As has been mentioned on my podcast (http://2gms1mic.com), my group wants to play Star Wars. We've decided on the old WEG books, but I want to get a head start on reading while I await my book from Amazon.
How different is WEG's Star Wars' system from the new D6 system? Is combat the same? Are they similar enough that one can understand old SW books with knowledge of new D6? We are using SW 2nd ed., revised.
Ummm....I don't know, I never played the original Star Wars stuff. I've heard the systems are pretty much the same though. Considering the D6 ruleset is free, it can't hurt:D
D6 Space is basically 2e Revised, plus advantages/disadvantages. Since it allows you to budget for special equipment, and because its implementation of a "Metaphysics" attribute is better than Star Wars's "buying Force skills" mechanic, my recommendation is usually to use D6 Space as the core rules. Add aliens and Force powers to taste.
If I were to run Star Wars now, I'd probably just pick up the WEG 1st edition and jump right in. Sure the rules have a few bugs, but in a sense Star Wars is very much about not sweating over the details.
However if I really wanted to do it right then I would certainly look both at D6 Space and MiniSix for inspiration as they both contain good stuff you might be able to use.
Very, very similar -- in fact, they're pretty well interchangeable. I like the following Optional Damage Bonus from D6 Space p.74:
The combat skill roll is supposed to reflect the accuracy of an attack.
Therefore, gamemasters may reward high rolls for players' characters
and significant gamemaster characters with a bonus to damage. Subtract
the difficulty of the successful attack from the skill total and divide
this number by 5, rounding up. Add this damage bonus to the damage
total before comparing it to the resistance total.
There is actually a way meaner & leaner version in the old Rules of Engagement Supplement:
You can transfer dice from your blaster skill directly to the damage dice. Ultra-neat, obvious, but neat. Can also be limited in ten thousand sensible ways.
I seem to remember that the Damage system is different, along with Scaling between SWd6 and d6 Space.
So, what's the latest word on the d6 system?
Quote from: Novastar;467608I seem to remember that the Damage system is different, along with Scaling between SWd6 and d6 Space.
The scaling is similar to SW 2eR, but breaks it down even further, to create a smooth scaling. Technically, you could make Wookiees a scale +1 race if you want, although the suggestion is to group things into functional categories. Of course, that's how SW was done in the first place. I don't have my books, but I think SW uses personal, vechicle, starship, and capital ship as basic scales.
D6 Space ups the damage scale slightly, which is an improvement, 4D is actually not enough damage for a blaster to wound someone reliably, especially if someone is wearing even light armor.
The West End Games D6 Star Wars has several differences between it and the 3 D6 Core books that are now under OpenD6 OGL.
The scale system in Star Wars 2nd edition Revised and Expanded uses bonus dice for the scales of Character, Speeder, Walker, Starfighter, Capital, and Death Star. The scale system in the D6 core books (D6 Space, D6 Adventure, D6 Fantasy) use a static modifier number and no distinct "levels" of scale. The modifiers, as mentioned, can range anywhere from +1 up to +50 or more. And the scales can go smaller than human as well. So if you used D6 Space to run your game you'd have to come up with scale values for everything larger than Character scale in Star Wars.
Character points are slightly different. In the 3 core books, when you use them to augment your dice they all act as "Wild Dice" so they can increase on the roll of a 6.
Skills are different slightly, but if you use D6 Space they'll be close enough to work. Attributes are pretty much identical.
There are minor differences in the mechanics or character generation, but nothing so diverse as to not be easily recognized by someone that knows the D6 system from Star Wars. As pawsplay mentioned there are differences in Metaphysics (what, in Star Wars, is the Force) that seem to make it flow a little easier. So it's minor differences like that. Nothing so much that a Star Wars player won't understand the OpenD6 system (what is from the 3 core books) or that someone that knows OpenD6 wouldn't be able understand Star Wars 2nd edition R&E.
As far as your question, Ghost Whistler, I could probably answer it if I knew what the "last word" you had heard was. I released material under OpenD6 (Magic and Miracles) and I'm working on more. Antipaladin Games, the makers of Mini Six, have released their material under OpenD6. Blue Max Studios has released space material under OpenD6. Other publishers are working on material. If you have any questions regarding it I will do my best to answer your questions. I cannot guarantee that I know all of the answers, but I'm a little better versed than most.
Simple.
Star Wars 2e is very very similar to D6 Space. D6 Space is a variant of D6, and D6 Fantasy and D6 Adventure are slightly different, as maybe other OpenD6 variants.
If you want to run Star Wars D6, buy, find, track down old copies of Star Wars 2e.. it'll run straight from the rulebook and you'll never have to convert or change anything.
Star Wars 1e is different and IMHO not quite as good.
All WEG supplements, adventures etc. will run find with 2e.
You can probably buy/find old copies of Star Wars 2e for less than new version of D6.
If you then read D6 Space and fancy porting a rule or two into your Star Wars game then you can.. but note, time spent converting and porting is time NOT spent gaming and reading that week's adventure!
Quote from: tzunder;467826You can probably buy/find old copies of Star Wars 2e for less than new version of D6
Actually, the new D6 is free on PDF. I wanted to get a hold of some rules while I await my 2e revised book. The group is getting 2e revised.
Thank you all for the responses, it's been very helpful!
While we're at it:
Go to Thiago "Gry Sarth" Aranha's site and look at the pdf's under Fanbooks.
http://krapz.free.fr/
Aliens
Creatures
Droids
Equipment
Starships
Vehicles
Weapons
Force Powers
and others
Even a template collection and other very useful items in the Game Aides section.
These Pdf's and a base set of D6 rules should be more than enough to get started on a Star Wars D6 game and the extra info will add to those using existing Star Wars rulebooks.
And they're interesting reading.
Quote from: tzunder;467826If you want to run Star Wars D6, buy, find, track down old copies of Star Wars 2e.. it'll run straight from the rulebook and you'll never have to convert or change anything.
Correction: Go buy a copy of 2e
Revised. Only buy a copy of 2e if you're chasing it with whiskey and 'ludes.
D20 Star Wars kicks both their asses.
RPGPundit
Quote from: RPGPundit;468158D20 Star Wars kicks both their asses.
RPGPundit
Unless you like more options for characters and combat that's actually fun.
Quote from: RPGPundit;468158D20 Star Wars kicks both their asses.
RPGPundit
d20 RCR > Saga > OCR
SW D6 1e > SW D6 2e
SW D6 2eR > SW D6 2e
Beyond that, the comparisons become a lot more subjective, even situational. I don't categorically agree with you. I agree that Star Wars Saga Edition does kick Star Wars (D6) 2e's ass.
That's funny, because saga edition Star Wars is the closest D20 has got to the D6 version of the game. D20 players are saying how great and fantastic it is, but it's closer to D6 than it is to D20 from 3.5(RCR). Plus, if it was so fantastic, why wasn't there enough support for it to keep WOTC publishing it?
Situational indeed.
Quote from: Grimace;468180Plus, if it was so fantastic, why wasn't there enough support for it to keep WOTC publishing it?
16 books is impressive for a license which has been done twice before.
Quote from: Grimace;468180That's funny, because saga edition Star Wars is the closest D20 has got to the D6 version of the game. D20 players are saying how great and fantastic it is, but it's closer to D6 than it is to D20 from 3.5(RCR). Plus, if it was so fantastic, why wasn't there enough support for it to keep WOTC publishing it?
Situational indeed.
Probably because, I'm just going to say it, it's not a very good game. It has a good core, and lots of nifty ideas, but the whole thing is just a mess. I'm pretty sure it shed customers with every new book as the game took an increasingly bizarre turn. At about the point the NPC book was inventing a Sith Talent to be able to take Jedi lightsaber forms, despite the developers insisting the Talents were supposed to represent a mastery of a Jedi form and not all the intricasies of the actual form, you knew the development was off the rails. In the KOTOR sourcebook, when they opened up full attack + move, you knew the game had made itself crazy.
Stormtroopers had too many hit points. They refused to publish a Saga alien anthology. They stomped all over EU canon. They included the incredibly stupid IG-88 backtory.
So lots of people love the game. There is a lot to love. But not enough people loved it to keep selling books. The original WEG license never grew stale; that line ended when WEG itself went belly up due to bad money management (apparently, Star Wars was subsidizing several other less successful products and a failing shoe factory). The product did okay, is the thing. The people who consider it the best Star Wars game ever are decidedly in the minority.
Or, just maybe, WotC decided it could make more money off IP they owned (i.e. Gamma World), than off a licensed IP they not only had to get approvals for, but also pay a hefty sum for.
And game bloat is a design philosophy at WotC.
Quote from: pawsplay;468222Probably because, I'm just going to say it, it's not a very good game. It has a good core, and lots of nifty ideas, but the whole thing is just a mess. I'm pretty sure it shed customers with every new book as the game took an increasingly bizarre turn. At about the point the NPC book was inventing a Sith Talent to be able to take Jedi lightsaber forms, despite the developers insisting the Talents were supposed to represent a mastery of a Jedi form and not all the intricasies of the actual form, you knew the development was off the rails. In the KOTOR sourcebook, when they opened up full attack + move, you knew the game had made itself crazy.
Stormtroopers had too many hit points. They refused to publish a Saga alien anthology. They stomped all over EU canon. They included the incredibly stupid IG-88 backtory.
So lots of people love the game. There is a lot to love. But not enough people loved it to keep selling books. The original WEG license never grew stale; that line ended when WEG itself went belly up due to bad money management (apparently, Star Wars was subsidizing several other less successful products and a failing shoe factory). The product did okay, is the thing. The people who consider it the best Star Wars game ever are decidedly in the minority.
Which game do you mean by "it"?
Quote from: Blue Seraph;468525Which game do you mean by "it"?
Saga Edition.
Quote from: Novastar;468287Or, just maybe, WotC decided it could make more money off IP they owned (i.e. Gamma World), than off a licensed IP they not only had to get approvals for, but also pay a hefty sum for.
They might decide that. I, personally, might consider selling body parts to have an RPG license for Star Wars. Done right, it's like printing money.
I doubt the approval process is nearly as free, as it was in '87.
In '87, even Droids and Ewok Adventures were off the air, and Lucas likely thought he was mostly done with the IP.
Compared to today, where he's actively mining it (Clone Wars, toys, video games, etc).
Lucas Licensing also has a reputation of making sure their product is #1; if you're buying it to sell it, it needs to be your #1 concern, and it needs to be the #1 seller in it's market.
And if the largest RPG publisher decides it's more profitable to make Collectible Mini's or drop the license, than pay to make more RPG books, that might be an indication to pause in your evaluation that " it's like printing money".
(Though, to be fair, I think you could be right. Star Wars would make an excellent introduction to RPG's, done right.)