D6 System
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| The D6 System | |
|---|---|
 The D6 System: The Customizable RPG |
|
| Designer(s) | Various authors |
| Publisher(s) | West End Games |
| Publication date | 1996/2004 |
| Genre(s) | Universal |
| System | The D6 System |
The D6 System is a role-playing game system published by West End Games (WEG) and licensees. While the system is primarily intended for pen-and-paper role-playing games, variations of the system have also been used in live action role-playing games and miniature battle games. The system is named after the 6-sided die, which is used in every roll required by the system.
Contents |
[edit] System
[edit] Attributes and Skills
As with most role-playing games, characters in the D6 System are defined by attributes and skills. Attributes represent the raw ability of a character in a certain area. Most D6 games utilize anywhere from six to eight attributes, though these can vary greatly in number and name by the game in question. Acumen, Intellect, Knowledge, Perception, Presence and Technical are examples of mental attributes; Agility, Coordination, Mechanical, Physique, Reflexes and Strength are examples of physical ones. Skills are the trained abilities of the character and are associated with a specific attribute (e.g., driving, acrobatics, and climbing are Reflex skills). Each attribute and the skills under it are rated in values of Dice and Pips; Dice equal the number of dice rolled and Pips equal a one or two point bonus added to the roll to determine the result. The more dice and pips in the rating the better the character is at that skill or attribute. A character with a Strength rating of 4D+2 is stronger than a character with a Strength rating of 3D+1, for example.
[edit] Actions and Resolution
Character actions are resolved by making dice rolls against a difficulty number. There are two types of difficulties, standard and opposed. To perform a standard difficulty action, the gamemaster calls for the player to roll the dice for a certain attribute or skill. The value of each die is totalled and the pips are added to the die roll to get a total. This total along with any GM or system imposed modifiers is compared against a target difficulty number. To perform an opposed roll action, the two parties involved (usually the player and a GM controlled NPC) both roll their appropriate skills dice, total them and any modifiers and compare the results. If the first party's roll is higher than that of the second, he wins the contest and the rest of the result is resolved. If the second party equals or exceeds his opponent's roll, then the second party wins the contest.
[edit] Variant Resolution Systems
Most D6 System game use the resolution system described above, which is typically called The D6 Classic System, though some variants exist. In one variant, The D6 Legend System, instead of adding the die totals up, the dice showing 3, 4, 5 or 6 are each counted as a success. Use of a skill requires rolling a certain number of such successes. Pips are not used in the D6 Legend System. This variation of the system is referred to, in jest, as "The D6 variant for the mathematically challenged" on WEG's own discussion forum. The D6 Legend System has previously been used in the Hercules and Xena Roleplaying Game and the DC Universe RPG, and is licensed by Raven City Studios for use in their upcoming Dreamshade RPG. Other variants, such as those featured in the Star Wars Live Action Adventure game and the Star Wars Miniatures Battles game, involve rolling a single six sided die and adding the result to a skill or attribute. This total is then compared to a difficulty number, as with the other variants.
[edit] History
A precursor to the D6 System first appeared in Ghostbusters: A Frightfully Cheerful Roleplaying Game, designed by Chaosium alumni Sandy Peterson, Lynn Willis, and Greg Stafford, which was published by WEG in 1986. The following year, Greg Costikyan, Curtis Smith, and Bill Slavicsek reworked elements from the Ghostbusters game into Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game. For a decade, West End Games published over 150 titles for the Star Wars Universe as well as a magazine, The Star Wars Adventure Journal.
In 1996, WEG released The D6 System: The Customizable Roleplaying Game, written by George Strayton, which was the first core D6 System book not tied to a specific licensed property. Allowing a fair degree of variation in attributes and skills between individual games, the D6 System book shared as much in common with the Fudge RPG as it did with other universal systems like GURPS. WEG followed the D6 core book with Indiana Jones Adventures (a reworking of a Masterbook RPG title) and the stand alone Men in Black RPG. Another licensed game, Hercules & Xena was the last title released by the original West End Games before their bankruptcy, as well as the first to use a modified D6 resolution system that would later be known as the Legend System. Following the bankruptcy, most of WEG's licenses terminated, but the reconstituted company acquired another one from DC Comics. This license resulted in a new Legend System game, DC Universe, which released a few titles from 1999 until 2001. WEG's assets were then acquired by the publisher of the Metabarons graphic novels, who released a D6 System RPG based upon that setting.
In 2004, the WEG assets changed hands again, this time to Purgatory Publishing who re-released the game in the form of three hardcover rulebooks, and nearly a dozen supplements to date. The three hardcover rulebooks, each written by Nikola Vrtis, were actually three separate games, each sharing the same core mechanics, but having different attributes, skill sets, equipment lists, and extraordinary power systems. D6 Adventure covered wild west, pulp, espionage, low-powered super heroes, and other modern or near modern games. D6 Space shared much in common with the earlier Star Wars line, and detailed space opera and cyberpunk game rules. D6 Fantasy dealt with sword & sorcery, high fantasy and swashbuckling campaign models.
[edit] See Also
[edit] References
- Unofficial History of the D6 System Part I by Peter Schweighofer
- Unofficial History of the D6 System Part II by Peter Schweighofer
[edit] External Links
- WEG's official page for the system
- 6 Sider, a D6 System fansite with templates and spells, for the newer version of the system
- D6 Universe, another D6 fansite, with material for new and old versions of the system
| Role-playing game systems |
|---|
| BRP • CODA • d20 • D6 • FATE • Fudge • Fuzion • GURPS • Hero • Interlock • MEGS • Megaversal/Palladium • Storyteller/Storytelling • Tri-Stat • Unisystem |
