Board/Card Games

Ideally several kinds of gamers will find the D6 Adventure Rulebook more useful than others:

* Gamers who are longtime fans of the D6 System or who heard about it and want to try it.

* People who don't mind developing their own setting to fit an existing rules set.

* Those hoping to introduce new players to roleplaying games and D6 in particular.

* Gamers seeking an alternative system to their current game which still offers varying levels of rules complexity.
 
 
 
 
 
 

July 1, 2004

Warning: Right up front you should know that I worked for the former incarnation of West End Games from 1993-1998, primarily on the old Star Wars Roleplaying Game, but also on other products for various game lines. My name appears with others on the credits page of the D6 Adventure Rulebook under "Based On Material And With Special Thanks To." I am a shameless promoter of easy-to-learn games and a longtime advocate of the D6 System in its various forms. Despite all this, I had nothing to do with this latest manifestation of the game, save that I asked the publishers if I could review an advance-publication PDF copy and offer an old-time D6 hand's spin on it.  This review isn’t the comprehensive blow-by-blow list of what's in every chapter, but more of an overview for potential and existing D6 players. 

The D6 Adventure Rulebook serves excellently as a core D6 System rules.

It is far better than the hastily assembled D6 System: Customizable Roleplaying Game released by the old West End Games in 1996 (though that filled a need for any generic D6 System rulebook), and is destined to become a more widely used core D6 System rulebook than the former incarnation.

D6 Adventure does many general things well, but doesn't -- and can't in this sized book -- focus on using D6 specifically in various adventure sub-genres, such as superhero, pulp, espionage, and modern conspiracy. The current incarnation of West End Games seems determined to renew interest in the D6 System, so an initial book that covers more rules than genre seems acceptable. D6 Space and D6 Fantasy are planned on the company’s release schedule, and those should have more genre-specific rules or options. (Obviously D6 Space will have materials for creating aliens, robots, and starships, while D6 Fantasy should have templates for stereotypical fantasy races, huge lists of pre-designed spells, and a solid bestiary.)

The D6 System, in whatever genre version, is still the best and easiest for introducing newcomers to the roleplaying game hobby, though for ease of play and cool fiddly rules bits Pinnacle Entertainment/Great White Games' Savage Worlds gives it a run for its money (and produces setting-specific sourcebooks incorporating and reinforcing the game system).

The rulebook contains everything needed for a roleplaying game system: rules for character generation and advancement, task resolution, movement, combat and healing, equipment, gamemaster and adventure tips, magic, and psionics. It also includes some useful elements from past incarnations of D6 games, including an all-too-short solitaire adventure to introduce rule concepts, and some character templates to get players started.

Overall the book offers a surprising amount of crunchy game mechanics for a system renown for its simple "roll your skill dice higher than the difficulty number to succeed" core rule. Most of the systems offer more involved means of using the core mechanic, with numerous modifiers, examples, and optional rules. The really optional rules often have their own chapters, such as "Character Options" and "Combat Options." All the systems work well, and should after much playtesting (including the recently added variants).

The layout seems clear, with numerous skewed sidebars for easy reference. Rendered as the contents of a file folder, the pages include chapter name and page number in the headers, sidebars and illustrations at slight angles as if  "taped" into place, and occasional light coffee mug stains, paper clip images, and other markings that rarely distract from the layout.

Concerns

D6 Adventure serves more as a core D6 rulebook than a game based on a particular  setting. It fosters a sense of the adventure genre by offering themed templates, action-inspiring illustrations, some notes in the equipment chapter, and some short genre-specific suggestions in the adventure tips chapter. For instance, although the superhero genre was mentioned in the adventure tips chapter, no examples for implementing such a campaign were included, aside from the mention of numerous "special abilities" in the character options chapter. Most adventure-oriented genres mentioned in the text have this level of source material. The chapter about magic -- a subject one expects to receive comprehensive coverage in the D6 Fantasy book -- is three times as long as the psionics chapter, something that should have been a bit longer for an adventure rulebook (though one might argue psionics fit into a "supernatural powers" category that could have received more attention). Providing more character templates might also have better demonstrated the diversity of playable genres and character types. D6 Adventure is more suited for gamers seeking a tried-and-true yet flexible system to which they can tailor their own settings and campaigns.

Although I enjoy seeing solitaire tutorial scenarios in the front of rulebooks to teach newcomers the new game, this one was surprisingly short; only 16 entries (in comparison, the Star Wars Roleplaying Game: Second Edition -- Revised & Expanded was 36 entries and covered far more ground). Upon playing it, I realized that distinctions regarding the Wild Die slowed the action and consumed more entries. The scenario covers little more than a brief encounter with a mere two skill checks.

(I personally have a beef with the Wild Die in D6, feeling that attributes and skills with widely variable values measured in dice pools provide enough opportunities for dire failures and extreme successes, but I won't bore you with my debate here.)

If the book had been longer, a full-length group adventure might have been included. Given the lack of coverage for specific adventure sub-genres, this could have skewed the presentation in favor of a particular setting.

Impressive

D6 Adventure includes many elements that always please me in roleplaying game books: a solitaire adventure that demonstrates the rules clearly; plenty of optional rules to use, ignore, or modify; a host of quick-reference sidebars for modifiers, difficulties, and rules summaries; a plethora of character options, from the traditional advantages and disadvantages to special abilities; and a solid table of contents and index for easily navigating the text.

At first the 12-page "Chapter Ten: Example Skill Difficulties" seemed a bit gratuitous, especially given that the book lacks substantial adventure genre source material that might have filled that space. Basic skill descriptions appear elsewhere. But in retrospect, this comprehensive list of sample difficulties by skill serves as a great guide for new gamers seeking advice on the difficulty of various tasks that pop up during a game.

The page of "Die Code Simplification" impressed me most. Sure, it's only one page, but the concept dismissed D6 critics' laments that the system requires buckets of dice, taking too long to count and slowing gameplay. This simplification offers two options: roll 5D and add a predetermined modifier based on the total skill or attribute die code, or simply roll the Wild Die and add a modifier. For example, someone with a 15D skill would either roll 5D plus 35 (the modifier for 15D), or roll the Wild Die and add 49. This elegant system applies to any massive die roll: skill check, damage, combat. The first option -- rolling 5D plus the modifier -- still offers some variable result without the hassle of rolling and totaling 15 dice.

The Verdict

Whether or not the publisher intended this, the D6 Adventure Rulebook serves excellently as the core D6 System rules. It is a worthy successor to a long line of D6 System games. Longtime D6 fans should find satisfaction in having a core rules set in print after many years, while newcomers will find a well-tested, comprehensive system to customize to their own settings. With the publication of the other core books -- D6 Space and D6 Fantasy -- D6 Adventure forms the foundation of what will hopefully be a resurgence in D6 gaming. 

Although light on resources for particular adventure sub-genres, D6 Adventure opens the door for future setting-specific sourcebooks. The D6 System fan base can carry the game's popularity only so far. West End does a good job on the web promoting the game, but its commitment to convention appearances, demo games in stores and small cons, and publication of genre- and setting-specific sourcebooks will determine if the relaunch of D6 is a success. The company website already lists a host of source product, including Fantasy Creatures, Adventure Locations, Space Ships, and the Bloodshadows Worldbook. D6 Adventure is the first step in the D6 System's triumphant return.
 

   "This is called a Griffin because it is a winged quadruped. This kind of wild animal is born in Hyperborean parts, or in mountains. All its bodily members are like a lion's, but its wings and mask are like an eagle's. It is vehemently hostile to horses. But it will also tear to pieces any human beings which it happens to come across."