Jeff Quinn's Destiny6 RPG

[Rafael]

I care, because you come to my house to talk about it. :wink:

I am happy and welcoming about anything any Blackmoor alumnus publishes out there.
If Jeff manages to publish the book, finally, all to the power him.
Now, I am sure he is also aware that his public management of this situation has been less than fortunate,
and that he has to put in more effort if he wants a positive audience.
It's the delay that makes fans like me sore, not a general bad attitude towards him.
Granted, I was sharp enough in my earliest reaction, but then again, any reaction should be better than no reaction,
if you want to promote something. If this game gets eventually released and is any good, he will find me an equally staunch supporter.

[finarvyn]

Destiny6 is a fantasy RPG based on the old WEG D6 and is said to contain numerous references to Blackmoor.

This is almost the sum total that I know about Destiny6. I like the concept of paying homage to Blackmoor, but am not a big fan of WEG's D6 system.

Things are on hold for the moment. We lost our momentum when we discovered a devastating error during final edit.

This makes me curious as to what sort of "error" could derail such a project. Can't be just a typo but must be either a major mechanics problem or some sort of copyright issue.

[Option]

This is almost the sum total that I know about Destiny6. I like the concept of paying homage to Blackmoor, but am not a big fan of WEG's D6 system.

While I admit that I'm biased since D6 was the system I learned how to role play with, but I really like it. However, I know a lot of people don't like the system and I've never had a chance to ask someone why. Care to elaborate on why you don't like it? (I promise I won't argue against your points, I really am just curious)

This makes me curious as to what sort of "error" could derail such a project. Can't be just a typo but must be either a major mechanics problem or some sort of copyright issue.

I have wondered a bit about that myself. Considering how long it has delayed the book, I was thinking the problem must have been with some core mechanic which required an overhaul to the whole game including new rules development, balancing, and playtesting followed by re-writing and re-doing the book's layout. Or maybe it didn't require quite that much work but it took the "creative wind" out of Jeff's sails and he took a break from it?

[Rafael]

So, why your excitement for this Destiny6 game, in particular?

D6 seems to be pretty well supported in terms of fantasy stuff, notably, Azamar, and, of course, older stuff.

[Option]

So, why your excitement for this Destiny6 game, in particular?

D6 seems to be pretty well supported in terms of fantasy stuff, notably, Azamar, and, of course, older stuff.

That’s a good question. I guess the short answer is that, from what little we know, the rules and game setting of Destiny6 really appeal to me.

I own the older D6 Fantasy hardcover but I never warmed up to it enough to actually try playing a game. There were a lot of optional rule variations which is a turn-off to me since I would rather the game designers playtest the various options and decide which set of rules is the best for their game. However, this sort of requires a setting or game world which D6 Fantasy also lacked. This was another big turn-off as I don’t have the time or desire to properly create my own fantasy world from scratch.

Azamar did rouse my interest since it has a fleshed out game world and a solid set of rules. However, when Azamar first came out, Destiny6 was also (supposedly) on the near horizon and sounded like a better fit for the kind of game I wanted to play.

The version of D6 rules used in Azamar (called Cinema6) is a decent rule system but is definitely not my favorite. On the other hand, the rules innovations slated for Destiny6 (as described by Jeff) sounded pretty interesting. For example, he talked about giving characters, NPCs, monsters etc. a “level” based on the total experience used to create them. Thus, as players gained character points over time, their level would go up giving them a bonus when interacting with lower level beings. What I like about this is that it can be used to diminish the common D6 problem of players with high skill-level characters having to roll piles of dice.

The descriptions of the setting in Destiny6 appeal to me more as well. Jeff describes it as “Dark Fantasy” which he claims has a strong element of horror built into the game systems as well as the setting. In addition, he claims that he wants to take the usual fantasy tropes and add a unique twist to them. This is huge for me since my gaming group, though inexperienced gamers, were well acquainted with the old and tired DnD monsters we encountered in our short foray into 4e. When we encountered the small reptilian creatures, we all knew they were kobolds and we knew what we could expect from them.

I did get the Azamar corebook on Sunday since it was free for download over this past weekend and I will be giving it a closer look over the next couple of weeks (it’s got a LOT of content). While my initial impressions of the core book are very good, the races, character templates and general setting just don’t “grab me” at first glance. Additionally, I believe the creators of Azamar have now turned their attention to creating a core-book for a steam-punk setting and have no near-term plans to expand on Azamar beyond the core book. They may be pie in the sky dreams, but at least Jeff has talked about making pre-made adventures which are a big bonus for me.

Anyhow, maybe I’m building up Destiny6 too much in my head but what little I do know about it is quite different from Azamar and simply intrigues me more. Aside from Azamar and Destiny6, I am not aware of any other Fantasy settings utilizing the D6 system. (but please feel free to point me in the right direction if you know of any

[Rafael]

Thank you for the info! Interesting!

I have to confess, I have never played d6, but at my university (I studied in Germany), it was fairly popular among my fellow nerds.

I recall that they didn't have only the usual d6 Fantasy, which I have to confess I found not the least bit interesting in that moment,
but also licensed books based on the Metabaron comic book series, as well as, notably, The Witcher.

I can't comment on the quality of the books, of course, but from what I recall, they enjoyed the Metabarons game by far the most.
So, if the comic books appeal to you, this might well be an interesting choice.
The Witcher, of course, has risen to notoriety through the video games, but I read one of the novels,
and got to say, the setting itself didn't impress me that much.

[Havard]

Very interesting!

I have had a soft spot for D6 ever since I was running D6 Star Wars back in the 90s. The original system did have several flaws, some of which it sounds like Destiny6 will adress. My current in print favorite version of D6 is MiniSix. IIRC MiniSix also features a bare bones fantasy setting based on the movie Willow.

I have Metabarons, but I dont care much for the graphic novels of that series. I had no idea there was a D6 based Witcher RPG? From what I understand the Witcher novel setting is pretty standard stuff, though the character himself is sort of interesting in a Raistlin/Highlander/Elric/Drizz't type way. The video games seem to have taken the setting to a new level though.

Jeff Quinn wrote some of the best adventures for the d20 Blackmoor line so more adventures from him would be very cool.

-Havard

[Rafael]

Based on the movie Willow, or on the novels that followed? hock:
Because that would indeed be worth a look, then.

As to the Witcher, as it has been one of my long-term ambitions to learn Polish,
I was obviously thrilled when the hype about the video games seemingly gave my efforts a new incentive.
Needless to say, I was kind of disappointed: The books are pastiches with little to no original content,
and the video games, while entertaining, are not exceptional either.
Honestly, I'd rather try Elric! than any rpg based on The Witcher.


That said, when Witcher II gets finally released for X-Box this spring, don't look for me in, say, two weeks.

[Option]

I recall that they didn't have only the usual d6 Fantasy, which I have to confess I found not the least bit interesting in that moment, but also licensed books based on the Metabaron comic book series, as well as, notably, The Witcher.

Thanks for the tips! I'm going to have to check out Metabarons and the Witcher. I think I've run across a few forum threads about Metabarons which seemed really bizarre at the time but I'll give it a closer look. I remember the Witcher game and it looked pretty neat in a dark sort of way. If there is a D6 setting made for it, then that might be a good fit for me.

I thought of one other reason why I was excited for Destiny6. I really like the D6 system but even though it is now open/free to use for profit, the community of developers and players is still very small and is starting to stagnate. I'm afraid that D6 will fizzle out completely if somebody doesn't use it with a good product that actually gains some traction, stirs up interest, and develops a following. I was thinking that Destiny6 could be that product. However, Jeff has gotten quiet again which has me bracing for more disappointment.

[Rafael]

Not to be an ass, but... There was no announcement so far, or was it?

Also, Option, I think I saw an Arthurian d6 game a while ago, sort of like a Pendragon variant for d6, or something.
I also think the stone-old Prince Valiant PRG was d6-based, so there should still be some stuff out there that you can use, buddy.