From the introduction: What you hold in your hands is a toolkit. It is the foundation for a game that you will not only play ... but build yourself. In these pages you will find a means to create characters for almost any setting or genre. Five by Five does not contain exhaustive lists of skills and powers. It doesn't need them. Its systems are designed so that players can define everything they need to know about their characters in just a few words. You will find a clean and easy system for task resolution and combat. Uncertainty is resolved by the roll of commonly found six-sided dice. Five by Five is not a method of tactical simulation. Realism takes a back seat to quick and easy methods of conflict resolution that will not impede story telling. Five by Five is meant to be easy, friendly, and fun.