I’ve been pondering how to incorporate magic in Throw Me a 6. I think I have come up with a simple but kind of interesting solution.
- Spells, in general cost “points” not unlike other systems out there. A wizard will have a set amount per game to use.
- When a spell is cast, the points for the spell are expended and a success roll is made. On a ‘1’, the spell fizzles. On a ‘2’ through ‘5’, the spell succeeds with normal effects. On a ‘6’, the spell critically succeeds! ‘Throw me a 6’ right?!
- The ‘6’ might be to simply double the effect, or add some other bonus to the spell. Haste, might allow a unit to move a second time. A ‘6’ would add +2″ to each move. Fireball might be 1-3 dice depending on how many points you spend. A ‘6’ would double the amount of dice rolled. Fear might cause a unit to retreat as if it just lost a melee. A ‘6’ would also cause a loss of a stand.
I think there would be a couple of broad types of casters. Wizard, Sorcerer, Necromancer, Druid and Priest. Each will probably have about 3 spells to choose from. I’ll have to give it a few tests to see how it goes.
John's Wargame Page 
Hi John,
Sounds promising! With the “6” option you could really have some fun with it and have it produce different effects depending on the type of spell, as you already hinted at. So, for a combat spell more damage, for a utility spell greater duration, for a movement spell greater distance, etc. I’ve always felt in games the complexity should be in the “exceptions” (throwing a “6” as opposed to a “2-5”) not in the general mechanics for the way something is handled. Your system allows a simple mechanic which allows players a very rapid learning curve (when I throw a “1” or “6” something out of the ordinary happens, but not when I throw a “2-5”), with plenty of detail in the individual spell entries, rather than having little detail and in the spell entries and all the complexity in the game mechanic used to cast a spell (not usually a good option for a game in my opinion).
Matt