TEXT: Introduction 
  The Forefathers knew the Burning Times would come and 
  destroy the world, and so they built Downside – a vast, 
  sophisticated underground city. There, a remnant of 
  humanity would survive and thrive, and emerge one day to 
  reclaim the earth. 
  That was hundreds of years ago. Downside survives, yet it is 
  no paradise – rather, it is an oppressive state ruled over by a 
  mysterious and dictatorial being known as “the Elder”. 
  Science and innovation have stagnated, and much of 
  Downside is in disrepair.  
  It is also surrounded by enemies. The massive lower levels 
  were abandoned long ago – they are now called the 
  Underside, and are inhabited by psychotic robots and the 
  Renegades, humans who have fled Downside. Meanwhile, 
  Topside is overrun by giant mutant animals and the Wilders, 
  primitive humans with frightening psychic power.  
  You are a member of SecOps, an elite group of trouble-
  shooters from Downside. You will conduct dangerous secret 
  missions for The Elder, even as your own doubts grow about 
  this troubled society.  
  Welcome to Downside, a science-fiction RPG set in a 
  dystopian future. The game requires only pencil, paper and a 
  number of ordinary 6-sided dice. In this guide, numbers that 
  have a "D" appended indicate a pool of 6-sided dice. For 
  example, 2D means "two dice". 
  Character Creation 
  Your character needs a name, abilities, quirks, contraband 
  and health – you should record all these on a character 
  sheet.  
  Abilities 
  Characters are defined by their abilities. You have 8D to 
  distribute amongst the list below – Tough must be at least 
  2D, and all other scores must be at least 1D. 
  Tough – combat skills, and the ability to absorb physical hurt 
  Cyber – skill with computer systems 
  Rogue – various streetwise skills 
  Psy – psychic power 
  Quirks 
  Quirks give colour and life to your character. Choose at least 
  one quirk from the following list – alcoholic, angry, 
  argumentative, belches, condescending, covetous, cowardly, 
  depressed, dirty, disorganised, dry wit, foolhardy, greedy, 
  growls, indecisive, keeps journal, kleptomaniac, lisps, 
  mumbles, naïve, narcissistic, nervous, over-clean, over-
  organised, paranoid, pessimistic, phobic, pyromaniac, rude, 
  sarcastic, shy, superstitious, talks to self, uses catch-phrase, 
  uses clichés, uses puns, vengeful, verbose. 
  Weapons  
  Weapons are outlawed in Downside, and possession of one 
  can be grounds for execution. You will be allocated a 
  weapon when deployed on a mission – it must be returned 
  afterward. The most common weapon is a very powerful, 
  long-range, semi-automatic handgun. 
  Contraband  
  There is no official currency in Downside and no private 
  possessions – the Elder provides for all your needs. In reality, 
  there is a thriving black market. The default currency is the 
  silver dollar, which is also recognised by the Renegades and 
  some Wilder tribes. Just about anything imaginable can be 
  purchased on the black market. Your character starts the 
  game with 3D silver dollars, and at least one item of 
  personal contraband (be creative). 
  Health 
  Your health can be one of four levels - healthy, wounded, 
  disabled or dead. When healthy, you can use all abilities 
  without penalty. If wounded, you can still use any ability, but 
  you will suffer a 1D penalty. If you are disabled, you are lying 
  prostrate on the ground and can do nothing - without 
  assistance, you will die within the hour. Dead is dead. 
  Conflict Resolution 
  When you wish to use an ability, you must make an ability 
  check. You do this by rolling the number of dice indicated by 
  your ability score. The person or object opposing you also 
  makes an ability check. If you roll more sixes than your 
  opponent, you succeed - otherwise you fail. For an example, 
  see Combat below. 
  A short-hand way of referring to these checks is “[action 
  ability] vs [target ability]”. For example, using your Tough 
  ability against your opponent’s Tough ability would be called 
  a “Tough vs Tough check”. 
  Combat 
  Combat takes place in rounds of about 30 seconds each. The 
  players always go first, followed by their opponents. During 
  a combat round you may attack with a weapon, initiate a Psy 
  attack (described later), or perform any other reasonable 
  action. If attacking with a weapon, you must make a Tough 
  vs Tough ability check. If you succeed, you have struck your 
  opponent. If you fail, you have missed.  
  Example You shoot a Renegade with your handgun. 
  Your Tough is 5D, and his is 2D. You roll 53162 and he rolls 
  52. You have rolled more sixes than the Renegade – you hit 
  him, and inflict a wound. 
  Wounding 
  When you hit something, you decrease its health by one 
  level. That is, a healthy creature becomes wounded, a 
  wounded creature becomes disabled, and a disabled 
  Downside 
  
  creature dies. Weapon type makes no difference to the 
  amount of damage done. 
  Stimpacks 
  A stimpack is a self-administered medical kit that is depleted 
  on use. When used on a wounded or disabled character, it 
  restores one level of health. Proper medical attention is 
  required within 72 hours of using a stimpack, or permanent 
  damage may result.  
  Advanced Combat 
  Critical Hits - If you roll more sixes than the defender has 
  total Tough dice, it is a “critical hit” and the target’s health 
  decreases by two degrees rather than one.  
  Multiple Attacks – You may split your Tough dice in order to 
  attack multiple targets in the same round. For example, you 
  are fighting two Wilders and decide to split your Tough dice 
  into two pools of 2 and 3 dice each.  
  Reckless Attack – You attack all-out with no thought to 
  defence. Double your Tough dice when attacking that round 
  – however, when defending, your Tough dice is just 1D! 
  Aggressive Attack – You attack aggressively with only 
  minimal attention to defence. For that round, increase your 
  Tough dice by half when attacking, but reduce by half when 
  defending. 
  Defensive Attack – You strike cautiously, with a focus on 
  defence. For that round, reduce your Tough dice by half 
  when attacking, but add half when defending.  
  Defend – You spend all your effort defending yourself. You 
  can't attack that round, but double your Tough dice when 
  defending.  
  Robots 
  Robots are ubiquitous in Downside, but they are also 
  inconspicuous. They tend to be highly specialised in 
  function, and their artificial intelligence is strictly limited. No 
  robot is ever armed. It is rumoured that robots were once 
  far more intelligent and versatile, and that such robots still 
  exist in the Underside. 
  Vehicles 
  Mass-transit systems are the norm in Downside, so private 
  vehicles are rare. If required, a ground car may be issued for 
  a mission. It will be driven by a sophisticated, though 
  unimaginative, AI system. 
  Psy 
  If you have a Psy of 4D or more you may choose one of the 
  following four skills -  
  Blast – you can administer a severe mental shock to another 
  person. Make a Psy vs Psy ability check – if you succeed, the 
  target is stunned for 1D rounds. 
  TK – you can lift objects with your mind. You can 
  comfortably move around 25kgs for every 1D of Psy you 
  possess. 
  Pyro – you can create a stream of fire. If you direct it at an 
  enemy, make a Psy vs Tough ability check – if you succeed, 
  you inflict a wound. 
  ESP – you can read minds. Make a Psy vs Psy ability check – 
  if you succeed, you can read the surface thoughts of the 
  target. 
  For all of the above powers, the range is 5 metres for every 
  1D of Psy ability. If you have one of these Psy skills, you also 
  have the ability to create a mental Shield to protect yourself 
  and those near you from Blast and ESP. This takes all of your 
  concentration. A Shield can be destroyed with a Psy vs Psy 
  check. After your Shield is destroyed, you cannot re-create it 
  for 1D hours. 
  Rogue 
  This is a collection of streetwise skills such as climb walls, 
  sneak, hide, pick pockets, and spot secrets. When 
  attempting any of these skills, you must make a Rogue 
  ability check vs a target ability score, as advised by the 
  Referee.  
  Cyber 
  This is the ability to use and hack into computer systems. 
  Downside has its own tightly controlled Net connecting all 
  devices and information; but there are areas, called the Dark 
  Net, beyond the control of the Elder. Access to the Net is via 
  a wireless neural interface. When attempting to hack 
  something, the Referee will provide a target ability score. 
  Opponents 
  Following are some typical opponents - 
  Renegade (Tough 2D, Rogue 2D) – Fled from Downside, now 
  living in the Underside. 
  Renegade Gang Leader (Tough 6D, Rogue 4D) – As above. 
  Wilder (Tough 2D, Psy 2D) – Primitive tribesman, living 
  Topside. 
  Wilder Shaman (Tough 2D, Psy 6D) – As above. 
  Gigantosaur (Tough 10D) – Very large mutant elephant, with 
  fangs. 
  Security Robot (Tough 6D) – A simple security robot, 
  basically a machine pistol on tracks. 
  Missions 
  Missions are prepared by the Referee. Following are some 
  typical mission hooks – 
   
  Renegades from the Underside have penetrated an area 
  of Downside. Clear them out. 
   
  Something has damaged one of Downside’s air intakes. 
  Escort a technician Topside to repair it. 
   
  The Elder has learned of a valuable item in the 
  Underside. Travel there and retrieve it. 
   
  Escort a VIP Topside on a dangerous journey to another 
  underground city – then come back. 
   
  Renegades have captured a VIP and taken him to the 
  Underside. Fetch him back. 
   
  Wildlings have raided Downside and carried off an 
  important item. Go Topside and retrieve it. 
   
  And the perennial favourite - go find out what 
  happened to the last party we sent on a suicide mission. 
  At the end of each adventure, the Referee will award players 
  1-3 points each, with which to improve their abilities. 
  Downside v1.0. © 2014 M. T. Black. 
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Other (Unique) Systems/Top Secret Games Two Page Tabletops/Downside.pdf