inkjet Transparency Film or Apollo Transparency Film for Inkjet Printers, both available at office supply stores or on Amazon (affiliate link).

Last time I said:  "The main reason I know about this offer is because I'm on the list to get this stuff free if I want it. In this case I'm not very interested, but I think it's a reasonable deal. If I think these are bad deals I'll say so." I think that's still more or less the case - I'm not really interested in running a wild west campaign, but it does seem to be a good deal, and for once we're seeing an alternate history rather than a setting for fantasy / horror, which seems to be the default for most recent Wild West RPGs

One thing possibly worth mentioning - the link for transparency material above repeatedly stresses inkjet printers. Those of you with lasers may not know that laser transparency film is also available, and usually works reasonably well, though colours are usually less vivid than inkjet. But DON'T try laser printing onto inkjet transparencies, the odds are high that you'll ruin your printer!