Good Video: Not DnD - What's OLD is NEW (W.O.I.N)

Here is an excellent video by the designer of WOIN, in which the design principles and goals behind the game are discussed. This video is from 10 months ago when the Starter Set was discussed.

WOIN, a fun and tight D6 system, is not rules-light, but its resolution system feels that way, aligning with the ideal state of all systems. Currently, the game is in its 1.3 version, a testament to its continuous testing and development. This ongoing process, a rarity in many games, keeps the excitement and anticipation high for what's to come.

This system was inspired by the classic 1980s dice pool systems, but it has so many differences that it can be considered its own game. It is like calling Aftermath and D&D the same game since they both use a d20. It started as a Star Trek-style D6 game that went into generic sci-fi, fantasy, and modern games.

Every genre book is a stand-alone game, but the mechanics are all compatible.

People are comparing this very favorably to games like Savage Worlds. What I like about D6 pool systems over Savage Worlds is that Savage Worlds has a lingo, abstract concepts, and all sorts of "ceremonies" you must follow to play, and you need to load the "Savage Worlds OS" into your brain to get your mind all set. You also need plenty of "toys" on the table, such as poker chips, dice, cards, and resource wheels. With a straight D6 pool system, you only need dice, and the gameplay is "roll over a number."

I have run D6 pool systems with new players, and very little explanation and concepts of rules need to be communicated. Most of the time, I was not explaining actions, combat turns, or how to make a skill roll or attack. It was just "what do you do" and "roll the dice."

You can give someone a character sheet, and they can figure out 90% of the game.

I played Savage Worlds with a new player and needed a "tutorial character" to explain every step of the game to them. Still, it took up an entire session, and we ended up not playing again because there was too much in terms of rules scaffolding for them to remember. Every step of teaching Savage Worlds was to stop and explain the next thing. Once you "get it," you "get it," but it is a lot of abstract concepts to remember.

Cypher System was a hit with the same player, and it comes down to how simple the core task and action resolution are. There are so many abstract concepts here that it is way more complicated for referees to grasp than for players. Just figuring out Cypher System can be a challenge; I had that book for months and could not figure it out. For players, it is easier.

Rules-light games that go hard on abstraction are a weakness of the genre. A game can get so abstract it floats in a gray soup of meaningless concepts and ideas. And they are super hard to teach and keep in your head.

WOIN, like Cepheus, is a simple dicing system anyone can understand, with few abstract concepts to grasp. I bet WOIN would be just as easy to sell to that player since I know how easy D6 pool systems are and how straightforward the approach is for new players to grasp.

WOIN seems steeper for referees and, like the Cypher System, for character design since the career system introduces many choices. Still, with pre-gens, any D6 pool system flies with zero abstraction.

WOIN: Statistic Ranges

Two of the more exciting changes What is Old is New makes regarding the dice is implementing a split scale between statistics and the dice given. In older D6 dice pool systems, it was almost always a 1:1 scaling; one point of an attribute is one die in a roll. They do this for both skills and abilities, which helps keep the number of dice manageable.

Next, they implement a grade system where most characters start at level 5. This caps the total dice pool a character can create to one die per grade. So if you are in grade 5 and have a dice pool 7 from the total of skills and abilities, that roll is capped to the character's grade or 5 dice. Again, very few D6 die pool games do this, and it limits contributions of ability plus skill dice to the character's grade rating. Modifiers (gear, situation, etc.) are outside grade and can raise the pool.

This system effectively introduces a 'character level' dynamic, strategically discouraging excessive optimization at lower grades and making higher-grade monsters and characters more formidable threats. It's a fascinating element that adds depth and intrigue to the gameplay.

Dice in a pool can also be traded off for extra damage or effects, which factor in the total pool, contributing to character power. The grading system allows for more dice and more damage and special effects once characters raise their grades.

When we played the old D6 System games, those die pools routinely shot up to 12 to 18d6, and we would toss buckets of dice around the table. It was fun, but even the players began to wonder, "Is there more to this system than huge die-throws?" This was one of the enormous weaknesses of the original D6 System pool mechanics and is also a weakness of many D6 die pool games today.

Most D6 Systems games ended with that "one big roll" by a player, and then after that, the players began to lose interest since the game seemed like a Yahtzee game where the more dice you threw, the more you won. They did not have staying power without the low-level rules crunch.

By breaking attribute and die pool contributions, the system provides players with a tangible sense of progression without overwhelming the game. The system's XP can be wisely spent to raise the character's grade or individual skills and abilities. Moving from a six to a seven may not immediately change a character's dice contribution of skill or ability, but it's a clear step towards the next dice-pool level, fostering a sense of accomplishment and growth.

They used a good amount of system crunch to insulate the slipperiness and over-dicing of earlier attempts at D6 pool systems. This is good game design and avoids some of the insane stacking of dice and power these games have. This is a good use of game design to solve a problem, and whenever designers "tamp down" out-of-control elements of a design (hello, exponential scaling damage in D&D 3+), it is a good thing.

Mail Room: What's Old is New Starter Box (WOIN)

Well, at least GURPS does not have the worst name for a game anymore.

I kid, but What's Old is New (WOIN) is a cool retro-clone of the D6 pool systems, like the original Star Wars D6 System. It is not 100% the same, but it is close enough to functionally replace it entirely. I joke about the name, but I get the joke here, and gamers and nerds love their silly-sounding game names.

And GURPS is still an incredible system.

I played the D6 System with friends once, and it is the perfect new-player game that can do almost anything quickly and with very little knowledge of the rules.

Someone tries an action.

You tell the player to add an ability and skill number and roll that many d6.

Add them up.

Beat a number.

This is very new and player-friendly, and it beats Cypher System on not needing anyone to understand any abstract concepts of pools, edges, difficulties, assets, and intrusions. We played a superhero game, and it was all about ability + superpower dice, rolling over a number to make an attack or do something.

Everyone instantly got the concept.

Nobody had to open a rulebook.

We were playing right when we sat down.

Some felt the system was "moar dice," which is an issue with the old D6 system, where the pools of dice got high, and we were throwing 18d6 every turn. WOIN seems to keep the number of dice down, and the old D6 System has its share of issues that WOIN appears to have fixed by limiting the number of dice needed.

Still, players loved rolling handfuls of dice. Why roll a single unfair d20, when I can clatter a handful of d6 dice all over the table and instantly draw attention to my roll. Those big d6 rolls are fantastic fun.

There were moments when I knew the good guy "got" the bad guy. The player was excitedly counting the dice, and you could feel the excitement rising as he totaled up a 45 and blew the villain completely out.

It was a great moment.

In the long term, the game fell apart since the original D6 System wasn't as well suited to long-term play. But this game gave us the most fun for our sessions and was far more fun to play than D&D 4E. I hope WOIN fixed that issue, too.

But for a system you play with a table of strangers, like at a convention, this is a "zero to sixty" system for pick-up and play. I know this because the original D6 System was amazing for anyone who dropped into our games. People instantly became engaged with their characters, what they could do in the world, and the world itself.

Another fun aspect of the system is EN World publishing "like sourcebooks" similar to the original D6 System games. There are "Not Star Wars," "Not Ghostbusters," and many other "Not" setting books that look fun and simulate the original experience nicely with the WOIN System. The books are similar enough, look fun, and get you where you need to go and deliver a generic experience. They are similar enough that you could always play the original IP without shelling out for a licensed game.

There is also one licensed book for Judge Dredd, so you have it if you want something official.

But a part of me likes the "Not Sourcebooks." It feels like sticking it to Wall Street and just playing my favorite settings without being taken to the cleaners for a constant stream of books, support, and new editions of the game a few years after buying in. I could do a "Not Star Trek" easily with this system, which would work fine for what it needs to do. It would work better than Cypher System, and the "instant jump in" would make it trivial for new players to sit down, take a pre-gen Enterprise crew member, and get playing. People instantly get X+Y dice and beat a number, and there is no "everyone flipping through the book to find abilities" like you have in Cypher System.

And having a "Not Star Wars" system to play Star Wars with means I can play my way, without needing a license or anything, and tell the current owners of any ruined IP their ideas are garbage. The "Not" part enables me to own the game as my creation and make the idea mine. There is something liberating about emulating a setting without the official rules, and it opens the door to you making the setting your own.

WOIN is a solid system based on a legendary D6 concept.

It's a strange name, but those can become endearing and provide an amazing experience for new players in any setting or IP.

A solid recommend, and looking forward to getting the starter set.