Whether it's a critical hit or a coup de grâce (or both), the Devastating Deathblows table provides sudden death with simulated pixelated realism for any role-playing game deemed worthy of its awesome, blood-soaked glory. Use with wild abandon.
Devastating Deathblows
Roll 1D6
1. Instant decapitation.#CelebratingAprilFoolsDayLate
Zorro: The Roleplaying Game, published by Gallant Knight Games in 2020, "gives you all the tools and information you need to experience the swashbuckling, dramatic, and cinematic action of the legends and stories of Zorro!"
The burb on the back cover continues;
Players will be able to work alongside Zorro as part of Zorro's Legion, or even take on the role of the legendary hero! The book is rife with details about Zorro's adventures in Alta California, as well as providing rules to emulate the legendary actions of this masked hero of the people.
Featuring two full adventures, a solo adventure, numerous adventure seeds, 15 templates for characters, character creation, and a full bestiary of foes and animals, this high-paced game is powered by the newest edition of the D6 System from legendary publisher West End Games!
Zorro: The Roleplaying Game offers two ways to create a player character: templates and full customization. In the first method, the player selects a template complete with attributes, equipment, background, and personality. The player provides the character's name and description and distributes 7D (seven six-sided dice) amongst the character's skills. Templates include:
Creating a customized character involves more steps, but is a simple process. Distribute 12D amongst the five attributes. No attribute may be lower than 1D nor higher than 4D. Distribute 7D amongst the character's skills. No skill may be higher than 2D. Defense numbers are then calculated: Dodge equals Perception x 5; Parry equals Agility x 5. Name the character, describe the character, compose a brief background, and select equipment.
Both methods are equally valid, but for the purpose of this article I shall choose full customization.
Compadres, please meet my first character for Zorro: The Roleplaying Game:
Name: Gustavo LoboZorro: The Roleplaying Game has an intuitive, streamlined approach to character creation and an action resolution system to match. The skill system is focused on the likely activities of swashbuckling heroes and their enemies, which prevents the rules from being ungainly. I think it's a well-executed refinement of the D6 System, and I hope they use it to good advantage in adapting other swashbuckling genres. I can't wait to run this game.
[For more articles in this series, visit How to Create a Swashbuckler.]
[This article is cross-posted in Theoretical Swashbuckling.]
Simple dice pools are amongst my favorite innovations in RPG rules engineering, especially when the dice have six sides, but there is a downside: adding the results of Big Gobs of Dice. Here I am referring to the standard dice pool made famous with Ghostbusters, Star Wars, and The D6 System, i.e. abilities are represented by a number of six-sided dice that you roll in an effort to equal or exceed a target number or beat the roll of an opponent. Sheer elegance in its simplicity!* The problem, my friends, is that the number of dice one must roll and count becomes unwieldy and — after a while — a tad wearisome. What to do?
One could substitute binary dice or coins in the manner of Prince Valiant or Faery's Tale, which doesn't reduce the number of randomizers, but does increase the speed with which the average player can add them; or one could read the dice normally, but reduce the number of dice rolled. The latter method I call
Dice Pools of Reasonable Size
This method requires a complete rethinking of character abilities and target numbers, but the key is Extreme Simplification. (Enjoying the uppercase shenanigans? Excellent.) Extreme Simplification enables Easy Memorization resulting in Maximum Fluidity of Play. (O.K., enough shenigans.) In other words, we will reduce the number of dice in the pool to the minimum possible that is required. Abilities (characteristics, attributes, etc.) will vary from 1 to 3, with 2 being average. Specialties (skills, talents, etc.) will vary from 1 to 2, with 1 representing competance and 2 representing mastery. At most, a character with the highest possible attribute and mastery in a skill will be rolling 5 dice.
Such a change in the size of dice pools will naturally require a change in target numbers. I propose the following difficulty chart:
I think this could probably be applied to any D6 role-playing game, but I have not yet playtested any of this. Use at your own risk. And please comment if you do (or if you have any thoughts whatsoever on the topic).
* The Middleman forever!
If you could live in a game setting, where would it be?
My first instinct is to say the setting of Ghostbusters, because I'd really like to be a Ghostbuster as my day job (or night job).
[I just noticed that the first six words of this answer are identical to this one, which was also about Ghostbusters, so I think it's fair to say I have the instincts of a Ghostbuster. Sign me up!]
[For more information on #RPGaDay (or #RPGaDay2022 specifically), read this.]
In May, I posed the question, "What should I write about next?" In early June, I revealed the results of the poll. It is now early July, and although I am not ready to post the Teenagers from Outer Space and ACE! RPG articles yet, I am cross-posting (or is it re-posting?) this article from Applied Phantasticality (1 August 2017). Just to whet the appetite. And buy some time.
RPGaDay 2017: Day 01
1. What published RPG [game, world, or adventure] do you wish you were playing right now?
I am in the mood to play multiple role-playing games and settings at any moment, but at this exact moment I feel the urge to play Teenagers from Outer Space by Mike Pondsmith. Published by R. Talsorian Games in the late 1980s, it is "set on an Earth where fun-loving space aliens go to our high schools and party with the Earth kids. In the game you play the part of a teenager — alien or human — and have adventures fighting mutant monstrosities, saving the world from ravening rabbits from the X dimension, and getting your homework in on time." In other words, you engage in sci fi teenage high jinks.
The game system is simple and transparent (features I find very attractive and all too rare), and the writing is whimsical without being forced. The character attributes (or Statistics) offer a clear picture of the flavor of the game: Smarts, Bod, Relationship with Parents, Luck, Driving, Looks, Cool, and Bonk. (Bonk is how much punishment you can take.)
The cover art for the two editions offer somewhat different visions of the game. The first, by Mike Ebert, is suggestive of manga, whereas the second, by Wayne Barlowe, reflects the 1980s America in which the game was written. My own instincts draw me inexorably toward a sci fi 1950s interpretation inspired by the movie that inspired the game's title (plus every other sci fi and/or monster movie of the 1950s). Or a blend of all three.
Teenagers from Outer Space is light, easy, comedic fun, which is exactly what I'm in the mood for right now.
[For more information on #RPGaDAY (or #RPGaDAY2017 specifically), read this.]
The votes are in, which means the Poll or Random Table? question has been decided in favor of Poll. However, the (two) votes have been counted, and the result is a tie between Teenagers from Outer Space and ACE! RPG. I hereby resolve that I shall honor both in the order in which the votes were cast:
Stay tuned!
Is it a poll or is it a random table? You decide.
What should I write about next?
Cast your vote in the comments or I'll roll 1d6.
1. Tunnels & Trolls 5th edition
I've never played TOON: The Cartoon Roleplaying Game as a player, but I did run one session of it in late 1980-something when I was in 11th or 12th grade. The game was well written and organized, but I had two qualms about it. First, there was too much of it. Now, the rule book wasn't a massive tome (at least, its first edition wasn't), but I felt nonetheless that there was too much reading expected of a person running a light game inspired by the zaniness of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies. Such a game ought to be as light as helium, and I think Awfully Cheerful Engine! RPG comes closer to the mark. Second, TOON, in the Steve Jackson Games tradition, uses the low-rolling six-sider method of action resolution, specifically: roll equal to or lower than an attribute or skill on 2d6 to succeed. It's functional, but lacks excitement. I think a system in which you're shooting for high numbers, perhaps with exploding dice, is a better fit for the genre (and, again, ACE! RPG has it right).
I found TOON to be O.K., but my players and I were not motivated enough to pursue it beyond a single session. I did, however, a make a few player characters of my own, and although I never had the opportunity to play them, I still have the character sheets as well as a bit of character art, which you may view below. (The Little Green Man character in the third image was to be named Zilch or Nix according to my notes.)
The world's second role-playing game, Tunnels & Trolls, also happens to be the first role-playing game to use six-sided dice exclusively. Not only was it played with more easily obtained dice, it also had easier rules.
Character Creation
Player character attributes are generated by rolling three dice for each of the following: Strength, Intelligence, Luck, Constitution, Dexterity, and Charisma. Starting gold is generated by rolling three dice and multiplying by 10. Height and weight are determined by rolling three dice and consulting a chart.
Combat
Each weapon has dice and "adds" (a number added to the dice roll). Characters might add or subtract further adds based on certain above average or below average attributes. Monsters have dice and adds based on their Monster Rating. In combat, the members of each party roll their dice and adds, combining them all. The lower number is subtracted from the higher number and the remainder is the damage inflicted on the losing party (minus any armor that might be worn), with the damage divided amongst its members.
Saving Rolls
Whenever a character attempts to do something risky or avoid something, the player makes a "saving roll" by rolling two dice. Doubles "add and roll over." The target number varies depending on the level of difficulty.
| Level | Formula |
|---|---|
| 1 | 20 minus attribute |
| 2 | 25 minus attribute |
| 3 | 30 minus attribute |
| 4 | 35 minus attribute |
This progresses according to the formula: (Level x 5) + 15 = # to shoot for
Normally, saving rolls are made versus a character's Luck, but sometimes other attributes will be used instead.
Summary
Tunnels & Trolls may not have used "D6" (or "d6") dice notation, but it was clearly a system centered on the six-sider, and its influence on the role-playing hobby can be felt to this day. In fact, not only can you buy the latest edition, Deluxe Tunnels & Trolls, but you can even buy the First Edition Reprint from Flying Buffalo Inc. PDFs are also available via DriveThruRPG.com including a free short version of the rule book, a Beginner's Bundle for T&T, the 1st edition rules, Deluxe T&T, and even the 4th edition rules. (The edition I've always played — 5th — no longer seems to be available through official channels, but might still be found elsewhere.)
EN Publishing's custodianship of Judge Dredd role-playing, Judge Dredd & The Worlds of 2000 A.D., has come to an end, and once again I am left with something that will become more of a source book than a rule book because I have decided that instead of clinging to rules that are "unofficial" anyways, I shall merely convert it to something I like better: The D6 System 2nd edition, ACE! RPG, Sherpa, Savage Worlds, or perhaps my own system (still in progress). As much as I approve of Judge Dredd going D6 dice pool, I think the W.O.I.N. adaptation is too cumbersome. Judge Dredd role-playing ought to be fast, intuitive, and exciting. I think it can be made better with minimal effort, and I can still use the Games Workshop and EN Publishing books as the excellent source books they are.
I just learned that EN Publishing's rights to publish Judge Dredd & The Worlds of 2000 A.D. expire tomorrow, the last day of February. Until the end of the 28th (GMT, I assume), most of the related material will be discounted at the EN Publishing Judge Dredd RPG clearance sale and at the DriveThruRPG Judge Dredd RPG sale, after which none of it will be available again.
It's very short notice, and I know it's unlikely anyone will learn of it via Decidedly Six-Sided, but I think it's my duty to spread the word for the sake of fellow Judge Dredd fans who are also D6 gamers.
Today, 22 February 2022 or 22-02-2022, a Tuesday, I would like to focus on the subject of the binary randomizer and the D2 (or d2). You have two choices. Continue reading, or cease reading.
Ah, you have chosen to continue reading. Excellent. That was a binary choice. You had two options: do the thing or do not do the thing. That is how binary randomizers work. In its simplest form, such as a coin, you have two possible results: heads or tails (referring to the obverse and reverse sides of a coin). Traditionally, the coin is flipped or tossed by one person and "heads" or "tails" is called by another. If the the coin lands on the side called by the second person, the second person prevails. If it doesn't, the first person prevails. The coin flip can also be used to make a decision for which there are two options, or determine a course of action that can be answered by "yes" or "no." In such cases, heads usually means yes and tails usually means no. Coins have also been used as binary randomizers in certain role-playing games, one of the more famous of which is Prince Valiant. This game takes the concept of the D6 dice pool and replaces it with coins in which heads = 1 and tails = 0. Toss the coins and count those that land on heads. That's your result. Dice can be substituted for coins in which even numbers = 1 and odd numbers = 0. Or you can make 1 through 3 = 0 and 4 through 6 = 1 if you prefer high numbers. You can even find binary dice that have an equal number of sides marked 1 and 0. The point of all this is that binary randomizers, including coins, give you a range of two results: 1 or 0. Something or nothing. Yes or no.
None of this is related to the "D2." Some may claim that a coin is a D2 on the basis that it has two sides, but the number of sides on a randomizer does not necessarily reflect the range of numbers it can generate. Take, if you will, the D3. The D3 is typically a six-sided die in which the result is divided by two (or a six-sided die marked 1 through 3 twice). It has six sides, but the highest number you can roll is 3. That makes it a D3. For a coin to be a D2, one side must be designated as 1 and the other as 2. This would be fine, especially if they were custom made, but there are some who mistakenly call a coin a D2, but use it as a binary randomizer. In actuality, a binary randomizer is a D1 because the highest number you can generate with a single binary randomizer is 1. The coin as a real D2 can exist, but only as an outlier. The coin in its traditional use as decision maker is truly a D1.
In honor of this twice blessed day, though, I offer a true D2 coin that need not be a binary randomizer: the coin bearing the likeness of Janus, the Roman god with two faces. If you roll heads, Janus counts as 2. The other side counts as 1.
Tired of dealing with cumbersome critical hit tables that require you to consult a rule book or squint at the tiny text on a GM screen? Let the Critical Ouchies table make your life easier! It's just one simple table for all critical hits regardless of attack, defense, situation, or type of creature involved. Yes, the Critical Ouchies table solves all your problems across all game systems and genres. 1D6 is all you need. Roll now!
Critical Ouchies
Roll 1D6
1. Vision blurry, but you can see stars dancing around your head.#CelebratingAprilFoolsDayEarly
