Each ‘round’ the pursuer and quarry make Command checks and add their ships’ speed ratings. Whoever wins gets a success. If the other ship already has a success, the winner instead uses his success to negate one of his enemy’s successes. The pursuit ends when one side gets three successes.
If the pursuer gets three successes, he manages to catch up. Start a naval combat with the two ships in adjacent stages. The pursuer gets a +5 bonus to his Command checks during the first turn’s Location phase (page xx).
If the quarry gets three successes, it manages to sail beyond sight of the pursuer and gets away.
Based on how far apart the ships are at the start of the chase, one side might begin with successes. The table also gives you a sense of how far apart the ships are over the course of the chase. As ships get farther apart, it’s less likely either side will make much distance over the other, so each round takes longer.
Table x:xx – Stern Chase Distances
Successes Distance Round Length*
Pursuer 2 Quarter-mile 1 minute
Pursuer 1 1.0 mile 4 minutes
*Tied* 3 miles 15 minutes
Quarry 1 10 miles 1 hour
Quarry 2 30 miles 4 hours
*Rough approximation.
Complexity and Complications
Of course a good chase needs to have decision points, or else it just comes down to who’s faster or luckier.
Where To?
The quarry usually has the benefit of being able to choose where to go. They might head for reinforcements, in which case you’ll want to track how far the chase goes. Generally you take a ship’s speed rating to get the miles it sails per hour, but this can vary based on factors of wind and currents, giving the GM a fair bit of wiggle room.
The quarry might choose to head into dangerous terrain, hoping their pursuer gets damaged or stranded (see Terrain and Hazards, page xx). It might head for terrain that offers a lot of hiding places, and the navigator could make a Stealth check opposing the pursuing ship’s look-out’s Perception check, trying to get out of sight, and perhaps even set up an ambush. Or it might simply try to keep its distance until it can effect repairs and come about for battle.
Crew vs Crew
Various crew roles can help during a stern chase, much as they would during naval combat. Bosuns can add their Charisma to the captain’s Command check. Engineers can roll each round to squeeze a little more speed out of the sails. Look-outs and navigators can help avoid hazardous terrain.
If a chase will cover a long distance, navigators also need to follow the rules for Navigation (page xx). Failure by one side might grant the other a bonus of +2 to +5. Perhaps a pursuing navigator could take a -2 penalty to one round’s check to gain a +5 bonus to the next round’s by trying a shortcut.
And of course various magical options can change things drastically.
Complications
If one side is having too easy a time and you want to increase the tension, foul wind might slow each ship to half speed, giving the pursuer more time to catch up before the quarry can reach a safe haven. Another ship might get involved, perhaps prompting a naval combat that will slow down one side or the other. Storms might wash someone overboard, creating a tension of whether to rescue the man or continue the chase.
