OSR Review & Commentary On Adventurer, Conqueror, King's rpg Supplement Axioms issue #12 By Alexander Macris, Matt Jarmak, & Omer Jeol

 "Axioms is Autarch's quarterly supplement for the Adventurer Conqueror King System. Each issue of Axioms offers a mix of short content updates for ACKS, such as new classes, new sub-mechanical systems, explorations of specific themes within the game, short adventure scenarios, and more.  "

"In this issue, we prove that burglary, larceny, robbery, embezzlement, keelhauling are all in a day's work.

• The Art of Thievery: revisiting the rules for thieves and related classes
• Re-Thinking Thieves, Part I: a mathematical assessment of whether thief skills are balanced
• Re-Thinking Thieves, Part II: some roguish ideas to tinker with thieves
• The Purse is Mightier than the Curse: with the newly-revised venturer, the wizard works for you
• Hench Wanted: finding and hiring the right henchman for the job at hand

While designed for use with ACKS, content in Axioms is compatible with any d20-based fantasy RPG built on the OGL."

Adventurer, Conqueror, King is an rpg built on the actions of the player's PC's more then many retroclones. And thieves are often at the center of the action in many campaigns. Axioms issue #12 takes the thief on more then many other thirty two page supplements. And we begin by dividing into Alexander Marcus's 'The Art of Thievery' breaking down the rules of thieves & related classes as well as diving into the role of hi jinks within ACK's. 
There's a lot to process within the first sixteen pages because we get to really get a good over all assement & feel for the class itself. Why? Because along with the deconstruction (which isn't so much a deconstruction but an antomy lesson) of the class and it's higher levels as well as perks. We get a full on back drop into the class itself with a deep dive into the underworld & more when it comes to the thief. 
And then we get into 'Rethinking The Thief' Part I' also by Alexander Marcus and what do we conclude here? Well according to 'Rethinking The Thief Part I' ; "From the analysis above, we can see that the critics of thieves have been right all along. Thieves are significantly underpowered relative to what they’d be if they were built with custom spelllike abilities. Every rational thief would happily trade in his thief abilities to open locks, find traps, and remove traps for the equivalent spell-like abilities, which are superior in every way; and the vast majority would also trade in the ability to pick pockets, move silently, and hide in shadows as well. 
And Part II of this series of articles  'Rethinking The Thief' Part II By Alexander Marcus helps to 'fix' the ACK's thief with switiching abilities & things up a bit and to tell the truth this isn't a bad idea at all. 
My friend Omar Joel then takes on the Pugilist class & this is a damn good rendition of the venerable OSR class because it's got teeth; "From the ranks of the common folk, a hero sometimes arises who is neither a soldier, nor a sorcerer, but a man of his fists. Whether trained in a martial arts school, experienced in the blood sports common in rowdy taverns, or master of the bar-room brawl, the pugilist learned to live by the fist. He never donned heavy mail or trained with a sword. Instead, he learned the art and practice of wrestling and bare-hand fighting. The haughty tyrant or bladewielding bully underestimate him. He then rewards their hubris with a well-aimed fist to their sneering faces." 
Like all of ACK's classes the pugilist tops out at fourteenth level of hard knuckle busting action and this is a class that is designed to fight bare handed and well versed in hurting enemies in or out of the ring. 

Then we get into 'The Purse is Mightier Then the Curse' by Alexander Marcus & we get a look into the Venturer; "Commerce is the great wheel upon which the world turns. From the fleshy fingers of slave traders to jewel-clad guild masters, the coin and commodities of the empire are controlled by merchants. But if the stereotypical merchant is a pot-bellied financier profiting from the work of others, the venturer is his opposite: An adventurous world traveler, he personally leads caravans into unknown lands, seeking out exotic goods and new markets. Every venturer is, by definition, an adventurer, and interested in any expedition that promises riches and reward.' And the Venturer has it going on as a good addition to ACK's and harkens back to Advanced Dungeons & Dragon's higher level thief warlords & guild masters able to bring even mighty wizards to heel. 

And speaking of hirelings & henchmen we get 'Hench Wanted' By  Matt Jarmak who does an excellent job of bringing the henchmen & hirelings of your dreams or nightmares into your party. The article has some solid advice about how to handle these wheelers and dealers of the dungeons & ruins. This is a good article to add some muscle to an underpowered party of adventurers! 
. Axioms issue #12 is solidly done and very well put together as a mini supplement for the ACK's rpg or other OSR games. There's a very different slant on the ACK's or OSR thief that takes things in a different direction. 

Axioms issue #12 By  Alexander Macris, Matt Jarmak, & Omer Jeol Is Available Right Here