Hello there! After quite some time, I’m finally able to really unveil my TTRPG system project: Double Six!
What is it?
Double Six is a TTRPG system I’ve been slowly working on since June 2021. You ever just make so much homebrew for a game/world that your brain just asks “Why don’t you just make your own system? Why be bound to someone else’s rules?” In some ways, it's an homage to the systems I’ve played. Others, it's new things I’ve come up with. What I hope you will find it to be is fun!
How it works
While it functions similarly to a d20 system, Double Six is a 2d6 based one! Your rolls to do things will involve rolling two six sided dice. Your Crit Fails are on double ones (“Snake Eyes”), and your Crit successes are the namesake of the system - double sixes! Some rolls may even just check your roll for evens vs odds. In fact, the entire system runs off d6s! This isn’t to say you can’t bring your other dice for fun (we love dice, too!) but the premise of Double Six is this: you need only a pair of six siders, a way to track your character, and your imagination.
Where we’re at currently
At this point in time, I’m closing in on the second and final of what I dub a “Chassis Test”, or pre-alpha. Essentially a private test to ensure things (still) work as I envision following the year or so I took off to learn and absorb new systems, following my departure from the D&D scene. (Mainly Pathfinder 2e!)
While it will still be a while after that, the Alpha would follow! (Aiming for later 2025)
Terms & Stats
Expertise
Starting at 2 and increasing every odd rank thereafter (3, 5, 7, 9). Works as proof of your proficiency, as well as Double Six’s scaling mechanic alongside Rank.
Vitality Points
The measure of your body’s ability to recover, equal to your Stamina and half your Job HP scores. Provides you with your Healing Dice (HD) when recovering during a rest. Also used to track death and death-like effects. Also used to power most healing spells. You can spend them at rest to recover HP, use them when hit with a healing spell to recover HP, etc.
Game Guide
Known as a Game or Dungeon Master in other systems, the Game Guide is, well, your guide to the world within your imaginations! Game Guides set up and adjudicate sessions, overseeing the game as well as being the “player” behind NPCs, antagonists and other assorted creatures!
The Seven Attributes
These all start at one during creation, with one exception. Stats otherwise range from 1 to 6.
Might (MGT) - Measure of your personal strength and destructive capacity. Often influences many skills, and almost all damage rolls in Double Six. Synonymous with Strength on other TTRPG systems.
Agility (AGI) - “A TEST OF YOUR-” ahem. Agility is the measure of your coordination, and swiftness of (re)action. Synonymous with Dexterity in other TTRPG systems.
Stamina (STA) - Your personal staying power, Stamina represents wellness and perseverance of the body. It influences an array of things from skills to HP growth to all-important Vitality Points. Synonymous with Constitution in other TTRPG systems.
Wit (WIT) - Your raw IQ, or smarts. Often tied to decision making and puzzles. Synonymous with Intelligence in other TTRPG systems.
Judgment (JDG) - Whereas Wit is your brilliance and intellect, Judgment is your ability to make good decisions, and the like. Street smarts, if you will. Synonymous with Wisdom in other TTRPG systems.
Presence (PRE) - Personal magnetism. The ability to relate to others. Coming off as slick or endearing. That certain je ne sais quoi. That’s your Presence. Synonymous with Charisma in other TTRPG systems.
Magic (MAG) - The only Attribute in this game that can be zero! (Indicating a Mundane character) Magic is the measure of your mastery and aptitude over all things magic, influencing MP growth, spell damage, and may have some other uses as well…
Dynamics
Got a problem? Use your Dynamics! Intended to fuel acted/described actions, dynamics serve a variety of purposes! (That will probably get its own section!) All players are allocated 3 Dynamics points (5 for Lucky characters!) that refresh on a long rest. They’ll allow you a variety of things, chief among which will be re-rolling a check. But, they’ll have… other uses as well. Stay tuned!
Renown is how well you are known, and can often influence others. In Double Six, your Renown, along with Reputation's Tags, fill what would be Alignment in some other TTRPGs.
Reputation is a series of behavioral terms/tags your character earns throughout their adventures that loosely define their actions and motivations. These are handed out by the Game Guide, and a list can be found in Chapter 12: Game Guide’s Workshop. What kind of adventurer will you be?
Movement encompasses the rate at which all beings can move. Squares in a Double Six map are 2 meters each. Movement is sub defined by method.
Critical Hits occur on a “Double Six”, being two sixes. Ultimately, this increases your success level by 1. Note that beating any check by 6 or more will also increase your success level by 1! (Critical Failure -> Failure -> Success -> Critical Success) In and of itself, a Crit will double your damage.
Fumble(s) happen on double 1s AKA “Snake Eyes”. If this is an attack, it automatically misses. Fumbles also occur if you miss a check by 6 or more, being the mirror of Critical Hits.
Goals
I started this project to maybe see if I could make my own system and have it be a place where my own homebrew and ideas could flourish. With all that has transpired in the community since 2023, however, I hope it can become part of the growing systems in the hobby, perhaps giving rise to more new ideas!
A system that in theory, is reasonably approachable, while still having a satisfying level of play and fun. Thank you for listening, and I hope you’ll be a part of this journey!
NEXT TIME: The Forging of Heroes! Creating characters in Double Six!
Ismene was no longer restrained, but she knew she wasn’t free to leave the camp. If she left, humans would no doubt find her and she’d be punished for trespassing. If she stayed, she knew Oz and Belinay had no intention of keeping their promises to Russ about her safety. But she was safe for now, so Ismene brooded in the far end of the church’s remains, counting and recounting her supplies she had been ordered to bring along with some other herbs she was able to pack. Vaiko, or rather Silence, had forced her at dagger-point to make as much Ether as her supplies back home allowed. Russ had given up on trying to reason with her, only giving her hurt expressions anytime they happened to look in each other's directions. As much as she was still mad with Russ, Ismene held out hope that he’d see the truth and they could do something to avoid whatever fate Belinay and Oz had planned.
“You’re as stubborn as your Nana.”
Ismene looked up from her bag and saw Kallisto slithering towards her. She glared at her fellow Naga and told her to piss off.
“Look, as your cousin-“ Kallisto began to say.
“Second cousin,” Ismene corrected tersely. “And don’t go throwing around the fact we’re family like it’s gonna persuade me more than Russ’s piss-poor attempts to help me ‘see reason’… You’re all fucking idiots. You really believe Oz is gonna summon Lavos and rid the world of humans?”
“At least I have faith,” Kallisto replied defensively. “You keep up this attitude, you’ll end up alongside the humans.”
“Faith didn’t save your father or my parents…” Ismene muttered. “... Look, I’ll keep my mouth shut around Oz and Belinay but don’t expect me to be a believer given what happened.”
Kallisto sighed, “I know it’s hard to believe, but-”
“Shut up! None of you are going to convince me until I see it happen, okay?” Ismene hissed. “You know what I have faith in? That this whole thing is going to get fucked sideways just like last time our kind tried to do anything. The humans always win, somehow, someway. They always do.”
Kallisto frowned. She took her frozen flame pendant off and forced it into Ismene’s hands. “I won’t tell the Elder or Nocturna about what you just said, but just... for Russ’s sake and your own, try to have faith in this. Faith is what got me through losing my dad. I’m only saying this because we’re family. If I didn’t care about you, I wouldn’t be trying to talk to you about this.”
Ismene scoffed. “You’ve had years to try and persuade me, Kalli. It’s like Nana always said… Show me, don’t tell me.”
Kallisto let out a soft, half-hearted chuckle. She was about to say something when she and Ismene heard Belinay call for her. Kallisto knew Belinay well enough that she needed to go and see what was needed of her. Turning to leave, Kallisto looked back at Ismene and said, “Just think about it, okay?”
Ismene shrugged and nodded apathetically. Once she was alone, she stared at the pendant in her hands. The twisted shape of the red-orange ombre stone reminded her of a candlelight. Vaguely, she recalled her father wearing something like it once. It was the faintest memory, second only to what her parents’ faces looked like. She let out a sigh. Faith was something she couldn’t find in herself.
~o~O~o~
Russ knew he had a terrible plan, but it was better than no plan at all. After attempting to move Nox’s body and failing, Russ decided to take Janus back to camp as a hostage. He gathered up Nox’s baton and shackles, threw some fallen branches onto Nox’s body and set to work on his half-baked plan. Using his overcoat as a blindfold to cover Janus’s face, he forced Janus to his feet. Then he picked up Nox’s unloaded crossbow and pushed it against Janus’s back, ordering him to walk forward into the forest. If they could make it back without getting caught, Bel and the others would have a better idea of what to do with Janus.
As he stumbled forward, Janus’s thoughts went to hoping Lucca would come home soon, figure out what happened and rescue him. Then he would do whatever it took to get Zarya back. Survive. Escape. Warn the others. Get Zarya back. That is what he kept telling himself over and over.
“Can’t you walk any faster?” Russ muttered after several minutes of pushing Janus along. It frustrated Russ that Janus was stumbling so much and taking short steps for someone so tall.
Janus shook his head no. It wasn’t out of any defiance as much as he wanted to fight back against this Mystic. He genuinely had trouble walking as breathing was a struggle, his head throbbed and he felt dizzy. It certainly didn’t help that he couldn’t see where they were going. At least with the damned cloth over his head, Janus didn’t have to deal with the bright morning light.
“C-can’t b-breathe,” Janus wheezed quietly, unsure if he could be heard. “Walk-walking’s h-hard, t-too…“
Russ huffed and moved the overcoat so it was no longer covering Janus’s mouth. He asked tersely, “Better?”
Janus refused to respond, even if it was easier to breathe without his mouth being covered. Did this Mystic expect a thank you or something? He heard the Mystic mutter a sarcastic ‘you’re welcome’ before they resumed going forward. The two continued to walk in relative silence, although Janus could hear his captor cursing quietly to himself, chastising himself for the current situation. While it was hard to think clearly at the moment, Janus was in a similar mood, angry with himself for failing to keep Zarya safe and for losing a fight to this cowardly Mystic.
It was impossible for Janus to be sure how long they had been walking. He could feel his magic hadn’t recovered yet, but his headache was fading, a sign that his medicine had kicked in to ease those symptoms. Still angry, he decided to demand answers from his captor if only to keep his mind present on the situation.
“Why… d-didn’t you… ki-kill me?” Janus asked bluntly, struggling to get each word out as Russ pushed him forward. His voice was hoarse and he wasn’t sure if he could be heard.
A valid question but one that Russ didn’t want to dignify with an answer. Continuing to push Janus, Russ kept silent.
Janus took a deep breath and slowly asked, his voice barely above a whisper, “What… did… you do… to my… d-daughter?”
He found himself suddenly grabbed, pulled backwards, and turned around with such force he almost fell over.
“I already told you, I didn’t do anything to her!” shouted Russ. “Whatever happened to her wasn’t my fault! Stop accusing me of something I didn’t do, human!”
Janus scoffed softly. “B-Bullshit.”
“Listen here-” Russ began when a familiar voice called out from ahead.
“Holy Lavos, you suck at sneaking. I heard you stomping and shouting from the path.”
Russ looked up to see Kallisto slither out of unnatural shadows. Kallisto looked at him then at his captive. Her eyes went wide and she said, “What the fuck happened, Russ? Where’s Nox?”
Janus took the opportunity to try and fidget in his shackles, finding out quickly that they were rather secure and there was no getting out of them to escape while Russ was distracted by their companion who was berating them for not following orders and for leaving Nox’s body behind, demanding to know what they were thinking.
“You want to go back and drag his corpse through the forest? He weighs a ton,” Russ snapped. “I figured taking the human hostage now was a better idea.”
“It’s a risky and stupid idea, why isn’t he gagged? He could’ve shouted for help this whole fucking time,” Kallisto hissed.
Janus coughed and wheezed quietly, “You-You are lucky t-talking is h-hard f-for me r-right n-now… or-or I would be.”
“Shut up,” Kallisto snapped.
Janus quickly found himself gagged, still able to breath but unable to talk. He strained to listen as this newcomer quietly berated this ‘Russ’ further before he was turned around and pushed forward, ordered to keep walking.
“Lucca has to be home by now”, Janus thought to himself. “She’ll know something is amiss before these Mystics can act… I just need to bide my time.”
~o~O~o~
Russ practically held his breath as he and Kallisto entered the camp with Janus. Belinay wasted no time walking over to them. She looked at Janus, tilting her head slightly before turning her gaze towards Russ. The camp was silent as all eyes were upon them, waiting for Belinay’s reaction.
“Russ, dear… You and Nox had the simplest of tasks,” Belinay said with an eerie calm to her voice. “How exactly, pray tell, did this go wrong?”
“I-We were spying on the house like you asked,” Russ explained. “But…”
“But?”
Russ had spent the whole trip thinking of what he was going to say to Belinay, even before Kallisto had shown up and told him that she was sent to see what had happened after he and Nox were late to return. He stood firmly and told his story. Things had been going fine until the Ashtear’s child had somehow seen them. Russ suggested that perhaps she shared her father’s ability. He claimed the girl used some unknown magic but it backfired and she vanished into some sort of rift. That was when Janus saw them and attacked. Russ said he tried to get his shield up to protect them both but the bolt of lightning summoned by Janus must have bounced off his shield and hit Nox. It was luck that Janus faltered in his magic and that he was able to stun and capture the human for them.
“I’m sorry, but after that… I wasn’t sure what to do,” Russ admitted, perhaps the only thing truthful to his story. “So, I blindfolded him and thought I should bring him back… I mean, you mentioned using him as a sacrifice, right?”
“You could have ruined everything,” Oz snapped.
“Now, now Oz,” Belinay tutted. “As brash as his decision was, I agree with Russ. With Janus Ashtear as a hostage, the other humans will hesitate to harm us.”
“What about the original plan?” Oz grumbled.
Belinay turned to Oz and said, “We can still stick to that with the added bonus of showing up with Ashtear in tow. Think of the looks on their faces when we force their surrender, Oz.”
Oz smiled slightly. The idea that they could hold that kind of power over the king and queen of Guardia was admittedly appealing.
“Fine, but get him into the ruins and out of sight for now,” Oz said.
Janus felt himself taken by the arm and dragged forward and up some stone steps. After several more steps forward, Janus was pushed down to his knees. He felt a soft rope wrap tightly around him, preventing him from standing up.
The overcoat over his eyes was ripped away and Janus found himself tied up to a stone column in some crumbling stone ruins. A masked Kotengu and a masked Gargoyle stood before him. The Kotengu handed the overcoat to the Gargoyle, telling them to return the item to Russ.
“I’ll have a word with our guest alone,” she added. “Please do something about Nox before the humans find him. And one more thing…”
The Kotengu whispered something to the Gargoyle who nodded and left. The Kotengu turned her attention back to Janus. Janus guessed from her voice that the Kotengu was Belinay, the Mystic who had scolded Russ for bringing him here.
“Janus Ashtear…. It’s been some time since you ruined my last mission and caused the deaths of two of my agents,” she said coldly, tapping the baton at her side.
His vision was a bit blurry, but Janus looked at the baton in her hand and the shackles slung on her belt. They both looked familiar with their dark metal finish and black bird emblems. It was at that moment, Janus realized what the baton and shackles were. Now his sudden loss of magic and inability to regain it made sense. Somehow, someway, Zeal technology had survived to this era and it was the very technology that Dalton’s security forces had wielded to temporarily seal a user’s magic. If his throat wasn’t so tight and he wasn’t so exhausted, Janus would have asked Belinay how she got the baton and shackles.
“Why don’t you make yourself comfortable while we prepare to visit your friends,” Belinay said, turning to leave. “Soon you will bear witness to humanity’s end and I want you alive for it.”
~o~O~o~
Lucca would have been home sooner from the market if she hadn’t ran into her parents there. It was nice to catch up with them and she promised them that she and her family would visit soon. Arriving home, Lucca entered the house and immediately noticed the odd silence and the open side door to the garden. Something didn’t feel right. As she put away the groceries, Lucca called out to Janus and Zarya. Getting no answer, she hurried through the house, checking every room and calling out louder and louder, more and more worried. She knew something was wrong. Janus would never have left for the castle on his day off without leaving a note. She ran out into the garden and yelled for Janus and Zarya.
Except no sound came out. It took Lucca a second to register it but the world had lost all sound. Then she felt a painful jolt in her back and fell down, losing her glasses in the process. Her body felt like she was running a fever and she couldn’t move. As she felt her arms being pulled behind her, Lucca looked back over her shoulder to see the blurry view of a masked Gargoyle wordlessly shackling her.
The Gargoyle picked up Lucca’s glasses and pocketed them before forcing her to her feet. The world continued to be unnaturally silent as Lucca was forced forward into the forest. A few steps into the forest, Lucca found herself blindfolded and pushed forward onto an unknown path. Eventually the silence was replaced by the sound of footsteps and twigs snapping. Lucca could hear murmured conversations nearby. She tried to speak to ask who her captor was and what was going on, but her voice still failed her.
“Excellent work, Silence,” praised a new voice. “And Nox?”
“Dead as Russ declared, his body has been dealt with and I retrieved his flame.”
“Let’s reunite these two and prepare to replace the guards,” said the newcomer.
Lucca felt herself being pulled forward and up stone steps. After several more steps she was pushed and forced to her knees before being tied up against something made of stone. She could hear muffled, frantic sounds nearby.
The voice from before smirked. “Relax, she’s unharmed… Why don’t you have a nice little chat while we prepare for your friends? It’s not like they can hear you from here and if you get too annoying, I’ll have Silence work their magic.”
Lucca found her blindfold ripped off. Through blurry vision, she saw a Kotengu walking away towards someone more in focus, but the Mystic blocked her view. A voice gasped and coughed as the Mystic did something to them. She could hear the Mystic make a threat towards the other captive before they stood up and walked away towards a masked Gargoyle some distance away who snapped their clawed finger. Both Mystics left and Lucca’s eyes went wide as she realized Janus was tied to a stone column across from her.
“Janus? Where’s Zarya? What happened?” She asked frantically. Her mind was racing. She didn’t see their daughter in the ruins of wherever they were being held captive.
Tears welled up in Janus’s eyes as he spoke, his voice hoarse from the magically-induced asthma he was enduring. Through wheezing breaths and very few words, he told Lucca of the red Gate and how Zarya fell into it. He told her about how a Mystic drained his magic and captured him. He whispered an apology.
Lucca wanted to look on the bright side of things, Zarya wasn’t captured but knowing that she was lost in time did nothing to comfort her. Had she ended up somewhere safe? How were they going to escape to tell Crono and the others what happened? Lucca had not felt this hopeless in decades, not since the day she and Marle lost Crono in the Ocean Palace. Still, she forced a weak smile and promised Janus they would find a way to get out of this and get their daughter back. Somehow, some way, they would get Zarya back and stop whatever the Mystics had planned.
Can Kamala Harris win? Does she really stand a chance? I’m so scared for my American friends, their families and every kind, decent human being who resides there.
She has a motherfucking chance because we are going to GIVE her a motherfucking chance.
No more talking about how "of course" the country won't elect a black woman (they also thought that with Obama in 2008). No more dooming. We can destroy the fucking billionaire donors as soon as the election is over. We can do everything else as soon as we have time to do it because we are not being fucked in the ass by Trump and his despicable orange fascists.
We are going to rally the fuck behind Kamala Harris and we are going to do it now. We are going to support whichever VP she chooses. We are going to be on the fucking lookout for any Purity Police whining about how Kamala isn't good enough either. We are going to keep our eyes fucking open for the Russian interference that frankly, I suspect, contributed heavily to this in the first place. We are going to learn our fucking lesson from 2016 and not whine about Third Party Protest Votes. We are going to pull together and quit fucking whining. Now Biden is out. You don't have to cOnDeSceNd yourself to voting for him. You are going to fucking help us get Kamala in office so fucking help us God. Then we can deal with the rest of it later. It is that simple.
#you wanted the party to listen? it did#you wanted a powerful man to willingly give up that power for the sake of the country and the people he swore to serve? he DID#now it's time to roll up our sleeves and convert an astonishing opportunity into a historic accomplishment (via @unstatedmartini)
“She has a chance because we are going to give her a motherfucking chance” is probably one of the stronger motivating statements I’ve seen…for years, really.
From a numbers perspective, the way Democrats (both official endorsements and regular voters) have immediately LINED UP behind Harris is something we haven’t seen since Obama and I’m honestly not sure it was this strong then (the Obama/Clinton primary competition was fierce). ActBlue (the Democrats’ political fundraising platform) raised $63 MILLION in one day yesterday, which is a record for any political fundraising ever. On the more conservative side, the Nikki Haley Voters PAC, a group that represents conservatives who oppose Trump and had already endorsed Biden, immediately endorsed Harris yesterday.
There’s tons of work to be done, and there will be challenges. The misogynoir has started and it’s going to suck and we need to be prepared for that. But this is more than a chance, this is the most energy I’ve seen from the Democrats in YEARS.
Oh and I just saw this and I cannot imagine a zoom call with 40,000 people (the call raised over $1 million in 3 hours)
I suspect...that they planned this for a few weeks, at least (of course they had to plan it for SOME time).
I think they lined up big names in the party to support her before the announcement, because they didn't want Gavin Newsome or Ben Shapiro to be all "heyyyyy maybe I could get that nomination" and end up with a messy floor fight at the convention.
I think they did advance polling. A lot of it.
I think they lined up donors ahead of time. If you're more cynical, it was actually those donors doing all this, but the DNC had to have been involved.
I think they got all their fucking ducks in a row - something Dems have historically not been great at - and then they timed it for RIGHT after the RNC so that Trump just wasted all his free airtime.
Like...the media is not used to this. They're so used to the "Dems in disarray" talking point that they don't know what to do with this pretty impressive display of solidarity and purpose. I actually saw an article today that was basically "But are the Dems in TOO much array now?" LOL, try again.
Meanwhile, delegates at the RNC reported that Trump had completely lost the audience by minute 15 of his 90 minute, incoherent speech and by the end, delegates were straight-up leaving.
JD Vance bombed big time at his first campaign speech and Fox News (!!) cut away from him. He's gonna be a drag on the campaign.
I drove four hours in rural Ohio on Sunday and saw a grand total of FOUR Trump signs.
While I'm taking in a new system to play in (Pathfinder 2e!) Double Six work continues on the Road to Alpha! I had a weird dream the other night that gave me the inspiration for a new spell! So! Here it is, in Double Six format: Larcenous Maw!
I got Elden Ring over the holidays! I haven't made much progress but like any Tarnished in the Lands Between, I've already experienced several deaths and near-misses.
To kick off the incoming new year, I'm releasing a rough preview of Chapter 1 - What is Double Six?
Enjoy and let me know what you think!
Chapter 1 Preview (PDF)
