D6 Star Wars RPG Thoughts

[Man in the Funny Hat]

Even with an enemy, you might think that a Jedi might want to find another way, if possible--only kill in self defense, and all that. Nope, Ben just sits there and watches Han try to murder this guy.

"Murder" is not the correct word - unlawful killing with malice aforethought. Ben was quite clear they did NOT want "Imperial entaglements". Solo went along with that... for a higher fee. The TIE was a surprise to everyone and Ben, Luke, and Han all were in agreement that the pilot was headed off to report them being there and That Would Be Bad. Oh, it would be a crime to smudge one TIE fighter and its pilot, but then everything they were doing at the time was a crime. They just blasted their way out of Mos Eisley. Kenobi was attempting to deliver stolen state secrets (Death Star plans) to the REBELLION! Oh, they were gonna kill that pilot all right - but it would not have been murder.

I do agree that the Jedi were not always acting as Lawful Good as we tend to expect. We think of them as Paladins but they're not - they're Jedi. While they have a lot of moral and ethical commonalities in their oaths and practices they're not the same. Jedi are "guardians of peace and justice", or were for a long time. That essentially makes them a cross between cops and UN blue-helmets for practical purposes no matter what high-falutin' training they get and that suggests that they're going to fail occasionally as paragons of virtue. Don't forget either that it is the failures of the Jedi that enabled the Sith to infiltrate the Republic and even let one become Emperor right under their noses with a ready-made army of clones to do the dirty work, and then nearly wipes the Jedi from the universe with one Special Order.

I'm reasonably sure that if you go through the movies again though you'll find that while the Jedi aren't always pure as the driven snow the killing and maiming that they do is at least by necessity.

 

[Water Bob]

Star Wars First Edition + The Rules Companion



I do like most of what the Rules Companion brings to the game. The Haste thing is personal taste. With first edition, it was a character's skill roll that allowed him to go first in a segment. With the RC, it's which every player is willing to take the most Haste penalties.

So, in first edition, going first meant a higher dice throw. With the RC, skill still does influence order of action, because a character with high skill can accept more Haste penalties.

I still like the first edition method better, but I can see where some would rather not leave it up to chance and have more control of acting first.





There are a lot of little rules, here and there, that the RC brings to the game. I like the range of target numbers for a given difficulty, and I like that a medpac can be used more than once on an indivdual in a given day at a higher difficulty.

You can see the beginnings of the Movement system presented in second edition in the movement changes brought by the RC. I think second edition R&E does a better job at the movement rules, but there's got to be something said for the pure simplicity of Speed die codes and two character movement modes of first edition.

The capital combat system is neat. I like how it draws on the Command skill of the ship's commander, the use of the tactics skill, and such.

 

[Water Bob]

Looking at the various combat round procedures in the editions of D6 Star Wars, what changes is how initiative is determined.

In first edition, which character acts first is determined organically, logically, and by skill throws. If two characters fire blasters at each other, both players pick up dice and make their attack throws. The higher attack throw happens first. Reaction skills thrown only if needed.

First Edition Combat Round Procedure

1. Decision/Declaration - organically during the process of the game.

2. First Actions performed - organically. Skill checks used if initiative needs to be performed.

3. Second Actions performed - and so on.





With the edition of the Rules Companion, initiative becomes a bidding war. The player that has a character with the need and can take the penalties declares higher Haste than anyone else.

Rules Companion Combat Round Procedure

1. Declare Actions - In order of lowest DEX to highest DEX, all characters.

2. Declare Reaction Skills - You know who's shooting at you, so you can declare your Dodge now.

3. Roll Actions - Those who have declared Haste go first, followed by everybody else, who are considered simultaneous.





In second edition, Initiative is figured with a Perception check, and all actions are performed on one side first, then the other (say...first all the PCs, then all the bad guys, for one action, then repeat).

Second Edition Combat Round Procedure

1. Initiative - Combatants are divided into sides, usually the PCs and the bad guys. The character with the highest Perception score on each side rolls initiative. Winner decides which side declares first.

2. Delcaration - As determined by Initiative, one side declares, then the other.

3. Roll Defensive Skills - If you want to use Dodge or Melee Parry, then you roll it now.

4. Roll Actions - Side One does all their first actions, then Side Two does theirs. Then, Side One does all second actions followed by Side Two's second actions, and so on.





Second edition, R&E, got rid of the pre-rolling of the Reaction skills introduced with the RC, going back to the way it was done in first edition. Initiative uses the "side" concept used in second edition. And, there is no longer a Declaration phase.

Second Edition Revised & Expanded Combat Round Procedure

1. Initiative - Combatants are divided into sides, and the character with the highest Perception score on each side rolls initiative. Winner of the toss decides which side acts first.

2. Roll Actions - All characters on Side One perform first actions, then all characters on Side Two performs first actions. Then, second and third actions are performed the same way--and so on. When a side acts, the character with the highest Perception score acts first followed by the character with the second highest score, and so on.

 

[Water Bob]

The Blackstar Warrior! Lando Calrissian, he's the baddest cat in the galaxy!

Cracks me up.

 

[Water Bob]

A Star Wars fan film featuring Boba Fett.

It's pretty good!

Boba Fett is brutal.

 

[Water Bob]

For those of you interested in the D6 Star Wars game, you can download the official D6 rules from DriveThruRPG for FREE! In fact, you'll find lots of low cost and FREE D6 items there, like the D6 Space Ships supplement that you can use as a guide to make your own Star Wars vessels.

The core rule book will give the Star Wars GM different options to bring into his game. For example, D6 Star Wars uses the Wound Level system for character damage. If you prefer hit points, you can use the alternate Body Points method detailed in the generic D6 rules.

If you don't like the Star Wars template method of character generation, the D6 Space book also introduces a point-buy type system. The GM can use the guidelines in D6 space to take the broad Star Wars skills and make the more narrow in scope. An advantages/disadvantages system is introduced. There's rules for alien species creation, cybernetics (fairly ignored in Star Wars, yet Luke and Vader obviously get a lot of use out of cybernetics), and if you don't like rolling a lot of dice, a method is presented to lower the number thrown.

It's interesting to note that the Initiative methods akin to first edition and second edition R&E are both used as options in the D6 Space core rules. And, the one-action-per-segment thing, that was a part of all the D6 Star Wars rules, is gone. Now, when a character acts, he performes all of his actions--just like the house rule I used to use with my old D6 Star Wars game (in the OP).

Mentioned in the Star Wars game, but more formalized in the D6 rules, is a system for measuring the result of a skill throw is needed--when more than just a pass/fail answere is needed (how well did the character suceed?).

Combat is easy and summed up in a few pages, and there are options for adjusting the deadlieness of a game to suit player and GM tastes. Plus, there are combat options that never made it into the Star Wars rules, like Disarming a foe or fighting with unweildy weapons.

One neat chapter of the generic D6 rules covers making skill attempts. The chapter is loaded with details and sample tasks to give GMs a good feel of the game.

The Metaphysics chapter is very similar to The Force chapters in the various Star Wars rulebooks. It's easy to mix-n-match stuff from the two sets of rules. In most cases, The Force descriptions are just altered with new titles. Instead of the three Force abilities being Control, Sense, and Alter, the Metaphyics chapter calls them Channel, Sense, and Transform. They mean the same thing in both rule sets.

The Equipment chapter can be used directly with Star Wars. "Robots" are "Droids", obviously. But, with the non-Star Wars rules, you'll get a lot of non-blaster type weapons, which can be good or bad, depending on if you want a bigger variety of weapons used in your Star Wars game. For example, do you want your players going to a lower tech world where shotguns are being used instead of blasters? That's a GM choice. Plus, a GM can just call the weapons "blasters" and say that the shotgun fires particles of ultra-heated tibanna gas, using the weapon's stats as-is. If you ever wanted to play Traveller using D6 rules, this section is MADE FOR YOU!

There's a basic ship design system included in the core rules (also see the D6 Space Ships book, also free on DrivethruRPG, that I mention and link at the top of this post).

And, there's nice reference sheets at the end of the book.





There's a neat Funds rule where, instead of keeping track of every credit the character has, he's assigned a die code. The Funds a character has is derived from various aspects about the character. His Knowledge stat, Perception stat, Business skill, appropriate skill specializations, and appropriate advantages and disadvantages are all considered to modify the base 3D Funds attribute where every character starts. A poor character would have Funds 1D while a rich character might have Funds 5D, 6D or more.

When a character needs to buy something, he simply rolls his Funds attribute. Whatever he's trying to buy will have a difficulty associated with it. So, it's a task to buy something. Want a new blaster? Well, on this world, that's a 10+ throw.

If you need to know the exact number of credits the character has on him, the rules even specify a method for converting the code to actual credits.

Brilliant.

 

[Water Bob]

Here's a question for you Star Wars D6ers...

Dodge. Melee Parry. The Reaction Skills.

Would you allow them IF the character is unaware of the threat? Because of the Declaration phases in most Star Wars combat procedures, characters know when they are being attacked in a round before the character is actually attacked.

But, with second edition R&E, there is no declaration phase. Thus, it is truly a pure reaction when a character is shot at.

What if a character is walking through a canyon, and a stormtrooper with a sniper blaster rifle is concealed i the hills. He fires at the character. Does the character get to Dodge the shot? Or should the difficulty be tied soley to range because the target is unaware that he will be shot?

The same things goes with Melee Parry. Let's say that an NPC sneaks up on a PC successfully and attacks with a vibroaxe. Should the PC be allowed to parry?

The game rules don't address this situation, but logically, I wonder.

 

[Water Bob]

The D6 Space game has a pretty neat Movement rule. I think I like it better than what I see in the Star Wars game editions. It's very simple.

Let's say a character has a rating of Move 10, which means his base move is 10 meters per round (humans). When a character needs to move, he uses an action, just like everything else he does. He must roll this move.

The base difficulty is 0 (meaning it's automatic). Thus, if a character wanted to use his first action to move 10 meters, he wouldn't have to roll--he automatically beats the target of zero.

If you've got terrain that would normally interfere with regular movement, you simply raise the movement difficulty. Characters use their base DEX code or their Running skill to make these move checks.

For subsequent movement, the difficulty is upped 5 points. Thus, if a character wanted to run 30 meters, he'd move 10 meters automatically on the first segment. On segment two, he'd have to make a 5+ on his Running check. On segment three, he'd have to make a 10+ Running check. Remember, this is three actions, so that Running check is -2D when used to make these checks.

A character can move, each segment, as long as he's got at least 1D to throw--so characters with higher Running skills can move farther than characters with lower Running skills.

That's pretty neat. And, easy.

What happens if a Running check is failed? Well, it typically means that Movement has stopped. The character was too slow to get all the planned movement accomplished within the 5 or 6 seconds in the round.

There are rules to go further than this, too, if using the Wild Die (a "1" complication could mean a trip) or by checking the degree of failure (if the Running check is failed by 5+ points, then the character trips).

This also fits well with the previous Star Wars rules. If a Move 10 character wants to move half movement and fire his blaster in the same segment, he can do that: Move 5 meters then fire is only considered one action.

 

[Man in the Funny Hat]

Dodge. Melee Parry. The Reaction Skills.

Would you allow them IF the character is unaware of the threat? Because of the Declaration phases in most Star Wars combat procedures, characters know when they are being attacked in a round before the character is actually attacked.

[...]

The game rules don't address this situation, but logically, I wonder.

From the "Rules Upgrade" under Reactions (and therefore should be 2E R&E rules):

When someone attacks a character, the target character declares the reaction and must roll the skill before the attack roll is made. The reaction skill roll is the attacker's new difficulty number and is in effect for the rest of the round.

The character can use up any remaining actions for a reaction or have the reaction be an extra action, accepting a higher multiple action penalty for the rest of the round.

So, if I understand how it works you declare your actions and accept whatever penalty for multiple actions as normal. As combat proceeds and somebody attacks you that you didn't expect you get to react and roll the attackers new difficulty number but you either have to start sacrificing actions you WERE going to perform or start accepting addtional penalties for additional actions against everything you're doing for the rest of the round.

 

[Water Bob]

^^

R&E is the only D6 Star Wars rules set that doesn't include a Declaraton Phase. In 1E, there is a Declaration Phase, but Reaction Skills do not have to be declared. With the RC and 2E, Reaction Skills are declared.

So, let's say Babbs wants to fire his blaster at one stormtrooper, move 10 meters and drop to one knee, then fire his blaster a second time at a different stormtrooper. That's 3 actions: On segment one, he'll fire his blaster; segment two sees him moving and dropping; segment three is his second blaster shot. Since he's taking 3 actions, he's -2D on the blaster shots (and movement rolls, if he makes them--depending on the rule set).

Let's say that, on segment one, a stormtrooper fires at him after he moves. The second stormtrooper uses his comm to call in reinforcements.

If we're playing 1E + RC and 2E, then Babbs will know this when declaration is done, so Babbs will declare his 3 actions and add in a 4th action to Dodge, pre-rolling his Dodge number. He'll now be -3D on all actions.

Depending on the initiative system used, we'll assume that the order is Babbs, Stormtrooper One, then Stormtrooper Two.





1E + RC and 2E

1. Babbs declares his three actions. Stormtrooper declares that he will fire once at Babbs. Stormtrooper two declares his communication action.

2. Babbs rolls his Dodge.

3. Segment One: Babbs fires at stormtrooper one, using -3D penalty to account for all four actions. The Stormtrooper also fires at Babbs this round (provided that he's still standing and can fire--Babbs could take him out). Stormtrooper Two communicates.

4. Segment Two: Babbs moves and drops.

5. Segment Three: Babbs fires a second time, using -3D.




In R&E and in 1E, Reaction Skills do not have to be declared (even though 1E has a Declaration Phase). Reactions can be performed as true reactions instead of being "planned" with in the Declaration phase (R&E doesn't have a Declaration Phase).

0. In 1E only, not R&E, Babbs will declare his three actions: to fire at stormy one, move and drop, then fire at stormy two. The two stormies will declare as they did above.

With R&E, there is no declaration. Initiative is determined, and we simply go to the first character to perform his first action.

1. Segment One: Babbs fires at stormy one, using -2D, because he plans on doing only 3 actions. If able, Stormy One fires at Babbs. Stormy Two communicates.

When Stormy One firest at Babbs, the player running the PC makes the decision to Dodge at this point. Now, Babbs is doing 4 actions this round, but any rolls that happened before this point are unaffected by the Reaction Skill. Thus, Babbs' Dodge is at -3D, and so will be his second shot in Segment Three.

2. Segment Two: Babbs moves and drops.

3. Segment Three: Babbs fires second blaster shot, using -3D penalty.




The big difference is that the systems that require Reaction skills to be declared (1E + RC and 2E) account for Reaction at the beginning of the round, before any actions are performed.

With 1E and R&E, a player can simply use the Reaction skill when he's shot at. He doesn't have to decide to use it until he's actually being shot at. And, thus, if the character is not shot at until segment three, the character actually gets two segments without being penalized for the total number of actions he's taking during the round.

For example, the above: Remember that Stormtrooper Two only declared one action--to use his communicator to call in reinforcements. Let's say that the Rebels are jamming the signal and the stormtrooper will have to make a skill check to punch through the jamming and get his message through.


Then, on segment 3, Babb's fired at him. The trooper could then Dodge, at -1D (because this would be his second action for the round), but his comm roll to punch through the jamming would remain not penalized.





I like the 1E and R&E method of not worrying about Reactions until they are needed. For one thing, I find it unwieldy to roll Dodges early, remember that total, then use it when it comes up in the appropriate segment. It's much easier, and flows better, I think, to just roll Dodges when they're needed--when someone shoots at you.