6d6 Fireball create and publish tabletop role-playing games (RPGs) for people who like fast, light games which promote role-playing and creativity.

Established 2008

6d6 (then called 6d6 Fireball) started because a couple of gamers (Chris Tregenza and Rob Grimly) wanted to take their hobby to the next level. Rather than producing 28mm miniatures and writing games just for themselves, they want to share them with the world (for a modest fee). We launched a blog and a small range of figures which people liked but not many people purchased.

Over the the next couple of years 6d6’s focus shifted to publishing adventures, initially to promote the figures. Our oldest adventure (Savage Island) started life as D&D 3.5 demonstrate game featuring monsters and pre-gen characters from our figure range. The trouble was, D&D was too restrictive and like many gamers, Chris always had a desire to created his own game system.

1st Edition 6d6 RPG

The first published version of the 6d6 RPG was a radical departure from other games. It used a unique card based mechanic and was supported by the 6d6 Online system which help players create their own cards. People loved the game, it offered freedom and flexibility with just enough crunch. However, the production and postage costs were phenomenal, even a basic adventure required hundreds of cards for the pre-gens and it wasn’t viable as a product.

The Kickstarter Years

The solution was simple. Take the core ideas behind the 1st edition (combining advantages and moving cards) and turn them into a form we could publish in a traditional book and character sheet. It turned out the solution was easy. Rather than cards which the players move around there are tokens a character moves around to indicate which advantages they are combining on the character sheet. Add in a few more refinements based on the hundreds of hours of play testing we had done with the 1st edition and the 2nd Edition 6d6 RPG was born.

Kickstarter Number 1

In 2012 we launched a Kickstarter to publish the 2nd edition of the 6d6 RPG and republish updated versions of our existing adventures (Savage Island, Mince Pies & Murder, Quantum Flux and Outbreak. We also hit our stretch goals so we added an expanded bestiary (100 Monster Bestiary), an expanded modern settings (Dungeon of Demon Strata and The Road To Petra.

The truth is that we bit off more than we can chew with the Kickstarter. Writing the updated and expanded books was easy but we were also raising the quality of our production. The editing and layout of books took much, much longer than anticipated and the Kickstarter was delivered late but we did deliver and everyone got what they paid for.

Kickstarter Number 2

In 2015 we launched our second RPG kickstarter – Age of Legends. This project had been in development from 2011, back in the card-based days of the 1st edition but as the system evolved, so did Age of Legends. This was the first full setting book for the 6d6 RPG and it funded in just over a day.

A & A Game Engineering was started up by Andrew Finch ("A") and Alan Butler ("the other A") in 1995. Both are long term wargamers and, having failed to find rules that provided a good game that could be played to a conclusion in the time available, set themselves the task of providing these to the wargaming world.

We are both long standing members of Tunbridge Wells Wargames Society.

Our Philosophy

Since we started our business publishing rules we have seen a big change in the style of rules available to the wargaming community. Most sets of rules were the product of a small number of players who had come together at various events and had formed groups who set about publishing rules, which became what could be termed standard sets. These were used for many years at annual competitions, so all players who were participating knew how the games were played. These products were usually in booklet form with little or no illustration.

More recently the hobby expanded with a number of companies producing much larger glossy hardback books, which set a new standard. What used to be a hobby that was centred on historical battles has expanded into one where fantasy and science fiction also have their place. Over time these sets of rules have become the new standard at competitions.

When we started our business, our rules were developed for use between a small group of players at our local wargame society. After a while a suggestion was made that we could market our products, albeit in a small way, selling them at wargame shows that we were attending as a society, often demonstrating the use of the rules in the games we presented. The aim has always been to have a set of rules which played to a conclusion within around 2-3 hours of actual gaming during an afternoon at a meeting. While the actual meetings in those days lasted about 5 hours, you have to allow for the coffee breaks and chats with other members.

From the outset we seem to have concentrated our efforts on areas where there was and still is not really a great choice of easily playable sets of rules: in the air and on the sea. There are quite a few offerings in both these categories, but these all seem to be either hideously complex and/or require the use of an umpire. Our view of this hobby of ours is that we want a game which is fun, feels right and gives the right result in the end. Games played using our rules should not be regarded as simulations. Leave that to the computer.

The most significant change for us was transferring our range into electronic format in the form of PDFs, which can be downloaded and cuts the cost both for us and for the customer. To enable us to do this, we work together with Wargame Vault, part of the US-based OneBookShelf organisation. Distribution of our products could now be global, rather than limited to just the United Kingdom. Having moved away from carrying a stock of printed copies, the next step was to embrace the concept of Print on Demand. This allows you to have a nice shiny copy of the rules to use in a game, but also allows us to provide stock to wargames traders who sell our products at shows or by mail order.

There are a number of such sites now in operation and many classic wargame producers have stopped printing their rules and placed them as downloads, some free where they are supporting a specific metal product and some where payment is required.

Research

When we started out, research was largely based on available technical books, such as most wargamers had in their collections if they were starting in the hobby in the late 1960's, as we were. Many of those books are now long out of print, but thankfully we either kept our copies, or tracked them down thanks to the Internet. Of course in recent years, the Internet itself has become a valuable resource. You can now track down all manner of research which delves into quite interesting and complicated analyses of weapons, armour, battles, and other factors which have had an effect on the outcome of conflicts in history.

When carrying out research, it is interesting to make use of resources such as Wikipedia. While this can in some areas be regarded as less than reliable, in the area of technical information, it can be invaluable. There is now so much more information being shared via this resource that was unavailable as recently as 10 years ago. It can also be amusing to find, as we have done many times, mistakes made in recording information decades ago still being presented as facts. It is therefore necessary to cross check through several data sources to establish whether some little piece of data can be believed. These hidden mistakes usually come to light when you have carried out a series of calculations and a figure appears in the results which is completely off the scale, when compared with the rest.

As we have developed sets of rules over the years we have collated several large databases, which are useful to use when we set about reviewing some of our earlier products. As new data comes to light, we also take care to make sure that we correct game data where required, or add new game data to widen the scope of the rules.

Publishing for other authors

When we started out, the rules were devised by the two of us. Through our wargames society we played other games with home-grown rules, and developed these, with the agreement of the authors, adding them to our product range. As time went on, other authors contacted us, asking if we would be interested in publishing their work, further expanding the range.

When we work with other authors, we support them in the development of their rules, making suggestions in areas where we feel that the flow of the game could be improved, and seeking clarification about rule mechanisms. It is often our experience that games will play very easily if the author is present at the time, because he may contribute some information about how the game works. If the author is not present then it can be that some vital aspect of the rules is absent, because it has not been "committed to paper".

What happens to the final product is a decision that must be made when we start work on such projects. If the final result is going to be marketed by the author, then we would charge a one-off project development fee. If the final product is going to be added to our product range, then a contract will be drawn up between us and the author, which defines the annual royalties that will be paid on each item sold.

AB Figures are run by Anthony Barton and Michael Hickling. We have both been wargaming for over 35 years. Now we are returning to our first love - WW2. To us authenticity, detailed design and quality are key and we go to great lengths to research our figures using contemporary illustrations, photographs and artifacts.

We hope you will like our figures – we really believe that we supply the best "Men in Miniature" for the dedicated Wargamer and Modeller.

About Anthony
After a childhood spent making plasticene animals and gaining an indifferent degree in Zoology, Anthony Barton ("AB") started his career making biological and archaeological models for museums.

Military figures had always been a hobby, and growing poorer prompted him to start making them seriously in about 1985. The "AB" range was launched in 1990, and he now devotes most of his time to it, with periodic diversions into larger-scale projects: historical paint-work, sculpture and reconstructed costumes – he has worked for many historical institutions.

He lives quietly in a small house near York, surrounded by interesting junk, and only goes out to play music with the York Waits, a 16th Century wind band which he helped found in 1977, or to indulge in historical re-enactments in interesting places, generally involving bows or early firearms.

About Michael
Michael is our craftsman making the moulds and running the small foundry and manufacturing process from his home in the beautiful Welsh countryside. He also packs and despatches your orders with help from his wife..

Michael has also actively helped in archaeological excavations including Fishbourne Roman Palace, and the exciting Patching Gold Coin Hoard, and occasionally works on digs in Wales like Dinefwr Castle and Llandeilo Roman Fort. He now enjoys pottering around the countryside in his 1943 Willys Jeep.

Aberrant Games was formed with the goal of creating the very best of science fiction gaming set in detailed original universes. Our mission is to take our players to new and exciting worlds by way of fun, easy-to-learn games with infinite possibilities.

As our name suggests, we are not afraid to be different or to deviate from the norm, and this is reflected in our products. Rezolution is a cyberpunk miniatures game set in a dystopian future on the brink of interstellar contact. The rich unique setting, high quality sculpted miniatures and easy-to-learn rules has made it simple to attract new players and keep established ones. With minimal time in the market, Rezolution has had a deep impact and has been nominated for four Origins Awards for Best Miniature Line and Best Miniature Rules, as well as numerous other awards.

If you are looking for the unexpected or the unusual… Welcome, friend and enter the worlds of Aberrant.

Accurate Armour Ltd are a small UK company based in Scotland, and since 1987 we have designed and manufactured original military scale model kits for experienced modellers. Products are supplied in KIT form and most require assembly and painting.

We sell directly to the public in the United Kingdom and Worldwide. We also sell other products and tools to compliment our own ranges and all may be ordered online.