d6 Adventure

d6 Adventure

From: West End Games
Reviewed by: Ron McClung

d6 Adventure is a new Core RPG Rulebook from West End Games.

Much of this review refers to my previous review of d6 Space.  Because d6 Adventure is very similar to d6 Space in many ways, this review will only cover the differences.

From the back cover: “ One die, infinite possibilities.”

Once again, d6 arises into the foray of gaming with another core book, this time set in the modern era.  d6 Adventure is a core rulebook for running d6 games in the modern setting. From modern horror to pulp fiction, these rules outline ways to explore any modern or near-modern era with d6. However, d6 is not the d6 of old. As I said in my review of d6 Space, the new d6 is a merging of d6 and WEG’s old Masterbook system – a merging I like a lot.  In the case of d6 Adventure, however, there is more converted from Masterbook than in d6 Space.

Content: The content is very similar to d6 Space.  It starts with a general introduction and then goes into character creation.  It also has a similar Advantage/Disadvantage/Special Ability system.  Other than some genre specific text, these sections are virtually identical from d6 Space.  

The system, combat and skills are also virtually identical, except for the changes in ability score names (see below). The biggest difference comes in the Magic and Psionic sections.  The Magic section includes a spell design system that looks vaguely similar to the old Masterbook/Torg spell creation system (more on that later).  

Equipment covers a wide variety of weapons, armor and gear for the modern and near-modern eras.  What I would have liked in some cases is dates for some of the weapons and equipment for when they were available so that I could accurately run a 1920s campaign.  However, with some research, I am sure I can find that out on my own. Vehicles are highly generic and not specialized in any way.  Also included in the equipment section are a few magical and holy items. 

The Gamemastering section is virtually the same as d6 Space, with tips to the GM on rewards, how to create an adventure, how to create a scene, and how to run an adventure, as well as NPC examples and a few monsters.  At the end are ten templates ranging from bodyguard to Field Scientist, from Investigator to Reformed Thief.   And like all the d6 books, the last few pages are quick reference sheets that can be copied and  put into a GM screen.

System: The character generation and core system is basically identical from d6 Space.  The surprising change in this area was the change in ability names.  I am not sure why they did it, but despite the name changes, the abilities remained the same.  Skills vary to some degree based on the setting, but they are more or less the same.  Oddly, no where in any of the three books (d6 Space, d6 Fantasy, d6 Adventure) is a conversion system from one genre to another.  However, just as I found it, one can find it in the web enhancements for the forthcoming d6 Creatures. They did some odd shifting and renaming of abilities, but in general, these still do the same thing.

From the page 4: “ The d6 system rules are not meant to reflect the real world’s reality.”

As mentioned above, the biggest difference between this book and d6 Space is the supernatural ability aspects of this one.  Where d6 Space had Metaphysics, d6 Adventure has Magic and Psionics.  Included in this is a system to design spells, which by my memory looks an awful lot like the old Torg spell design system.  My old Torg stuff is packed away, so I can not compare directly.  What I do remember about the Torg spell system is that it was good but it could be abused.  Upon reading the spell design system, initially I can imagine it being somewhat confusing to some people – using the value system from Masterbook was always a challenge.  In the end however, after some practice, you find it is quite a versatile system.  However, as with the Torg/Masterbook system, this is a system that could be abused.  Included also are almost 30 precalculated spells in the following section.

The Psionics system is a little more simple.  However, there is no direct way to create new Psionic abilities.  Psionics are basically skills based on the Psionic ability score.  If you do not want to deal with the complexities of creating spells for your universe, psionics is something a GM could use instead. There are ten Psionic skills including Astral Projection, Far-sensing, Medium, Telekinesis, and Telepathy.

One thing I did not mention in the d6 Space review that I should have was the new mechanic surrounding purchasing equipment.  One of the options provided in all the d6 core books is the Funds option.  Instead of using the standard real cash system, this system is very similar to the wealth system in d20 Modern – a dice code represented the characters wealth, and a difficulty for each item is given representing how hard it is to obtain.  I like this system in many ways, but it can be abused and should be carefully monitored by the GM.

Layout:  I feel the same way about this book as I did about d6 Space.  The book is a sharp-looking book.  It is not full color, but it is what I have come to expect from West End Games.  It is a hard  bound book with black and white art throughout.  $30 may seem to be a lot to pay, but if you compare it to what Wizards of the Coast is charging, it is competitive.  The art is again on par with what West End Games used to look like, and they even use some old art I recognized.  I have never bought West End Games books for the art and I would not buy this one for the art, but it is not bad.  Overall, comparing it to the industry averages for core rule books, I would say that this is a reasonably good value.

For more details on West End Games and their new Core RPG Rulebook “d6 Adventure” check them out at their website http://www.westendgames.com and at all of your local game stores.

d6 Adventure
From: West End Games
Type of Game: Core RPG Rulebook
Written by: Greg Farshtey, Douglas Kaufman, Fred Jandt, Peter Schweighofer, Bill Savicsek, Bill Smith, Ed Stark, George R Strayton
Contributing Authors: Ron Fricke , Rachael Gibson
Game Design by:
Nikola Vrtis
Editted by: Steven Marsh
Cover Art by: Chris Dien
Additional Art by: Marshall Andrews, Tim Bradstreet, Leanne Buckley, Bob Cram, Tim Eldred, John Paul Lona,  Christopher Martinez, Aaron Nakahara, Allen Nunis, Shawn Richter, Daniel Schenstrom, Brian Schomburg, Lee Smith, Doug Schuler, Tyson Wintibaugh, Chris Watkins.
Number of Pages: 144
Game Components Included: Hard cover rule book
Game Components Not Included: Dice
Retail Price: $ 29.95 (US)
Item Number: WEG51011
ISBN:  1-932867-00-7
Website: www.westendgames.com

Reviewed by: Ron McClung