Heads Up...

...On The Quick6 RPG System

I have finally had some clear thoughts about the Single D6 RPG system that I was brainstorming for a while back.  My concept is a game that is easy and quick to get up and running so people can just get to playing instead of preparing.  Some decisions I have made include:

 

1. The name of the system will be Quick6 and will be completely - or maybe "almost completely" based around the use of six sided dice for game play.
2. There will be a basic version of the rules will use a single D6 vs. the simple Action Result Table for task resolution. 
3. There will be an "advanced" version using 2D6 vs. the expanded Action Result Table for task resolution.

I have begun working on the draft document of the basic version of Quick6: Fantasy and it seems to be coming together pretty good.  This will just be the initial ideas and will need further expansion and clarification.  I hope to have the draft document available for download in the next week or so.  I would not mind a bit if people would provide feedback once the document is available.  I know it has been a little while since I put down my very basic ideas but I would definitely appreciate any and all input.  I am not going for anything revolutionary to the hobby - just an easy to comprehend game with quick setup and smooth play.     

A Single D6... (Part 2)

After my earlier post and the comments left by some readers, I had some more thoughts come to mind about  a role-playing game designed around using a D6 for all task resolution during play.  Some of these ideas are mine and some were taken from the comments left on the other post; no worries, I will give credit to any and all who contribute ideas in this continuing brainstorm process.

Inspiration and Concept

The inspiration and concept for this idea came from this comment on my post with the idea of using LEGO Heroica dice in an RPG:

Eldrad Wolfsbane said, "What about an entire RPG based on a single D6? Could it be done?".

After reading the comments on my original post and reading the suggestions made about such a design, I got a few more ideas of my own and decided to move forward with a little more design work on this game.  An additional design goal is for the number 6 to be important to the game in other areas of the game also.  For instance, I want the core rules to be done in 6 pages and all supplemental material to be done in 6 pages also.  I know that goal is limiting but it should make for a fun and interesting design challenge deciding what gets included and what gets removed.

Name
I still have not settled on a decent name for the underlying rules system. Some of the labels I came up with for this project include uno6, single6, unoDie, solo6, just6, and simple6. I am not sure if any of those are near as "cool" as I would like but they do get the point across.  I am probably leaning towards just6 or simple6 but I am still officially undecided.

Format
I am designing the rules with the intent of each rule book being no longer than 6 pages; in fact, if I can ensure that all rules and supplements are exactly 6 pages of content then that would be extra neat.  My plan is to do a core rule book, maybe a supplement of left out or optional material, a fantasy book, fantasy expansions, and then stretch out to other genres.

Core Rules

Since the goal is only 6 pages of rules the focus should be on including only what is essential to the game.  I think it might be best to have a player book and a game master book for the core rules.  I just do not think that character creation, combat, and gm stuff can all be included in just 6 pages.  If I discover otherwise, then I will go with a six page consolidated core rule book.

Characters
I would like character creation to be limited in detail but still offer a little bit of variety.  This is probably not a game system where campaigns could could last years unless advancement was slow.  It would be best to keep the defining aspects of characters to a minimum.  Something like this might work:

races: human only in the core rules.
stats:  Physique (physical power & toughness), Reflexes (balance and dexterity), Intellect (smarts), and Will (mental toughness).
talents: simple and broad skills that might pertain to play of the game
boons: advantages
banes: disadvantages

Task Resolution
Again, Eldrad Wolfsbane suggested doing a tiered set of values to show expertise and strike chances:

Unskilled 1 in 6
Average 1-2 on 6
Skilled 1-3 on 6
Very Skilled 1-4 on 6
Expert 1-5 on 6

Combat
Of course, combat would be handled with rolls of D6 also.  Ideas by Eldrad Wolfsbane include:


1 What you were trying to do goes very wrong.
2 What you were trying to do goes wrong.
3 What you were trying to do barely succeeds.
4 What you were trying to do succeeds.
5 What you were trying to do goes very well.
6 What you were trying to do goes far better than expected.

MODIFIERS

Hand to hand subtract -2
Clubs -1
Blades and Bullets
Large Blades and Bullets +1
Explosions +2

Armor
Light -1
Heavy -2

Agile -1
Very Agile -2

Talent level would also add subtract.
Unskilled -1
Average 0
Skilled +1
Expert +2
Master +3

This version of combat is completely simple BUT it would make the players and enemies think twice about combat.


A few sample enemies

-Town Guard with Spears and Muskets wearing Light -1 Armor.

-Expert +2 Assassins with Two Handed Swords +1 Wearing heavy Armor -2. That would be a total of +3 to hit and -2 to be hit.
Everyone gets six skill points. You may only put 3 in one skill only. After 6 adventures you get 1 point, then after 7 adventures you get another point and so on.

I kinda played with this system above.

Very deadly but kinda fun.

Blood everywhere!

Two normal guys Fed and Barney going at each other with swords both roll the highest get first hit a natural 6 (Fred) and the looser gets a 3 (Barney). Barney dies in a pool of blood as Fred cheers!

One roll to determine to hit, initiative, and damage. Very fast system!

There could be a simple speed modifier that adds to the roll only to determine if the character goes first and not for damage purposes.

Quick +1
Very Quick +2

On the roll above Barney's effective place in the round would have been a 5 if he were Very Quick. Still too slow for Fred's quick hit with a sword.

Armor and Agility BTW subtracts from the attacker's dice roll.

Fantasy Rules
Three races covered in base fantasy rules - dwarf, elf, and half-elf.

A set of classes to include warrior, mage, rogue, and maybe a few others.

Weapon damage would be handled as suggested by the Zenopus Archives:

short weapons 1d6-1
med weapons 1d6
long weapons 1d6+1
two-handed weapons 1d6+2

Other areas that would need detailing for a fantasy version would be monsters, magic, and treasure.


Other Genres
The base stuff could very easily be used for most genres with no problem but then you run into problems such as how do you have firearms all use D6 and all choices still be viable?  That is definitely something to consider.  I would like to maintain the 6 pages of rules - no more or no less - in each rules pamphlet.  You might need several pamphlets for one genre, though.  For example, you might need Fantasy, Magic, and Campaign Setting pamphlets to play in a fantasy setting.  All of them would be 6 pages each so the rules would only total 18 pages for fantasy and 6 for core.


Next?
I am going to try and consolidate all of these ideas together into a coherent set of core rules and maybe some fantasy rules to follow...

A Single D6... (Part 1)

This entire post was inspired by this recent comment here in response to my post about using LEGO Heroica dice for a role-playing game:

Eldrad Wolfsbane said, "What about an entire RPG based on a single D6? Could it be done?".

My initial thoughts were that such a game would probably be very limiting and would not be played very much at all.  After thinking about it for a while, I am starting to wonder if that initial reaction is wrong.  Could a role-playing game based on the roll of a single six sided die occupy the players with a satisfying play experience?  It might seem limited at first but I think it might be worth investigating to see what can be done with a game designed around that idea.  A little brainstorming on my part produced the following thoughts.

Goal

An RPG design that uses only a single D6 for all task resolutions in the game.  Damage immediately comes to mind as the only area that needs to use different dice than just a standard D6.  There are, however, other options that will maintain the D6 only resolution mechanic.

Damage could be a specific set amount for each weapon. For example, a club could do a static 3 points of damage. To offer some variety, the damage of each weapon could be altered by the character's strength adjustment.  For example, the previously mentioned club that does 3 points of damage could do 5 points of damage in the hands of a character with a +2 strength adjustment.  Now there is a method to do damage that does not negate the design goal of a single D6.

Name

All role-playing games should have a decent name for their underlying rules system.  I like attaching cool labels to projects so a few I came up with include uno6, single6, unoDie, and solo6.  I am not sure if any of those are near as "cool" as I would like but they do get the point across.

Genre

The best bet would probably be to avoid genres - such as supers or science fiction - that provide the opportunity for a very wide character power range.  The genre should be more limited in power and could probably be done with a single D6 for western, horror, modern, or maybe even fantasy.  

Task Resolution

I am thinking that a simple chart similar to the one in the Talislanta rules might be the best option.  A player would roll and apply any attribute or skill modifiers to the roll.  Then the GM would call for any adjustments based on the situation or opponent and then consult the chart.  There would be differing levels of success or failure based on the total of the roll.  A quick playing simple system would probably be for the best.  

Final Thoughts

The ideas expressed above are just my initial thoughts on a single D6 role-playing system.  I honestly do not know if I will further develop it at all.  I just wanted to get these ideas out of my head.  It has been my experience that many campaigns are shorter than they were in the old days so I think a satisfying play experience could be realized from a simple set of rules with these ideas if it was done properly and characters did not drastically improve over a short period of time and the power level was kept at the appropriate level.