After receiving a number of requests about how d6 RPGs differ from other games, we decided to create a quick description of how the game is played.

D6 Gaming was originally designed by West End Games for cinematic gaming, and really gained momentum when it was paired with the Star Wars RPG under them. It is a versatile and particularly lightweight game mechanic that lends well to any style of game play. It does work best with cinematic and exciting games that demand fast-paced action and death-defying feats. Read on!

The basics

  • A d6 Role Playing Game has a Game Master and Players.
  • A Game Master is a person who referees and oversees the game play, including selecting and observing Game Rules, describing a setting and environment, and role-play Characters that Players do not control.
  • A Player is a person who has a Character to play.
  • Each Character has a number of attributes and skills.
  • Each attribute and skill has a value.
  • Skills inherit the value of an attribute if they do not already have a value.

How to determine success with the dice

  1. The Game Rules or the Game Master set a difficulty, equivalent to a number.
  2. Roll a number of six-sided dice equal to a skill value.
  3. Add the rolled dice values together for a total.
  4. If the total rolled equals or exceeds the difficulty the roll succeeds.
  5. If the total rolled is below the difficulty the rolls fails.

We recommend using one of the following tables for determining the Difficulty when making dice rolls

The 2 Dice and 12 Dice tables represent dice caps placed on the number of dice rolled. The D6 Standard uses the original difficulties used in official iterations of D6 Gaming prior to Wicked North Games.

2 Dice (d6Unleashed, Created by Wicked North Games)
  • 5, Very Easy
  • 6, Easy
  • 8, Moderate
  • 10, Difficult
  • 11, Very Difficult
  • 12, Heroic
  • 15, Epic
12 Dice (Cinema6, Created by Wicked North Games)
  • 5, Very Easy
  • 6, Easy
  • 13, Moderate
  • 21, Difficult
  • 31, Very Difficult
  • 46, Heroic
  • 60, Epic
D6 Standard (Created by West End Games)
  • 5, Very Easy 5
  • 6, Easy
  • 11, Moderate
  • 20, Difficult
  • 25, Very Difficult
  • 30, Heroic

Game Time

  • In non-stressful situations, Game Time passes at the discretion of the Game Master.
  • In stressful situations, Game Time slows to handle how Characters react into intervals called Rounds.
  • A Round represents a 5 to 6 second period in Game Time.
  • An Action is the physical movement a Character takes in a Round.
  • Normally, a Character may take 1 Action in a Round.
  • If a Player wants a Character to take more than 1 Action in a Round, it is at the discretion of the Game Master.

Rules Extensions and Modules

Beyond these simple principles, many modifications and extensions to customize the rules exist. The best thing to do is to look at an existing game system, and figure out what works best for you! Development of Cinema6 was to take the headache out of game system creation by providing a universalized set of Attributes and Skills, (meaning the naming conventions and functional use of them is not genre specific). We added more rules modules onto our game engine to enhance the Role Playing Experience and highlight the cinematic elements of using the system. We encourage anyone looking at the various d6 Role Playing Games available to consider how the game will best fit your needs.

Other D6 Gaming Resources

OpenD6 OGL Resources

Hosted by West End Games (Off-line since 01-28-2010)
Hosted at Polgarus Games
Hosted at The Game District
Hosted at Critical Press Media

List of D6 Links and Resources, http://www.d6online.com, by Lee Torres, et al.

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