Let’s talk about our favorite TTRPG Cubes- the beloved d6.
Old School:
Roll 3d6 in order.
Strength: 9
Dexterity: 16
Constitution: 9
Intelligence: 13
Wisdom: 8
Charisma: 8
New School:
Roll 4d6. Drop the lowest. Reroll 1s. Assign anywhere.
Strength: 13
Dexterity: 16
Constitution: 16
Intelligence: 13
Wisdom: 14
Charisma: 14
(*I actually took the 4d6 rolls in order, but it worked out nicely.) I have a Rogue and a Monk or a Thief and a Thief-Acrobat depending. I’m actually happy with both characters, but especially the Old School one. The 4d6 technique almost always yields playable characters whereas Old School is usually a hardcore challenge. I’m happy both characters are relatively as smart and survivable as the other.
1st Ed AD&D Unearthed Arcana gave us Method V character creation option. Prior to that, the various methods were outlined in the AD&D Dungeon Master’s Guide. The likelihood of getting exactly the roll one desired improved significantly with some methods to the point where one may as well just assign the 18 and get it over with.
3d6 as a probability engine.
Believe it or not, some Old School games used a 3d6 roll under skill system. The average roll on 3d6 being a 10, which means failure lurked around every corner. It still looms in a few Old School retroclones and the Champions system, but that’s a whole different topic. (*Fantasy HERO was/is a thing, but it might be a bit obscure for our purposes today.) The high average means that some characters with less than average stats were likely to come up short, however that makes sense in a very existentialist sense.
D6 dice pool systems and why they make me cringe.
Probably the fastest way to get me to skip over a new game system is if I look and see that it uses d6s for the mechanics. Why? Because I can think of several games that already use those mechanics. My favorite d6 game of all time is West End Games Star Wars. Open D6 is a great game. I’ve played Shadowrun on and off for years and still love it. EZD6 from DM Scotty got a great review and it only really uses the d6 decider. But I’m tellin y’all right now- I’ve hit my limit on games with d6 mechanics!
I’m sorry, family. There’s just no reinventing the wheel when it comes to d6 mechanics. It’s either roll x number of d6 and add them vs Target Number, roll x number and keep all higher than target number for number of successes/failures, or some oddball combination of roll d6 and keep x vs target number. Sometimes it’s roll under, usually it’s roll over. It’s probably the only die mechanic more overused than the d20.
The Marvel Multiversal RPG that was released in 2023 still uses the same mechanic only with a strange twist. The Marvel logo (or 1 on a differently shaded die out of three) gets a critical success with more oomph than a regular critical success. Otherwise, it’s still another d6 system. I like the gimmick, but I yearn for the FASERIP days. I like Marvel 616, but mostly because it’s new and more accessible. (*Yes, we’re off topic at this point.)
Powered by the Apocalypse games are a 2d6 mechanic. I love a lot of things about that system. I think Blades in the Dark, Scum & Villainy, Monster of the Week, and Henshin: A Sentai RPG are all wonderful games, but part of me will always yearn for different mechanics given how common d6 rules systems are. It’s another old case of roll 2d6 + Skill vs Target Number. There are some variations, but that’s basically it. Love the concepts, not always keen on some of the mechanics, unfortunately.
Even my beloved FATE/Fudge uses d6s, just modified in some way to look like +, blank, or -. I have some cool ones to be sure, but they’re still the same old style of cubes as the ones I used to steal out of my mom’s Yahtzee set to make D&D characters with. Good as FATE is, they still haven’t reinvented the wheel when it comes to mechanics. Even my most beloved ICONS RPG uses 2d6.
When it comes to cheap and convenient, they’re all that.
I think I can pick up a set of 5 six siders at my local Target for a little over $1.00 USD. D6s are probably the easiest to find or even make in a pinch. When it comes to that, all of the wargames and RPGs using d6 mechanics totally makes sense. I don’t blame creators for going that route.
I think when it comes to making characters, it’s a good way to go. I still try to do some random rolls for characters. Low attribute scores in at least one makes for fun and challenging characters. I’d rather have a 7 or 8 Wisdom than straight 18s any day. God tier characters get boring pretty quickly if I’m being honest.
Thank you for stopping by today. I still have fun throwing the old d6s around. I love other mechanics more, but the d6 is still my friend. I appreciate you. More tomorrow.
Jeff's Game Box 