Saturday, August 4, 2018

West End Games d6 Star Wars


I have been working on some preparations to play some d6 Star Wars with my sons (8 and 5) and Nate (41?). I was trying to decide which edition of the game to start out in, and landed upon a modified home brew version of West End Games d6 system 1st Edition Hybrid.

I don't care for the idea of spending character points during the adventure.

I love the concept of the Wild Die.

I like Full Doge adding to the target number and Combat Dodge replacing the target number, even if lower!

I like Stunned, Wounded Once, Wounded Twice, Incapacitated, Mortally Wounded, Dead.

I do not care for skill specializations and/or advanced skills.

I love the "do as many things as you think you can get away with per round", just -1D penalty to everything for each action past the first.

I am not interested in using "Hasted" actions, although I do like the general thrust: take a hit to ensure you shoot first (Han).

I found a nice forum post that convinced me the target numbers should be as follows:


Difficulty Target Numbers chart


Target Number

Difficulty
3
Very Easy
7
Easy
14
Moderate
21
Difficult
28
Very Difficult
35+
Heroic


I am thinking about some light forays into initial adventures. Some kind of team effort task for a rag-tag something less than paramilitary group of Rebel operatives with their own ship, with ample freedom and tricky details. Imperial entanglements, both by land and in the sky. Stormtroopers and TIE Fighters!

Flying X-wings is also a possibility, as this blog has long endorsed (but failed, thus far, to actually enact) a troupe style campaign (or at least series of loosely interconnected stories).

To that end, I have worked to develop RPG stats I am happy with for all the miniatures in my X-Wing collection (and some cool ships not in my collection). Along the way, I re-balanced and tweaked a good deal of minutiae. I ditched the stuff about sensors, I cleaned up the cargo ratings, I adjusted maneuverability ratings, etc, I made a new Space and Atmospheric speed rating (no more sad km/h, etc).

Next I plan to formalize the list of aliens playable as PCs and generate a few modified cheat sheets a la the inside of a GM screen.

Here are the ship stats I have thus far. I have posted a sample ship below.


***

The TIE Striker
   The TIE Striker is a ground support starfighter optimized for atmospheric flight. The Striker’s adaptive ailerons allow for unsurpassed speed when operating in such a high drag environment.
   TIE Strikers are natural choices for escorting drop ships, like the TIE Reaper, into combat zones. The Strikers will attack the landing area before the Reaper arrives, then stay on station to provide the newly arrived infantry unit some extra firepower, strafing and bombing enemy positions as directed.

TIE Striker
Craft: Sienar Fleet Systems TIE/sk
Length: 17.18 meters
Crew: 1 pilot and 1 gunner
Crew Skill: Starship Piloting 4D+1, Starship Gunnery 4D+1
Passengers: 0
Cargo Capacity: [None]
Consumables: 1 day
Cost: Not available for sale
Space Speed: 7
Atmospheric Speed: 10
Hyperdrive Rating: [None]
Hyperdrive Backup: [None]
Nav Computer: [None]
Maneuverability: [1D+2] ([2D+2] in atmosphere)
Hull: [4D]
Shields: [None]
Weapons:
     Four Laser Cannons (fire-linked)
     Fire Arc: Front
     Fire Control: [2D]
     Damage: [6D]
     Two Heavy Laser Cannons (fire-linked)
     Fire Arc: Front
     Fire Control: [2D]
     Damage: [6D]
     Proton Bomb
     Fire Arc: Rear
     Fire Control: [2D]
     Ammo: [20]
     Damage: [8D]

5 comments:

  1. How does your version of Space and Atmospheric Speed Rating for 1e work anyway? And to me, your cargo ratings feel rather small.

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  2. The speeds are meant to be a straight up comparison of top flight speed. Mostly for use by the GM in chase situations, etc. The km/h nonsense drives me crazy (all starfighters are slower than most jet aircraft, for one). I don't think a variable number is best for representing speed, as even the most inexperienced pilot is capable of slamming the throttle down. Other than a relative measure of hardware performance, I have not thought about how the speed stats might be used mechanically in the game; other than as a guide post for the GM.

    As for cargo, I struggled with this one, too. I have always been suspicious of the official Star Wars cargo numbers: particularly when it is said that the HWK-290 can carry as much as the YT-1300. I did all sorts of approximate calculations of the cargo volume aboard a YT-1300f, for instance. It compares favorably with being just about 53-foot 1 semi-trailer load worth of volume. Based on stats from the trucking industry, 1 semi-trailer can haul just over 10 metric tons.

    It seems to fit the concept of a tramp freighter being something like a cross between a Winnebago, a semi-truck, and a hot rod. One load at a time, hauled across the stars!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Eh, tomato, tamato, personally I'd use the speeds numbers you listed for the vehicles as Die Codes via the base 1e rules, but's that just me.

      Delete
  3. As for some other stats, I really think the A-wing length is officially wrong. Here is my argument:
    https://tierfoncampaign.blogspot.com/2016/07/a-wing-issues.html

    I also adjusted the HWK-290 length to be more starfighter-like, to fit with its X-Wing Miniatures Game miniature size.

    I really wanted to heavily modify "cost" numbers, but didn't come to a sensible conclusion as of yet. Here is a bit of discussion on that topic:
    https://tierfoncampaign.blogspot.com/2014/12/prices.html

    I haven't posted it to this blog yet, but there are economics reasons why assuming that a dramatic increase in production volume would yield, even in starships, an exponential decrease in cost. This is basically why I allowed the prices to stay where they are. Sticking with the Winnebago/Semi-truck/hot-rod idea, we want the stock light freighter to be about the same price as a house or something...steep, but manageable for many who are committed to the lifestyle. Han couldn't afford a tens-of-millions price tag (and tramp freighters as a concept wouldn't survive).

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  4. Thanks for your interest and your comments!

    ReplyDelete