Starting with D6
 

With the system being opened to new development by West End Games as a new open system, I'm trying to figure out where to start and what to edit to do a D6 variant template for HL. It would theoretically aid in the accounting involved in a project I'm working on.

The problem is that there are several variants of the D6 template that I would find useful. I don't know how to make even one from scratch at this point, and doing four or five similar templates with minor differences is a bit much.

D6's character creation system is point based, after a fashion. You have Attributes and Skills that are expressed as a die code such as 2D+2 (roll 2d6 and add 2 to the total when using the attribute or skill). You get 18 dice to spread around your attributes and 7 more dice to allocate to specific skills for a beginning character. Essentially, each die consists of three "pips", each equivalent in function to a character point, so it effectively translates to 54 attribute pips and 21 skill pips. You get to divide is among six normal attributes with a minimum of one die (three pips) in each. (There's a seventh attribute for supernormal abilities, but you can only put dice in it if such abilities exist -- and in the game I'm working on they don't).

Where do I begin with that?

As far as D6's attributes, I would start with converting them to pips, as you get 3 pips/die IIRC. Basically defining every 3 pips into a die and allotting extra pips into a "+" modifier. So, you actually would have 54 pips to allocate into the various stats, then 21 pips in skills. I would take a look at the Cortex and Savage Worlds modules for more on die codes and such ...

Oh ... and for the starting 1D in attributes, just subtract 3 pips/attributes from your starting dice and work from there ...

Are you going to be at GenCon next week? If so, we've got a number of seminars scheduled where we'll be going through the process of creating data files for different game systems. I think it would answer many of your initial questions.

In a nutshell, I would use the pips technique and create two separate resources. One resource would track the attribute pips assigned and the second would track the skill pips. The various attributes and skills would have incrementers to adjust them, which will allocate pips to them. I don't know enough about D6, so you might want to auto-add all skills and then adjust them - like attributes - or you might want to let the user choose which ones are added - like they are handled in the Savage Worlds files.

Sadly, no. I don't have the funds for that this year -- haven't the last few years. Real shame -- I miss going to GenCon and seeing everybody.

And obviously there won't be transcripts. Rats.

That sounds good. D6 doesn't have universal Attributes for every setting like most RPGs such as Savage Worlds: different campaigns use different attribute sets; however, the number of Attributes is usually standardized (Almost always six, whatever they are, plus the Extranormal attribute that controls things like magic and psi). The core attributes start at 1D (which is taken out of the creation pool) and can go up to 5D if enough pips are spent on them (that's for beginning characters -- starting out more experienced would presumable give you some extra dice).

Has anyone done anything with HeroLab and d6?

I dont think anyone has done anything yet. I know there was some talk of 7th seas awhile back, but that used d10. the process might be the same though.

I was hoping to use it with a d6 Star Wars game (or adapt) I might have a go at building one depending on timing.

I bought the authoring kit and I'm having ago. Is anyone interested in collaborating on Star Wars d6?