D6: Dungeons, Dudes, Dames, Danger, Dice and Dragons! Rulebook

Table of Contents

Components
- Base Components
- Expansion Components
How to Use These Rules
Things to Know Before You Begin
Part I: Setup and How to Play
Part II: Components and Concepts
Part III: Other Game Modes
- Solo & Co-op
- Alliance
  - Seating Order Matters
  - The Alliance Deck
Part IV: Expansion and Homebrews
- The D6 Expansion: It Takes a Village
- Suggestions
Part V: Quick-Start Guide
- Setup
- Taking a Turn
- Combat
- Resolution
Addenda
- Stacking Skills
- Village Signs (Additional Information)

Components

Base Components

1 Players Manual (with Rules)
1 Dual-Sided Game Board (front and back)
1 Compass Dial
1 Compass Dial Token
4 Punchboard Signs (village signs, card deck sign, resource sign)
32 Stat Tiles
50 Gold Coins
1 Hide Collection Board & Monster Board (with hide collection action marker)
1 Set of Hero Dice
1 Set of Enemy Dice
1 Cloth Enemy Token Bag
70 Enemy Tokens (Beast, Poison, Rogues, Undead, Bandits, Guardians)
20 HP/Buff Coins (HP side and Buff side)
4 Class Minis
8 Environment Minis
44 Hero Standees (8 plastic stands)
44 Hero Cards
4 Action Markers
10 GM Tokens
4 Class Boards
4 Gather Boards
8 Potion Bottles
12 Skill Markers
4 Cash Cube Tokens
4 Companion Tokens
54 Advantage Cards
54 Heroic Quest Cards
45 Bounty Cards
44 Alliance Cards

Expansion Components

3 Class Minis
16 Environment Minis
3 Punchboard Card Carts
1 Punchboard Fountain of You & Coin Tray
4 Curse Castle Standees
8 Hero Standees (8 plastic stands)
8 Hero Cards
3 Class Boards
3 Cash Cube Tokens
6 Potion Bottles
9 Skill Markers

How to Use These Rules

Greetings, gamers! You're about to embark upon an exciting journey full of strategy, creativity, and a whole lotta monster-murderin'! But first, you'll need to do something slightly less exciting: You'll need to learn the rules. (Or at least con a friend into learning them so they can teach you the game.) We're here to offer you a few tips for making the most of this experience.

If you're new to the world of D6, Parts I and II are written with you in mind. Read both before you begin to play the game. We cannot stress this enough: You'll need to read all of both sections of Parts I and II to fully understand how to play D6. There's a lot of informational interdependence in D6, which is just our fancy way of saying, "There's a lot of stuff to know, and you need to know all of it."

In Part I, you'll learn how to set up the game and the basics of how to play.

In Part II, you'll take a deeper dive into the components and some key concepts. Mastering this information will help you become a more knowledgeable, well-rounded player.

In Part III, you'll learn about non-standard game modes. Please note: You'll still need to read Parts I and II to play them. The standard game is the building block for all game modes!

In Part IV, you'll learn a bit about the expansion, and we'll offer some homebrew tips.

Part V is a quick-start guide for those who have played the game before but need a quick refresher.

Our final recommendation: If possible, use the rules posted on our website (certifiablestudios.com). While the rules in this book should get you where you need to go, it's best to think of the D6 ruleset as a living document. Since the most up-to-date version will live on our website—along with any other resources for the game—it just makes sense to refer to those if you have access to them.

Happy hunting, heroes!

Things to Know Before You Begin

Before you dig into the nitty-gritty of the rules, there are a few things you'll need to know.

Object of the Game

There are plenty of fun things to do as you explore the world of D6. Collecting cool weapons, stockpiling gold coins, and using potions are just a few of the (many) enjoyable parts of playing the game. There are so many options, in fact, that it wouldn't be too difficult to be overwhelmed by them if you weren't careful.

That's why it's important to remember the objective of the game. To win, you'll need to be the player with the most glory points at the conclusion of the game.

There are two ways to get glory points:

Collect bounties.
Kill Guardians that are worth glory points.

Since there are only a few Guardians worth glory points, you'll be spending most of your time either chasing bounties or gaining the resources to chase bounties. Almost everything you can do on your turn should be executed with this in mind.

If you're playing D6 for the first time, this terminology is new to you. You don't know what a bounty is, what Guardians are, etc. As you work your way through these rules, though, it's good to keep your eye on your primary objective. All will be revealed soon. Just keep reading!

About the Dice

The D6 base game comes with two sets of dice. There are six blue hero dice and seven black enemy dice. (The additional die in the enemy set is a percentage die, which you'll use when rolling for GM events. You'll learn more about these later.) You're free, of course, to use any dice you like. D6 is perfect for players looking to try out their latest set.

Assuming you use the dice that come with the game, you'll roll the hero dice when it's your turn, and you'll roll the enemy dice when you're acting as someone's GM (Game Master).

In a game called D6, you might assume you'll often be rolling a D6. You'd be assuming correctly! It'll be your default die throughout the game. You'll roll for stats with it. You'll do stat checks with it. In the absence of a stronger weapon, you'll fight with it.

Don't worry; you'll still get plenty of use out of your other dice. That said, unless explicitly stated, assume that you'll be rolling a D6 when instructed to roll.

"Random" Thoughts

Throughout these rules, you'll run across the word "random" on a semi-regular basis. Whenever it or any of its variations appear—either in the rules or a GM event—it means you or an opponent will either have to draw or roll. For instance, "place a random enemy" on the board would mean to draw an enemy token from the enemy token bag. "Place an enemy in a random space" on the map would mean to roll the die corresponding to the map you're using (D10 for standard or D12 for advanced) to determine where to place the enemy.

Read the Signs. And the Boards. And...

You'll need to digest quite a bit of information to develop a comprehensive D6 strategy. "But isn't that what these rules are for?" you ask? Well, yes. But a lot of that information is also concisely conveyed on various game components. Pay close attention to the boards, the signs, etc. They contain lots of helpful reminders that can help you master D6—all without having to refer back to these pesky rules! In particular...

Get to Know Your Class

Whether you're playing D6 for the first time or you're a seasoned hunter playing with a class board that's new to you, it's important to familiarize yourself with your class before you begin the game. The skills unique to each class can be powerful resources in your quest to track down bounties, so taking a few moments before your first turn to get the "lay of the land" may make the difference in winning and losing.

Part I: Setup and How to Play

Setup

Choose Your Class Board

There are four classes in the base game: Explorer, Mesmerist, Slayer, and Woodling. (The expansion also includes the Bard, Cleric, and Werewolf classes.) As you'll see on the class boards, each class possesses unique skills that allow for differences in gameplay, as well as a stat that gets a +1 advantage.

Choose Your Hero Card

Within the lore of D6, each hero is assigned a class. That said, as a rule, it's perfectly fine to play a hero designated one class as another. The differences are purely aesthetic, so just pick whichever hero you like the best!

Of course, if you'd rather stick to playing a Slayer character on a Slayer class board for the sake of continuity or storytelling, that's fine. But you certainly don't have to.

The exception to this rule is the Werewolf. If you're playing as a Werewolf, pick a character with a Werewolf chib on the back of the card.

Place Your Action Marker

Place your action marker (the green cube) in the "R" square under "ACTIONS." Each time you perform an action during your turn (the only time you may perform actions), move the marker down a space. Once your marker is on "3," you're out of actions. (You may, however, perform as many non-action tasks as you like before ending your turn.) When you're ready to end your turn, place the action marker back in the "R" square.

Place Your HP

Place three red health point (HP)/buff coins, heart side up, in the slots at the top of your class board.

GM's Note: While HP and buffs are two very different things, they're (quite literally) two sides of the same coin. Place the "heart" side up to designate HP and the "+1" side up for a buff.

Place Your Cash Cube

Each Cash Cube is color-coded to a specific class board. Place your Cash Cube in the bottom-left of your class board, directly beneath your hero card.

Choose Your Gather Board

The gather boards all possess the same bonuses, but each board is arranged a bit differently. They are not class specific, and no board has an inherent advantage over another. In other words...just pick one!

Place Your Potions: Choose two potion bottles and place them in the "Alchemy" section of your gather board.

Choose a Map

There are two maps (one on each side of the game board). The standard option has a more traditional map-like appearance and—while still plenty challenging in its own right—is more appropriate for beginning players.

The advanced map features a completely different look—more like a hand-drawn game master's (GM's) map. In addition to the aesthetic differences, the gameplay is more difficult, with additional spaces to explore and new challenges for the more seasoned (or more adventurous) player.

Set Up the Game Board

Choose How to Play Your Hero: Choose whether to use your class pawn or your hero card's matching character standee. (Either is fine; it's strictly a matter of preference.) Place your pawn or standee in the Village; this is where all players begin the game.

Place Environment Pieces: Collectively place the eight environment pieces (four terrain pieces and four dungeon pieces) on the map. Players may decide among themselves how to determine placement (random placement, dividing pieces among players to place, etc.).

You cannot place identical environment pieces in any given space. (For example: Placing a dungeon and a cemetery in the same space is fine; placing two dungeons in a space is a no-no.)

The environment pieces are: four dungeons, and four terrain pieces—Forest, Cemetery, Hills and Trails.

Place Enemies: Players then draw enemies from the bag (two per player) and randomly "spawn" (place) them.

Place Compass Dial: Place the compass dial into the hole at the bottom of the game board (bottom right for the standard map or bottom left for the advanced map). Place the compass dial token into the compass dial.

Place Signs: There are four punchboard signs that, in addition to adding to the "playset" aesthetic of the game, act as reminders for various tasks you may complete during your turn. Though you may place the signs anywhere you choose (based on table layout, individual preference, etc.), we have some recommendations for where they might be most helpful.

The Village Signs: Place these two signs next to the Village as a reminder that all of these tasks can be completed only in the Village.
Resource Sign: Place this sign anywhere but the Village to signify that these tasks may be completed anywhere (including the Village).
Card Decks Sign: Place this sign anywhere, but give it a little distance from the board, if possible. Place the Advantage and Heroic Quest decks on their corresponding sides of the sign.

GM's Note: The number of gold coins beside each listing on the signs is the cost of that particular item/location/task. (You'll pay any gold coins owed back to the game by placing them back into wherever you're keeping the bank/"stash" of gold or the coin tray if you have the expansion.)

Place Stats and Coins: Place the gold coins, the red HP/buff coins, and the stat tiles in three neat piles off the board, within reach of all players.

Shuffle and Draw

Shuffle the Heroic Quest and Advantage decks. Each player draws one card from each deck.

Shuffle the Bounty deck. Draw the top three cards from the deck and place them face-up. These are the bounties that players will pursue for glory points.

GM's Note: The number of Heroic Quest and Advantage cards you can hold in your hand is determined by your strength stat. (See your Gather Board for details.) When you've reached your hand limit, you can't draw any more cards without spending or discarding a card to bring your hand below the limit. If you choose to discard to make room for a new card, you must discard before you draw.

Choose the Length of Your Game

Players will collectively decide how many rounds to play. A standard hunting season is three rounds, with each round consisting of one turn per player. An extended hunting season consists of six rounds. Between each round, a GM event takes place. Each round is numbered, and the "00" represents a GM event. Starting at "1," measure your progress throughout the game by moving the compass dial clockwise.

Roll for Stats

The final bit of setup that must take place before the game begins is stat placement. All players will take turns rolling for stats. (Yes, you'll use a D6.)

Rolling a 3, 4, 5, or 6 will translate to a stat of the same. (Rolling a 4 translates to a stat of 4, etc.) The minimum for any stat is a 3, though, so rolling a 1 or a 2 will also translate to a 3.

Generally speaking, the higher the stat, the better. That said, rolling low comes with its own reward: You'll receive one coin for every stat roll of 1-3 (which again, all translate to a 3.)

Each class board has a certain stat that receives a +1 advantage. For instance, if you're playing with the Mesmerist class board, it receives a +1 advantage in skill. So if, for example, you roll a 3 for skill while playing with the Mesmerist class board, you'll factor in the Mesmerist's +1 class advantage and assign a 4 to your skill. (In this case, you'd still collect your free coin. A coin is awarded based strictly on the number you rolled.)

A 6 is the maximum for any stat, so a +1 stat advantage cannot be applied to a roll of 6 to make it a 7. This means there's always a chance you'll fail your stat roll. (You have to roll under your stat; a tie won't cut it.)

When a number is rolled, immediately place the appropriate tile into the slot beside the desired stat. For instance, if you haven't rolled any stats yet and you roll a 6, a 6 must be assigned to one of the four stats before you roll for the next one.

If any of your stat rolls aren't what you were hoping for, don't worry: You'll have an opportunity to raise them while in the Village! You either pay two coins for Training Camp, or you can pay one coin to try your luck at the Fountain of You.

GM's Note: Your stats determine your character's proficiency in various categories vital to your success in D6. There are times during the game when you must perform a stat check. For it to be successful, you must roll under the stat you're checking. (A tie isn't good enough.)

GM's Note: Low stat rolls provide the first opportunity to gain gold coins in D6. (Don't worry; there are others!) Keep an eye on how much gold you have, though. You can't hold more than 10 gold coins at a time. Once you've hit your limit, you'll have to spend some before collecting more.

Place Your Skill Markers

Skill markers are color-coded to their corresponding class boards. Based on your skill stat, place the appropriate number of skill markers in the top (locked) row and/or the bottom (unlocked) row.

Determine Player Order

Use your preferred method for determining player order. (It doesn't matter as long as all players agree to it.) Player one will bear the responsibility of reading all GM events aloud between rounds.

On Stealth and "Stealthing"

If you move into a space with an enemy/enemies present, you cannot perform an action without engaging it/them in combat...unless you're able to stealth past it/them. "What exactly does that mean?" you may ask? Well, we're glad you asked.

Thematically, it means that you're quiet enough to move in the vicinity of a baddie without being detected by said baddie. Mechanically, it means that you've had a successful stealth check/roll. (If you guessed that you'll be using your D6 and that you'll need to roll under your stealth stat for a successful roll, you've clearly been paying attention!)

If your stealth check is successful, congratulations—you're stealthy! You don't have to engage them in combat unless you so desire.

If you roll your stealth stat or over, that's bad news: The enemies in your space know you're there and are ready to throw down with you, whether you want to or not. You're not allowed to perform any actions, and you're now engaged with every enemy in that space. (Perhaps it's small consolation, but you can choose the order which you'd like the fight them.)

GM's Note: If you want to perform an action in an enemy-occupied space without engaging, you must perform a stealth check prior to each action you perform. For instance, if you move into a space and want to gather while there, you'll need to perform a stealth check. If it's successful, you're still stealthy. (If it's not, you're engaged with all enemies.) If you want to perform another action—moving into another space, for instance—you'll need to do another stealth check.

A few things of note concerning stealth:

If you begin your turn with an enemy or enemies in your space, stealthing is not an option. You are automatically engaged with every enemy in that space.
You cannot stealth past a Cash Cube.
If you fail a stealth check—and therefore find yourself engaged with an enemy or enemies—you cannot end your turn before fighting it/them without first using some non-action means to escape the engagement. For instance, using an available skill or chibbing out would disengage you from combat, and you'd then be free to end your turn. If you end your turn before expending all three allotted actions, however, you won't earn your two Heroic Quest cards.
If you rent a horse and you have to pass through a space with an enemy en route to your destination, you'll still have to roll for stealth while in the enemy-occupied space.
If you fail your stealth check, your beloved steed has made his last ride, and your horse rental was for naught; you're now forbidden from moving the extra space. And no, you don't get the coin back. (RIP, beloved steed and the gold coin you used to rent it.)

Know Thine Enemy

Sure, sometimes you want to avoid a fight. But at the end of the day, this is a game based on slaughtering unsavory critters. Let's get to know them, shall we?

No monsters are ever slain in vain. Some are good for bounties, others are good for hides, and all are good for two coins. There are five monster classes:

Beasts: Beasts include gnolls (+1 in forest), hellhounds (+1 in the forest), and werewolves (+1 in trails). They have a purple border.
Rogues: Rogues include bone banshees (+1 in dungeon), owlbears (+1 in dungeon), and minotaurs (+1 in dungeon). They have a blue border.
Bandits: Bandits include goblins (+1 in hills), kobolds (+1 in trails), and orcs (+1 in hills). They have a brown border.
Undead: Undead monsters include mummies (+1 in dungeon), skeletons (+1 in cemetery), and vampires (+1 in cemetery). They have a red border.
Poison: Taking a hit from a monster in the Poison class is a bit different. Instead of losing HP, you'll drop one of your stats by 1. Poisonous monsters include flesh leeches, giant spiders, and mushrooms. They have a green border.

In addition to monsters, you'll also occasionally run across a Guardian. Guardian tokens are easily identifiable by their white borders.

Guardians are your enemies, and some are even worth glory points. (And all are worth two coins.) What they are not—at least not within the world of D6—is monsters. Here are a few things that set them apart:

There are no bounties for Guardians.
They can't be given combat buffs or extra HP.
They're not placed on your gather board.
They don't receive any environmental advantages.

The Guardian classes are:

Dragon: Place next to your gather board when defeated. (They're worth glory points, which will be tallied at the end of the game.)
Plants of Eden: These gain strength for every other Plant of Eden on the board. A single Plant of Eden has a natural attack of three; you do not roll for it. For every additional Plant of Eden on the board, each Plant of Eden gets +1 to its attack. For example, if there are two Plants of Eden on the board, each one has an attack of four; if there are three, each has an attack of five (and so on). When defeated, Plants of Eden are immediately placed back into the bag.
Kraken: Place next to your gather board when defeated. (They're worth glory points, which will be tallied at the end of the game.)

Enemy Engagement

And now...it's time to learn how to fight!

GM's Note: Though in other contexts they might have similar meanings, fighting and hunting are two very different tasks in D6. Fighting refers to enemy engagement (combat) and does not qualify as an action. Hunting is the process of drawing a random enemy (that you may or may not engage in combat with) into your space and does qualify as an action.

Before combat begins, you must declare that you're about to fight. Once you've made this declaration, you must give your opponent(s) a reasonable amount of time to play any cards before you commence combat or choose your weapon.
Your opponent(s) now have the opportunity to buff the monster. (You can't buff Guardians.) There is no limit to the number of players who can play cards/buffs or the number of cards/buffs they can play.
Roll the die corresponding to the weapon you're using while the current GM rolls the die that corresponds to the enemy you're fighting. Once you've rolled your hero's die (or dice in some cases), no more cards/buffs may be played by your opponent(s).

Heroes have a natural D6 combat roll. This means unless you're playing an Advantage card to use a different—or even additional—weapon or your hero is in their chib form, you'll be rolling a D6 when fighting an enemy.

Buffs. A buff is a combat advantage that increases the power of an attack. (It's represented by the +1 side of the red plastic coins.) When a monster is buffed, place a +1 coin on top of its wooden token to remind players it has been buffed. Doing this will increase its combat total by 1. Multiple buffs can be placed on a monster at one time. All buffs are removed after the first hit is dealt (whether by monster or hero).

Extra HP. Sometimes a monster will receive one or more extra HP (usually due to cards or GM events), and you may have to fight it multiple times! Place a red plastic coin (heart side up) on the monster's token to represent each additional HP. When it takes a hit, the monster loses an HP, and you should remove its corresponding coin.

Each type of enemy uses a specific weapon (die) during combat. The tougher the enemy, the stronger the weapon (and thus the higher the die). In addition to any buffs your opponents place on your adversary, remember that most monsters have natural environmental advantages that need to be taken into account, as well.

GM's Note: Keeping track of the compass dial and noting its position has special significance when it comes to combat. On the standard map, there are either one or two rounds of the game (depending on whether you're playing a standard or an extended hunting season) known as the Hunters' Moon. During a Hunters' Moon, all monsters receive +2 to their combat rolls. (Just monsters, though; the Guardians don't get an advantage here.) On the advanced map, there are some additional round modifications, so remember to move the compass dial between rounds and pay attention to the instructions on the map!

After all rolls, enemy buffs, and environmental advantages have been accounted for, tally up both the enemy's combat total and your own. If the enemy's total is higher than yours, you lose one HP. This is assuming you're not buying/using Advantage cards, using consumables, etc. to avoid taking the hit.

All enemies have one natural HP. This means that if your combat total is higher than that of your enemy, you've destroyed it. Congratulations on your hard-fought victory! Immediately collect two coins.

If the enemy is a monster that satisfies a bounty, collect its Bounty card and place it on the "Bounties" section (the backpack) of your gather board. Place the enemy back into the bag. Flip over the top card in the Bounty deck to replace the collected Bounty card, and place it beside the other two active Bounty cards. (There must always be three Bounty cards in play.) Spawn a new enemy on the board from the bag.

If the enemy is a monster that doesn't satisfy a bounty but qualifies as a specialty hide, place its token in one of the three specialty hide slots. (Check the "Specialty Hides" section of your hero's gather board; each board has a different combination of qualifying hides.)

If the enemy is a monster that neither satisfies a bounty nor qualifies as a specialty hide, place its token in the "Wild Hides" section of your hero's gather board. When this section has been filled, convert one of the wild hides into a specialty hide of your choice, and return the other wild hide to the enemy token bag.

If the enemy is a Guardian worth glory points (any Dragon or the Kraken), place its token beside your gather board, right next to the backpack. You'll add its glory points to your point total at the end of the game.

If the enemy is a Guardian worth no glory points (any Plant of Eden), place its token back into the bag.

If the enemy is a Cash Cube, return it to its owner. They'll place it back into its slot on their class board, from which it can be redeployed at their discretion. (Note: Do not collect two coins when defeating a Cash Cube.)

If there's a tie (if your combat total and the enemy's total are the same), the winner is determined by your strength stat. If you have a strength of 6, you win ties; if you don't, well...you don't. In that case, a tie is the same as a loss. (Time to up that strength stat—winning ties can be extremely helpful!)

GM's Note: When you're fighting an enemy, your roll is not an indication of what HAS happened, but what WILL happen if you don't take steps to change it (play Advantage cards, buy Dogmud to reroll, etc.)

Once you're engaged with an enemy, you remain engaged with that specific enemy until you destroy it, it kills you, or you disengage from combat.

If there are other enemies in a space with you, you don't have the option of, say, taking a hit and then engaging with another (perhaps weaker) enemy before returning to the first one. So if you've given it your best in combat with an enemy and you take a hit (lose an HP), it may be time to re-evaluate your situation and consider your options for disengagement.

Enemy Disengagement

At its core, D6 is about one thing: killing stuff and collecting hides. (Okay, so two things.) During a typical game, you'll run up against a wide array of baddies. It's up to you to tweak your strategy according to the creature you're up against.

Occasionally during the course of combat, you'll realize you've bitten off more than you can chew. There are several ways a player can disengage from combat. This is usually done after an unsuccessful combat roll is made but before any damage is taken.

If available, you can Hero Swap by changing places with another player's hero, putting them in harm's way and saving yourself.

You could drink your Wingso Flightamous potion and return safely to the Village. There are also a few Heroic Quest cards that can get you out of trouble.

Chibbing Out

Sometimes the only way to win a fight is to run away from it. (Cowardice may not be sexy, but it does have its uses—like keeping you aboveground.)

If you run up against a particularly nasty enemy and you're getting your hide handed to you, you have the option of chibbing out. On the reverse side of every hero's card is that hero's chib. This is the creature your hero must revert to in order to avoid the fight and run away. If you decide to chib out, flip your hero card to the chib side. (It will stay on this side until you return to your heroic form.)

When you chib out, you're no longer engaged with an enemy. Place your pawn/standee in an adjacent space without losing any HP or an action.
For all heroes not playing as a Werewolf, your natural D6 will now be replaced by a D4. The good news? This makes it easier to roll under your stealth and "peace out" while you're in your chib form. The bad? Your combat rolls are going to be lower, meaning you're not the fearsome hunter you once were. Unfortunately, the bad news doesn't stop there. You can't count on any help from Advantage cards because you're not allowed to play them while in chib form.
For heroes playing as a Werewolf, chibbing works a bit differently. A Werewolf's chib is actually stronger than the hero in their "normal" heroic form because a Werewolf chib is the hero in Werewolf form. A Werewolf chib will roll with a D8. Sounds great, right? Well...sort of. But there are downsides, too. A Werewolf may not enter the Village while in chib form. Also, rolling with a D8 makes it harder to roll below your stats.
If you decide to chib out, you'll be stuck in your chib form until you can gather a potion (Acupunch) to return you to your heroic form. Once you've used Acupunch, flip your hero card back to your hero's heroic form and trade your chib's weapon (die) for your D6.

Beginning Your Turn

To begin your turn, you'll always perform an enemy spawn roll and an open gather. Though the sections are listed separately below, these two rolls are performed simultaneously. In other words, roll the D10 or D12 (depending on the map you're using) for the enemy spawn and the D4 for the open gather at the same time. Once you've done so, follow the accompanying directions for each section.

Enemy Spawn

In the world of D6, there's never a shortage of enemies to fight. The enemy spawn roll determines where on the map each new enemy will be placed.

Roll either the D10 (when using the standard map) or the D12 (when using the advanced map). After the enemy spawn roll, the current GM (the player to your left) will pull a random token from the bag and place it in the corresponding space. Each player will do this at the beginning of every turn.

One more very important note about spawning enemies: Each time a bounty is collected, another enemy will immediately be spawned onto the board. Like we said before...no shortage of enemies!

Open Gather

Each time a player performs an open gather, every player collects a reward. This is not to be confused with a personal gather.

The rewards are numbered 1-4 at the top of the gather boards. Though each gather board has the rewards listed in a different order, the rewards themselves are identical. They are:

Collect two gold coins (for spending)
Draw one Advantage card (to improve combat)
Fill a potion in the Alchemy section (to receive/enhance various abilities)
Wild (allows you to choose one of any of the other rewards)

To perform an open gather, the active player will roll the D4, and each player will collect the reward on their gather board that corresponds to the number of the roll.

Spending Your Actions

Though there are many tasks you can complete on your turn, there are only three that qualify as actions: hunting, gathering, and moving.

Hunting: Sometimes you may be in a space that's eligible for a bounty, but the required monster class is nowhere to be found. Or maybe you can't reach a monster you'd like to fight with your remaining actions. Whatever your reason, there are times when you might want to hunt for an enemy you don't currently have access to.

When you spend an action to hunt, the acting GM will draw an enemy from the token bag and place it in your space.

Gathering: To gather, roll the D4 and collect the corresponding reward on your gather board. Unlike the group gather that occurs at the beginning of every player's turn and that benefits all players, this is a personal gather and only affects the active player.

Moving: Move your hero pawn or standee one space on the game board (as the map allows).

You're allowed up to three actions per turn, and you may perform them in any combination (e.g. hunt, hunt, move; gather, move, hunt; move, move, move).

Non-Action Tasks

If you limit yourself to performing only your three actions during each turn, D6 will quickly lose its luster. (Also, you'll almost certainly lose.) There are many other tasks you may perform that don't cost any actions, and there's no limit to the number of non-action tasks you may perform during any given turn. In fact, there are plenty of occasions when the bulk of your turn will likely consist of non-action tasks.

Perform a Skill: In addition to skills common to all classes (Hero Swap and Animal Handling), each hero class has certain skills unique to it. They can help you to defeat enemies—or in some cases, escape from them. In short, skills provide a range of options a hero may perform without spending actions.

Hero Swapping! Though the class boards describe how each skill works, there's something special about Hero Swap that's important to note: If another player Hero Swaps with you, you get a free personal gather roll! (This should take the sting out a bit, and it's a good team strategy.)

Drink a Potion: There are a number of potions you may use to aid in your quest to outfight/outlive/outlast monster-kind.

Buy Consumables: Consumables can be purchased at any time, whether in the Village or out on the hunt, as long as you have the coins to do so—including during combat with an enemy. Undead on your tail? Buy some Holy Water! Need a do-over on that crappy roll? Buy some Dogmud! Need more info? Here's your sign! (No, really... everything you need to know is on the handy-dandy signs that come with the game, so refer to them at will!)

GM's Note: A player may end their turn before spending all three allotted actions. By doing so, however, the player will forfeit the two Heroic Quest cards they would have collected by spending all three actions.

Buy Advantage Cards: You may buy Advantage cards at any time during your turn—even after an unsuccessful combat roll.

Play Cards: Learning when and how to best play the cards you've acquired is vital to your success in D6. Heroic Quest and Advantage cards are instrumental in increasing your chances of winning a fight—as well as the chances of tossing a wrench in the plans of your opponent(s).

Cash Cube

When you're hunting baddies, it can feel like you against the world. Wouldn't it be nice if somebody had your back? That's where the Cash Cube comes in.

Of course, your Cube doesn't work for free; you have to hire it. (Even the gelatinous among us have to make a living, after all.) Here are a few things you need to know about your Cash Cube:

Can be purchased for two coins at any time during your turn.
Is not a monster and cannot be treated as such (can't be buffed, etc.)
Can be purchased anywhere (including the Village.)
Can be placed in any space but the Village.
Will not attack its owner (or the owner's allies in Alliance mode).
All Cash Cubes use a D12 for combat rolls and have 1 HP. When a Cube is defeated, it is returned to its owner. No coins are earned by the hero who defeats it.
Must be immediately placed in a space when hired. (You can't spend your two coins to "reserve" your Cube; it's already being reserved for you. You're paying to deploy it.)
Players cannot stealth by a Cube. They're paid to lie in wait for opposing players, and they're very good at their job. The moment a player enters the same space as a Cube that doesn't belong to them, they're engaged with the Cube—and therefore any other enemies in the same space. (The squelch of a weapon coming into contact with a Cash Cube is unmistakable; every enemy in the space can hear it.) If the owner places their Cube in the space you're currently occupying, you're automatically engaged with it when you begin your turn.
If a player has already deployed their Cube, they may choose to move it to another space by rehiring it. During their turn, a player may pay two coins to rehire a deployed Cube. There's no limit to the number of times a Cube can be hired.

(R)est

Once you've taken all of your actions—along with any non-action tasks you'd like to complete—without dying, it's time to end your turn. Move your action marker back to (R)EST, and collect two Heroic Quest cards as a reward for having a successful (complete) turn.

If you decide to end your turn before you've completed all your actions, move your action marker back to the (R)EST position. Since you've had an unsuccessful (incomplete) turn, you'll collect no Heroic Quest cards.

Whether or not your turn is successful, it's helpful (and just polite) to verbally announce to the table that you've completed your turn once you return your action marker to the (R)EST position. Once your action marker has been returned to (R)EST, the next player's turn begins.

GM's Note: You may end your turn with an enemy in your space without engaging or stealthing. Though at first glance it may seem this would violate the rules of stealth, it does not. Say, for instance, your last action was to hunt, which brings an enemy into your space. Though you're required to roll for stealth before performing an action, you're now out of actions. You couldn't perform another one even if you wanted to! Whether or not you perform other non-action tasks before ending your turn, you are not yet engaged with this enemy. Of course, if both you and this enemy (and/or any other enemies) are still in this space when your next turn rolls around, you will automatically be engaged with them.

Death and the Styx River

Once you've been killed (lost all your HP), have no fear: In D6, death is never the end. Your hero is sent to the Styx River (and there are repercussions), but there's still more game to play. Here's what happens when you go down fighting:

Your turn is over.
Lose all collected hides. (Just your specialty and wild hides, though. You'll keep your bounties—and the glory points that go along with them.)
Lose all Heroic Quest Cards.
Your action marker is placed in (R)est Mode, but you gain no Heroic Quest cards.
The Ferryman returns all your lost HP and drops you off at a random space at the start of your next turn.

GM's Note: Though death is usually a result of losing all your HP, there's one more way to meet your demise: taking one too many hits from a monster from the Poison class. Rather than causing HP loss, a poisonous monster drops a stat by 1. No stat can drop below "3", so if all your stats are a "3" and you're hit by a poisonous monster, you're dead. (This is a rare occurrence, so hopefully this misfortune never befalls you.

Other Considerations

The Role of the GM (Current and Collective)

Up until now, the term "GM" has referred to the current GM—the person to the immediate left of the active player. It's the responsibility of the current GM to draw enemy tokens during the active player's turn and place them on the board. The current GM will also roll the enemy's die when the active player is engaged in combat.

Though the active player's "current GM" has special responsibilities (as mentioned above) all players act as the "collective GM" when the active player is engaged in combat. This means that all players have the ability to buff the monsters with which their opponents are engaged (when they have the cards to do so). (Remember: Players can buff monsters, but not Guardians.)

After the active player has announced their intent to fight a monster (but before they play Advantage cards or roll for combat), the other players, acting as the collective GM, may choose to buff that monster. They may play as many buffs as their hands allow.

After a round of combat—regardless of whether the player or monster is victorious—all collective-GM-added combat buffs are discarded. If the monster is victorious, it will retain any added HP. If it loses the engagement, it will lose one HP. (HP remains on an enemy until it is dealt damage.)

But remember: Because Advantage cards can be bought and played anytime during a player's turn, the player can still improve their weapon or attack roll after the collective GM's buffs are played.

GM Events

After each round, players will roll for a GM event. Events alter gameplay in a variety of ways. Some have positive outcomes, others have negative outcomes, and still others have a variety of possible outcomes depending on the player's choice and/or pure chance. Some events don't greatly impact the flow of the game; others change it dramatically.

Using your preferred method of rolling 1-100 (see below), roll for an event from the Player's Manual. Follow the directions, make any necessary decisions, and move the compass dial—it's time for the next round. After that round is over, repeat the process.

How to Roll for GM Events: There are a number of different methods to roll 1-100. Here's a method you might use, but it's certainly not the method. Feel free to use whatever means you choose; just be sure to decide before you roll for a GM event and that all players agree on the method used.

Use the regular D10 for "0-9" and the D10 percentile die for the "tens." Both the "0" on the regular D10 and the "00" on the D10 percentile equate to "0" except for when you roll both a "0" and a "00." This roll equates to "100." For example:

00 (percentile) + 1 (D10) = 1
20 (percentile) + 4 (D10) = 24
60 (percentile) + 0 (D10) = 60
00 (percentile) + 0 (D10) = 100

GM's Note: In addition to the primary list of 100 events, there are some alternate lists included in the Player's Manual. Use these if you've been playing D6 for a while and have started running into some of the same events or if you'd just like to try something different!

The End of the Game

Once the game is over, all players will tally their glory points. The player with the most glory wins! If there's a tie in glory points, victory goes to the player with the most gold coins. If there's a tie in gold coins, the player with the highest stat total wins.

Part II: Components and Concepts

The Maps

While there are aesthetic and mechanical differences between the two maps (one on each side of the game board), they work similarly.

The Styx River. In addition to the spaces you can travel to and through by traditional means (10 on the standard map and 12 on the advanced), each side features an additional space: the Styx River.

Spaces. There are arrows on the borders of adjoining spaces that clearly define your options for movement.

Environment pieces. There are eight environment pieces in the base game of D6: four dungeon pieces and four terrain pieces (one cemetery piece, one forest piece, one hills piece, and one trails piece). During setup, players will place them in any numbered space they wish, as long as no space contains two or more identical pieces. (For instance, a cemetery and a forest in the same space are fine; two dungeons in the same space are not.)

All monsters except those in the Poison class receive a +1 advantage in a specific type of environment. (Each enemy's token features an icon showing where it gets an environmental advantage.) Guardians receive no environmental advantage.

Compass timer. Each side has a space to set the compass dial. Place either the D6 coin (sold separately) or the punchboard compass dial token inside the compass dial.

The Village

The Village is the closest thing D6 has to a "home base." It's a safe place for hunters: No enemies are allowed in the Village, and no enemies (or other players) may harm you while you're there. It's a place for hunters to turn in their bounties, heal their injuries, and ready themselves to resume their adventures.

Since this is where you'll begin the game, it's beneficial to know what you can do there—as well as what you can't.

What You Can Do in the Village for Free

Empty your pack: As soon as you enter the Village, any bounties in your pack are cashed in for glory points automatically. (Don't forget, though: You can carry no more than three at a time.) Once in your pack, a bounty is locked in your pack and cannot be exchanged for another. (You're still welcome to kill a monster that would otherwise qualify as a bounty, but it won't be added to your pack; it'll be treated just like any other monster.)

Heal: When you lose HP on your adventures, it's placed in the Village. As soon as you re-enter the Village, you'll immediately regain all lost HP.

What You Can Pay to Do in the Village

If you're feeling a bit adventurous, you can drink from the Fountain of You. For the price of one coin, you can roll to raise a stat. If you roll higher than a stat you'd like to raise, you'll change it to the rolled number. If the roll is equal to or lower than any stats you'd like to raise, nothing happens. (You won't lower a stat; you lose nothing but the coin you spent to try your luck.)

GM's Note: A player does not have to declare which stat they're rolling for prior to the stat roll.

Training Camp: Not much of a gambler? You can choose to spend two coins to raise any stat by one.

Refresh Skills: You can refresh your used skill markers at the rate of one coin per skill marker.

What You Can't Do in the Village

You can't be targeted by other players or by enemies.
You can't use skills.

The Class Board

A. Actions: During your turn, you'll have three actions consisting of any combination of moving, gathering, and hunting. When you perform any of these actions, move your action cube down to track your remaining actions. Once you have completed your turn, return the action cube to (R)est.

B. Hero Card: Place it either to the side of your class board or in the slot to the left with the list of actions. When you've been transformed into your hero's chib form, flip your card so that your chib is displayed (the cute little animal on the back).

C. Stats: Before the game, each player uses a D6 to roll for stats. When a number is rolled, it is immediately assigned to a stat by the player. (This is done by placing a corresponding stat tile in the appropriate slot under "STATS" on your class board.) For instance, if a player has not rolled any stats yet and rolls a 6, that 6 must be assigned to one of the four stats before the next roll. Once a roll is assigned to a particular stat, that's where it stays—that is, unless you pay to raise it via Training Camp or the Fountain of You in the Village. Rolling a 1, 2, or 3 results in a 3 for a stat. (The minimum for any stat is a 3.) During setup, players receive one coin for every stat roll of 1-3. Even if that particular stat is bumped up due to a +1 class advantage, you'll still receive a coin, as the actual roll and not the resulting stat is the determining factor. You only receive a coin for a stat of 1-3 during the initial setup of the game. You do not receive a coin if you roll 1-3 during stat checks or any Fountain of You rolls. Each class board has a specific stat that receives a class advantage. When a number is assigned to this stat, the stat will increase by 1 (unless it's already a 6, which is the maximum).

D. Health Points (HP): Place three HP tokens in the recessed slots in the top-center of the class board. When you take a hit during combat, place an HP token in the Village. When your HP is restored (either when returning to the Village or after dying), replace it in the slot(s).

E. Skills: Place three skill markers under the "SKILLS" heading on your Class Board. The number of skills you'll have access to at the beginning of the game is determined by your skill stat (the last stat listed under "STATS").

Skill stat of 3 = Unlock 1 skill marker.
Skill stat of 4 = Unlock 2 skill markers.
Skill stat of 5 = Unlock 3 skill markers.
Skill stat of 6 = Stack skills (two max).

When you want to use a skill, you'll move a skill marker from the unlocked row to the appropriate skill to indicate that the marker has been used.

For instance, if your skill stat is a "4," you'll begin the game with two unlocked skill markers. You'll place two skill markers on the second (unlocked) row in the recessed area under "SKILLS." The other will remain on the top (locked) row. You can refresh your used skill markers while in The Village at the rate of one coin per refresh. (And, as mentioned in "Stats," you can use the Fountain of You or Training Camp while in The Village to increase your Skill stat, thus increasing the number of skills unlocked.)

F. Cash Cube: Your Cash Cube acts as both enforcer and emissary. Cubes can be very helpful, but they don't work for free.

The Gather Board

Though there are slight differences in the gather boards, they aren't class-specific. Just grab the one you want!

Gather Rewards

To start their turn, the active player will roll a D4 for the open gather.

During an open gather, the active player (the player whose turn it is currently) will roll a D4. Each player will collect the reward corresponding to that particular roll. Though the rewards are ordered differently on each gather board, they're all the same. They are:

Two Coins: Collect two coins.
Advantage Card: Collect an Advantage card.
Alchemy: Place a potion bottle. (Or move a potion bottle from one potion space to another if you've changed your mind.) When you've spent a potion during gameplay, place the potion bottle back into one of the recessed potion bottle slots. If both potion bottles are already placed on a potion when Alchemy is rolled again, you may move one of your bottles to another potion if you choose. Only one potion bottle may be on any given potion at a time; they do not stack.
Wild: Choose any one of the other three you'd like!

A personal gather works the same way as an open gather, except it counts as an action for the active player, and thus only the active player reaps the benefits.

Hides

Not every monster you'll have the opportunity to kill will have a bounty on it. Don't worry, though—no monsters are ever slain in vain.

At the bottom of your gather board, there are two sections to place hides from the monsters you've slain.

Wild Hides: When you kill a monster that doesn't fulfill any of your gather board's specialty hide requirements, you'll place its hide in one of the two recessed slots in the "Wild Hides" section.

When both "Wild Hides" slots are filled, you may convert one of the wild hides to any specialty hide you need. (Return the other wild hide to the bag.)

You're now free to collect another pair of wild hides.

Specialty Hides: Each gather board has its own combination of specialty hide requirements.

When you collect a monster's hide that satisfies your gather board's specialty hides requirement (indicated by the icons in the three recessed slots in the "Specialty Hides" section), place its token in one of the slots.

When you've collected all three specialty hides required by your gather board, you're eligible to turn them in to transform any monster into a class of your choice—and that monster's weapon into a D6! (When you're ready to do so, simply return the hides to the bag.) After turning in your specialty hides, you're free to collect another three and repeat the process as desired.

There are two primary reasons you might want to avail yourself of this powerful spell:

It allows you to transform a monster of your choice into a class needed for a bounty.
It gives you the power to make a formidable enemy more vulnerable (and therefore easier to defeat in combat).

You can only transform a monster once you're engaged with it. Once a monster is transformed, it loses ALL "bonuses" (its natural advantage, its environmental advantage, extra HP, GM buffs, etc.) and becomes a basic D6 for its immediate combat roll. It can't be given any bonuses whatsoever in its transformed state.

If the monster wins the combat roll, it will return to its previous form, regaining any and all lost bonuses.

EXAMPLE: If you need a Bandit for a bounty but get a Gnoll (Beast) instead. You can engage with it than transform it into a Bandit class (not specific monster). Once transformed, it is a basic D6 monster class. If killed, you can collect that Bandit bounty or place it in the Bandit hide slot.

Step 1: Hero announces they're engaging with a monster.
Step 2: Other players can buff monsters/play red-bannered cards.
Step 3: Hero can transform the engaged monster.
Step 4: Hero chooses the weapon they will be using.
Step 5: Combat roll is made.
Step 6: Hero buffs can be added. Dogmud can be used.
Step 7: If the hero does not kill the monster, it returns to its previous form (including all added buffs).

Bounties

When you collect a bounty, place it on top of the gather board (in your backpack).

You can't carry more than three bounties at a time. When you've reached your limit, you must drop them off in the Village before collecting more. (Do this by placing them under your gather board, beneath your backpack). You don't have to wait until you've hit your limit; it's certainly permissible to drop off less than three bounties.

If the game ends before you're able to drop off all collected bounties, have no fear: You'll still gain glory points for any bounties left in your backpack.

The Cards

Bounty Cards

The primary way to accumulate glory points in D6 is by collecting bounties. This is where the Bounty cards come in.

Each card has four components:

Story: This is the "why" of the Bounty card. It explains exactly what this creature did to deserve a good killin'. If you're the type of player who likes their games as flavorless as a generic grocery-store pizza, by all means, skip this part. But the rest of you narrative-hungry gamers know how much good storytelling can add to the experience, and you'll want to read it.
Monster Type: This is the "what" of the Bounty card. It tells you what kind of monster you're looking for. There's even a graphic of the monster tokens featuring the baddies from that particular monster class so you'll know which ones to look for.
Glory Points: This is the "how many" of the Bounty card—as in how many glory points the bounty will be worth when you're tallying scores at the end of the game.
Space: This is the "where" of the Bounty card. It tells you which space the monster needs to be in (and thus which space you'll need to be in) for it to qualify as a bounty.

Advantage Cards

It's all in the name with Advantage cards. Each one grants you, the hero, a combat advantage in the form of either a weapon or a hero buff. If it's a weapon, the card will tell you which die to roll and give any special instructions. Ditto on the special instructions if the card is a hero buff.

Dual Wield: A weapon with Dual Wield allows you to use another weapon simultaneously for the purpose of increasing your attack roll. For example, if you have a weapon that's a D8 Dual Wield, you may choose to play it in conjunction with another Advantage weapon. (You would roll both the D8 and the other weapon at the same time; your attack roll would then equal the sum of the two rolls.) Even if you don't have another Advantage weapon, your natural D6 weapon can be used as your secondary weapon with Dual Wield. No more than two weapons can be used at one time for any reason.

GM's Note: When using Dogmud with a Dual Wield weapon, you may reroll only one of your dice.

Ranged: When you're using a ranged weapon, you're close enough to damage your enemy, but far enough away that they can't damage you.

If you roll higher than an enemy while using a ranged weapon, you've hit them and they'll lose one HP, as always. (Unless they have extra buffs, they'll be defeated, as enemies only have one natural HP.)

If an enemy rolls higher than you while you're using a ranged weapon, you take no damage. (It's a swing and a miss.) You lose no HP.

Ranged does not mean you're in a different space than the enemy. You may only engage with enemies whom you're sharing a space.

Critical: "Critical" allows you to double your roll. (You don't roll twice; you roll once and double your roll.)

All cards are one-time use! Once a weapon has been PLAYED (successfully or not), it's discarded. (Even if you use a skill or chib out, that weapon has still been played and cannot be reused.) That's why hero buffs and Dogmud are so important. They keep a weapon active longer, increasing the odds of a successful attack.

Heroic Quest Cards

The Heroic Quest deck contains the most variety of all the decks. Some cards help you; some hurt your opponents. Some cards are played during your turn; others are played during an opponent's turn. The instructions on each card should be fairly straightforward and explicit. Of particular note are the intervention cards, which are fill-in-the-blank cards you'll use to throw a wrench in an opposing player's enemy engagement. Feel free to get as creative as you want with how you fill in those blanks. (It's your time to shine, storytellers!)

GM's Note: The banner at the top of each card is color-coded. If it's green, it means the card is played during your turn. If it's red, it means the card is played during an opponent's turn.

Card icons: a weapon icon means "Play BEFORE you roll!" (this is what you'll be rolling); a shield icon means "Play AFTER you roll!!" (this is what to play to improve your roll); a red-bannered card is played specifically to stick it to another player; a green-bannered card is played to help yourself or a teammate.

Part III: Other Game Modes

Solo & Co-op

In the solo and cooperative (co-op) versions of D6—known collectively as Hide Collection mode—glory points don't come into play at all. In this mode, the primary objective is to collect hides. Bounty collection will extend the time available to complete your objective.

GM's Note: Except where noted below, the rules for the solo and cooperative modes are the same. Though there are notable ways that solo and cooperative modes differ from the standard version of D6, many of the rules are the same. If a topic isn't addressed in the solo/cooperative ruleset, players should assume the standard rules apply.

Hide Collection

To be successful, you must collect a hide of each monster type. With five monster classes and three monsters within each class, there are a total of 15 different monsters.

Before the game starts, pick eight bounties at random from the Bounty deck. These are the only bounties available during the course of the game.

Monsters killed can be applied to one and only one of each of the following: bounties, hide collection, or wild hides.

Winning and Losing

You'll begin the game with a total of four turns. (In co-op, players will alternate turns but still move the compass dial forward at the end of each turn.)

Returning your bounties to the Village allows you to move the max turn counter, which increases the number of turns available to achieve your objective. Each bounty returned to the Village allows you to move the counter once. Collecting a bounty by killing a monster isn't enough to move the counter; you MUST return the bounty to the Village to gain an extra turn. If you run out of turns before collecting all necessary monsters, the game is over. If you collect all necessary monsters before running out of turns, victory is yours!

Setup

Gather Board: If you're playing the solo version, it's very important that you use only the gather board marked with the red dot. (It's on the top of the board, to the right of the GATHER BOARD title.) In co-op mode, each player is free to use the gather board of their choice.

Hide Collection Board: When playing the solo version, place the companion token of your choice into the recessed slot in the companion carrier. Companions are not used in the co-op version.

Place three skill markers from another class on the section of the board that reads "Heroic Benefits." (Don't place them into the recessed slots; you'll use these later.)

Insert the compass dial in the hole on the board. Place either the D6 coin or the punchboard compass dial token inside the compass dial. Point the dial at "1." (In the standard game, the compass dial keeps up with which round you're on; in the solo/co-op games, it keeps up with which turn you're on.)

Place the red action marker in the "4" slot. The action marker acts as your max turn counter and goes up one spot for every bounty you return to the Village.

GM's Note: The max turn counter (the red action cube) helps you keep up with the maximum number of turns you have to win the game. The compass dial helps you keep up with which turn you're currently on.

GM's Note: Setup for the remaining boards is identical to that of the standard game.

Spawn/Gather: Spawn four enemies at the beginning of the game.

At the beginning of each turn, spawn and gather. (In solo mode, spawn two enemies and gather twice. In co-op, spawn one enemy and perform one open gather.)

Just as in the standard game, an enemy will be spawned each time a bounty is collected.

Heroic Quest Deck Replacement: The Heroic Quest deck is completely removed from the solo and co-op versions. In its place is a section on the Hide Collection board called Heroic Benefits. (Items 1-8 will be available in solo mode; all 10 items will be available in co-op mode.) At the end of each turn, rather than drawing two Heroic Quest cards, you'll roll a die (the D8 for solo and the D10 for co-op) to determine which item you'll receive.

Skill markers will be used to indicate the items you've chosen. You may hold items as long as you want, but when you run out of markers to place, you either:

gain nothing from future rolls, or
must choose to assign one of your markers to a new item, losing the previous item.

Special Enemies: The kraken and all dragons are worth any one hide on the Hide Collection board. These enemies' tokens must be placed in the chosen space immediately. (Sorry—you can't wait until the end to see what you still need!) Plants of Eden aren't used for hide collection, wild hides, specialty hides, or bounties. They're strictly nuisances that must be dealt with. (They're still good for two coins, though, so exterminate the suckers!)

Specialty Hides: Specialty hides work similarly to how they do in the standard game, except rather than transforming a monster into a class of your choice, you're transforming it into a specific monster of your choice.

Players have two options with how to approach this. Which one you choose is completely up to you and your fellow players. (Just make sure you reach an agreement before the game starts!)

Standard Option: Once you've exchanged your hides to transform a monster into a specific monster of your choice, that monster will, according to the standard specialty hides rule, now employ a D6 weapon for one round of combat.
Advanced Option: Once you've exchanged your hides to transform a monster into a specific monster of your choice, it will become that monster in every respect, including using the same weapon that monster would normally use.

In either case, if you transform an enemy into a monster that would normally receive an environmental advantage in the space it's in, it will not receive that advantage.

Companions: Behaving much like Cash Cubes in the standard game, companions provide a helping hand to heroes in the solo version of D6. (There are no Cash Cubes in solo or co-op play.)

Your companion replaces the Advantage card reward in all gather rolls. (Remember to use the gather board with the red dot at the top during solo play!)

GM's Note: During the rest of the game, Advantage cards are still in play. They're purchased and utilized just as in the standard game.

There are a total of four companions, and each one offers a specific combat advantage. Some advantages are applied only in certain environments; others are unaffected by environment. In any case, any potential advantage is activated only when your companion is sharing a space with your hero.

Choose wisely which companion you'd like to take with you on your adventure. You only get one, and you'll keep it for the duration of the game.

The Bird: The Bird allows you to roll an additional D4 in combat—but only if you're using your D6. (It doesn't offer assistance during combat if you're using any other weapon.)
The Kitteh: The Kitteh gives +1 to your combat roll.
The Crustacean: The Crustacean gives +2 to your combat roll while in any space containing a dungeon. (It doesn't offer assistance during combat in any space not containing a dungeon.)
The Wasteland Wisp: The Wasteland Wisp gives +2 to your combat roll while in any space containing a terrain: forest, trails, cemetery, or hills.

GM's Note: The Wasteland Wisp's ability does stack. You'll get +2 to your roll for each type of terrain that's in the space you're sharing with the Wisp. For instance, if you're in a space containing a forest, trails, and hills, you would get +6 to your combat roll.

When you roll a "1" in a gather, you'll do one of three things depending on your companion's location:

If it's in its companion carrier, deploy it to your space on the map.
If it's already in your space on the map, gain two coins.
If it's anywhere else on the map, you have the option of moving it to your space.

The act of spending an action (moving the action marker) allows your companion to move one space. (Doing so is an option, not a requirement.) If you use rent-a-horse, your companion still only moves one space.

GM's Note: Since Grapejib Juice allows you to spend one extra action, it also gives your companion one more opportunity for movement.

You may Hero Swap with your companion. If you lose HP while your companion is in the same space as you, it will be recalled to its companion carrier. (If it's not in the same space, it will be unaffected.)

Alliance

Alliance is a four-person team-play mode (2v2) of D6. Though the game works very similarly to the standard version, there are a few differences.

Seating Order Matters

Teammates should sit across from one another. (The next player to act will serve as the active player's GM, and a player may not serve as their teammate's GM.)

The Alliance Deck

While a player draws two Heroic Quest cards during their (R)est phase, their teammate will draw two Alliance cards.

Some Alliance cards will help your team; others will hurt the opposing team.

All Alliance cards have red banners at the top and are therefore played out of turn. You'll never play an Alliance card during your turn.

If for some reason a player is ineligible to draw Heroic Quest cards at the end of their turn, their partner is ineligible to draw Alliance cards then, as well.

If two teammates are sharing the same space, either may give Advantage cards and/or gold to the other during either of their turns.

GM's Note: It's at the players' discretion whether or not teammates may share knowledge of their cards with one another. (We've tried it both ways!) Just be sure to come to a consensus before the game starts!

Part IV: Expansion and Homebrews

The D6 Expansion: It Takes a Village

If you have the D6 expansion, congratulations! It provides even more playability to a game that has oodles to begin with, and there are some nifty additions that upgrade the "playset" feel of the game. If you don't have the expansion...what are you waiting for?

By and large, the expansion components are fairly self-explanatory. Their usage dovetails nicely into what you already know about the game, and there's no need to go into too much detail. That said, there are a few things it wouldn't hurt to mention.

Environment Miniatures

There are 16 additional environment miniatures in all (eight dungeons and two each of the forest, cemetery, hills, and trails). Feel free to add these to the game board in various degrees and/or combinations to level up the difficulty of your homebrews.

Class Boards and Class Miniatures

The expansion provides three new classes (Bard, Cleric, and Werewolf) to choose from when playing the game. Each class comes with its own class board, class miniature, potion bottles, skill markers, and Cash Cube token. Just as with the classes in the base game, each expansion class has skills unique to it.

It's important to note that the Werewolf class behaves differently than all the rest under certain circumstances:

With all other classes, any hero card can be used on any class board. When playing with the Werewolf class board, however, you'll need to use a Werewolf hero with the Werewolf class board, as the Werewolves chib differently.
In its chib form, the Werewolf uses a D8. (Chibbing is actually what transforms the werewolf into its wolf form.) This gives it an edge in combat but serves as a disadvantage when it comes to stat checks. Plan your strategy accordingly!
While in its chib form, a Werewolf may not enter the Village. (But when it's a "normal" hero, it's perfectly fine.)
While in its chib form, a Werewolf may not play any weapon cards from the Advantage deck. It may use them when not in chib form, however, and it may use buff cards from the Advantage deck whether or not it's in chib form.

Card Carts, Fountain of You, and Coin Tray

These components don't do anything to alter the mechanics of D6, but they sure do give the game an upgrade!

Card Carts: Place the Advantage deck in one cart, the Heroic Quest deck in another, and the Bounty decks in another. The carts are designed to accommodate both sleeved and unsleeved decks.
Fountain of You: Place your stat tiles in here.
Coin Tray: Place your gold coins here. (If you don't mind mixing your coins, this is a convenient place to hold your HP/buff coins, too.)

Curse Castle Standees

Before we go into more detail about how to use them, it's important to note a few things about the curse castles:

Playing with them is completely optional.
They're placed before the game. (Deploy them when you deploy the environment pieces.)
They can be placed in any space except the Village.
Despite their name, the accompanying mechanics for the curse castles don't necessarily have to be bad. If it's helpful, feel free to think of them as "attribute structures." (If you think that sounds ridiculous, now you understand why we went with "curse castles.")

The curse castles provide yet another way for players to customize their D6 experience. Whether you're looking to increase the difficulty level or just spice up the gameplay a bit, the curse castles are just the ticket. How you use them is up to you. Want to use just one and roll to see who places it? Go for it. Want to let each player place one and decide how it works? Sounds great!

Suggestions

From the start, D6 was designed to have oodles of replayability. It was always intended to have plenty of flexibility so players could make it their own. (A game inspired by RPGs is ripe for homebrews, after all.)

Below, we've included some ideas to help get you started. Feel free to use them, mash them up, or—better yet—come up with your own homebrews. (And be sure to drop us a line to let us know how it worked out. Who knows—we may even give them a try ourselves!)

GM's Note: We're not responsible for any game breakage due to your creativity. If you're smart enough to cause a problem, you're smart enough to solve it!

Creature Quota. No space may hold more than three enemies. If an enemy is spawned in a space already containing three other enemies, select the next consecutive numerical space (1 through 10, looping back to 1, and ignoring the Village) and place the enemy there. Follow this rule until a valid space is found for it to spawn.

GM's Note: This was actually the original enemy spawn rule. Though it was eventually changed, it's still a fun twist to add to the game.

Mercenary Cube. Pay four gold to turn someone's Cash Cube against them.

Uneventful. Play without GM events.

Funeventful. Play with multiple GM events per round.

Overzealous Hunters' Moon. The Hunters' Moon applies to all enemies.

Handcuff the Guardians. Before the game begins, remove one or more of the Guardians from the enemy token bag. (If you're playing D6, you probably enjoy a challenge. But knowing you're not going to run up against all the dragons can be enjoyable, too.)

Quiet Space. Once you've performed a stealth check in an enemy-occupied space, stay stealthy until you've left the space, regardless of the number of actions you perform while in that space. (Once you've left the space, though, you'll have to do another stealth check if you'd like to keep from engaging any remaining enemies.)

Melee Mode. Every now and then, slaughtering monsters and Guardians just doesn't provide enough carnage. In melee mode, bloodthirsty heroes may engage in combat with one another while in the same space. This doesn't replace traditional combat against enemies; it's in addition to it.

After a round of combat, the losing player is transported to a random space on the board.

Incorporating the Curse Castles. Use a curse castle to mark where each of the following will occur:

"Curse of Endless Echoes" - Anytime a player is rolling for stealth in that space, they must add +1 to their roll.
"Gift to the Gods" - Players add a gold coin to any others earned in this space. (Instead of a monster hide earning two coins, you'll get three.)
"Buff the Beastie" - All beasts receive +1 to combat rolls in this space.

Part V: Quick-Start Guide

Setup

Select a hero class.
Select a hero.
Place three HP tokens in the slots at the top of the board.
Roll for stats. Place stat tiles with corresponding numbers (accounting for your hero class's natural advantage).
Place three skill markers in the locked section under "Skills".
Place two potion bottles in the recessed slots on your gather board.
Shuffle the Advantage, Heroic Quest, and Bounty decks.
All players draw one Advantage card.
All players draw one Heroic Quest card.
Flip over the top three Bounty cards (for communal use).
Place all eight environment pieces on the game board.
Randomly spawn enemies on the game board (two per player).

Taking a Turn

Spawn: Roll the D10 and place a random enemy in the corresponding space.

Open Gather: Roll the D4 and gather the corresponding reward on your gather board. During an open gather, all other players will gather the reward that corresponds to their gather board, as well.

Actions: You are allowed up to three actions per turn. Hunting, gathering, and movement are the only tasks that qualify as actions, and you may perform them in any combination.

Combat

Announce to the table that you're engaging an enemy.
At this time, the other players, acting collectively as the GM, have the option of playing any cards that can affect your combat with the enemy.
Once all players have had a chance to play a card against you, you may play any weapon cards at your disposal. (These can change the die/dice you roll for your hero.)
You roll your hero's die/dice, and the acting GM rolls the enemy's die.
You may now use any Advantage cards necessary to alter your hero.

If you are about to lose a fight, you have several tools at your disposal, including potions, skills, and the ability to "chib out." To chib out, flip your hero card, move to an adjacent space, and trade your weapon (your natural D6) for your chib's corresponding weapon. (To revert to your heroic form, you must first gather an Acupunch potion.)

Resolution

After all buffs and cards have been played, tally your combat roll and enemy's combat roll. Whoever has the higher rolls wins the fight, and whoever has the lower role loses. Your strength stat determines whether you win ties.

Victory: Collect two coins (unless you were fighting a Cash Cube) and place the bounty, hide, or token in the appropriate location—either the gather board, the backpack, beside the backpack, or inside the bag.

Loss: Lose one HP and try again. There's an exception to this rule: If you lose combat with a monster in the poison class, you don't lose HP. Instead, you must drop a stat of your choice by one.

Death: Move your hero to the Styx River and end your turn. At the start of your next turn, retrieve all lost HP and roll the D10 (or D12 if you're playing the advanced map) to drop your hero in a random space.

End of Turn (Rest): Once all actions have been successfully completed, the player places the action tracker back to (R)est and draws two Heroic Quest Cards.

End of Round: Using a D10/D100 percentile die combo (or your preferred way of rolling 1-100), roll for a GM event from the Player's Manual. Follow the directions, make any necessary decisions, and move the compass dial.

Addenda

Stacking Skills

Normally skills may be used at a ratio of one marker to one skill; you must then refresh that skill to be able to reuse it. However, if you have a skill stat of "6," you have the ability to "stack" skills, meaning you can use a skill one (and only one) additional time before having to refresh it. Simply move a second skill marker from the "unlocked" row to the skill you'd like to stack (next to the marker already placed there).

Village Signs (Additional Information)

DOGMUD (the greatest drink the Dogmud Tavern offers). In the event of a bad roll, you can purchase a reroll by spending two gold coins. You can reroll any one of YOUR DICE during your turn. (You may repeat this as necessary, funds permitting.)

HOLY WATER. For two gold coins, you can purchase holy water when engaged with an Undead monster. This will turn your natural D6 into a D12 for one combat roll. (You may repeat this as necessary, funds permitting.)

RENT A HORSE. When spending an action on movement, you can move one additional space for the cost of one gold coin. (Limit one rental per action.)

CASH CUBE. During your turn, you can purchase your Cash Cube for two coins and place it in any NUMBERED space on the board. (So...not the Village.) If there are multiple enemies in a space, a Cash Cube will always take precedence. (You must engage with it first.) In Alliance mode (2v2), your Cash Cube will not attack your teammate.