Grade The D6 System

[R_J_K75]

Started playing WEG Star Wars in 1999-2000, so probably after it had gone out of print. I found a Media Play at the time that had a ton of books for 75% off so I bought most, if not all of them. I don't remember the particulars of the system but remember it not being overly complicated, easy to learn and easy to teach to others. The people I played with never played the system or any RPGs for that matter and they were able to pick it up just by playing. They didn't have any interest in reading rules or buying books, they just wanted to play. This is an indicator that the system was good.

We just started a Modern AGE game and from what I can tell so far, it's pretty solid, straightforward and can probably be hacked pretty easily to fix what we don't like, but a little too early to say for sure.

 

[niklinna]

I read it, never got to play it. It looked like it would be fun.

 

[Lord Shark]

For some reason, West End really hated the idea of players being able to make characters as competent as the ones from their licensed properties. In the Hercules & Xena game, for instance, if you sat down hoping to play Hercules or Xena, or even lesser characters from the shows like Gabrielle or Iolaus, you were gonna be disappointed -- a starting PC in that game is barely on the same level as the useless comedy sidekick Joxer. And in their DC Universe game, if you were playing at the "Batman" level, you couldn't even create a hero who was as capable as Robin.

 

[giant.robot]

For some reason, West End really hated the idea of players being able to make characters as competent as the ones from their licensed properties. In the Hercules & Xena game, for instance, if you sat down hoping to play Hercules or Xena, or even lesser characters from the shows like Gabrielle or Iolaus, you were gonna be disappointed -- a starting PC in that game is barely on the same level as the useless comedy sidekick Joxer. And in their DC Universe game, if you were playing at the "Batman" level, you couldn't even create a hero who was as capable as Robin.

West End did the same with Star Wars characters. I think the idea was to make licensed characters unplayable or sort of de jure unbeatable. That way a GM didn't one-shot a licensed hero they pulled out of a book with some mook NPC.

WEG's licensed games were always a little at odds with players. The settings had heroic or super heroic characters built in. Just playing those characters isn't much fun but they need to be included alongside the other bits of lore implemented with the game rules. You don't necessarily want to send the book to the licensor with licensed characters that can be beaten by a random NPC.

 

[aramis erak]

I should note: My last WEG Star Wars campaign was in 2017-2018. We started with 1E (due to the reprint 30th Anniversary version), but migrated to my preferred 2nd ed because of issues with 1E's initiative and movement rules, and because my players wanted the wild die and to be able to raise attributes.

The post-license final WEG version (D6 Space, D6 Adventure, D6 Fantasy) are still available, legit, from a different owner, and were released just before sale of the IP, under the OGL 1.0a.... Don't confuse D6 Space Opera with D6 Space - different flavors... and D6 Space is the direct successor to WEG SW.

 

[schneeland]

I read it, never got to play it. It looked like it would be fun.

Same for me. Based on what I read (mainly the 30a version), I think I would enjoy the game (in particular, I enjoy OG trilogy Star Wars). But it currently doesn't seem very likely that I would actually get to play it.

 

[Cadence]

Played in a short d6 Star Wars campaign in the mid 90s. I remember it was definitely a fun campaign, so the system couldn't have been that bad I guess.

 

[Kannik]

Ah, the marvelous d6 system. We had some glorious Star Wars campaigns with it back in the day, and its influence looms large in the development of my own system (titled Aurora) that we're using to play our current SW game. And before we started that campaign with my rules, I ran a d6 game with my group (of which I was the only one who had played before) and everyone had no problem getting into the groove and having a great time.

While there are certain aspects of it that are showing its age*, I think it's core still remains pretty solid. I especially love the way it handles 'multiple' actions through the removal of dice from your pool, which does a great job to distinguish and reward experienced/high skilled characters in a very elegant manner. It wouldn't be my first or second rules choice if I was starting up a new campaign, but I wouldn't shy away from joining and playing a campaign based in d6.


* I would also say that there are bits of it (such as the wound system, and the dodging loop) that fight a bit against the flavour and genre of Star Wars, and so could use some tweaking and updates to make it really sing.

 

[aramis erak]

* I would also say that there are bits of it (such as the wound system, and the dodging loop) that fight a bit against the flavour and genre of Star Wars, and so could use some tweaking and updates to make it really sing.

They changed constantly across the revision history of WEG SW...
Keeping in mind this means...

• 1E: Reaction only, Adds to range-based TN. (SWRPG 1E p 13)
• 1E + "Rules Upgrade" pamphlet: Full Round Dodge (no other actions except mandatory moving) adds to range based TN. Reaction dodge replaces range based TN. (SWRPG RU p 2)
• 1E + Rules Companion (SWRC p14): Full round dodge adds, but doesn't require moving; it also is rolled in Action 0 phase. If moving as well, call it evading and roll it at +1D. Reaction is for that action phase only, and the TN of the attacker is the higher of the range or the dodge roll.
• 2E: Full Dodge (vs Ranged) or Full parry (vs melee/unarmed) only allow a single movement action, no bonus for moving while doing so., add to TN. It's explicit you can't use both, nor any reactions. Reaction dodge still better of range or roll.
• 2E Revised (p 90): Full round dodge/Parry/Brawling Parry works same as 2E. Reaction dodge goes back to replacing the Attacker's TN for rage, and can, once again, have you step into it...
• D6 Space (p. 72-73) (This was suppsoedly going to be the 3rd edition, a friend had a copy of playtest material including this change): Full dodge is roll+10. Partial dodge is Full Roll, reduced for multi-action. Optionally, passive defense is +1 Opponent TN per 2d in Agility or Dodge when not actively defending.

Some other changes across the variations

• 1E, 1E+RU:
  • 2 explicit scales: Characters/vehicles/Critters, and starfighters to smaller frigates. An implied 3rd scale is Capital ships. Scaling effects: personal attacking ship, damage reduced to 1D (2d if personal scale > 6d), but target's hull is doubled. Sip shooting person, Weapon damage doubled, but to hit penalized.
  • Experience can only be used to buy skill upgrades and force skill upgrades.
  • Movement is 10m per movement action, and no skill used, only Dex.
• 1E+ RC:
  • 6 scales (Character/Creature, Speeder, Walker, Starfighter, Capital Ship, Death Star). Whichever side is at disadvantage due to scale has a cap on their dice. dice over the cap number are read as zero.
  • Characters must now specify which force powers they know, and have a limit.
  • Capital Ships have a custom damage process.
• 2E:
  • same scales as RC, very close on the tables, but capped dice counted as the cap, not zero. One on many and many on one tables also added.
  • Wild Die introduced.
  • Movement switched from fixed amount per action to racial meters per action, which can be raised.
  • Attributes can be raised, too. Also, character points can be spent to boost rolls if you're desperate - trading learning for survival?
• 2E Rev :
  • infinite number of scales, tho' it labels the 6 from prior with specific dice adjustments. Capping gone; instead, advantaged gets difference of number of dice for the scale added to their skill, damage, Strength, or Hull roll.
  • Keeps the EP/CP changes.
• d6 Space:
  • keeps 2ERev scaling and 2E movement
  • Adds Advantages and Disadvantages.

Playing as new editions came out meant players having to relearn the action economies, Defense skills, and odds of cross-scale actions...

 

[Celebrim]

I think I like it, and I'm running it right now so I don't hate it.

It is rough around the edges and the biggest problem is the lack of overarching design guidelines in published materials leading to no consistent design for creatures, vehicles, and equipment. Pretty much everything but the core system has to be homebrewed. Lots of things on the edges are poorly thought out or handwaved which is fine most of the time because the movies handwave a lot of things, but sometimes you want more detail and the system can't provide it. Capital ship rules are poorly thought out and need revision. The skill list is kludgy and needs revision. There are parts of 1e and 2e I like and parts of both I detest (wild die, for example).

The main problem I have with the game is that I miss hit points in a big way. As a DM it's so hard to judge encounters and make them exciting if any single shot could take out a PC. The dice pool system tends to make opponents either hapless or else lethal and there is very little in between. While you could say this fits the flavor of the movies, it doesn't make for an interesting action based RPG. I'm sort of avoiding it by playing a heavy investigation based game, but that really doesn't fit the flavor of Star Wars.

I want players to use Force Points to do big cool things, but in practice they mostly have to use them to avoid getting squashed like a bug. Part of this is I've strongly discouraged spending character points to buy dice, as that's a mechanic just impossible to balance over a campaign, and it really seems like a designer kludge to deal with the pure randomness of combat.

It's desperately in need of a new edition just to clean up all poorly thought out stuff.