WEG D6 System: Worth it?

[Angel Tarragon]

I've downloaded some free settings based off the D6 system and am wondering if I should purchase them. Was are the highlights and flaws of the system?

 

[BiggusGeekus]

PRO:

Fast, easy to play. Newbies seem to like it.

CON:

Roll 10d6 and total it up. Quick! Quick! Quick! Now do it again and again and again.

 

[Shadowslayer]

Pleyed Star Wars d6 a lot. Awesome for episodic and shorter campaigns....pretty bad at higher levels, which is where the problem pops up of too many dice. See previous poster.

Think shorter stories with different characters, rather than playing the same ones for a year.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

I know of the old Star Wars D6. I do know that WEG has a brand spankin' new publishing of their D6 system. That is what I am curious about.

 

[jdrakeh]

I know of the old Star Wars D6. I do know that WEG has a brand spankin' new publishing of their D6 system. That is what I am curious about.

Some of it. I was fairly impressed with D6 Fantasy as a standalone fantasy rule set (there's a bestiary for it, as well). I picked it up for use with The World of Aden. D6 Adventure I could take or leave, and have only skimmed through briefly. D6 Space is pretty much D6 Star Wars with the serial numbers filed off (so I like it, too).

Honestly, though - when it comes to utility and d6 pool systems, the one found in Age of Empire pleases me the most. I've used AoE for everything from its default Victorian Age adventure setting (e.g., The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen) to high fantasy (e.g., D&D).

So... even if you grab a copy of D6 Fantasy and Space, try to land a copy of AoE, as well.

[Note: You still have to count a lot of dice in D6, but it's simple if you count in increments of ten. I suck at math and I can count up 30+ dice in D6 in seconds, so it isn't all that hard. Counting totals is a lot easier than having to sort out individual successes and failure, IMHO.]

 

[LostSoul]

[Note: You still have to count a lot of dice in D6, but it's simple if you count in increments of ten. I suck at math and I can count up 30+ dice in D6 in seconds, so it isn't all that hard. Counting totals is a lot easier than having to sort out individual successes and failure, IMHO.]

Yeah, I've found that figuring out bonuses (haste! bard song! invisibility! flanking! bless!) for mid- to high-level D&D characters takes longer than adding up 10d6 (which is a pretty high skill level for d6).

So I've never played the base d6 system, but I played a lot of Star Wars. The system didn't do tactical combat very well. It did do cinematic combat well.

 

[jdrakeh]

So I've never played the base d6 system, but I played a lot of Star Wars.

That's where my love affair with D6 started - my friend Keith DeBrau ran a two year Star Wars campaign with a bit of gonzo surrealism thrown it. My character, for instance, was a bounty hunter who had a symbiotic 'suit' of alien armor not unlike Venom's (yes, that Venom). I loved it. I had to make Willpower control rolls and everything when I wanted to react in accordance with my own better judgement.

Which brings me to what I liked most about D6. Simple customization. That Venom-like character? As a complete newb to the system, I created the whole character (willpower roll mechanic, special abilities, and all) in a little under 15 minutes. It's incredibly simple to build any kind of character in D6. This flexibility in character generation has always been a huge selling point for me where D6 System games were concerned.

The system didn't do tactical combat very well. It did do cinematic combat well.

That's a valid criticism - the system is designed to be cinematic, not anally detail-oriented. If the thing that somebody likes most about roleplaying is insanely detailed resource management, they'll not have a lot of fun with D6 System games. If, on the other hand, the thing that somebody likes most about roleplaying is fast-paced adventure, then they should feel right at home with a copy of the D6 System in their hand.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

Sounds more and more like I am going to have to get the new core book.

 

[jdrakeh]

Sounds more and more like I am going to have to get the new core book.

Well, there are three new core books - D6 Adventure, D6 Fantasy, and D6 Space. Unelss I've missed a product release. So what exactly is it that you're looking for? Ostensibly, you can run any game with any of the three core books, but as the titles suggest, certain books are weighted towards certain genres.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

Well, there are three new core books - D6 Adventure, D6 Fantasy, and D6 Space. Unelss I've missed a product release. So what exactly is it that you're looking for? Ostensibly, you can run any game with any of the three core books, but as the titles suggest, certain books are weighted towards certain genres.

Modern campaigns mostly. I guess that would be the Adventure book.