TheRPGSite

With the D6 System finally in preliminary OGL form, now is the time it seems to get cracking on some D6-based awesomeness.

I'm seriously considering reviving the A Song in the Dark project under the D6 mechanics.  I had a bit of a decent start to a Fallout-inspired system, and I wanted to keep it going given the similarity of genre even, but the truth is I'm no system monkey, my patience for doing it only goes so far.

With D6, I could get going again because the system's all written for me already really, and so bog simple and embedded in my brain that I barely need a book to pen a D6-based game anymore.  I'd actually started writing my own OSRIC-like D6 analogue during the buyout talks, and was literally doing it solely from memory, and only stopped because I couldn't think of good alternate terminology for some of the core mechanics.  

I could start dreaming about the setting again, and droning on about the society and biology of the Aralia and their influence on pre-Sumerian history and all that rot.  

I also think it could be kind of fun to do a dungeon fantasy mod for it.

Quote from: J Arcane;305434With the D6 System finally in preliminary OGL form, now is the time it seems to get cracking on some D6-based awesomeness.

Are the docs available now?  The OGL seems to make a false start (http://www.therpgsite.com/showthread.php?t=14199) every couple of weeks.  I'm starting to feel like it's an elaborate troll of the gaming community!

Quote from: Hairfoot;305436Are the docs available now?  The OGL seems to make a false start (http://www.therpgsite.com/showthread.php?t=14199) every couple of weeks.  I'm starting to feel like it's an elaborate troll of the gaming community!

According to Hellsreach's announcement, the text of the books is now all under the OGL.  There's no "SRD" document up yet, because he's still hellbent on this horridly convoluted automatic custom SRD builder thingie, but it doesn't mean beans to me because I probably wouldn't bother anyway.  I can just as well write it from memory, and I prefer the older SWR&E version of the system anyhow, so my game is likely to more resemble than than the newer stuff, filtered through the lens of my setting and my faulty memory.

Ah.  I don't actually know the D6 system, but from what I've heard it seems potentially awesome.  I was hoping the OGL would make it easy to peruse, but apparently not.

I would be, if I could get the basic rules conveniently in PDF or SRD document form. Probably in a fantasy genre, I have the setting, I'm just searching for the right system, d6 may be a good fit though 4e may be more commercially viable.

I'm working on Stormrift right now.  Got a design blog up (in my sig) for anyone who is interested.  

The d6 System seems to have evolved a bit from the Star Wars days I remember so well.  The Legend system in particular seems to add a few neat wrinkles, but I think I'm going to stick with the core rules, plus a few additions.  

I too would like to see the SRD in .pdf or .doc format as I'm almost to the point where I need to start putting rules to the setting.  Hope something comes out soon.  

Pete

Until the D6 OGL and SRD is locked down and made public, I would not touch it.  You don't want to be X months and Y dollars into a project just to find out that Hellsreach decides to yank out the rug.   His track record is sketchy.  

Patience, padawan game designers!  Wait until we see a final doc.

Quote from: Spinachcat;306046Until the D6 OGL and SRD is locked down and made public, I would not touch it.  You don't want to be X months and Y dollars into a project just to find out that Hellsreach decides to yank out the rug.   His track record is sketchy.  

Patience, padawan game designers!  Wait until we see a final doc.

I see no reason to play the skeptic card at this time.  If anything, my skeptic's card is encouraging me to do so, for the following reasons:

1)  Game mechanics aren't copywriteable anyway, so there's nothing he can do on those grounds.  D6 being OGL is no less the meaningless formality that D20 and the 4e GSL are.  I was already planning an OSRIC'd D6 system prior to the announcement anyway.

2)  The statement was made in a verifiable public statement before a ridiculous number of witnesses, so it's not like he can suddenly change his mind and pretend it never happened, and besides which the OGL doesn't work that way.

3)  WEG may finally be out of the red, but they're hardly in the position, both in terms of finances, and in terms of public goodwill, to be filing any lawsuits.  

I say fuck it.  The announcement is good enough, lets take what we've got, because even on the assumption that the whole rest of the OpenD6 initiative is going to be a total bust, at least we'll be keeping the damn thing alive, and probably better than WEG has been for the last several years.

Quote from: J Arcane;306050I see no reason to play the skeptic card at this time.  If anything, my skeptic's card is encouraging me to do so, for the following reasons:

1)  Game mechanics aren't copywriteable anyway, so there's nothing he can do on those grounds.  D6 being OGL is no less the meaningless formality that D20 and the 4e GSL are.  I was already planning an OSRIC'd D6 system prior to the announcement anyway.

2)  The statement was made in a verifiable public statement before a ridiculous number of witnesses, so it's not like he can suddenly change his mind and pretend it never happened, and besides which the OGL doesn't work that way.

3)  WEG may finally be out of the red, but they're hardly in the position, both in terms of finances, and in terms of public goodwill, to be filing any lawsuits.  

I say fuck it.  The announcement is good enough, lets take what we've got, because even on the assumption that the whole rest of the OpenD6 initiative is going to be a total bust, at least we'll be keeping the damn thing alive, and probably better than WEG has been for the last several years.

I think this is one of the few areas where we are in total agreement.  

It's always easier to design a setting if you already have a game system in mind, but not having a system shouldn't be a gamebreaker.  If Open d6 tanks (something I seriously doubt), you'll still have plenty of setting material to convert to another system.

You know, it's kind of funny the Wizards of the Coast-like animosity and distrust people seem to have towards Eric and WEG.  I mean, it's not like he/the company did anything to anyone personally.  He just made a few bad business decisions, certainly not enough to be trashed as he has on public forums (not saying that you Spinachat were trashing him, just commenting out loud from some of the posts I've seen from others).

Quote from: J Arcane;306050I see no reason to play the skeptic card at this time.  If anything, my skeptic's card is encouraging me to do so, for the following reasons:

1)  Game mechanics aren't copywriteable anyway, so there's nothing he can do on those grounds.  D6 being OGL is no less the meaningless formality that D20 and the 4e GSL are.  I was already planning an OSRIC'd D6 system prior to the announcement anyway.

2)  The statement was made in a verifiable public statement before a ridiculous number of witnesses, so it's not like he can suddenly change his mind and pretend it never happened, and besides which the OGL doesn't work that way.

3)  WEG may finally be out of the red, but they're hardly in the position, both in terms of finances, and in terms of public goodwill, to be filing any lawsuits.  

I say fuck it.  The announcement is good enough, lets take what we've got, because even on the assumption that the whole rest of the OpenD6 initiative is going to be a total bust, at least we'll be keeping the damn thing alive, and probably better than WEG has been for the last several years.

Why do you care if it is "open" then? I don't think you understand the purpose of the OGL. The point is that you get to reuse written rules (usually expressed in the d20 term as an SRD). The OGL allows for the reuse of a document or parts of a document. If you are going to "OSRIC" a system then, well, to be honest you do not need anyone's permission. You make a version of the rules in your own words and go from there. No need for the OGL, an SRD or author's permission. Folks are doing this with 4e already and have done it with versions of D&D for some time.

Now, the real interesting part is his STL. I think that is where an advantage might be gained if you intend to sell your work. If you are not...well, then you should not feel held back by the OpenD6 initiative, just do not cut and paste any actual rules text.

Quote from: HinterWelt;306102Why do you care if it is "open" then? I don't think you understand the purpose of the OGL. The point is that you get to reuse written rules (usually expressed in the d20 term as an SRD). The OGL allows for the reuse of a document or parts of a document. If you are going to "OSRIC" a system then, well, to be honest you do not need anyone's permission. You make a version of the rules in your own words and go from there. No need for the OGL, an SRD or author's permission. Folks are doing this with 4e already and have done it with versions of D&D for some time.

Now, the real interesting part is his STL. I think that is where an advantage might be gained if you intend to sell your work. If you are not...well, then you should not feel held back by the OpenD6 initiative, just do not cut and paste any actual rules text.

I care if it's "open" because 1) it may just be a courtesy, but it's still that, and I prefer to be more open about this sort of thing, and 2) as you say, it does allow me the pleasure of more directly utilizing existing terminology (I had a hell of a time coming up with a replacement for the "pips" concept).

I think the STL as I've heard it described for D6 is indeed a wonderful idea, if he intends to hold to that requirement that developers introduce their new material back into the open core, however, the truth is there's really no brand strength left behind the D6 System name at this point, so it's not really any more of a selling point than just using OpenD6.  Plus, I'm sure I'm going to catch heck for this after my previous arguments, but for this particular project, and this one alone, I just don't feel comfortable opening it up quite that much.  I had always intended to make the system portion of the game open source regardless of what I used, but after 10+ years I'm a bit protective of the setting portion of it.

Quote from: J Arcane;306107I care if it's "open" because 1) it may just be a courtesy, but it's still that, and I prefer to be more open about this sort of thing,

I am with you on that but if you are considering "OSRICing" the system, well, then I think you are a little conflicted. To be clear, I do agree with your sentiment though, of wanting the author's approval before copying (or making derivative works) of their work.

Quote from: J Arcane;306107and 2) as you say, it does allow me the pleasure of more directly utilizing existing terminology (I had a hell of a time coming up with a replacement for the "pips" concept).

I do not think that would be as big a problem as you might thing. Pip is common usage for a mark on a die. So, you could most likely use a whole lot of it. The key thing is not to use any trademarks (WEG, D6?) and to not copy, word for word, any rules text. Now, there is a separate problem with "derivative works" but you can get around this with a bit of rules addition, modification.

Quote from: J Arcane;306107I think the STL as I've heard it described for D6 is indeed a wonderful idea, if he intends to hold to that requirement that developers introduce their new material back into the open core, however, the truth is there's really no brand strength left behind the D6 System name at this point, so it's not really any more of a selling point than just using OpenD6.  Plus, I'm sure I'm going to catch heck for this after my previous arguments, but for this particular project, and this one alone, I just don't feel comfortable opening it up quite that much.  I had always intended to make the system portion of the game open source regardless of what I used, but after 10+ years I'm a bit protective of the setting portion of it.

I disagree on the brand. I think there is some juice left there. That is why I would consider a Neb D6 or a Shades of Earth d6. The Brand as I see it, is somewhat nostalgic and tied to SW but also continues to have a core audience. In terms of small press levels of sales I see it as viable. Of course, YMMV.

As to protecting your setting, I understand. I am the same way with my settings. I tend to open the mechanics allowing for folks to extend if they want but keep the setting to HinterWelt. Why? Two reasons. First, I honestly think most folk interested in creating setting books will make their own. They can (and have) done this with Iridium using the rules (monsters, items, etc). Second, to protect our core product lines. HinterWelt would have a much more difficult time of it if Roma and SA! could be co-opted by a larger company. SA! particularly is doing well making it a more likely target. Your reasons, of course, would be different.

I would probably at least like to do something with it - but - since I never PLAYED it, I don't know a thing about how it works, or even where to find a copy of the rules. I suppose I'll have to wait for the SRD to be able to read the mechanics and decide from there.

Quote from: Werekoala;306125I would probably at least like to do something with it - but - since I never PLAYED it, I don't know a thing about how it works, or even where to find a copy of the rules. I suppose I'll have to wait for the SRD to be able to read the mechanics and decide from there.

Here's a rundown from wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D6_System

Hum. Seems pretty straightforward, almost deceptively so. Almost makes me wonder why you'd need a system like this when you could come up with something almost as basic? I'm assuming there must be more to it than the Wiki article stated.

So once they "release" this mechanic, then you'd use the resolution system as the "base" and then build off of that, making it as complex or simple as you want? Magic and such, for example, would use that mechanic but with additions for mage skill, damage, level of spell (if you go that route), etc. Does that sound about right?

Yeah, that's about right.  WEG is supposed to be putting up a website where you can select the rules you want to include in your game, and download them all together in one document that you can just plug your setting material into, add images, and run with it.  It's been "almost ready" for quite a while now, so maybe it'll be up and running soon.  If Eric gets the OGL tacked onto the current PDFs and posts them, like he recently posted over at the fan site, you can download them for free from his website.

One of the main draws of using the "D6 System" is its familiarity with hordes of players (mostly us older farts).  As it was the original system used for the Star Wars RPG, a lot of folks remember it from that.

I found a copy of the Star Wars game by WEG from 1987 (1st edition I guess) at Half Price Books the other day - is that the d6 system? If so, I'll pull it out and put it on top of the stack so I can skim it and get a feel for the rules.

Quote from: Werekoala;306173I found a copy of the Star Wars game by WEG from 1987 (1st edition I guess) at Half Price Books the other day - is that the d6 system?

Yes. :)

It's the foundation of what the D6 system is today.  There are newish additions to what's listed in the Star Wars book, like Character Points being used to enhance rolls, the Wild Die, as stated on the wiki, and a few other things that some might consider enhanced, or hindered, the rules.  I personally like the 1st edition Star Wars rules because they were very loose and helped keep the whole cinematic feel that the game was supposed to present, but I'm just as comfortable with the newer variations.  Like all rules, you can decide what you want to work with and what you think will slow you down.

Or, as Drohem so very succinctly put it...yes.

Sweet. I actually got three books, all hardback and in near-mint condition. I love Star Wars, not so hot on the d20 versions of it however, so I figured I'd take this one for a spin since its mentioned so often.

There's a great community just for D6 Star Wars.  Check out the Rancor Pit Forums (http://www.rancorpit.com/forums/).  You'll find a lot of great info on the rules, house rules, etc.

Quote from: HinterWelt;306117I am with you on that but if you are considering "OSRICing" the system, well, then I think you are a little conflicted. To be clear, I do agree with your sentiment though, of wanting the author's approval before copying (or making derivative works) of their work.

My original reasoning for wanting to do an OSRIC'd generic D6 system was simply that I was seriously concerned at the time that the system was going to once again be left to die in a drawer, and so while I felt it might be seen as a dick move taking the system like that without permission, it was more important to me to see that the system was released in an open fashion one way or another.  I likened it to the way Linux came about, in a sense, and I think the name I'd come up with it even referenced Linux/GNU.

OF course, I would've felt much better being able to work with the game on direct permission, but there was no way I could pony up the dough to buy it (this was during that whole phase), I didn't think any of the disorganized forum rabble were ever going to pull it off, nor did I think he would get any real, serious buyers.  

Now of course, that's no longer necessary, because the thing's OGL anyway.  

QuoteI do not think that would be as big a problem as you might thing. Pip is common usage for a mark on a die. So, you could most likely use a whole lot of it. The key thing is not to use any trademarks (WEG, D6?) and to not copy, word for word, any rules text. Now, there is a separate problem with "derivative works" but you can get around this with a bit of rules addition, modification.

Well but also, not just terminology, now, if I need a rule for something, say, falling damage, I can just copy whatever I need straight out of the books.  If it's a rule from the Star Wars version of course, I still have to go to the trouble of rewording things, but with the whole corebooks from new-WEG being OGL, I don't even need to do that much with those (though I'm enough of a style freak that I probably would anyway).  

QuoteI disagree on the brand. I think there is some juice left there. That is why I would consider a Neb D6 or a Shades of Earth d6. The Brand as I see it, is somewhat nostalgic and tied to SW but also continues to have a core audience. In terms of small press levels of sales I see it as viable. Of course, YMMV.

I'd like to believe this, after all, I loved SWD6 R&E so very very much, I just don't think what I've seen of the D6 relaunch's success so far gives me no reason to believe such, I'm afraid.  

QuoteAs to protecting your setting, I understand. I am the same way with my settings. I tend to open the mechanics allowing for folks to extend if they want but keep the setting to HinterWelt. Why? Two reasons. First, I honestly think most folk interested in creating setting books will make their own. They can (and have) done this with Iridium using the rules (monsters, items, etc). Second, to protect our core product lines. HinterWelt would have a much more difficult time of it if Roma and SA! could be co-opted by a larger company. SA! particularly is doing well making it a more likely target. Your reasons, of course, would be different.

If it were any game but ASITD, I honestly wouldn't care much.  Evenmorn, Ancient Sands, any of a dozen other wierd little ideas I've had over the years I would be glad to open up to the world, and welcome it really, because I'm mostly too lazy to bring them to their fullest potential.  ;)

But not that one.  It's like my own prodigal son at this point, I've been kicking it about since like 1996, when it was first born as little more than a bad Rifts clone with a single core idea, and has evolved so much over time.  IT was always to be sort of my masterpiece, the one RPG idea I actually gave enough of a crap to want to see really, truly succeed.

Quote from: J Arcane;306205Well but also, not just terminology, now, if I need a rule for something, say, falling damage, I can just copy whatever I need straight out of the books.  If it's a rule from the Star Wars version of course, I still have to go to the trouble of rewording things, but with the whole corebooks from new-WEG being OGL, I don't even need to do that much with those (though I'm enough of a style freak that I probably would anyway).  

Well, if you "OSRIC'd" it then that would not have been a problem either. Well, it is moot but also be aware that he needs to issue his OGL for the SRD and that may not involve the books as printed. So, for instance, my ISCR is the Iridium SRD. It has all the rules for Roma in it but it does not have the setting information or the spells (mostly I wanted to keep the bulk down) but it does have rules for making spells. So, the OGL can be very specific and until we see the exact wording of the license and the text attached, you really can't do too much.

Mind, I have not been following closely but I thought Eric has not released the actual SRD text files right? So, you would have nothing to copy rules from.

Quote from: J Arcane;306205I'd like to believe this, after all, I loved SWD6 R&E so very very much, I just don't think what I've seen of the D6 relaunch's success so far gives me no reason to believe such, I'm afraid.  

Go spend some time on the WEG Fan forums or RPG.Net. It does not take much in today's market to make a profitable book. In the end, I do not have hard numbers but my impression, a properly produced book could be profitable. I would question a full color, leather bound uber book but I am not really in that market. ;)

However, I could see a setting that fleshed out some missing genre (say fantasy) or pulp. Minimal art. Say, a production budget of under $1000. I think, HinterWelt at least, could recoup that in the first 90 days and turn a tidy profit.

Quote from: HinterWelt;306214Mind, I have not been following closely but I thought Eric has not released the actual SRD text files right? So, you would have nothing to copy rules from.

According to the announcement I read, the text of the new WEG D6 books, Fantasy/Space/Adventure/etc., are all OGL'd in their entirety now, unless I misread something.  The only hitch there is I never actually bought any of those books, so I'm sort of short on a reference as well, like some of the other folks here.  I was always more of an SWR&E fan, and didn't care much for the changes in the later models, so never bothered.  Much like some people felt about OSRIC vs 1e, I didn't feel the need to bother with the newfangled version when the old one worked fine.

Of course, SWR&E isn't OGL, and never will be, even if the system itself is, so it doesn't necessarily serve as an SRD at all.  So I'm probably going to have to nab D6 Space at least probably.  

QuoteGo spend some time on the WEG Fan forums or RPG.Net. It does not take much in today's market to make a profitable book. In the end, I do not have hard numbers but my impression, a properly produced book could be profitable. I would question a full color, leather bound uber book but I am not really in that market. ;)

Oh I know, esepcially with Lulu and the like these days, the only out of pocket costs are editing and art and such.  My target monthly profit is only a couple hundred bucks for my game.  I'd like to make a lot more obviously, but you have to make do with what you can in such a small market, though I'm partly hoping to maybe team up with a proper publisher and push the game for a bigger fate.  

QuoteHowever, I could see a setting that fleshed out some missing genre (say fantasy) or pulp. Minimal art. Say, a production budget of under $1000. I think, HinterWelt at least, could recoup that in the first 90 days and turn a tidy profit.

Absolutely, and that's pretty much what I'm aiming at.  I just don't thing that the label on the back being "d6 System" instead of "OpenD6" is going to make any big difference in accomplishing that.

Quote from: J Arcane;306222According to the announcement I read, the text of the new WEG D6 books, Fantasy/Space/Adventure/etc., are all OGL'd in their entirety now, unless I misread something.  

QuoteThat may have been my musinderstanding. Eric said many variation when we were talking over the OGL and what kind of licensing was going on. It was my understanding that he had to edit for content and form and would be producing a master reference document free of IP he did not have rights to. I coudl be totally wrong on that.

Quote from: J Arcane;306222The only hitch there is I never actually bought any of those books, so I'm sort of short on a reference as well, like some of the other folks here.  I was always more of an SWR&E fan, and didn't care much for the changes in the later models, so never bothered.  Much like some people felt about OSRIC vs 1e, I didn't feel the need to bother with the newfangled version when the old one worked fine.

Of course, SWR&E isn't OGL, and never will be, even if the system itself is, so it doesn't necessarily serve as an SRD at all.  So I'm probably going to have to nab D6 Space at least probably.  

I would just make sure of that before you lay out the cash. That would be a kind of weird way of using the OGL, not wrong but a bit awkward.

Quote from: J Arcane;306222Oh I know, esepcially with Lulu and the like these days, the only out of pocket costs are editing and art and such.  My target monthly profit is only a couple hundred bucks for my game.  I'd like to make a lot more obviously, but you have to make do with what you can in such a small market, though I'm partly hoping to maybe team up with a proper publisher and push the game for a bigger fate.  

Have you considered Pathfinder or 3.5 OGL then? They might have a larger audience. Our dual statted books did quite well for us. Just a thought.

Quote from: J Arcane;306222Absolutely, and that's pretty much what I'm aiming at.  I just don't thing that the label on the back being "d6 System" instead of "OpenD6" is going to make any big difference in accomplishing that.

Oh, certainly. My point was to tap the die hard core and sell to the fringe, the players of SW back in the day with nostalgia running through their veins. This might be easier with the OpenD6 logo than not. Also, I meant brand in the much larger sense than just the tm.

QuoteHave you considered Pathfinder or 3.5 OGL then? They might have a larger audience. Our dual statted books did quite well for us. Just a thought.

Doesn't really fit the setting to me.  I like D&D, I just don't much think it's good for things that aren't it.  

Part of why I was interested in this particular system is that it is quite flexible, I like it, and I think it's rather more trivial to tune it to the feel you need than it is with D20, which when it comes to genre emulation is frequently like trying to hand carve Monticello out of a life sized chunk of rock.

Quote from: HinterWelt;306214Say, a production budget of under $1000. I think, HinterWelt at least, could recoup that in the first 90 days and turn a tidy profit.

Define "tidy profit"

Quote from: Spinachcat;306239Define "tidy profit"

I would expect 3K with little effort. Possibly double that if I put my mind to it. True20 worked out nicely for us but they have a larger audience that is more structured and the market there is hingry for certain types of products.

Quote from: J Arcane;306238Doesn't really fit the setting to me.  I like D&D, I just don't much think it's good for things that aren't it.  

Part of why I was interested in this particular system is that it is quite flexible, I like it, and I think it's rather more trivial to tune it to the feel you need than it is with D20, which when it comes to genre emulation is frequently like trying to hand carve Monticello out of a life sized chunk of rock.

Well, I can see that. Just made the suggestion based on your comment on brand awareness and strength.

Quote from: HinterWelt;306266Well, I can see that. Just made the suggestion based on your comment on brand awareness and strength.

That was more just general commentary on the usefulness of STL vs. OGL.  Really, I'm mostly interested in whatever I think will provide the right feel.  I actually toyed with D20 in an earlier development stage, but it was just way too much work.  I think I got as far as one custom class before I just threw my hands up at the prospect of having to do that kind of thing for the whole game.

Quote from: HinterWelt;306257I would expect 3K with little effort. Possibly double that if I put my mind to it.

Thank you!  Which of your games would you convert to D6?  

My only concern about Open D6 is that there needs to be an in-print hardcover anchor game in the game stores for the gaming public to become aware that D6 has risen from the dustbin.   I like Bill Coffin's Palladium work, but nothing I have seen regarding Septimus sounds exciting.

Without an anchor game, D6 is just more chatter among the very small online circles.

Not sure I agree with that. They just need to get the website and the documentation and the legal stuff sorted so everyone knows what the score is and what they can do. A print book is superfluous IMO.

Quote from: Spinachcat;306278Thank you!  Which of your games would you convert to D6?  

I am of a couple of different views on this. First thought: Shades of Earth and Nebuleon. The reason for these two would be to try and capture some of those Indiana Jones and SW nostalgics, offer something akin but not precisely the same. This could be tricky since inevitably there would be those who say "That is not IJ/SW!!! It is abomination!!". Also, the niche could well be filled by the original books.

The second thought is go entirely empty niche. Convert Roma and Supers Inc and possibly Squirrel Attack! The advantage here is room for a lot of new rules and crunch value plus Roma has some brand recognition outside of Iridium (our house system). The problem here is whether there is interest in these genres for d6. I often find that is not insurmountable though.

Quote from: Spinachcat;306278My only concern about Open D6 is that there needs to be an in-print hardcover anchor game in the game stores for the gaming public to become aware that D6 has risen from the dustbin.   I like Bill Coffin's Palladium work, but nothing I have seen regarding Septimus sounds exciting.

Without an anchor game, D6 is just more chatter among the very small online circles.

Well, and that is the golden ring. If Roma became that anchor game (HinterWelt is carried through distro) you end up holding the high ground. However, that said, the brand could well stand on its own. Some clever back text with wording like "Same engine that powered WEG Star Wars" or some such would go a long way to tap that market. Also, proper access to the SRD is far more important at this point. I can market and advertise my own games if I have access to the rules.

Ok, so I've been reading the old 1st Edition Star Wars d6 from WEG, and I have to say, I really like it so far. Its got me hankering to run some Star Wars again, in fact. The rules are streamlined to the point that it promotes fast combat, but its easy to make it more detailed if you want to, as far as non-combat skills go. I kinda like the fact that you can end up rolling a handful of dice for resolutions - seems to me that the more dice you are rolling, the greater the range of possible outcomes, which is something missing from 1d20 of 3d6 type games. In other words, Star Wars focuses on being Star Wars and does it much better than GURPs, say, simply because GURPS is busy trying to be everything else, if that makes sense.

So, that said, if I would be considering a d6 project - how different is the d6 they're going to make "licensable" from what I've been reading over the weekend? Or is it structurally the same? I know there is a more "advanced" version out there, but all I have to go on so far is the first one.

Quote from: Werekoala;307136The rules are streamlined to the point that it promotes fast combat, but its easy to make it more detailed if you want to, as far as non-combat skills go.

1st ed is a bit TOO streamlined for many. You'll want the Rules Companion if you want to use any of the later supplements with it; the differences between 1E+RC and 2E are not too major.

Really, tho', I love WEG SW 2E best of the effectively 4 "editions" of WEG SW... (1E, 1E+Rules Companion, 2E, 2E revised and expanded)... and D6 Space is pretty close to another.

Scaling was the big addition in RC... and while there are several different versions of scaling, it's the most important rules addition. (D6 space is the simplest, and quite workable. But I still prefer RC or 2E)

Getting this post on topic....

Yes, I am working on two D6 projects and considering converting a couple of games over to D6.

Right now I am working on a Spycraft like game for D6 as well as a Mecha rulebook for D6 as well.

While I am excited about both, the Mecha rulebook edged out the Spycraft like game because, well I love Mecha.

Has the SRD thingy come out yet?

Seanchai

since no further word on it has been reported here (or anywhere afaict), I'm guessing not. Slowly the wheels turn.

Quote from: Seanchai;309016Has the SRD thingy come out yet?

Seanchai

Sadly no which is really bumming me out but I can only bring it up so many times

ok, well....why isn't it out?

Fair question innit?

I thought it was because they were insisting on making this "build-your-own-ruleset" website where you could pick and choose what elements to include and have it produce a nice looking set of rules that would share appearances with other people's work.  The SRD wasn't going to come before this ambitious site was launched.

Personally it seems like a waste to me.  Desktop publishing is so prevalent these days I just can't see someone wanting to do more than cut and paste rulebook text into their own layout so they can play with extra text, art, examples, etc. Companies intending to do this for profit are not even going to start on a project until their lawyers look at the Opend6 SRD.  Fan projects are not likely to be hesitant to start since they wouldn't be using a lawyer's services but are still being slowed by having to re-type or OCR scan the rules sections they want to include in their work.

It really seems like they have the order of importance reversed.  The SRD should have been ready when they made the announcement because it would have put the non-WEG wheels in motion for how ever long it takes for them to get this book builder site together.

I do agree that the whole "custom generated rulebook" thing is a fool's errand, and pretty much felt the same in the end about similar projects suggested by a few of the other publishers here.  I just don't see it working out anything that isn't a disjointed mess, and in the mean time it takes a lot of work to get the system up to the level of a disjointed mess.  

I'd just as soon see it skipped, in favor of a nice simple wiki or something.

Quote from: J Arcane;309165I do agree that the whole "custom generated rulebook" thing is a fool's errand, and pretty much felt the same in the end about similar projects suggested by a few of the other publishers here.  I just don't see it working out anything that isn't a disjointed mess, and in the mean time it takes a lot of work to get the system up to the level of a disjointed mess.  

I'd just as soon see it skipped, in favor of a nice simple wiki or something.

Exactly.  A wiki would *seem* to meet all the requirements of having rules available for cut-paste, searching, posting fan created open d6 material, cataloging optional fan rules, etc all in a centrally located place.

Something like that might actually get me to learn how to contribute and edit a wiki instead of just passively using them.

Quote from: Ghost Whistler;309159ok, well....why isn't it out?

Fair question innit?

I dont know.  Hellsreach has even said it would be as easy as taking the 3 D6 .pdfs and just tacking on the OGL and giving them away for free.

Why he hasnt dont that frustrates me.  It doesnt help me, the guy running the West End Games Fan Forum (and currently the official WEG forums) to stay confident.

I like Eric and he is in my group, so I wont say anything negative about him but yes, I am frustrated.

And now he is gone for a week on vacation so it wont happen anytime soon

Quote from: Strangelove;309164It really seems like they have the order of importance reversed.  The SRD should have been ready when they made the announcement because it would have put the non-WEG wheels in motion for how ever long it takes for them to get this book builder site together.

I think the build your own ruleset/choose your own ruleset idea is a good idea and still do.

But I do agree that he should have gotten the SRD document out first to get the ball rolling.

As I have said to him a number of times no matter how trustworthy he is, people are waiting and are not going to move forward with projects until they see the SRD document in writing to product their own interests.

So the longer he takes to get the document out, the more it slows things down.

Quote from: The Game Guy;309155Sadly no which is really bumming me out but I can only bring it up so many times

Okay. Well, I'll be much more interested in the open D6 stuff when it does come out.

Quote from: The Game Guy;309169I like Eric and he is in my group, so I wont say anything negative about him..

You'll get there. A snotty thing to say, I know, but...

Seanchai

Quote from: The Game Guy;309170people are waiting and are not going to move forward with projects until they see the SRD document in writing to product their own interests.

I'm writing the Stormrift setting right now (even commissioned some artwork for it), but I won't work on the setting-specific rules until the SRD or Open D6 website comes out, mainly because I don't have d6 Space.  I think D6 is an ideal fit for the setting, but there are a couple of other systems that would work nearly as well, so if something happens and Open D6 fails to materialize, I won't have lost any time, money, or effort.  

I'm really hoping everything falls in place, though.  I have so many good memories from Star Wars WEG that I'm jumping at the chance to use the system.