DOUBLEZERO: PRIMER

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Copyright 2016-2023 Berin Kinsman.

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Characters and situations presented herein are fictional. Any resemblance to
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This is version 1.0 of this document.
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................1
CORE CONCEPTS..................................................................................4
Rolling Dice.................................................................................................................. 4
Initiative........................................................................................................................ 4
Success Die.................................................................................................................. 5
Outcome Die................................................................................................................ 7
Automatic Results..................................................................................................... 9
CHARACTER ABILITIES........................................................................11
Expertise.................................................................................................................... 11
Professions................................................................................................................ 11
Aptitudes................................................................................................................... 12
Skills............................................................................................................................ 14
Traits........................................................................................................................... 14
Character Improvement...................................................................................... 15
HERO POINTS......................................................................................16
Gaining Hero Points............................................................................................... 16
Using Hero Points................................................................................................... 16
GLOSSARY...........................................................................................17
LEARN MORE......................................................................................18
INTRODUCTION
DoubleZero is a tabletop roleplaying toolkit. It works with any
modern setting that doesn’t lean into characters with magic,
paranormal abilities, or superpowers. The skill-driven system is
perfect for mystery, espionage, thrillers, procedurals, and drama. You
can play out stories and adventures based on your favorite television
series, films, and novels.
DoubleZero: Primer is an overview of the system. It explains the
fundamentals of how things work, and what you need to know to get
started. There’s also a dose of the philosophy and intentions that went
into its creation and why certain design choices were made.

Minimalist, Modular, Modern

DoubleZero draws inspiration from three separate systems. Not so
much from their content or mechanics, but their presentation and the
possibilities they represented. The goal has been to pay homage to the
best ideas of each while creating something new.
The first is the original Traveller. They were small books with
simple covers and little to no art, with as much information as I
needed. I could read a science fiction novel or watch a movie, then go
write up the things that I liked. The setting was initially vague, but
even as it was filled out it contained such a hodge-podge of genre
tropes that I could take what I needed, ignore what I didn’t want, and
build my own settings and adventures from it. The minimalist
approach lives on in DoubleZero.
GURPS, the Generic Universal Role Playing System, is next. There
are two core books, from which you can create and run just about
anything you can imagine. The supplements are where the action is,
though. Each is a mini-expansion that adds optional mechanics and
new character abilities as needed, along with setting material. You
could mix and match to create wild, weird, and original settings, dive

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deep into specific genres, and even play in some universes based on
licensed properties. The modular approach is an integral part of my
vision for DoubleZero.
Finally, there’s Victory Games’ James Bond 007. The title of this
system is a nod to it, but this isn’t a retro-clone or even an attempt to
create an updated version of those mechanics. Bond opened my eyes
to the possibilities of roleplaying outside the standard genres of
fantasy, horror, science fiction, and superheroes. It was cinematic, but
by using lower-ranked characters you could create more grounded
and even gritty settings. My friends and I used it to create a world
populated by characters from our favorite television shows, films, and
novels. Those things weren’t boring to watch or read, and they weren’t
boring to play. The modern storytelling possibilities are the beating
heart of DoubleZero.

Systems vs Rules
Rules are regulations dictating how to do something. They imply
the existence of an authority that exercises some power to enforce
them. A system, by contrast, is a method of doing things. The word
derives from the Latin word systēma, meaning a whole concept made
of several parts. There is structure, but processes exist to help the user
achieve a result, not enforce a particular set of behaviors.
The terminology matters. You’ve undoubtedly heard that tabletop
roleplaying isn’t like a board game. There is no limited move set based
on the roll of a die or the drawing of a card. You can try to do anything
reasonably possible within the context provided by your character, the
genre, and the setting. Rules tell you that if you roll a 3, you must move
ahead that many spaces. Systems help you determine if an action
succeeds, then allows you to interpret what that means based on the
situation.
DoubleZero embraces this perspective. Players have both a
supporting structure and creative freedom. Characters can be
equitable without being forced into mathematical models of parity.

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The gamemaster is not the enforcer of rules but the provider of
opportunities for all participants.

Creativity-Forward
Playing DoubleZero is a collaborative creative endeavor. The goal is
to allow every participant to express their imaginations, tell stories,
and have fun together. The system is ultimately just a framework and a
guideline. It exists to facilitate the players' ideas, enable opportunities
for the characters, and advance the possibilities of the setting.
The role of the gamemaster is to interpret the system as needed.
Treat nothing in these pages as immutable and set in stone. Always err
on the side of the spirit of the system rather than the letter of it. If
everyone is having a good time, you’re doing it correctly no matter
what the book says.

Minimalist Aesthetics
Lightspress Media embraces a lo-fi philosophy toward tabletop
roleplaying. It’s more important for a book to be useful than pretty.
Any graphic elements should be text enhancement, not page filler or
pure eye candy. Physical books should be concise, portable, and
durable. This approach yields useful, affordable toolkits that are both
helpful and affordable. Tabletop roleplaying isn’t a fancy, expensive
book. It’s the magic of the players’ collective creativity. Our mission is
to provide what you need to play, then get out of your way.

Safety and Consent

I am a firm supporter of safety and consent tools. The DoubleZero
core book contains a list of them that I recommend, and each setting
and supplement has content warnings as appropriate. You’re not
required to use them, but making sure that everyone is comfortable
and aware of potentially disturbing material is, at the very least, the
kind and considerate thing to do.

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CORE CONCEPTS
Below are the central ideas and mechanics of the DoubleZero
system. If you’re already familiar with tabletop roleplaying, you’ll
know a lot of these terms already. The interpretation and execution of
some of these concepts may be different from what you’re used to.

Rolling Dice
DoubleZero requires each player to have two 10-sided dice,
preferably in different colors. One represents Success and the other
Outcome. These are rolled at the same time, but if you prefer you can
roll them one at a time. Each die is read separately, not as a percentage
or added together.
• For example, say you roll 4 on the success die and 9 on the
outcome die. That’s 4 and 9, not 49% or a total of 13.

Initiative
DoubleZero is played in Rounds, during which each character will
get to take their Turn. To determine which character goes first, each
round players roll for Initiative. The person with the highest result
goes first, the next-highest second, and so on. In the event of a tie,
those players roll a second die to determine an increment. After
everyone has taken their turn, a new round starts and a new initiative
is rolled.
• For example, 3 players roll 9, 5, and 5. The player that rolled 9
goes first. The two that rolled 5 roll a second die, and get 3 and
1. So the player with 5-3 goes next, then 5-1.
If the rolled Initiative result is lower than the character’s Reaction
aptitude, use the reaction rating instead.
• For example, a character has a Reaction of 6. The player rolls
and gets a 1. The character takes their turn on 6.

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Success Die
When a character attempts to perform an action, the Success die
indicates how well they did on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being the
worst and 10 the best. Most of the time the gamemaster will assign a
Difficulty rating that reflects how hard the task is. If the success die
roll is equal to or higher than the difficulty, the character succeeds. If
it’s lower than the difficulty, they fail.
• For example, if the gamemaster says the player must roll a 5 or
above, and the player rolls a 7, the character’s action succeeds.
• When the difficulty is 4 and the player rolls a 4, the character’s
action succeeds.
• If the gamemaster sets the difficulty at 4 and the player rolls a
3, the character’s action fails.

Difficulty
The gamemaster determines the Difficulty based on the context of
the character’s action. Circumstances like visibility and whether the
character has the proper tools for the task should be considered.
Weight the pros (things working in the character’s favor) against the
cons (things working against the character) and find a number that
feels right. Basic difficulty is as follows.
Automatic (1): The action is so simple that the character
automatically succeeds. No roll is needed because the player can’t roll
less than a 1.
Easy (2-3): The action is almost guaranteed success. Even if the
situation presents pros, there are minor cons. If there are significantly
more cons than pros, go with 3. If only slightly more, 2.
Average (4-5): This is the default difficulty level. Any pros balance
out the cons. If there are significantly more cons than pros, go with 5.
If only slightly more, 4.

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 Tough (6-7): A bit harder than the default difficulty level. Cons
outweigh any pros the character has. If there are significantly more
cons than pros, go with 7. If only slightly more, 6.
Challenging (8-9): The action is harder than the standard
difficulty but not impossible. There are many more cons than there are
pros. If there are significantly more cons than pros, go with 9. If only
slightly more, 8.
Extreme (10): The action is possible, but barely. The character has
no real pros, and the cons are numerous or particularly dire.

Aptitudes
Success is affected by one of the character’s Aptitudes. We’ll look at
those in more depth a bit later in the Character Abilities section. The
appropriate aptitude rating is the minimum success the character can
achieve for the action, no matter what they roll.
• For example, if a character is attempting an action with an
aptitude of 4, and the player rolls a 2, the success result is 4.
• When a player rolls a 7 and their aptitude is 5, the success
result is 7. Always take the higher number.
• If the player rolls a 3 and their aptitude is 3, the success result
is 3. It doesn’t matter, they’re the same.
Even better, if the difficulty is equal to or lower than the relevant
aptitude, you don’t even need to roll. The action automatically
succeeds! We’ll come back to the rationale for that in a bit.
• For example, the gamemaster sets the Difficulty for an action at
5. The character’s relevant aptitude is 6. The character
succeeds automatically, and the player doesn’t need to roll for
Success. They may still need to roll for Outcome.

Disadvantages
Characters can have Traits called Disadvantages. These decrease
the success by 2, whether it’s a rolled result or an aptitude default.

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The gamemaster needs to give the player a Hero Point every time their
character is subject to a disadvantage.
• For example, a character attempts to perform an action. The
gamemaster decides their disadvantage is relevant to the
situation and gives the player a hero point. The player’s success
result is 7, but because of the disadvantage, it is reduced by 2
for a final success result of 5.

Outcome Die
Assuming a character succeeds, the Outcome die tells you the
degree of success on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being the least/worst
and 10 being the most/best. In some cases, like Injury and Damage,
the number will have a concrete meaning. In other cases, the player
and gamemaster will need to interpret what it means in the context of
the scene. Basic outcome ratings are as follows.

Outcome
Marginal (1): Barely qualifies as a success. It won't be what the
character expected, but it's not a failure. When appropriate to the
situation, there will be some complications.
Minimal (2-3): Below baseline result. There might be a
complication to go along with the success when appropriate to the
circumstances.
Expected (4-5): The baseline success. There are no complications.
Nothing extra or exciting happens, just an average use of these
abilities.
Good (6-7): Above baseline result. Something additional might
happen when appropriate to the situation.
Great (8-9): Well above the baseline expected result. There should
be something extra to the outcome.
Exceptional (10): The best possible result. The character
succeeds with additional positive effects.

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Skills
Outcome is affected by one of the character’s Skills. We’ll look at
those a bit later in the Character Abilities section. The appropriate
skill rating is the minimum outcome the character can achieve for the
action, no matter what they roll.
• For example, if a character is attempting an action with a skill
of 5, and the player rolls a 3, the outcome result is 5.
• When a player rolls a 9 and their skill is 2, the outcome result is
7. Always take the higher number.
• If the player rolls a 6 and their skill is 6, the outcome result is 6.
It doesn’t matter, they’re the same.
Even better, if the Outcome you need is equal to or lower than the
relevant skill, you don’t even need to roll. Take the automatic outcome!
We’ll come back to the thinking behind that in a moment.
• For example, the gamemaster says the character needs an
Outcome of 3 or better to get the specific result the player
described. The relevant skill is 5. The character automatically
gets the desired result, and the player doesn’t need to roll.

Advantages
Characters can have Traits called Advantages. These increase the
Outcome by 2, whether it’s a rolled result or a skill default. A player
needs to spend a Hero Point every time they use an advantage.
• For example, the player knows an advantage will help with
their action. They spend a hero point. The Outcome is 4, but
because of the advantage it increases to 6.

Injury and Damage

Content Warning: Violence
If an Outcome results in harm to a person, that’s called Injury.
When it adversely affects an inanimate object, it’s called Damage. Both

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work the same way, but for this Primer we’ll just discuss the effects of
hurting people and getting hurt.
Every character in full health begins with 10 Injury Points. If
someone punches you in the face for an outcome of 2, you’re reduced
to 8 injury points. Should someone shoot you with an outcome of 5,
you’re down to 3 injury points.
Injury points matter for two reasons.
First, the maximum result you can have on either Success or
Outcome is equal to the character’s current injury points. They’re
stunned, wounded, rattled, whatever is appropriate for the
circumstances. This concept applies even if the injury score dips
below an automatic result level.
• For example, say a character currently has 4 Injury Points. Their
relevant aptitude is 7. The player rolls a 9 to perform an action.
The success is a 4 because the character isn’t able to do things
at full capacity.
Second, when a character reaches 0 injury points, they fall
unconscious and are unable to act. It doesn’t matter what their
abilities are. They’re out.

Character Death
Player characters only die when the player expressly agrees to that
result. This guideline is a safety and consent issue. Be creative, and
explain how they miraculously survived. Or, here’s a wild idea, don’t
put them in a potentially fatal situation unless you’ve discussed it with
the player and they are willing to put the character they’ve spent time
developing and growing attached to in a high-risk scenario. Not every
roleplaying campaign need to be about fighting and killing.

Automatic Results
Yes, a character can walk through an entire adventure without the
player ever rolling dice. As long as the difficulty of their actions is low

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and the outcomes needed are unexceptional, they can coast along on
their abilities. This situation is by design.
First, if characters are going to fail, it should be while doing
something important. After all, if they can’t hit a stationary target on a
shooting range, how are they supposed to come out on top in a
firefight? When they can’t steer into a skid and maintain control of the
car on an icy road, what are they supposed to do in a high-speed
chase, with innocent bystanders to avoid, and bullets flying around
their head? Not allowing them some basic level of competence
undermines the dramatic tension when situations are harrowing.
Second, not every scene in every adventure needs to be a white-
knuckle thrill ride. Sometimes you need to allow space for players to
roleplay, feel confident about their characters, and enjoy what they’re
helping to create.
Third, it’s the job of the gamemaster, not the system, to challenge
the characters. When the time does come for them to face something
that pushes them to their limit, the gamemaster has to be sure the
obstacles are sufficient to do so. It’s not a function of the character to
be weak for the sake of drama. It’s also not the purpose of the
mechanics to make life hell for the players and their characters.
Leverage the system to create a degree of tension appropriate to the
story, the genre, and the setting.
Finally, automatic successes speed up play. Why waste time on
actions the character is likely to succeed at anyway? Don’t go through
the trouble of rolling initiative and taking turns when the results don’t
matter. Save the system for the moments when success and outcome
will have a meaningful affect on how the story unfolds.
The downside to using automatic successes is that if you’re not
rolling dice, your character isn’t earning Hero Points. There is no risk
without rewards. We’ll talk more about hero points later.

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CHARACTER ABILITIES
DoubleZero is a simple point-build system, meaning you get a pool
of points to assign to abilities however you choose. The number of
points you begin with depends on the level of Expertise chosen by the
gamemaster. Ability cost is always 1-to-1, meaning that to get a Rating
of 2 will cost you 2 points. There are four things you need to
determine for your character: Profession, Aptitudes, Skills, and Traits.

Expertise
A character’s level of Expertise reflects how good they are at what
they do. The gamemaster decides what is appropriate for the setting
and genre they plan to run. It often comes down to whether the
campaign is intended to be more realistic or cinematic, or more
lighthearted than dramatic. There are 5 degrees of expertise in
DoubleZero, covering almost every situation:
Novice: The character is brand new to their profession. They have
some natural talent but little training and experience.
Beginner: The character is still relatively new to the profession
but can muster an acceptable level of performance at their job.
Competent: The character has been in the profession long enough
to have the expected abilities to do their job effectively.
Expert: The character knows their profession inside and out and is
highly skilled at what they do.
Master: The character is one of the best in their profession and
has unparalleled skills in their field.

Professions
A Profession is a broad descriptor of what the character does.
There are 30 professions listed in the DoubleZero core book: Assassin,

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Athlete, Bounty Hunter, Celebrity, Clergy, Cowboy, Detective, Driver,
Engineer, Executive, Federal Agent, Forensic Tech, Gangster, Grifter,
Hacker, Journalist, Lawyer, Medic, Paranormal Investigator, Pilot, Police
Officer, Politician, Sailor, Scientist, Secret Agent, Soldier, Terrorist, Thief,
Undercover Agent, and Vigilante. Each comes with a list of suggested
Skills. You can use whatever the gamemaster deems to be appropriate
to the setting and genre or make up your own.
There are two key purposes for having a profession. The first is so
the player can have a core character concept to work with, both in
creating their statistics and roleplaying them. It shouldn’t be the
entirety of their identity, but it’s a foundation to build upon.
The second is to aid the gamemaster in determining the Difficulty
of tasks. A Scientist can do things that a Cowboy can’t, and vice-versa.
If an Action doesn’t fit the profession, the difficulty should be harder.
When a character has an appropriate Skill in addition to the
profession, the difficulty rating should be easier.

Aptitudes
An aptitude reflects a character’s innate ability and raw, natural
talent. There are 8 main aptitudes, plus a single factored one. Each
covers a broad category of abilities. In play, an aptitude represents the
minimum Success result when attempting a relevant task.

Athletics
This aptitude covers any action requiring stamina, fitness, and
physical exertion. It includes running, jumping, and competitive
sports. Recreational activities like hiking, climbing, and skiing are all
Athletics checks.

Creativity
This aptitude covers any act of original creation, invention, and
imagination. It includes fine arts, performing arts, and forming new

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ideas. Activities like acting, painting, and devising gadgets are all
Creativity checks.

Fighting
This aptitude covers both close combat and fire combat. It includes
martial arts, firearms, and archaic weapons. Activities like fencing,
wrestling, and archery are all Fighting checks.

Influence
This aptitude covers any attempt to make a person change their
mind, see a certain point of view, or experience a particular emotion.
It includes diplomacy, intimidation, and seduction. Activities like
acting, stand-up comedy, and musical performance are all Influence
checks.

Knowledge
This aptitude covers any attempt to recall, locate, or otherwise
gather information. It includes academic fields, humanities, and
sciences. Activities like speaking a language, conducting research, or
remembering specific facts are all Knowledge checks.

Perception
This aptitude covers any attempt to notice something using a
sense or combination of senses. It includes sight, hearing, and smell.
Activities like searching a room, observing a person’s body language,
and using intuition to assess a situation are all Perception checks.

Technology
This aptitude covers any attempt to understand, use, or repair a
machine, device, or gadget. Activities like hacking a computer, hot-
wiring a car, and using an unfamiliar smartphone are all Technology
checks.

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Transportation
This aptitude covers any attempt to ride an animal or control a
vehicle. Activities like driving a car, horseback riding, sailing, and
piloting a plane are all Transportation checks.

Reaction
A character’s Reaction is the only factored aptitude. It’s the average
of Athletics and Perception, rounded up. When rolling Initiative, this is
the lowest result the character can achieve.

Skills
Skills represent a character’s training and lived experiences. Each
is connected to a specific Aptitude and indicates the honing of that
natural talent. In play, a skill is the minimum Outcome that a character
can attain after successfully performing an Action. Characters don’t
need to have a skill to attempt something, if it makes sense that their
Profession would allow them to do it. Not having a certain skill only
means that they don’t have a minimum automatic outcome.
Unlike Aptitudes, there is no fixed Skill list. Each Profession in the
core book has suggested skills, but players and gamemasters can make
up whatever skills suit the character, the genre, and the setting. This
approach allows you to customize DoubleZero to fit your needs.

Traits
A Trait is an optional character element meant to help make them
unique. They offer both roleplaying opportunities and system effects.
All traits fall into two categories, Advantages and Disadvantages. While
the core book offers lists of suggested traits, like Skills you are free to
make up your own to suit the character, setting, and genre.

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Advantages
An Advantage is something that benefits the character in a specific
situation. They’re used to make characters stand apart from others in
their profession, as well as allowing them to be a bit exceptional at
something. It costs a Hero Point to activate each time it’s used, making
them a little more special. Advantages always affect Outcomes by
adding 2 to the result.

Disadvantages
Perfect characters are boring. A disadvantage is something that
impairs the character in some way. They’re used to make characters
stand out, as well as allow them to be more interesting to roleplay. The
gamemaster chooses when the disadvantage comes into play, and
gives the play a Hero Point to activate it. Disadvantages always affect
Success by lowering the result by 2.

Character Improvement
At the end of each adventure, players can add or improve character
abilities using Hero Points earned during play. This approach creates
an incentive to take risks rather than always falling back on automatic
successes. It also encourages players to use hero points thoughtfully,
rather than spending them too freely during play.

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HERO POINTS
Hero Points allow players to turn failure into success and even alter
outcomes. They prevent players from being entirely at the mercy of
die rolls. Characters begin with no points and earn them during play.

Gaining Hero Points

Whenever a player rolls 0 (or 10, depending on how your dice are
labeled), their character gains a hero point. This award applies to both
Success and Outcome dice. A roll of 0-0, meaning 0 on both success and
outcome for the same action, gains you 3 hero points.
• For example, say a player rolls 0-4. The Success die is 0, so the
character gains a hero point.
• If the player rolls 6-0, the Outcome die is 0, so the character
gains a hero point.
• When a player rolls 0-0 it’s the best possible result for both
Success and Outcome, so the character gains 3 hero points.

Using Hero Points

Spending a hero point changes the rolled result by one point. This
use applies to both Success and Outcomes. The cost is one point per
increment of change. You can spend as many available points at a time
as you choose, spread between Success and Outcome. Any character’s
action can be affected by hero points, not just your own.
• For example, say a character needs to beat a Difficulty of 4.
They roll a 3. By spending 1 Hero Point, they raise the result to
a 4, making the action successful.
• If a character rolls a 4 Outcome and wants it to be higher, they
can use Hero Points to raise it. Spending 3 points, for instance,
would raise the result to 7.

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GLOSSARY
The following terms are used throughout the DoubleZero system.
Action Anything a character attempts to do.
Advantages Traits that help with a character’s Outcome.
Aptitudes A character’s innate abilities and natural talents.
Automatic Results The lowest possible result based on abilities.
Check A die roll to determine Success.
Damage Harm inflicted on an inanimate object.
Dice DoubleZero uses ten-sided dice, or d10s.
Difficulty How hard an Action is on a scale of 1 to 10.
Disadvantages Traits that can limit a character’s Success.
Expertise A character’s “level”, how good they are at what they do.
Hero Points A mechanic that allows players to alter die rolls.
Initiative The method of determining who takes their turn first.
Injury Points A measure of harm inflicted on a character.
Outcome The result of a successful Action on a scale of 1-10.
Profession A high-level definition of what a character can do.
Rating The number assigned to an ability on a scale of 1-10.
Skills A character’s learned abilities and lived experiences.
Success The result of an Action on a scale of 1-10.
Traits Advantages and Disadvantages that help shape a character.
Turns A player’s opportunity to perform an Action.

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LEARN MORE
Want to know more about DoubleZero: Modern Roleplaying?
Visit our website at lightspress.com for additional information and
current social media links.
Our full range of products in print, PDF, and ebook formats are
available at DriveThruRPG.
Use this link to get the DoubleZero: Modern Roleplaying core
book (digital edition) for only $5 USD.

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