Whatever you do, you'll regret it.
- Allan McLeod Gray

PC creation is quick and done in a free form manner. Each PC begins as human + something extra. That can be extensive military training, basic cybernetics, nanotechnology, psychic abilities, mutation, enhanced [something] or whatever else works, just something to set them beyond the teeming masses. Keep in mind that cybernetics and nanotech will cost the PC money -so they'll most likely have to have sold themselves to an Interest (Government, Religion or Corp) for a time - or maybe forever - in order to get stuff like that.
The player then makes up a description and decides what the PC does for a living. This covers all the skills your PC has. If you want your PC able to have something a bit more than just different, you pay for it with dice, explained later under special talents.

Dice

Victims of circumstance owe it to fate. Victims of choice owe it to themselves.
- Deborah Christian, "Mainline"

A free form game with dice? What the hell?
Yes, I do know what you're thinking but here's how it works. Each PC starts the game with 10 dice which can be used to influence events. Want a door not to be locked the GM said was locked? Roll a d100 and get above the GMs roll. If you succeed, it happens. Even if you fail, the dice are still "spent". It could be considered luck, but covers a lot more than that.
Note: This cannot effect events that have already occurred in the game (though it could lessen the severity of a wound, perhaps). It affects the present ("I find out the side door is really unlocked") or the future ("There's actually an exit around the corner.") or to justify something about a PC not explicitly part of the PC ("Sure, my PC looks like a low life, but he really does have assassin skills"). If you win, your idea is added into the game. Fail, and it's not. Either way, the dice are cast and used.
The GM may, rarely, decide that what you want ("Of course my homeless PC can access military hardware! His uncle taught him!") is extreme and can either ask that you be more reasonable or increase the dice cost for your effect, which works out much like player vs. player dice uses, though the GM cannot make the dice cost force you to go into debt. If you only have 2 dice, the GM can't make what you want cost 3.
The GM can always roll against a PCs dice. It's the world responding to you. If the GM likes your idea, s/he can elect that it happens and not roll. (You still pay the dice, of course.)
Lastly, the GM can veto rolls if they go outside the genre or are just plain silly. In that case, no Dice are used.

If using Dice against another player, they get to roll dice to resist (if they want to. If they don't, the effect happens. If they do resist, they *do* spend the dice). The difference is that they can increase the dice used.

Example: Edward: "Jake runs into the room and doesn't find Miss. Minx."
Jake: "Screw that, I want to want to find her. It'll be three dice."

OPTIONAL: The GM can lower the cost if it seems inappropriate. (i.e. the one player knows the other has 2 dice, so picks 8.)

OPTIONAL: You can make a number of rolls equal to the dice (3 in the example above) and whoever wins the most of them wins.

If you don't have enough dice to equal how many are being required in a situation, you can't do it. In other words, if the other player says "10" and you have 9, nothing happens. However, there are two options:

1. Other players can give dice to the event as well. (You still roll, but they write it off as spent) to aid either side.
2. If that isn't feasible (or they won't give 'em), you can incur negative dice, which means that you get less dice the next session (up to your negative) and can't use any more dice this session since your in debt and generally will have bad luck.

Special Talent

Everyone has talent. What is rare is the courage to follow that talent to the dark place where it leads.
- Erica Jong

Special talents are abilities above and beyond the basics. For example, Holden has a psychic talent that he can see the future (vaguely, if he rolls a dice it could become certain :)). However, it is balanced by his unusual appearance (white eyes, since he's a mutant) that mark him as weird and it's limited in that it is almost always vague. (Holden could use Dice to say "This will happen" and produce an accurate seeing though.) A psychic would have an even more vague talent.
If Holden wanted to be able to see possible futures all at once (from most to least likely, say) it would become a special talent, no matter if he tried to balance it by being blind or having 6 eyes or being mentally challenged. In order to get said talent, he has to pay in dice since it's above and beyond what would normally be possible for a mutant or psychic.

The GM (and other players) should agree on how many dice these talents cost on a case by case basis. This amount is taken off the total Dice the PC gets each time die are rejuvenated. The cost of said talents can be reduced by making them obvious, or unpredictable or limited by some limit of the PC (making the PC unplayable or being just stupid isn't allowed) but will always cost at least 1 die. A PCs background and history are irrelevant when determining this cost of a power, in most situations.

Getting More Dice

. . . she had enough experience now to make her plans around pessimism rather than hope.
- Mercedes Lackey

Each PCs Dice pool is returned back to their max (10 - any special ability deduction) either at the start of every session, at the end of an adventure or at the climax of some important part of the game.
More dice can be given out for a good idea in the game, successfully rolling with the results of dice and generally good RP. If you have more Dice than the maximum when points are awarded, your Dice total goes back down to the maximum. (You may be allowed to spend those points, say, on special talents or items you want or whatever, at the GMs discretion).

Combat, Death, Dying, & Such

A man does not die for something which he himself does not believe in.
- Hitler, "Mein Kampf"

Combat is free formed, so whatever happens, happens. If your PC can use a weapon, they use it. If they can't, they use something else. Generally, non military PCs can use basic weapons, military trained can use practically anything. If you run out of ammo, you need another weapon. You can't magically produce things with Dice (unless your PC has some weird Special Talent) so you do have to pause to reload or draw or find another convenient weapon. What order PCs act in is entirely dependent on their combat experience prior to the game, and how the PC is RPed during the combat. A PC dies when they've been hit or whatever as many times as seems appropriate. 2 or 3 shots should put most PCs in need of help, and 10 kill them (meaning the 10 dice could be used to evade/reduce said wounds, perhaps). NPCs (aka RS, "Red Shirts") die with one shot normally and are cannon fodder. Trained NPCs can take between 2 to 10 damage (how much a specific shot does is up to the GM; just wing it) and important NPCs may have Dice as well.

Conclusion

Experience keeps a dear school, but fools will learn in no other.
- Ben Franklin

This game is an exploration of a GMed game with direct player input/alteration into the world. It requires GMs to be on their toes since players can alter the game world rather effectively. This isn't meant as a challenge to the GM, but more as a means of co-operative world building. Preventing your PC from getting hurt all the time is stupid (and boring), but managing to crack a code, survive (un)certain death or just be lucky works. Keep in mind that players can "give" Dice to other players as well, if the GM agrees on that.

Above all, make sure the basics of what your PC can do are worked out with the GM beforehand so you don't need to use Dice to "convince" them, and keep in mind that Dice are like gambling ... use it too often and it's gone, don't use it and, well, it just sits in the bank and does nothing.

MORE IN DEPTH STUFF

There's no need to worry: whatever you do, life is hell
- Wendy Cope

This is basically some ideas for making PCs and the like beyond the basics presented above. It's mostly ideas for PCs as they relate to the setting.

Types of PCs

The dumber people think you are, the more surprised they're going to be when you kill them.
- William Clayton

Generally speaking, almost everyone in the game will be human. That being said, in dystopia there is human, and Human.

Addict: The poor man's Nanite, addicts use drugs entirely to boost themselves above humans. They don't live very long.
Android: A machine with a mind, more or less. Many androids can pass as human under casual inspection and tend to combine the usefulness of a cyborg (in terms of enhancements, such as additional hands) with the ability to blend in. Most are programmed to obey certain directives and don't really have free will, as humans understand the term. They can't think outside their box.
Baseline: This is a general slang term for a normal human. Your DNA checks out, you don't have any bizarre chemicals enhancing you (or dehancing, if that is even a word). You're Human, and you know it.
Clone: A clone of someone, baseline or not. Almost all are baselines (easier to clone) but any containing improvements may be considered Replicants. Most clones - if they know who they are cloned from - tend to have identity issues.
Cyborg: Any human with metal body parts. It generally refers to those with obvious ones, like arms and legs as metal who don't try and hide their machine parts and make use of them for keeping weapons, extra hands and the like. The big advantage of metal body parts is they're very strong. The bad is upkeep, breakdowns and (most importantly) the cost of getting them in the first place.
Mutant: Any human who is altered physically from the norm in some odd way. It can include odd skin tones, missing limbs, or internal things like two hearts or something. Not all mutations are noticeable, and most aren't extremely obvious (those invariably are killed after birth). A mutant's deformity doesn't have to be related to their special ability but tends to be, if only in a very broad sense. Mutant's can be born from a parent being a mutant, an experiment, a freak accident or just because of the weird environment of the world. Mutant DNA won't register as baseline.
Lunatic: Anyone born on the moon. They're genetically engineered to be taller (7') and skinnier and excel in low-gravity situations. The term has come to refer to anyone from off-earth who has had their DNA modified to suit an environment.
Nanite: Anyone using nanotechnology to really boost up their body. It is generally expensive, and dangerous. (For example. booting reaction time but not vision or respiratory systems can be very disorienting.) It tends to require a lot to work right and most end (successful) results tend to resemble superman - or darkseid. The others often end up pitied by mutants.
Psychics: Humans with a little something weird. They register as normal human for DNA scans, but a brain scan may pick up some abnormalities. Their psychic abilities tend to be less powerful than mutants, simply because not as many of them are conciously aware they are psychic. Most mutants find the ida of humans who can do things like they can and are human rather unfair, in the general scheme of things. Psychics tend to have the quieter powers, like telepathy or empathy, rather than telekinesis or pyrokinesis.
Replicant: A human built from the ground up. They're not clones, and not nanites, but tend to be genetically perfect, the peak that a human can be. Their brains tend to be wired differently to get the best use out of things like adrenaline and they ca improve to levels baselines can't even begin to.

Class Strata:

I have two convictions. First, more harm has been done by weak persons than by wicked persons, secondly, the problems of this world are caused by the weakness of goodness rather than by the strength of evil. It is evident that we have allowed technology to outstrip social controls . . . Man must catch up with what he has created.
- Harry S Kennedy

This is a quick look based on who is ranked higher than who, socially. The rank within the class is from first to last in terms of relating to each other, so a clone ranks higher than a psychic, for example. The ranking within each class is fairly broad and in no ways set in stone. Many baselines, for example, would consider Clones as first class and Nanites and Replicants as second, because they are more "pure" - and, let's face it, not as likely to be able to rip your head off without even trying.

First Class: Baseline, Cyborgs, Nanites (successful), Replicants
Second Class: Clones, Lunatics (they're "alien"), Psychic (known), Addicts (new), Mutants
Third Class: Addicts (brain fried), Androids (not human), Mutants (visible and ugly), Nanites (failed)

Occupations

No one ever really pays for it in silver, he thought. The price of any evil - necessary or otherwise - comes due in the flesh.
- Stephen King, "The Waste Lands"

There's a lot of things someone can do for a living in a dystopic world. The key point is that most profession (educated) jobs are only for those who work for some Institution (be in Religion, Corp or Government). So biologists. legal teachers and the like simply won't be available to PCs (and historians don't exist, at all). For the most part, a PCs job is a result of having to survive. Feel free to add things to this list: it's just some basics.

Crackers: Hackers tend to follow a "look, don't touch" policy for the most part. They hack for the love of hacking, primarily (taking down systems etc. is done because, well, the bills gotta be paid somehow). Crackers are different: they want to screw you over, and they do it. Most of them tend to be angsty kids and few of them survive to grow up and become hackers.
Hacker: Someone who uses the Net for illegal purposes. Contrary to popular belief there are not many hackers out there. You need to have access to the Net (or a connection or terminal installed in you), the knack for using it and a lot of luck. There are lots of people who use scripts to "hack" with but they aren't hackers. Most estimates claim there are only about 8-10K genuine hackers around, the number fluctuating as they run afoul of Corp security or AIs.
Housing Brat: You got raised in a House. Lucky you. You also got indoctrinated via the Virtual TV. Ok, not so lucky but at least it did offer some genuine information among the entertainment, and you're life isn't too horrible generally. But houses get big, and people need to move out, or get jobs to support family - and find out the real world and the TV world are very, very far apart.
Military: Basic military training for a Corp. Travel! See the world! Meet lots of new and interesting people! (For a very short time, then you get to kill 'em.) You get taught lots of weapons and how to kill people, maybe even tactics, but not social stuff or the technical side of things. You're good at taking lives, but you don't really have one - might make you question things. And someone with a gun asking questions could make ex-bosses nervous.
Natural: Someone gifted in using the net. They make hackers look like script kiddies. It's not just that they're good in the net, but that they seem to be part of it. Most of them have an innate ability to literally rewire their own brains. Some claim it to be a cross between an addict and a psychic, but it's a lot more than that.... oh, and they're all baselines, even to brain scans. Scared yet?
Police Officer: There aren't many of you, but you're the guys who aren't military and carry guns and try and protect people. Honest. Well, at least not when taking bribes or being ordered to leave well enough alone. Governments fund you because you're an image of law and order, but you're ill equipped, ill funded, and generally out gunned. But you do it because someone has to help the underdog, has to be there for the people ... right?
Shaman: Basically a doctor for the poor. Makes use of old remedies, what technology she can scrounge up and liberal does of psychology and placebos. It tends to be a gruelling job, but sometimes, when you've been able to pull connections at the hospital and get an arm delivered for that girl and attached so she can have a life again ... sometimes it's almost worth it.
Street Kid: You're just some scum raised on the streets. Sure, you can fight, but you learned it the ugly way, generally from having someone do something to you and hoping you'd survive to be able to use it on others. They tend to only know very basic weapons (most use hand-held stuff since guns cost money - and run out of ammo) but they have connections and they are survivors.
Techie: Someone with a knack for fixing, making and repairing anything technological. They tend to be very well liked.