Closed - WEG D6 Star Wars, Interest Check

Be sure to read and follow the guidelines for our forums.

Jul 11, 2021 4:47 pm
Hello gamers. This is an early check for interest for a Star Wars Game. Please see information below if interested.

I will be using material from West End Games (WEG) Star Wars 2nd Edition, Revised and Expanded © 1996

How often do you get a chance to play in or learn to play a version of the Star Wars RPG that could qualify for induction into the Smithsonian based on age? Just kidding! I’ve played several versions of the Star Wars RPG, and I think the guys at WEG made a very easy to follow and easy to learn game format that anyone can enjoy. I definitely like this version the best. I'll say it up front and conclude with it; if you're new to this system, its okay, it's easy and fun to learn.

Direction of the Game - My hope would be a Star Wars mystery adventure with selfish or heroic player characters. Heroes and Neutral/Selfish characters in the eras mentioned below would come into conflict with forces such as pirates, outlaws, crime syndicates, bounty hunters (potentially), and the Empire.

Eras of Play - I would prefer either an early Rebellion Era Campaign (Between A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back) or a Rise of the Empire Campaign (After Revenge of the Sith, Before A New Hope).

Adult Content or Controversial Themes - While there are some dark themes in Star Wars, overall, it is a light hearted PG space opera. "Wars" is definitely in the title, but I don’t foresee gore or any other adult content beyond the PG level. The only controversial theme/topic that I see being mentioned is mental illness, as elements of stress, war, the Dark Side of the Force can affect people mentioned in the story in a way in which it presents itself as mental illness. As mental illness often is something can’t be seen or observed as physical illnesses, mental illness is controversial for some people unfortunately.

Amount of Players - I'm looking for between 3 and 5 players. I think most people would call that 4, but I can work with 3 or 5. :)

Character Restrictions - From what I remember (I think the Core Rules expresses the circumstances and rarity of Jedi in the above mentioned Eras) and since this version of the game came out prior to the prequels and certainly before the sequels, Force Users and Jedi characters won’t be allowed from the very start of the game. The Force may come into play as the game goes on, but during these two Eras (ROTE and RE), the usage of the Force and swinging lightsabers around is heavily restricted by the Empire and illegal for anyone not affiliated with the Empire. If you’re dead set on playing a Force User, there may be a work around, so I’d be interested in hearing your ideas on the matter. Some examples would be a former Agricorps worker, a failed Jedi, or an Inquisitor who has seen the light.

Duration and Frequency - I’ve run games that have lasted for several years, and while I don’t have a set duration, it’s a large galaxy and the game could go on for a long time with the amount of material to explore. I would ask that posting frequency be between 2-3 times a week (every other day) and perhaps quicker during combat. Frequency can only be a problem if after 3 or more days in the middle of a battle, your friends are wondering where you’re at. If you foresee being absent for a bit or need a break, please keep the rest of us posted.

Player Experience Requirements - I would ask that you’re familiar with Star Wars, have at least seen Revenge of the Sith and the Original Trilogy. You don’t necessarily need the Core Book, but if you have it, it would be helpful. WEG Star Wars was my introduction to gaming, and I had a great time without knowing much about the rules, so anyone looking to check out how it works is welcome! Veterans of this system are also certainly welcome.
Last edited July 16, 2021 7:50 pm
Jul 11, 2021 7:57 pm
I'd be interested! I really enjoyed d6 Star Wars back in the day. As far as having the rules available to everyone, there's also Star Wars ReUp out there too: http://d6holocron.com/downloads/books/REUP.pdf
Jul 11, 2021 8:07 pm
Um, In if you'll have me. I've played and run multiple, multi year D6 Campaigns - and I'm up to date on pretty much all things Star Wars...
Jul 11, 2021 9:56 pm
Thank you both for your interest! I will start the process of game set up with one more interested player.

Rezart- That REUP is amazing! I hadn’t seen that before! Thanks for linking it.
Jul 11, 2021 10:08 pm
IG77 says:
... That REUP is amazing! I hadn’t seen that before! ...
Does the REUP cover the rules you are using? I keep hearing that it is good and have tried to read it a few times, but never had sufficient motivation to get very far. If you have space for one more player that would motivate me to finally read it. :)
Jul 11, 2021 11:03 pm
I am going to have to take a look at the REUP more in-depth, but from what I see, it looks like an update and clarification on some of the older rules. In regards to your question I’m leaning towards a yes.
Jul 11, 2021 11:56 pm
I'm interested and tossing my hat in. I haven't messed with this game in a while. I'm pretty sure that I have several of the d6 Star Wars books in a box. So if I'm chosen, I'll need a refresher course...lol
Jul 12, 2021 12:59 am
Squadfather44 says:
I'll need a refresher course...lol
https://youtu.be/ayHM3lrD0RE

The fellow in the link above lays out the basics pretty well. I plan to brush up as I start coming up with a starting point. I’ll keep you all posted once I have more to tell. If you have a preference of one of the two eras over the other, I’d appreciate the input (certainly any other questions are welcome) Thank you all again for your interest!
Jul 12, 2021 9:18 pm
Hello again everyone. I set up the game area, and if you expressed interest, I sent invites as well. In the next few days I’m going to put some background information up, a story introduction, and if anybody needs help with character creation or ideas, I’m going to be putting up some suggestions, and am looking forward to reading yours.
Jul 12, 2021 9:45 pm
Does that mean I now need to start reading the REUP? :)
Jul 12, 2021 10:33 pm
IG77 says:
I am going to have to take a look at the REUP more in-depth, but from what I see, it looks like an update and clarification on some of the older rules. In regards to your question I’m leaning towards a yes.
From what I recall, REUP takes the Star Wars D6 system from a more OSR-like level of crunch and gameplay ethos, and changes it into something more in the level of D&D 5E level of crunch and gameplay ethos (more codified rules, less unexplained stuff left for the DM to interpret and make up).
Jul 12, 2021 10:43 pm
My impression is that there aren't any new rules in REUP, but it takes all the supplements and sort of crams them together. There's definitely a lot of detail and specifics in there, and some kind of weird edge case force powers and skills in a few cases. There's definitely gear and species and monsters in there that aren't in the core book.

There's Clone Wars era stuff too, and that has to be after they lost the license, so I'd assume a big chunk of it is fan made.
Jul 12, 2021 10:50 pm
I think the REUP is 500+ pages long, so I won't be reading it. Browsing yes. Looking at an index and table of contents, yes. Not a cover to cover read. I think you're both right. From what I've seen its existing 2nd edition R&E with new material and clarifications. I like the new art work too!
Jul 12, 2021 10:56 pm
Still not sure if that means those rules are relevant and appropriate. As you say, it is 500+ pages, which is one of the reasons I have not read it yet. The inconsistent multi-column layout makes it hard to read on a phone, which limits the times I can spend reading. :(
Jul 13, 2021 5:47 pm
vagueGM says:
Still not sure if that means those rules are relevant and appropriate. As you say, it is 500+ pages, which is one of the reasons I have not read it yet. The inconsistent multi-column layout makes it hard to read on a phone, which limits the times I can spend reading. :(
Decades ago. In younger and thinner days. When I was an active duty Marine, I lived in an apartment off base with my wife and on the weekends, I would drive on base with a helmet bag full of my Star Wars books. The core rules, books like Stock Ships, Wretched Hives of Scum and Villainy, Jedi Academy Sourcebook, etc. There were probably ten books in that bag, and to be honest, I don't know why I even brought most of those books as resources for when I ran games with my friends, other than that I felt if I needed the books, then I'd really need them. On occasion, I'd look at the description of a Force Power, or maybe use the hit location chart, or some other quick turn to the index for a fast search on something. That was all in Core Rules, and I seldom used them during game play. Everything should be pretty straight forward. A single action isn't penalized. A series of actions declared result in penalties (2 actions, -1D, 3 actions, -2D, and so on). There seldom is a problem unless everyone has active Force Powers that need to be kept up in conjunction to whatever actions they're taking (this was around the time of The Phantom Menace so everyone wanted to play Jedi).

To answer your question about not being sure whether the REUP is relevant or appropriate, I think that it's best to establish a chain of reference, kind of like a chain of command.

Let's say I need to answer a player question regarding game play or make a call, and I don't remember the specific rule. My first source of information or rules will be the 2nd Edition R&E from 96. I'm familiar with it. It's proven. It makes sense to me. Let's say that the book for some reason doesn't answer the question being asked. I'll take a peek in the REUP and see if it's covered there. What if it's not? Then I will work with the questioning player on a on the spot home-brewing of what they're intending to do or what they're asking about.

That's about as much as I can do, and I don't think we'll even go past the R&E. I certainly wouldn't be too concerned about all the rules, especially if everyone understands the basic mechanics of how skills affect outcomes outside of combat and how rounds of combat works with actions and penalties for multi-actions. That's basically it. Most of our games problems stemmed from people drinking beer instead of Pepsi, and I don't foresee any real problems with the rules. I hope that makes you feel a little better, and I can certainly empathize as I am one at times to get bogged down in the rules.
Jul 13, 2021 6:45 pm
IG77 says:

...Most of our games problems stemmed from people drinking beer instead of Pepsi...
My rule has always been: If you are too drunk to drive, you are too drunk to play. And yes, others get to say whether you are 'too drunk'. Same rules would apply at dinner party or any other polite social engagement. :)
IG77 says:

To answer your question about not being sure whether the REUP is relevant or appropriate...

... first source ... 2nd Edition R&E from 96 ... I'll take a peek in the REUP and see if it's covered there...
Taking a look, then...
They imply the rules are the same. Good.
Chatty style slows comprehension down a bit, but it does look simple enough (well... simple for the 90s:). As players, we only really need the first 67 pages.
Skills are probably the most significant chunk of reading, but I got to that section and got bogged down. I will probably selectively read the skills that seem interesting/relevant during character creation.

As always, I am happy to wait and see what we need before making a character. I can play anything. Let me know if any of you want me to play something specific, maybe to act as a foil for your gem. :)

GM: If you set up the game's forums we can start discussing the details there.
Jul 13, 2021 6:54 pm
Does anybody have a preference on templates? Something they really want to play?
Jul 13, 2021 6:59 pm
Well, I want to play a Farmboy/Smuggler/Medic/Computer Whiz/Engineer/Merchant/Jedi/Imperial Agent/ .... Standby, Sorry, I've done all those, I think I better let someone else pick first.
Jul 13, 2021 7:07 pm
Esidrix says:
Well, I want to play a Farmboy Smuggler Medic Computer Whiz Engineer Merchant Jedi Imperial Agent ...
I think I have met his person. Name of Mary Sue, I believe. :D
Jul 13, 2021 7:09 pm
Rezart says:
Does anybody have a preference on templates? Something they really want to play?
Not right now, I'll wait until the backstory on the game comes out. Then I'll try and nail one down.
load next

You do not have permission to post in this thread.