Each player except one controls a player character (PC). You decide what your PC thinks and feels, what they say and do - but not what happens to them. It is your job as a player to immerse yourself in your PC. They may be an adventurer in a faraway fantasy world - but they are still, at heart, a person with feelings and dreams, just like you. Try to imagine - how would you react if you were in their shoes? What would you do? The player characters are always the protagonists of the story. The game is about you. Your decisions, your adventures.
It is the GM's job to put obstacles in your path and challenge your PCs, forcing them to show what they're really made of. But it is not up to the GM to decide everything that happens in the game - and above all, not how your story is supposed to end. That is decided in the game. That is why you are playing the game - to find out how your story ends.
The Year Zero Engine was originally developed for Mutant: Year Zero, but has been further modified and adapted to a wide range of games with different themes and settings. Yet, six core features of the game remain the same in all iterations. These are listed and explained below.
The basics of the Year Zero Engine are very easy to learn - roll a pool of six-sided dice, you need at least one six to succeed, and the more sixes you roll, the better the result. This simple core is very easy to teach to new players, making the barrier to play very low. Complexity and depth are added piece by piece, offering more choices to the player as they gain more insight into the system.
The Year Zero Engine is fast, quickly producing meaningful results by removing all dice rolling, bookkeeping and calculations that don't push the action forward. Year Zero Engine combat systems are often deadly, pushing conflicts to decisive moments. The risks are high, and PCs are rarely safe from danger no matter how experienced they are.
The demand to roll sixes can make it seem hard to succeed in the Year Zero Engine. You can increase your chances significantly by pushing your roll - i.e. re-rolling the dice - but pushing the roll always comes with a cost. This dynamic constantly pushes you to weigh risks and rewards, and makes the Year Zero Engine particularly suited for harsh, survival-focused games.
In Year Zero Engine games, the players and their characters are at the heart of the story. The PCs are the protagonists of the story, never the NPCs. The rules focus on the PCs and their actions, while NPCs are handled quickly and effectively by the Gamemaster. The system is designed to always present the players with meaningful choices.
Roleplaying is about creating stories, memorable moments at the gaming table that you'll remember for years to come. The Year Zero Engine is designed to produce dramatic effects that will push your story forward and make it take unexpected turns.
The Year Zero Engine is designed to be very adaptable for different play styles, themes, and game settings. By using skills and talents in a modular fashion, the system creates building blocks that are very easily added, removed, and re-engineered.
Year Zero Engine games typically give you plenty of room for improvisation and creativity. Yet they also provide a number of tools to help you create your own story.
To document your character, you use a character sheet. This document does not include a character sheet, as any Year Zero Engine game will need a sheet adapted to the specific rules version and game setting. How you create your character will be described in the next chapter.
Another useful accessory for Year Zero Engine games is a custom card deck. The cards can be used as reference sheets for gear or NPCs, but also to randomize initiative in combat - read more about this in
Chapter 5.
WHAT IS A ROLEPLAYING GAME?
If you have made your way here without knowing what a roleplaying game is, congratulations! Welcome to a rewarding and creative hobby. Roleplaying is a unique form of gaming, or cultural expression if you prefer to call it that, that combines tabletop gaming with storytelling. Roleplaying games give you a set of rules and let you create your own story with your friends in a way that books, movies, TV, and even video games cannot.
If you need advice or ideas, a great resource is the forum on our website, freeleaguepublishing.com. Welcome!
CHAPTER 2
PLAYER CHARACTERS
Your player character (PC) is your most important asset in any Year Zero Engine game. They are your avatar, your eyes and ears in the world. But they, in return, depend on you making the right decisions for them. Don't screw it up. Take your PC seriously and play them as if they were a real person. It's more fun that way. At the same time, don't try to protect your PC from every conceivable danger. The goal of the game is to create a good story. For that to happen you need to take risks.
During the course of the game, your PC will change and develop. Their skills and talents can be developed through experience, but you can also discover how their personality changes and is formed in a way that cannot be measured by numbers on a page. This is when your player character truly comes alive.
CHARACTER SHEET
To create your player character, you need a character sheet. This document does not include a character sheet, as any Year Zero Engine game will need a sheet adapted to the specific rules version and game setting.
ARCHETYPE
Most Year Zero Engine games have some type of character archetypes to choose from. The archetypes - which can also be called "roles," "professions" or "careers" - are based on the game world, and help the players grasp the setting.
The archetype determines what type of person you are, your background and role in the group. Your archetype will influence your attributes, your skills, your starting gear and what starting talents you can learn.
Archetypes can feel stereotypical, and they are meant to be. Picking an archetype is a quick way for yourself and the other players to get an immediate feel for your character. But remember that your character is more than just his archetype. The archetype is just a starting point toward creating a unique player character.
AGE
The next step is choosing your age. Age (for humans) is divided into three categories: young (up to 25 years), adult (26-50 years), and old (50+ years). You choose your age freely. Write down your choice on your character sheet. Your chosen age category affects your attributes and your skills. Read more about these below.
ATTRIBUTES
Your character has four attributes that indicate your basic physical and mental capabilities, each rated on a scale from 1 to 5. Your attributes are used when you roll dice to perform actions in the game, and also determine how much damage of various kinds you can withstand before you become Broken. Read more about this in
Chapter 5.
Starting Scores: When you create your player character, you can distribute a number of points across your attributes. How many points is determined by your age - see the table below. You can assign no less than 2 and no more than 5 points to any attribute.
AGE | ATTRIBUTE POINTS |
Young | 15 |
Adult | 14 |
Old | 13 |
STRENGTH
Raw muscle power and brawn.
AGILITY
Body control, speed, and motor skills.
WITS
Sensory perception, intelligence, and sanity.
EMPATHY
Personal charisma and ability to manipulate others.
SKILLS
Your skills are the knowledge and abilities you have acquired during your life. They are important, as they determine, along with your attributes, how effectively you can perform certain actions in the game. There are twelve basic skills, and they are all described in detail in
Chapter 3. Some Year Zero Engine games have different or additional skills.
Skills are measured by skill level on a scale from 0 to 5. The higher the number, the better.
No Skill Level? You can always roll for a skill even if you have no level in that skill - in that case you only use the associated attribute for the skill in question, and gear. Read more about how skills work in the next chapter.
Starting Skill Levels: When you create your player character, you distribute a number of points to your skills. How many points is determined by your age - see the table below. You can assign up to a maximum of 3 points to any given skill. You can increase your skill levels during the game.
AGE | SKILL POINTS |
Young | 8 |
Adult | 10 |
Old | 12 |
TALENTS
Talents are tricks, moves and minor abilities that give you a small edge. They are more specialized than skills and give you a way to fine-tune your character. Talents are further explained in
Chapter 4. You can usually pick one talent when creating your character - but your choices are limited. Your archetype typically determines which talents you can choose from. You can learn more talents during the course of the game.
RELATIONSHIPS
Your PCs are all in it together as a group, but you are also an individual with personal relationships with the other player characters.
When you create your PC, you should describe your relationship with each of the other player characters, with a short sentence for each on your character sheet. Typically, there will be suggestions to choose from for each archetype. You can also use them as inspiration for your own ideas.
Your choices are also important for the GM, as she can use them to create interesting situations in the game.
Buddy: When you have noted your relationships to the other PCs you must choose which one of them you feel closest to. That PC is your buddy. Mark your choice in the checkbox on the character sheet.
GEAR
Many (but not all) Year Zero Engine games are focused on survival, and having the right gear will help you do that. You must write down all the items you are carrying. Write down one item per row in the Gear section on your character sheet. If it's not listed on your sheet, you don't have it with you.
Starting Gear: Your archetype typically determines what gear you can choose from at the start of the game. Clothes and gear used to carry other gear does not count toward your encumbrance and does not need to be noted down.
ENCUMBRANCE
You can carry a number of regular items equal to double your Strength. Use your base Strength score, not the temporary rating reduced by taking damage.
HEAVY & LIGHT ITEMS
An item designated as Heavy counts as two regular items, and will typically take up two rows on your character sheet instead of one. Some heavy items count as three or even four normal items. At the opposite end of the spectrum, there are items that are designated as Light - they count as half of a regular item, and so you can list two Light items on one row on your sheet. Some light items count as a quarter of a normal item in terms of encumbrance - the weight of such items are written as ¼ in the gear lists.
TINY ITEMS
Items that are even smaller than Light are called Tiny. They are so small they don't affect your encumbrance at all. The rule of thumb is: if the item can be hidden in a closed fist, it's Tiny. Tiny items also need to be listed on your character sheet.
OVER ENCUMBERED
You can temporarily carry more than your normal encumbrance limit (Strength x 2 items). In this case, you need to make a roll for the Endure skill whenever you want to run in a Round of combat or walk a significant distance. If the roll fails, you must either drop what you are carrying, stay where you are, or suffer one point of damage to Agility and keep going.
CONSUMABLES
A special category of items in the game are called consumables. It can be food, water, ammunition, arrows, torches, air supply, electric power or others - depending on the setting of the game. You don't need to track consumables at all times. The GM lets you know when resources are scarce and it's time to start tracking them.
Supply Rating: You track each consumable on your character sheet using a Supply rating. A higher rating is better.
Supply Roll: At regular intervals (depending on the consumable in question), you need to make a Supply roll. This means rolling a number of dice equal to the current Supply rating - but never more than six dice. For every 1 rolled, the Supply rating is decreased by one. When the Supply rating reaches zero, you're out of the consumable. The effects of lacking air, food and water are explained in
Chapter 5.
Group Consumables: Usually, consumables are tracked individually, but they can also be tracked for the group as a whole, depending on the situation. The GM has final say.
Sharing: If you want to give a consumable to another person, you simply increase the recipient's Supply rating as many steps as you decrease your own.
APPEARANCE
You can describe your player character's face, body and clothing on your character sheet. In some Year Zero Engine games, the archetypes will suggest features for you.
NAME
Finally, you give your PC a name. The archetypes typically suggest suitable names, but you are free to make up your own name if you prefer.
EXPERIENCE
The things you learn during the game are measured in Experience Points (XP). You receive XP after the end of each game session. Talk it through and let the whole group discuss what has happened. For each of the below questions that you can reply "yes" to, you get one XP:
Did you participate in the game session? You get one XP just for being there.
Did you risk or sacrifice something significant to realize your big dream?
Did you risk your life for the PC who is your buddy?
Did you perform another extraordinary action of some kind?
Specific games can award XP for other actions as well.
The GM has the final word when it comes to how much XP each character should get. Write down the XP on your character sheet.
SPENDING XP
You can use your XP to improve your skills and talents, or to learn new ones. You can only spend XP when your PC gets a chance to rest, or between game sessions.
Skills: To increase a skill level by one step costs a number of XP equal to the skill level you want to attain multiplied by 5. For example, an increase from skill level 2 to 3 costs 15 XP. You can only increase a skill level one step at a time.
Learning a new skill (at skill level 1) costs 5 XP. To do this however, you must either have used the skill and succeeded (without skill level) during the session, or be instructed by a teacher. The teacher must have at least skill level 1.
Talents: Learning a talent always costs 5 XP. It also requires a day of practice and a successful Wits roll (roll for the attribute only, and the roll cannot be pushed). You can make one attempt per day. If instructed by a teacher who has the talent, your roll succeeds automatically.
FIND A NEW DREAM
After any session, you may change your big dream and replace it with a new one. Try to connect the new dream to something that has happened during the course of the game.
CHANGE RELATIONSHIPS
After the end of a game session, you are free to redefine your relationships to the other PCs and NPCs as you see fit.
CHAPTER 3
SKILLS
Roleplaying is a conversation. The Gamemaster describes the scene, you describe how your PCs behave, the GM describes how any NPCs react, you reply, and it goes back and forth. That is how the story is told and progresses. But sooner or later, a decisive situation will arise, a point of no return, a conflict that conversation alone cannot resolve. Then it's time to break out the dice and use one of your skills.
THE 12 CORE SKILLS
- Craft (Strength)
- Endure (Strength)
- Fight (Strength)
- Sneak (Agility)
- Move (Agility)
- Shoot (Agility)
- Scout (Wits)
- Comprehend (Wits)
- Survive (Wits)
- Manipulate (Empathy)
- Sense Emotion (Empathy)
- Heal (Empathy)
ROLL THE DICE
There are twelve core skills in total in the Year Zero Engine, and they are all described later in this chapter. Every skill is connected to one of the four attributes: Strength, Agility, Wits, and Empathy.
When you perform an action, you first describe what your player character does or says. Then you grab a number of six-sided dice equal to your skill level plus your current score in the attribute that is connected to that skill. If you have some sort of gear that may be helpful, you will get extra dice from that as well.
Then you roll all the dice at once.
DIFFERENT COLORS
Whether a certain die you have rolled originates from your attribute, your skill, or your gear, may be important. For that reason, you should use dice of three different colors. The dice from attributes are called Base Dice, the dice from skills are called Skill Dice, and the dice from gear are called Gear Dice.
SIXES MEAN SUCCESS
To succeed with your action, you must roll at least one six. A six is called a success. If you roll more than one success you can achieve additional effects in some cases - this is specified by each skill.
ONES WEAR YOU DOWN
Ones on Base Dice and Gear Dice can be bad for you - they can mean that you suffer damage, exhaustion, fear, or that your weapon has been damaged. Ones have no effect on your first roll, only if you choose to push your roll (see below). A one is called a bane. Ones on Skill Dice are never counted as banes.
ROLLING WITHOUT SKILL
If you don't have the skill required for the particular action you want to perform, you can roll anyway - simply roll your Base Dice and any applicable Gear Dice.