Basic rules

1-6 players with a Game Master 

Anytime the player tries to do something, they roll a six sided die. This includes performing a task, making an attack, looking for information or making a reaction, anything that has the chance to go wrong. 


1-2, Failure

  • Player takes one harm

  • Things go wrong

  • Player attracts negative attention to themself

  • Find no information


3-4, Mixed Success

  • Player takes one harm, Enemy takes one harm

  • Make a hard choice

  • Things work how player wants them to with a catch

  • Find limited information


5-6, Success

  • Enemy takes two harm

  • Player’s plan works

  • Succeed in reacting to threat

  • Find information



If your player rolls a 6, you can also reward them with a +1 to use on a check. Give this perk a fun name based on what setting your game is e.g. Holiday spirit, inspiration, Luck point, Coin etc.


The game master never rolls in this game. Have your players roll for actions and reactions.


Each character gets a specialty (or specialties depending on game style). When the player does a check using their specialty they get a +1 to their roll.

Specialties can be a profession, skill, school of magic, type of combat. You can be more specific or general depending on the style of your game. Ask, what is the character good at?


Hit points:

Each player has six hitpoints. 1-2: Minor Injury. 3-4 Serious Injury. 5-6: Critical Injury


Leveling up:

If you want to have your players level up, have them mark one experience every time they roll a one. When they get six experience points you can have them either choose another specialty or a Niche. A Niche is a specific part of their specialty where they get +2 to their checks.

Character Information


Name:

Specialty: 


Backstory:

(What are things your character might know how to do but aren’t their specialty? Why do they know how to do that?)


Items: 

(What are up to six items your character keeps on them at all times?)




Setting up a game

First, choose your setting (e.g. fantasy world, Spaceship, Target Supercenter, World of Animated Toys, Setting up a farm)


Second, find a goal (defeat the bad guy, travel safely to location, find love, deal with difficult customers, complete chores) Make the goal obvious to the players!


Finally, Set the scene, give a cinematic description of what’s going on!


As the GM your word is law, but listen to your players, ask them what they think because they’re sure to have great ideas. 



Additional Play Styles

Silly Six!

Use this to start a random adventure!


location : (Adjective) (Land Feature)

Player Specialty: (Verb ending in -ing)

Player Name: (Name) the (Adjective)

Enemy: (Adjective) (Monster)



Six: Learn from your failures

Players don’t start with any specialties.

When a player rolls a one, whatever they just failed at becomes a specialty. 




Acknowledgements

I created this game as a simplified version of the Powered by the Apocalypse system, specifically Monster of the Week. 


Thank you to Julian and Christopher Liechty


Six!

By Kit Cactus

 

A simple Tabletop RPG system designed to facilitate storytelling for creative players.