I’m more than happy to talk about some of the mechanics! The dice pool system is similar to other games of this nature. Skills are governed by attributes and the combined number of ranks a character has in a skill and its associated attribute determines how many dice are rolled for a skill check. Some skill checks have a set target number, or Difficulty Value, which is the number of successes that must be rolled. Other skill checks are opposed, the net number of successes determining the winner’s Success Value. Dice colors determine how often any individual die succeeds. This is similar if not identical to how Burning Wheel implements colored dice.
Combat involves opposed rolls. An attack roll is opposed by a defense roll. If the attack roll succeeds, its Success Value determines the base number of damage dice rolled, reflecting the lethality of more accurate attacks. Additional damage dice are rolled based on the character’s Might attribute and the weapon wielded. The damage roll is opposed by an armor roll. Some weapons may modify an armor roll, or simply bypass armor.
Opposed combat rolls may initially sound daunting. That’s a lot of different rolls! But combat is resolved very quickly as everything is rolled simultaneously and dice pools are not very unwieldy (usually 3-8 dice). We found this combat system makes it easier to reflect the difference between dodging/parrying attacks vs deflecting damage with armor. It also makes certain weapons behave in more intuitive ways (firearms defeating armor).
Magic is typically resolved as a standard skill check with spells having varying Difficulty Values. Arcane spells have no casting limitations, though casting spells can cary a risk. Rolling a 1 may result in the spellcaster being harmed and can also cause random magical phenomenon. Cultists commanding divine magic do not have as much flexibility as arcane spellcasters, though their miracles are not as risky.
Hopefully this helps paint a better picture of the mechanics! Definitely download the PD6 rules available in the above post to get a better idea of how it works.
