The D6 System Appreciation Thread

[Mcrow]

Yeah, outside of SW I think it's rare to get "buckets of dice", still, when it happens I think its cool. If it happened all of the time then it would get a little cumbersome.

[pspahn]

I found the system a bit tedious for rolling for large groups, each with multiple dice - I'd rather rolling 6-8 D20s at once and see how many are above a target number than roll 6-8 sets of 4D6.  But as long has you have methods for rolling for units and reducing the number of dice rolled, it's manageable.  (Or you can also avoid large combat situations.)

Oh, yeah, you'll definitely want to group roll for stormtroopers or orcs or what have you.  If there's a space trooper or orc wizard or chieftain you can roll separately for them.  

Due to differences in scale, the X-Wings added 6 dice to hit but the Star Destroyer added 6 dice to absorb the damage.

That's true, but how often did that come up?  I can only remember a handful of times my players ever messed around with something big, and usually they were trying to outrun it long enough to jump to lightspeed.  Vehicle scale came up a bit more often (+2D), but my players always seemed to enjoy rolling the extra dice.

Pete

[Anemone]

Thank you for reminding me of how easy D6 is for the GM.  I know the system as a player, but every time I've tried to run a D6 game, we somehow ended up playing something else.  (Not because there was anything wrong with D6, but because something else won the vote.)

[pspahn]

I found the system a bit tedious for rolling for large groups, each with multiple dice - I'd rather rolling 6-8 D20s at once and see how many are above a target number than roll 6-8 sets of 4D6.

Yeah, that mainly comes down to whether or not you like the Armor Class system.  With d6 you always have the option to dodge an attack, pitting your dodge skill dice directly against your opponent's attack skill dice.  The major difference between the two is that with d6 you can add character points to enhance your roll while with d20, Armor Class/Defense is a static number--you either get hit or you don't, based on whatever the GM rolls.  VtM was the first RPG I played for any length of time after D&D so I got in the habit of rolling defense/soak against attacks, but I can see where a lot of people might not like the extra roll.

Pete

[Nicephorus]

That's true, but how often did that come up?

It's really quite rare.  It's probably a handful of big rolls per campaign.  Even then, if you use sense and drop dice from both sides, it's manageable.  
 
On the whole, I prefer systems with 1 or 2 dice for all rolls - it's a taste thing.  But D6 doesn't have a buckets of dice problem.

[pspahn]

so I got in the habit of rolling defense/soak against attacks, but I can see where a lot of people might not like the extra roll.

On the whole, I prefer systems with 1 or 2 dice for all rolls - it's a taste thing.

Ha!  We said pretty much the same thing at the exact same time (check the times of our last two posts).  

Pete

[Kaz]

I've never had a bad time playing D6.

Even "out of the box" with a brand new character, I remember being able to do fun, cinematic things but never felt like an uber-badass. It was just a lot of fun, all-around.

I think D6 is perfect for fun, almost lighthearted campaigns. Sorta like, a beer and pretzels game for the long-term.

[Leo Knight]

Another nostalgia generating thread. I still have my 1st edition Star Wars RPG. Such a fun game to run, and dead simple prep. Easy as hell to run on the fly. I remember running a pickup game for two friends. One had a bounty hunter, the other a smuggler. I picked one of the idea seeds from the back of the book, and just ran with it: picked NPC stats on the fly, drew rough maps on scratch paper, easy peasy.

During the adventure, an NPC sold them out to the Empire. After barely escaping, the two PCs interrogated the  poor sap with truth serum. Hey, why not? I do a great druggie voice. At first, they wanted to torture him, for revenge. Then, they got the bright idea to torture his family. :eek:

"Where's your family?" they asked.

"The Imperial detention center."

"Oh. Maybe he's not so bad. Let's rescue his family!"

So, completely on the fly, I improvised a heroic rescue from an Imperial detention center.

That was what I loved about the original, Greg Costikyan rules. That kind of seat of your pants, run with it ethos. Plus, best advice ever: Make funny noises! WAAAAAAW! PyewPyewPyewPyew! BA-WHOOM!

Curses, Dr. Rotwang! Now I must run Star Wars!

[Dr Rotwang!]

That was what I loved about the original, Greg Costikyan rules. That kind of seat of your pants, run with it ethos. Plus, best advice ever: Make funny noises! WAAAAAAW! PyewPyewPyewPyew! BA-WHOOM!

My first game ever, in fact.  It really set the tone for what I expected RPGs to be about.

Curses, Dr. Rotwang! Now I must run Star Wars!

It pleases me to be of assistance.

[Zachary The First]

I would like to mention I just ordered d6 Space Ships from my FLGS today.

[Dr Rotwang!]

Pretty useful.  Not perfect, but pretty useful.  The planet generation charts in the back are nice for on-the-go world-building.

[Scale]

If I'm going to throw a bucket of any die, it'd the D6.  

The D6 truly is the most awesome of dice.  

Easy to get in bulk, they don't roll all over the table when thrown, and truly pure in their cube-like serenity.

As systems go, D6 is simple, smooth, easy to work with as a player and a GM, and robust enough for long term play and significant character power level growth over time.  Character, both player and nonplayer are quick to make, there's a decent sized fan community, it's really good stuff.

My only complaints are, I don't like how WEG released the newest set of books.  I'd have preferred a single D6 system book over the spread of three.  Plus they were very dry reading, and this is from someone who likes rules sections to be somewhat technical/dry.  And the wild die has always been a bit annoying, in the hands of a twit GM.

I hope the OGL release kicks arse.  I've preordered septimus, because I know Mr. Coffin produces good stuff, and it sounds righteously interesting.  Most of all, I want more D6 stuff.  A complete core system book would be awesome, and a full, deep, fantasy setting treatment would have me gibbering with delight.

[walkerp]

Hmmm, D6 and I have been making eye contact for years, even flirting briefly and surreptitiously on occassion.  This thread is making me think that the time for us to make out in the bathroom during the staff party may be approaching.

[droog]

I did have a brief fling once with d6. Perfectly nice girl, but I found I couldn't leave RQ for her.

Now that I get my kicks by neck-raping cabin-boys, I have no use for either of them, of course.

[Zachary The First]

I hope the OGL release kicks arse.  I've preordered septimus, because I know Mr. Coffin produces good stuff, and it sounds righteously interesting.  Most of all, I want more D6 stuff.  A complete core system book would be awesome, and a full, deep, fantasy setting treatment would have me gibbering with delight.

Me too, me too.  Bill Coffin can flat-out write (see:  Worldbooks:  Fantasy, Palladium), and I hope a mix of that and the OGL gives some folks good reason to check out d6 (perhaps again).