STAR WARS FIRST EDITION: A LOVE STORY

[Wajeb Deb Kaadeb]

What follows is something I wrote and posted to two other game forums a while back. On both forums, the thread proved quite popular.

I felt no reason to post it here until just now, when I answered a question by a Game Master new to the First Edition game.

The thread below has a lot of helpful notes to a player and/or GM who is not quite familiar with 1E or D6 Star Wars in general.

Feel free to add your own comments! The more, the better!

[Wajeb Deb Kaadeb]

LOVE FOR FIRST EDITION D6 STAR WARS!



Love is in the air currently. Star Wars is back, and it's oh, so cool. The original trilogy and the new films are on fans' minds.

As a gamer, it reminds me of that day I walked into my FLGS and saw a brand new hard bound. Star Wars The Roleplaying Game! Published by West End Games. Powered by D6. I picked it up, flipped through it, and fell deeply in love.

I was slight on cash, as this was the late 80's, and I was young. I walked out of the store, looked at my girlfriend, and asked her if I could borrow a few bucks. I couldn't leave without buying the game.

To this day, Star Wars, first edition, is (as I have said many times) what I consider one of the best marriages between mechanics and roleplaying milieu that has ever been created. The rules serve the game--provide atmosphere for the game--like few other game systems.

And, it's so damned simple. The entire game can be taught in minutes. Players need to know NOTHING about the rules. They can learn as they go, and they'll know all they need to know after playing a single game session.

I'm not talking about the rules the D6 Star Wars became afterwards. I'm talking about the basic rules. The First Edition only.

Ya see, the rules were modified several times over the years. I'll admit that I like every incarnation of the game. But, as the modifications came, the game became more complicated. I like crunch, as long as it flows and doesn't bog the game down, and even the crunchiest version of the D6 Star Wars rules flow like oil down a beautiful woman's behind. But, there's just something about that First Edition that holds a special place in my heart.



D6 Star Wars Rules Editions

Star Wars First Edition

Star Wars First Edition + Rules Upgrade

Star Wars First Edition + Rules Companion

Star Wars Second Edition

Star Wars Second Edition Revised and Expanded

D6 Space (released for free by the publisher on the net)

Star Wars Revised and Expanded & Updated (fan made ultimate culmination of rules)



If you've got that Star Wars mood nagging at you, and you want to put together a quick game, then Star Wars First Edition is your friend. You can find the original rulebook on the net. I've seen it at several places. You can also buy a copy for a reasonable price on eBay. The book is hardback, and it is quite pretty. I love the fake advertisements that WEG placed in the book.

The basic concept is this: Whenever a task is rolled, a number of D6 dice are thrown against a target number. The game only uses D6 dice. Sometimes, a task is rolled against another few or several D6 dice in place of a target.

As with most skill based games, character attributes govern skills. In this game, a skill or attribute is given a die code. When you need to roll, you just roll the die code.



Die Code Progression

1D

1D +1

1D +2

2D

2D +1

2D +2

3D

And so on...


The average code for human attributes is 2D, and humans typically range from 1D to 4D. For example, an average human would have Dexterity 2D. Whenever a test of Dex is necessary in the game, the player rolls 2D6. Simple, right?

Dexterity governs the Blaster skill. So, if a character fires a blaster and doesn't have an improved Blaster skill, the character just rolls on his Dexterity. A human with average Dex but without improved Blaster skill would throw 2D6 when he fires a blaster. If the character has improved the Blaster skill, then he would throw whatever his Blaster skill code happens to be. Maybe the character has Dexterity 2D but Blaster skill is 3D.

Character creation is a simple matter of assigning dice to stats and skills. There are six attributes, with each attribute governing several skills. A character without an improved skill can always throw the dice indicated by the governor attribute--or, he throws the dice code for the improved skill, whichever is higher.



Sample Character

Roark Garnet
28 year old Smuggler
6' and 180 lbs.

Force Points = 1

DEXTERITY 3D+1
Blaster 5D+1
Dodge 4D+1

KNOWLEDGE 2D+1

MECHANICAL 3D+2
Starship Piloting 5D+2

PERCEPTION 3D
Bargain 4D

STRENGTH 3D
Brawling 4D

TECHNICAL 2D+2



What you see above are the six attributes (in caps) and any improved skill governed by that attribute. If Roark needs to roll his DEX to keep from falling off a ledge, he rolls 3D+1. If Roark fires his Blaster, he rolls 5D+1. If Roark attempts to reprogram an R2 unit, he'd use the Droid Program and Repair skill. But, Roark hasn't improved that skill. Therefore, it defaults to the skill governor, which is, in this case, Technical. Roark would throw 2D+2 on the task. How simple is that?

There are rules for creating droids and aliens as well as various types of humans, but that's an advanced rule. The simple way to go is to use one of the several character templates provided with the game rules. These are characters that are just about complete. All that is needed is some customization. A player is given a number of D6 to add to the template, thereby individualizing the character, and he's ready to go.

At the start of a game with complete newbies (those who have never played a D6 Star Wars Game before), the GM can allow players to pick from a selection of templates. The GM may even throw in some templates that he has created specifically for the adventure. The players pick a template, customize it with the bonus dice, and, boom, character generation and equipment selection is done. And, it's done in like....ten minutes. Boom. All done. Let's play.

[Wajeb Deb Kaadeb]

COMBAT AND ACTIONS!



So, let's talk about the GM and running a game. Like the movies, this game is all about interesting characters and swashbuckling action. Like most RPGs, this game runs best with GM gifted at telling stories.

Now, you can use a combat grid, miniatures, maps, and things like that...if you want to. The rules certainly allow for it. But, this game really hums with a GM describing all the action for the mind's eye of each player. You don't need maps. You can use them, but you don't need them. The game plays extremely well without them.

Each combat round is about five seconds of time. The GM describes what the players see as combat breaks out. The players each declare what they want to do. The GM then narrates how events play out, pausing to have players roll dice when needed. The GM then continues, incorporating the results of the dice rolls in his narration.

A player can do anything he wants to do within that five seconds of time. A player can say, "I fire at the first stormtrooper to my right, then move to cover behind the crate, peek around and fire two more shots at the closest trooper." It can be done in five seconds, and this game allows for all that in one combat round.

When the GM hears what the player wants to do, he breaks the actions down into game terms.



Typical Combat Round Actions

Use a Skill

Walk

Run

Change Stance



What does the player above want to do? He wants to fire his blaster (use a skill), move to the crate (Walk or Run), kneel down behind it (change stance), and fire two more shots (two more skill uses).

In this game, every action you take after the first means that your die code is reduced by -1D. If Roark (the character in the OP) fires his blaster once, then he rolls 5D+1. If he fires twice, he rolls 4D+1 for each attack throw.

The Roark Garnet character is not skilled enough to pull off everything this player wants to do. You cannot penalize a task to lower than 1D. The player wants to take three shots with his blaster, in total, plus move. Kneeling is considered part of movement, so it doesn't count as an action. Walking counts as an action. Running counts as two actions. At the minimum, Roark is -3D to his blaster shots (and the movement is not possible because Roark's DEX is only 3D+1.). The player will have to amend his actions to a blaster shot, the move and kneel, and the single final blaster shot (instead of two shots at the end). He can do all of that, taking a total of 3 actions in the five second turn and suffering -2D to any dice rolls.

Still, the player may not get to complete all actions in a round because another character may prevent him from doing so. Those stormtroopers can fire back at him!

The GM, when describing the action, will jump the focus of his description after each action. This is not unlike quick cuts in an action film (like, uh, Star Wars!). The GM will describe the first actions of all characters in the combat round, including the NPCs, then, he will describe the second actions, then the third actions, if any, and so on.

[Wajeb Deb Kaadeb]

CHARACTER TEMPLATES!



This is a character template. The hardback rulebook comes with 24 of these. The GM can create custom templates for a specific adventure, if he wants. They're not hard to make, and they don't take a lot of time. And, they are a huge time saver when starting a game.

To customize the template, a player is given 7D to spread around to any skills. The attributes remain as shown on the template. Equipment is already picked for the character, but the GM should be encouraged to entertain any reasonable equipment requests by players. Star Wars characters don't carry a lot of gear, anyway.

To improve a skill, consider the governor attribute as the base die code, then add to it. For example, if we want to improve the Blaster skill for the character below, we can add 2D making her Blaster skill 5D+1. That's 3D+1 base (from the Dexterity code) plus 2 dice.

No skill can be improved more than 2D.

Of the bonus dice given to improve skills, a single die can be broken down into pips. 1D can be exchanged for +1 to three different skills. Or, the single die can improve two separate skills by +1 to one skill and +2 to another. When breaking a die into pips, remember the dice progression shown in the second post of this thread.

Smuggler Template

[Wajeb Deb Kaadeb]

QUICKIE NPCS!



One of the great things about this game for GMs is that, once the GM has a feel for the game, he can make up NPC stats in a millisecond. This is great for those golden impromptu roleplaying moments.

The players are in a cantina on Jakku. For color, and off the top of his head, the GM describes the scene, including this large, four limbed, pink-skinned alien wearing a burnt orange spacer's tunic with a helmet ring around his neck, a chest strap with a blaster holster, two stubby legs with no feet, pseudo-pod arms with no fingers, and a featureless bald head with wide eyes and three short pose-able pseudo-pods extending off of it.

LOOK HERE!

It's a visual the GM made up on the spot--not thinking twice about much more about the character. The alien was just part of the atmosphere from the GM's description until...a player says, "I'm going to walk up to that alien with the pink-ish skin that you described."

Through the roleplay encounter, the alien gets miffed at the player's character, and a fight breaks out. All of a sudden, you need stats for this character.

Well, in this game, it's easy-cheesy. Human average is 2D on stats. Use that as you base. You only need stats that you need immediately in the game. You don't have to create an entire template for this alien. If it's a bar brawl, then you just need this alien's STRENGTH and Brawling skill, if improved. You might also need his DEXTERITY and Brawling Parry skill (reaction skill). If it's a gunfight, then you'll need the alien's STRENGTH and DEXTERITY plus maybe the Blaster and Dodge skill.

The alien looks thick and hefty, so let's give him a quick 4D for STRENGTH. We can never improve a skill more than 2D at character creation, so we know his Brawling skill cannot be more than 6D. We'll give him 5D+1 for the heck of it.

STRENGTH 4D
Brawling 5D+1

For DEX, I'm thinking those pseudo-pods are pretty dexterous. I imagine them thinning themselves down to the size of a pencil or bloating to the size of a hammer head. The weapon is a normal human weapon, so the pods can easily grip it and use it. That's a high DEX. I'm going 4D+2 as a base. And, let's add 2D for Blaster. But, I don't see the Dodge or Brawling Parry skill being improved for him.

DEXTERITY 4D+2

Boom. Boom. Boom. What we need is done, done, done. This guy is up and rolling as a character in no time flat. It takes much longer to read this post than it does to stat out what you need with a quickie NPC.

And, if its a known Star Wars race, it's even quicker because the templates are already there for you. Just decide on any important skill improvements that you need at that moment, and you're done.

Quick and slick.

[Wajeb Deb Kaadeb]

DAMAGE!



The other quick-n-easy thing about the game is the damage system. There are no hit points to track! Your character's Strength rating is also his ability to brush off wound effects. Whenever your character is hit, weapon damage is rolled against Strength code.

Damage

When damage is less than STR, the character is stunned.

When damage is equal to or greater than STR, the character is wounded.

When damage is equal to or greater than twice STR, the character is Incapacitated.

When damage is equal to or greater than thrice STR, the character is mortally wounded.





Stun = knocked prone and cannot act the rest of the round.

Wounded = knocked prone and cannot act the rest of the round, thereafter -1D to all skill and attribute rolls.

Incapacitated = knocked prone and unconscious.

Mortally Wounded = as Incapacitated but roll every round to see if the character dies.



Stuns do not stack. A character can only be stunned once during a round. If a character is shot and stunned while suffering from a stun, the character is still stunned and suffers the same effect.

Wounded characters that are wounded again become Incapacitated. Incapacitated characters who are wounded or incapacitated again are mortally wounded. Like the stun, a mortally wounded character cannot be wounded further. A mortally wounded character who is wounded, incapacitated, or mortally wounded again is still just mortally wounded.

Armor improves the Strength roll when rolling against damage. For example stormtrooper armor increases STR by 1D with regards to damage (and it also reduces DEX and DEX based skills by 1D due to restriction of movement). A standard stormtrooper has STR 2D, but when shot with a blaster, he rolls 3D to brush off the damage.

If you watch the Star Wars movies, you'll notice that, when a blaster hits, it does quite a bit of damage. Blasters aren't lasers. They fire super-heated gas. That is, gas that is heated to a plasma state. This plasma bolt erupts from the weapon with a hell of a kick and had a ton of kinetic energy when it hits. Even a graze will knock a man off his feet. Wounds are typically not very bloody because the bolt cauterizes it and burns/evaporates/boils blood away. If you get stunned by one of these weapons, it hurts, though temporarily. And, there may be some superficial damage (burned clothes, a hole in armor). But, you survive! When you get wounded, your abilities diminish. Any wounding after that, and you're practically toast. You'll either wake up, or you won't.

Armor is a great thing to wear, if you can get it. The thing is, armor comes with a cost to mobility. As with the stormtroopers: Is it worth it to gain 1D in STR vs. damage but also suffer -1D to all DEX checks and all DEX based skill checks? Some say yes. Some say no. And armor still is not going to make you impervious. It's just going to help a bit against taking damage.

[Wajeb Deb Kaadeb]

FORCE POINTS and SKILL POINTS!



We can assume that Luke Skywalker is a brand new character at the start of A New Hope. He's a 19 year old kid*. We can also assume that the story of A New Hope is one complete adventure.

So, the questions becomes, "How did a beginning character avoid Darth Vader and blow up the Death Star?"

There are two answers to this. The first answer is to point out that this is a skill based game and not a level based game like D&D. Characters that come out of character generation are much more competent and closer in expertise to the extremely experienced characters. That is to say a Star Wars character, straight out of character generation (template customization) is a much stronger character than a 1st level character in D&D.

But, the real answer is that Luke is strong in the Force. In game terms, when it came time to make that incredible shot to take out the Death Star, Luke blew a Force Point.



FORCE POINTS: Every player character (and some important NPCs) start the game with a Force Point. When these points are spent, every attribute or skill check the character makes during the combat round is made with all die codes doubled.

That is to say, if Luke had Starship Gunnery 4D (and Mechanical attribute 3D) as a newly generated character (1D put into the skill because his backstory has him bulls-eyeing womp rats in his T-16 over in Beggar's Canyon), then he's throwing a whopping 8D when a Force Point is used (plus, he gets some bonuses from the X-Wing Fire Control).

He's got plenty of room to do other actions, like pilot the X-Wing (Starship Piloting) and make reaction skill throws to outmaneuver Vader's incoming fire (also Starship Piloting) and still make the extremely high target number needed to hit the exhaust port at the end of the trench on the Death Star.



SKILL POINTS: These are simply a method of adding experience to the character. At the end of each adventure, Force Points and Skill Points are awarded. Force Points are awarded for heroic character actions during the game. Skill Points are awarded for attaining goals and for a player providing excellent roleplaying with his character.

In between adventures, players can spend skill points to increase a character's skills. Attributes can be increased too, but it is very costly. Even the big names, like Vader and Luke, if you look at the published stats for those characters, hardly ever increase their original attributes--only their skills.







*There is a template called "Kid" in the rulebook, but this is technically for use with a teenager--maybe a 14 or 15 year old. The inspiration for this template came from the early Marvel comics run of Star Wars, back in the late 70's.

That Marvel comics run also inspired the Quixotic Jedi. Both were based on characters that were featured early in that run.

[Wajeb Deb Kaadeb]

HAN SHOT FIRST!



In the famous scene from the Mos Eisley cantina that has been altered in different versions of the film, the PC Han Solo faces the GM's NPCs Greedo. In the original version, in game terms, where Han shoots first, and there is only one shot fired between the two, Han would make a Con skill roll (governed by Perception) against Greedo's raw Perception attribute. He's successful, so Han can pull his blaster from his holster, under the table, without Greedo noticing the movement. Alternatively, Han's Con roll can be rolled against a difficulty rating chose by the GM.

At the point where Greedo asks for the bribe to look the other way and not turn Solo in, or kill him, in order to get Jabba's bounty, the player says, "OK, I'm tired of this dude. My blaster is out, under the table. I'm going to blast him.

Range is point blank. That's a throw of 5+ to hit. Han, with his dice codes, only making one shot, is not going to miss. It's impossible for him to miss--unless Greedo uses his Dodge skill.

Han making the shot triggers the use of that reaction skill. Greedo is better off just declaring the one action. That way, he uses his full Dodge skill without lowering it for multiple actions. Remember, Greedo's Dodge roll is added to Han's difficulty number. Greedo's Dodge has to be higher than Solo's attack throw.

It isn't. Greedo is hit.

Damage done by Han's heavy blaster pistol is a whopping 5D. Han's roll must have been at least twice Greedo's Strength roll (against the damage) because the Rodian flopped head first onto the table, immobile. He's either incapacitated, or he's dead or dying (Mortal Wound delivered by three times Greedo's STR roll).



Han and Greedo at the Mos Eisley cantina.



Now, in the edited version, where Greedo fires first, the mechanics are a slight bit different.

Han still succeeds at a Con throw to ease his DL-44 out of its holster without the Rodian noticing. And, this is still done between player and GM while the two are roleplaying the scene.

Player (roleplaying Han): "Yeah, but this time I've got the money."

GM (roleplaying Greedo): "If you give it to me, I might forget I found you."

Player: "I don't have it with me. Tell Jabba--"

GM (cutting him off): "Jabba's through with you."

Player: I'm through with this fruitcake. I'm going to try to pull my blaster out of my holster, under the table, without Greedo seeing me.

GM: OK. That's a Con roll. (Behind the screen, the GM rolls Greedo's Perception attribute and ends up with a low total. The GM sees that the player's CON roll is higher). You got you DL-44 out.

Player: I point it right at his gut.

GM (continuing to roleplay): "He has no time for smugglers who drop their shipments at the first sign of an Imperial cruiser."

Player: "Even I get boarded sometimes. You think I had a choice?"

GM "You can tell that to Jabba. He may only take your ship."

Player: "Over my dead body."

GM "I've been looking forward to this for a long time."

Player. That's it! The dude is toast! I say, "Yes, I bet you have." And, I let him have it under the table. Pow!

GM: Greedo already has his gun on you. He's going to shoot at you, too. Range is point blank for both of you. Only a 5+ is needed to it. Easy pickings. But both of you can try a Dodge.

Roll your attack. (Player rolls his Blaster skill.)

Behind the screen, the GM rolls Greedo's Blaster skill. Han has a low roll, so the Rodian fires first.

The Rodian fires at you, and you squeeze the trigger a split second later.

Player says, "I'll Dodge!"

Han's Dodge, added to 5, makes the Rodian miss. "His shot goes wide, missing your head by inches."

The GM rolls the Rodian's Dodge, but it is a very low roll, and Han's shot is higher.

"Your shot, though, catches him square in the gut. Roll damage."



IT'S ALL IN THE LIPS!

It's all in the story telling. The GM interprets the dice throws and narrates the a visual for the player, keeping the action exciting and the game fun.

[Wajeb Deb Kaadeb]

THE FORCE!



This brings us to...the Force!

The thing to remember is: This game is designed to capture the feel of the original trilogy, where the Jedi have been hunted to extinction. I think it works fine, but some say it doesn't play as well in the prequel (Episode I-III) era. Again, I disagree. There is a sourcebook called Tales of the Jedi Companion that not only ties in with the Old Republic and the Tales comics but also shows the game in an era when Jedi were a-plenty. Again, I think the game works well within an era of Jedi, but I've seen some argue that the d20 version of the game is a better rule system for prequel era play.

But, because WEG's D6 Star Wars game was written for the original trilogy setting and during the New Republic, the game is now very relevant again due to the new movies. Again, Jedi are all but extinct, and many think them mythological.





FORCE SKILLS

The game has three Force skills, and these are not like ordinary skills. They are a mixture of attribute and skill. Notice any of the character templates in the book that feature characters with Force skills. If a character has a Force skill, then one of his attributes is lowered.

For example, all non-Force using character templates have 18D total in attributes, with no attribute lower than 1D or higher than 4D (except the Wookiee template where STR is 5D but total attributes are still 18D).

Characers that have Force skills on their template have 1D in each Force skill, but in each case, the character's attributes are dropped by a like amount.



The Alien Student of the Force Template

DEXTERITY 2D+1

KNOWLEDGE 3D+1

MECHANICAL 2D

PERCEPTION 2D+1

STRENGTH 3D

TECHNICAL 2D

CONTROL 1D

SENSE 1D

ALTER 1D

Add all that up and you get 18D. Add up just the attributes, and you get 15D. The three Force skills are, obviously, called Control, Sense, and Alter.

Here's another one...





The Quixotic Jedi Template

DEXTERITY 3D+2

KNOWLEDGE 2D+1

MECHANICAL 2D+2

PERCEPTION 3D

STRENGTH 3D

TECHNICAL 2D+1

SENSE 1D

This template only has one Force skill. Thus there are 17D in attributes and 1D for the Force skill.





SPECIAL NOTE & TRIVIA

WEG's line of Star Wars RPG products considered closely other Star Wars materials at the time: the original Marvel comics from the 70's and 80's, the Dark Horse comics, and the series of novels that began to hit the shelves at bookstores, starting with Timothy Zahn's Heir to the Empire.

The game line featured supplemental works like the Dark Empire Sourcebook (tied to the Dark Horse comic) and the Truce at Bakura Sourcebook (tied to the novel by Kathy Tyers).

Zahn, when writing that first trilogy of Extended Universe novels, used WEG's sourcebook as research material for his story. You will see vehicle designs, like the Interdictor Crusier, that first showed up in WEG's game, used in his novels (and has now become a Star Wars staple vehicle).

The Twi-lek race was first named in a WEG D6 Star Wars game book. The movie, Rogue One, shows a Juggernaut wheeled combat vehicle, which was first presented in WEG's Imperial Sourcebook.

For years, the WEG game books were used by authors and computer game designers as part of the Star Wars Universe Bible--something they read to familiarize themselves with details of the Star Wars Universe (since all there was to go on was what we see in the original trilogy of movies).

Typically, licensed universes have a big influence on rpgs, but in WEG's case, the opposite was also true. WEG's game books have had a wide and deep influence on many things created for Star Wars even long after WEG closed its doors.

Some of the more curious templates provided in the First Edition game book are taken from characters that appeared in the early Marvel Star Wars comics. If you read those stories (Clicky. And, Clicky.) you will see...a story featuring a quixotic Jedi...a kid...an Ewok...and some other characters familiar as templates.

You'll slap your head and say, "Oh! THAT'S where they got the idea for the Quixotic Jedi...."





IMPROVING FORCE SKILLS

I said above that the three Force skills are part attribute and part skill. They're part attribute in that you initially get them like you do an attribute, as I've illustrated above. They are printed on the template, if your character starts with a Force Skill. They're part skill in that you can use Skill Bonus dice to increase your Force skills (these creation dice cannot be used to increase normal attributes).

The Force is a strong ally for a character who is trained in its use. But that expertise comes at a price--a price in lower attributes (that effect all skills governed by the attribute) and less points for general skill improvement.

During the game, Force skills can be improved with Skill Points, just like other skills. But, Force Skills cannot be improved automatically, like regular skills. A teacher must be found (usually another Force user, but maybe something like a holocron or other Jedi learning device). And, in a universe where the Jedi are near extinct, finding training in most GM's Star Wars universes is a very hard--usually story related--job to accomplish.

Even with a master to teach a pupil, the master is limited to what he knows. He cannot teach a Force skill that he does not know, and he can teach to the level that he knows. And, this all costs Skill Points. Lots and lots of skill points that, if spent in this manner, reduces advancement of the character in other areas (i.e. his Blaster skill will not improve as fast as his non-Force using cohorts).

It's a beautiful system. Very balanced.





DARK SIDE POINTS

The Dark Side, of course, plays a part in the game. Whenever a character, especially a Force user, acts in a manner attractive to the Dark Side (this is at the GM's discretion--guidelines are provided in the rulebook), the character gets a Dark Side Point. This indicates that the character has taken a step or two down the road to the Dark Side.

Once a character gets two Dark Side Points, the GM rolls 1D. If the result is less than the number of Dark Side Points (rolls a 1 on 1D6 if the character has 2 Dark Side Points, rolls 1 or 2 if 3 Dark Side Points, and so on), the character completes the transition and turns to the Dark Side.

A Dark Side character is normally taken away from the player at this point, becoming an NPC for the GM to use as an enemy against the other players. Losing the character is big penalty to players who think it is fun to dabble with the Dark Side. I think this is a brilliant way to encourage players to play "in character" and want to be on the side of the Light Side. But, a creative GM and player could make for an interesting game allowing a player to secretly fall to the Dark Side without the knowledge of the other players.



STORY TIME

The longest D6 Star Wars game I ran lasted seven real years. It took place over 3 game years, following some Rebels who joined the Alliance just after the destruction of the Death Star, ending just before the events shown in The Empire Strikes Back. There was a character in that group of PCs targeted by the Dark Side, and the player and I had so much fun with this. The player didn't want to fall to the Dark Side, but I would entangle him in moral situations where there is no Light Side answer.

For example, the player would find himself in a situation where he had a choice to murder his Light Side master to keep the NPC from being tortured into telling the location of the Rebel Base. If he kills his master, the character stops the Imperials from overrunning the base, buying the Rebels time to escape. But, the character also gains a Dark Side point for the act of murdering his master in cold blood. Or, the character lets his master live and doesn't gain a Dark Side point, but the entire adventure fails because the player allows the Imperials to wipe out the Rebels.

I would describe dreams the character would have--the Dark Side calling to him. Torturing him with this Dark Side stuff was delightful. The player ate it up. He loved the moral dilemmas that would come his way (maneuvered, of course, by the Dark Side, in the game).

In the prequels, Anakin gains a Dark Side point when he wipes out the village of Sandpeople who took his mother on Tatooine in Episode II. The one Dark Side point is not enough to turn him, but it sure sets him down that path. And, he is haunted with dreams--premonitions of Padme's death--the Dark Side pulling at him. And that was years--hell, decades--after I had tortured my player using the same techniques in that long running Star Wars game.

In my game, the character that was being taunted by the Dark Side is noticed by none other than Darth Vader himself. Vader senses him through the Force and eventually seeks him out with an eye towards making the character his apprentice. Again, this is us gaming decades before Episode I came out.

The character in our game eventually succumbs to the Dark Side. This is about two-thirds through our seven year campaign. And, for the last couple of years, I used the character as Darth Vader's new apprentice and the main villain facing the PCs. We called him Darth Raije (this is before Darth Rage appeared in the EU).

The game turned out to be damn cool because the villain that the players were playing against turned out to be one of their own--a character that they had adventured with for four or five real years!

Man, that was a good game. Lots of good memories. When I see those players, we still talk about some of the events that took place during that campaign, even now, all these years later.





FORCE POWERS

The three Force skills are used just like normal skills. You roll the die code for the Force skill to see if an effect happens. Force skills can be used in different ways--and those different ways are called "Force Powers".

Force powers are a method of using the Force skill. Just like the Blaster skill is a way to use a character's Dexterity attribute. Think of Force powers as skills and Force Skills as attributes.

This gets confusing because of the way the items in these game mechanics are named. If it were me, I would name the various items Skills, Attributes, Force Powers, and Force Abilities. But, instead of using the word "Abilities", the game designers decided to refer to Force Skills as "skills", which confuses them with regular skills.

- When customizing a character template, you can use customization skill dice to improve Force skills.

- Force powers do not have die codes. When using a Force power, use the die code for the associated Force skill.

- In game, Force skills can be improved, but a trainer is usually needed in the form of a master, holocron, and even the Force, itself, in some situations.

- When a character obtains one of the three Force skills, he automatically can use all the Force powers associated with that skill*.

- Think of Force skills as the ability to use the Force. Think of Force powers as the specific way that power of the Force will be used.

- Some Force powers require the use of two or three Force skills.



Remember the scene in The Empire Strikes Back when Luke is training with Yoda but has a vision that Han, Chewbacca, and Leia are in trouble on Bespin?

[Wajeb Deb Kaadeb]

DROIDS! ALIENS!



BUILDING DROIDS

What about droids?

Droids are characters, just like human characters. They have the same attributes and skills--they just have different limits on how dice can be spent to improve skills (and, of course, Droids cannot have Force skills). Droids are very good at a few tasks and pretty much suck at everything else. They can be played as player characters, if a player desires, but I suggest that droids remain NPCs (as the character will only be useful in a few specialized areas).

Droids, especially as NPCs, are perfect for leaving behind to guard the ship as the PCs go off on an adventure.

A droid template starts with all attributes at 1D. With First Edition, making up a droid on the spot is easy-cheesy.

Step 1: Decide what the droid looks like. Just use your imagination.

Step 2: Choose one, two, or three skills that will be the specialty for the droid.

Step 3: Assign 12D to skills, with no limit on how many dice go into any skill.

Boom. All done.



A base model R2 Astromech droid has 1D in all attributes with two skills: Computer Programming and Repair 7D and Starship Repair 7D. Added to this is some special equipment like a retractable buzz saw, fire extinguisher, camera projection display, etc.

A base 3PO Protocal droid has 1D in all attributes with two skills: Languages 10D and Cultures 4D. Its special equipment includes a vocoder so that is can speak the languages it knows.

You can make up any droid you can think of in a snap, using these easy-cheesy First Edition rules. If you want to get more crunchy about droids, there's a much more involved system for creating droids included in a supplemental book called Cynabar's Fantastic Technology - Droids. (And, it's a fantastic book, too, if you want a lot of details and more detailed rules concerning droids in the game.)





ALIEN TEMPLATES

Aliens are just another type of character. You can make one up on the spot like I did a few posts up the thread. Just think of what the alien looks like and assign some attributes and skills to him (only those stats needed immediately in the game--you can flesh him out later, if you want).

You can design templates for aliens. You can use the alien templates that are in the main book. Or, you can use any of the multitude of aliens that show up in several supplements for the game. Besides all of those, which are numerous, there are three complete books dedicated completely to aliens in the D6 Star Wars universe: Galaxy Guide 4: Alien Races, Galaxy Guide 12: Alien Races--Enemies And Allies, and Alien Encounters. Browse through these and you'll see most of the aliens that have shown up in the original trilogy and in comics and Star Wars novels (fans have made similar books for aliens from the prequels), and that last book I mentioned, Alien Encounters, has a great section on designing new aliens races.





FAN MADE RESOURCES

There are several fan-made D6 Star Wars resources floating around on the net, and many of these are written, designed, and produced so well that you can't tell them apart from original WEG material. For example, take a look at this impressive piece of work: Galaxy Guide 15: Attack of the Clones

Amazing, isn't it? Well you can find that and many more like it on the net. You've just got to use your Google-fu. Look for Star Wars The Roleplaying Game REUP if you want to go the other direction from the sleek First Edition rules. The REUP book is marvelous and has a ton of rule choices not included in the First Edition (and that can be a blessing or a curse, depending on your taste, play style, and point of view).

You'll also find Fan stat updates for Star Wars books originally written for the d20 and SAGA Star Wars games, allowing you to use any adventure or supplement written for that rule version with your D6 Star Wars game.

[Wajeb Deb Kaadeb]

CHASES!



I guess the last thing to discuss about the First Edition rules is chases. With the later rule editions, chase rules are presented with elaborate rule modifications. There are several maneuvers that can be performed during the chase. With First Edition, a chase is a simple higher-dice throw and the thrilling description of the GM. Both ways are fun. It just depends on your taste and sensibility.

As I said before, the First Edition rules are built like a raw speed machine. Sleek. Light on "extras". But, quick-n-fun.

In a First Edition chase, there are three abstract ranges: Short, Medium, and Long. These correspond with weapon range categories even though we're not counting actual feet, meters, or kilometers. It's just a quick way of visualizing the action.

To do a chase, simply have the chase participants roll a check using their Speed Code. All vessels and vehicles have Speed Codes. These rules work for any type of chase, whether that be on foot, in vehicles, in the sky, or in space. A character's Speed Code is his DEX. The winner of the toss decides if range was increased, decreased, or stays the same (depending on the winner's goals).

It's that simple.

With vehicles and space ships, character can add their piloting or operation codes to the Speed Code, but that counts as an action (and the pilot or operator may be doing other things in the round, like dodging incoming fire, avoiding obstacles, angling shields, and firing weapons).

The GM will run a chase just like a normal combat round. Since there are more things to do in a chase (also known as a starship combat), it is helpful to generally play out the round in these phases.

Segment I: Declaration - the pilot/operator/rider/runner declares what he's going to do that round.

Segment II: Speed - dice are thrown, as discussed above, to establish range for the round.

Segment III: Fire! - resolve any combat or maneuvers, reaction throws, or shield throws.



IT PLAYS EASIER THAN IT READS

Han takes the Millennium Falcon into an asteroid field with a TIE fighter chasing him (there were several TIEs chasing him in the movie, but I don't want to clutter the example).

For this chase, we assume that Han is trying to escape the TIE, and the TIE is trying to close range. That's Segment I, already done, for the entire chase. So, as it plays out, the GM will describe the action and cut between vessels as the dice are roll for Segment II and Segment III.

Boom. You've got a thrilling, breath-taking chase (at the hands of a skilled GM storyteller).

GM: The Falcon dives into the asteroid field! The TIE follows!

The Speed Codes are thrown. The TIE wins!

GM (describing an NPC on the bridge) "Leia looks up from the scope and shouts, 'He's gaining on us!'" Range is decreased from Long to Medium.

GM: Watch out! There's a huge asteroid right in the Falcon's path! And, the TIE is firing!

Player 1 (playing Han): "Chewie! Angle a deflector shield!" I'm going to roll the Falcon right under that asteroid and dodge the incoming fire.

GM: That's two actions. You're making a piloting maneuver to fly the ship and avoid the asteroid. And you're using a reaction skill to dodge the incoming fire. (It is three actions if Han used his pilot skill with the Speed Code throw earlier--this has to be considered when rolling for Speed Codes). With three total actions, Han is -2D to all attempts. The player rolls both tasks.

Player 2 (playing Chewie): I'm only doing one action this round, angling the shields. The shield roll is made.

GM: The GM fires the TIEs weaons (roll), and makes the TIE maneuver around the same asteroid (roll). That's two actions--three actions if the TIE used his piloting skill with the Speed Code earlier.

GM: The TIE's green laser fire misses! From the cockpit, you can see the bolts of energy slamming into the asteroid ahead, blowing off bits of rock. The Falcon gracefully twists into a 35 degree dive, rolls, and easily glides right under the giant rock.

Next combat round....




Ya, see. You can have thrilling space combats, ground chases, airspeeder combats, vehicle chases, all just using these simple rules. But, if you want the structure of formal maneuvers with rules for each type of movement, then look to that later editions of the game. (And that can make for a damn fun game!)

If you like quick-n-easy, though, First Edition is where it is at.

[Wajeb Deb Kaadeb]

STAR WARS FIRST EDITION FUN!



The bottom line--what I love about this game, especially the First Edition--is that it's a low maintenance rule system. It's roll-n-go. It's easy to teach. It's concepts are intuitive. And, the system is bare-bones super fast to play. But! The system can be as crunchy as you want it to be by adding on other rule concepts from other editions. You can run quite a heroic game, but if your tastes run to the more gritty and more realistic, then the game system can accommodate that flavor of play as well.

First Edition is more about roleplaying and less about rolling dice.

Game sessions are easy-flow, swashbuckling action fun.

Combat rounds (with First Edition) are more stream of consciousness story-telling than they are structured rules segments and phases.

The game says to make the rules serve the plot, maintain a lively pace, and don't get bogged down in detail. Boom and Boom-Boom. Run & Gun. Fly and Bye. Roll and go.

STAR WARS FUN!





WHAT DO I LIKE BEST?

If you asked me to pick one aspect of First Edition that I makes me like the game so much, it would be how combat rounds play out. No initiative roll followed by, "It's your turn....now, it's your turn....now, it's your turn" business.

No, running a First Edition Star Wars combat session well is more akin to telling a shared story between the GM and Players. The GM describes what the characters can immediately see, and the players react to it (this is their Declaration). The GM then simply directs the focus of the action like editing cuts of an action movie.

[Wajeb Deb Kaadeb]

THE DEFAULT RULE



Another thing I like about First Edition D6 Star Wars is what I call the "default rule". Anytime I need a quick NPC stat and I don't have time in the game to think more than a millisecond on it, I default to attribute = 2D, skill = 4D.

If you can remember that (it's the average for humans), then you can plop any alien or human NPC that you wish to describe into a scene in a flash.

You're rolling through a roleplaying scene, describing all sorts of aliens and strange looking humanoids in a cantina, when your player suddenly has his character start a fight.

You're not prepared for that? No problem. Default rule. When you need an attribute roll, just use 2D. When you need a skill roll, use 4D.

Boom. All done. End of story. The game keeps moving like water down a tauntaun's back.



Default Aliens, Humans, and Humanoids

Attribute? 2D

Skill? 4D









WHAT ABOUT A MISCELLANEOUS DROID?

No problem. Just remember the quick rule to create a droid from the rulebook. All attributes are 1D. The droid has one, two, or three specialty skills that total no more than 12D. Just ask yourself, "What's the droid's primary function?" And, that will give you a quick way to decide on his specialty skills.



Quickie Droids

Attributes? 1D

One specialty skill? 13D

Two specialty skills? 7D each. Or, 9D and 5D.

Three specialty skills? 5D each.



As for what the droid looks like, just describe whatever you see in your head. Give the droid some gizmos, like a retractable buzz saw or arc welder, if you want to. Have the droid talk in Basic, like C-3PO, or, better yet, have it communicate in machine beeps and whistles. That way you don't even have to roleplay dialogue! You can just respond to the players with sounds!

Even better, if you want to add a gizmo to the droid later, you can! A droid's body can hide all sorts of stuff. It seems like every movie, we are learning new things that R2-D2 can do: He's got a holo projector, he can jump with this legs, he's got rocket support on his legs to fly short distances, he's got a buzz saw, an arc wielder, a fire extinguisher...etc. If you have an inspiration for a gizmo that will help out the PCs, then you can have it pop out of a droid compartment (if the tool fits the mission the droid was designed to do).

Use these simple guidelines, and you can pop just about any droid, from the smallest floating ball to the tall walking multi-limbed loaders, in an instant.

[Wajeb Deb Kaadeb]

THE COST OF LIVING?



The Cost of Living in the Star Was Universe?

Here's a topic that comes up with a Star Wars game from time to time. Many will say that keep up with character upkeep is too detailed, fussy bookkeeping, that doesn't fit the space opera atmosphere. And, those who think that are correct. Money rarely comes up in the movies unless its a plot point: Luke and Ben needing to leave Tatooine in a hurry, buying passage on the Millennium Falcon, or Han needing the coin to play off Jabba the Hutt.

I've seen several gaming forums with threads asking about character upkeep, though. And, this is in spite of the fact that it doesn't show up (to my knowledge), in any D6 Star Wars supplement (and probably in no d20, SAGA, or FFG supplement either). This is in spite of the fact that there are prices in the game. There are equipment and service cost charts here and there. There are prices for most weapons and gear. There are costs for upgrades to equipment, weapons, and vessels. There are transit costs to book trips from world to world. And, starships have docking and maintenance fees.

When running a campaign (probably wouldn't bother with it on a one-off adventure), I'm the type of GM that wants my PCs to spend money every so often on generic upkeep. I don't want a hard rule. I don't want anything messy. I just want a figure that I can charge the PCs every so often, especially if the PCs are not living on a ship or having a lot of their costs paid for by the Alliance because the characters are Rebels.

My suggestion: Just use real life as your guide. I did a quick google just now and saw that a person living in London spends $8-10 bucks a day to live there (I converted to US dollars). That includes everything. Rent, incidentals, bills, etc. In the US, the number is higher (which shocked me because I thought London was an expensive place to live). Here in the states, a person averages $22 bucks a day.

For the game, GMs wanting to apply such an expense should consider where the PCs' environment and the things that they have to pay for (do they pay rent or live on their ship?), and then assign a number of credits to have them pay ever X amount of time (a week or a month works well). Going by those real life numbers I wrote above, somewhere between 10-20 credits per day is about right for an average person. If the character is of high or low social status, then adjust appropriately. Just eye-ball it, and give it a quick number and move on. Then, every X period, just go around the table and dock the players. If once a month, at 20 credits a day, charge each character 600 credits.

Even if the players have a ship, they'll buy things that aren't in the game or roleplayed. Hygiene enzyme pills (SW universe toothpaste without a brush!)--pop one in your mouth and feel the buzz! Things like miscellaneous tools around the ship can be covered in this cost. Disposable bidet (SW characters don't use toilet paper!) Batteries for flashlights. Chewing gum and smokes. All this miscellaneous type stuff is covered in the upkeep charge.

Consider if the character is an alien. Dexter Jettster, the Besalisk that owns the diner shown in Attack of the Clones, comes across to me as if he eats quite a bit. And, some strange alien might have a specific diet that is rather hard to find and must be purchased in bulk at starports. Some characters (Hutts come to mind) only eat the best. Nobles, too. Upper class senatorials. They'll all spend more money on upkeep.





THE NEED FOR CREDITS

In a campaign, 600 credits a month (that's actually cheap--rent alone is probably more than that) will add up and eat into a character's pocketbook quick. Boom, boom. You're giving your players a real motivation to find a job....that is....adventure! Looking at the templates in First Edition, many characters have about 1,000 credits to begin the game. Well, they've got about two months of upkeep (maybe no time at all if they're paying rent) if they don't use some of that money to buy extra gear. These new characters are going to need to....hire on with a crew...put a down payment with a loan shark for a used ship and start smuggling...buy passage to another world to try to join the Rebellion....etc.

[Wajeb Deb Kaadeb]

SENSORS!



If you want detailed sensor rules with ranges, scan types, and difficulty throws for various things, then the later editions are your game. First Edition follows the lead of the movies. Notice how, in the shows, sensors are never a big deal. That's the way sensors are treated in First Edition. It's a yes/no roleplaying option. If your ship or droid has the sensors, then it detects whatever is out there. If you've got a jammer, then it works. If you've got stealth technology, then it works, too.

In the movies, the sensors work like this. Star Wars sensor technology must be incredible, especially with that needed with the use of hyperspace.

So, in First Edition, sensors aren't even mentioned in the core rulebook. There's no sensor skill (that's added to the game in later edition with the thicker rules on this subject). It's assumed that your ship has sensors, and your GM will tell you what your sensors pick up.

In other words, sensors, in First Edition, work and the range and speed of plot. The GM will refer to sensors when it is interesting, and he'll ignore them the rest of the time. Just like the movies.

That way, when the Falcon escapes Mos Eisley and reaches orbit of Tatooine, Solo and crew detect the Star Destroyers in orbit. But, when Han has the Falcon detach and float away with the garbage, that Star Destroyer does not detect the Falcon. Likewise, the Falcon does not detect the Slave I following it. Boba Fett's stealth tech works.

If you want to get a little more detailed in your descriptions, then the Star Wars Sourcebook describes the type of sensors used by Star Wars vessel. And, Galaxy Guide 6: Tramp Freighters will tell you how much sensor packages cost if you want to upgrade your vessel.





SENSORS - HOUSE RULE using ASTROGATION

From time to time, in my 1E Star Wars games, I decided that I did want to make a dice roll here and there. If I wanted a full blown set of sensor rules, I'd just look at the later editions. Those rules would fit perfectly with a 1E game.

But, I didn't want to mess with all of that. I just wanted a simple, First Edition style roll that randomized a bit the decision whether the players' ship picked up a reading.

For example, let's say that there are pirates in Y-Wing starfighters attached to the big rocks in an asteroid field. On one rock, the pirates have planted a repeating distress signal to lure in prey.

The players' ship picks up the distress signal (automatically, speed of plot), but as the players approach the asteroid field, I want to give them a chance--that is not automatic--of picking up the signatures of the Y-Wings before the ambush is sprung.

For this, I use my First Edition Sensor House Rule.

And that rule is simple.