A Fiction-First Tabletop Roleplaying Engine & 10 Starter Worlds
Available in: Paperback · Kindle
D6 Storyteller: The Core Rulebook is the complete, self-contained foundation of the fiction-first D6 engine. Written by Alex Merced, it gives players and Storytellers everything they need to run dramatic, narrative-rich games across any genre: all powered by a simple pool of six-sided dice.
At its heart, the D6 Storyteller system asks one guiding question before any dice are rolled: what is happening in the fiction? Your character’s narrative position (whether you’re cornered, holding the high ground, or operating in the dark) determines the size of your dice pool and the magnitude of your potential effect. The dice confirm the story; the fiction drives it.
The Core Rulebook opens with a full explanation of the engine: character creation using vivid descriptors and approach dice (Force, Finesse, Mind, Presence), the complete dice mechanics, conflict resolution, harm and consequences, and a comprehensive Storyteller’s guide. Nothing requires proprietary systems or unusual dice: just standard six-sided dice you likely already own.
The second half of the book delivers ten complete starter worlds, each with its own tone, unique mechanical hook, three ready-to-play character archetypes, a genre-specific condition palette, and a starter scenario seed. From alchemical empires and fog-bound detective cities to cyberpunk megacities and flooded post-apocalyptic wastelands, the Core Rulebook is designed to put any group at the table within minutes.
Each setting is a complete playable world with its own tone, mechanic, archetypes, and starter scenario.
Wild elemental magic clashes with industrial alchemy in an empire powered by harvested ley lines.
Mechanic: Magic Strain & Overcharge Pool: Drawing on elemental magic risks accumulating magical strain or overcharging nearby mechanical tech.
Secret society rebellions duel automaton police forces in fog-bound, smog-choked steam metropolises.
Mechanic: Heat & Pressure Meter: Steam-powered gear builds pressure; pushing gear grants bonus dice but risks explosive blowout.
High-tech, low-life mercenaries take jobs in sprawling megacities ruled by rogue AI conglomerates.
Mechanic: Glitch & System Overclock: Cyberware mods grant extra Effect steps but generate system noise that causes hardware glitches.
Crew survival and exploration aboard derelict space stations, uncharted moons, and deep space anomaly zones.
Mechanic: Life Support & Hull Stress: Environmental hazards directly degrade life support clocks and structural integrity.
Hardboiled 1940s detectives and fatalistic dames navigate police corruption, mob wars, and rain-soaked city alleys.
Mechanic: Vice & Suspicion Clues: Investigators trade personal vices to extract clues, while high suspicion escalates opposition position.
Isolated Victorian manors, fog-shrouded villages, eldritch cults, and nightmarish entities lurking in darkness.
Mechanic: Terror & Sanity Erosion: Encounters with horror inflict psychological conditions that trigger intrusive hallucinations.
Masked vigilantes and powered heroes defend city districts while balancing fragile personal lives.
Mechanic: Collateral Damage & Public Perception: High-power actions fill a Collateral Damage clock, shifting public opinion from heroic to feared.
Scavengers battle mutants aboard rusted flotillas and submerged skyscraper peaks in a flooded world.
Mechanic: Resource Scarcity & Mutation Risk: Fresh water and ammo function as consumable dice pools, while radiation triggers mutations.
A modern neon metropolis hiding ancient supernatural factions (werewolves, vampires, fey) behind a magical illusion.
Mechanic: Masquerade Escalation: Overt magic usage fills the Masquerade Breached clock, drawing mortal authorities and hunter squads.
Victorian investigators, occult scholars, and aristocratic conspirators solve macabre crimes in 19th-century Europe.
Mechanic: Deduction Evidence Chains: Assembling physical and social clues unlocks breakthrough rolls with Great Effect during climactic accusation scenes.
D6 Storyteller: The Core Rulebook is a fantasy volume in the D6 Storyteller series by Alex Merced. It contains ten complete settings, each with a unique mechanic, character archetypes, a condition palette, and a starter scenario.
Each companion contains a summary of the core mechanics sufficient to begin play, but the D6 Storyteller Core Rulebook provides the full rules reference and Storyteller guidance. New groups are encouraged to start with the Core Rulebook.
D6 Storyteller: The Core Rulebook contains ten complete, ready-to-play settings, each with its own lore, unique mechanic, archetypes, condition palette, and starter scenario.
Yes. The D6 Storyteller engine is modular. Any setting-specific mechanic can be imported into other worlds, and lore from multiple companions can be combined freely.