Chase Scene Flavoring

[soulforge]

I was reading through Barsoomcore's thread about exciting chases and somebody mentioned how not only the rules are important, but the description the DM gives during the chase is just as important.

So, I'm wondering if we can't create a good deal of interesting, flavorful, occurences to describe during chases.

 

[barsoomcore]

I'm pretty sure we can.

Here's one from my most recent Barsoom game:

The heroes are riding across the plains of Yshaka, hoping to make it to the trade city of Yautepec before the assorted warrior tribes of the plains discover that foreigners have intruded upon their sacred lands.

No such luck, and our heroes are forced to make a break for it (the city just being in view on the horizon) as more and more shrieking savages mounted on velociraptors fall into pursuit behind them. And slowly gaining on them. They throw alchemist's fire, they try an ambush, but there's too many of the bad guys and they're running like mad.

I check for an obstacle and what do you know? This round our heroes are about to run into something not so helpful.

When one of my players lays down her Swashbuckling Card that says, "Instant Dislike: Two groups of NPCs develop an immediate hostility towards each other." The obstacle turns out to be a Creature.

So our heroes go tearing around a low hill and charge smack into the middle of a pride of Tyrannosaurus Rexes! They're past and gone by the time the huge predators realise what's going on, but then the wave of raptor-riding savages hits them.

And then chaos obviously ensues.

Thus proving the truth of the maxim: Everything is improved with the sudden introduction of a rampaging dinosaur. Or three.

 

[Hand of Evil]

First let us set the stage.

DM: You see the thief just down the street, your eyes make contact, and she turns and starts to move away from you, into the crowd of the market.

DM: What do you do?

Players 1, 2, & 3: We start after her!

The chase is on!

Now this is an event and has two outcomes 1) Players catch the thief or 2) they don’t. The DM already has the result planed (in most cases) but does not want the players to know that, just to have fun.

Some words to use: Chase- Pursue – Run after – Hunt – Hound – Trail – Tail – Shadow - Market – Bazaar – Crowd – Throng – Horde – Mob- Street – Lane – Boulevard – Avenue - Alley – Passage – Path – Side Street - Hot – Fast – Pounding – Beating – Throbbing – Number – Collide – Run Into – Ram – Crash – Run Over – Bump – Trip –

Now the Chase – section 1: Thief gets away is the result of this section.

DM: The thief sides into the bazaar moving quickly between the mass of shoppers and hawkers, glancing over her shoulder to see where you are; she ducks down a passage between two buildings (see she got away).

Players: We run after her, through the crowd, trying to close the distance!

DM: You are running? Rolls some dice.

DM: Player 1, 2 and 3 as you run into the marketplace a vendor pushing a cart of fruit moves into your path. What action do you take?

Player 1: I leap over the cart.

Player 2: I dodge to the right of the cart.

Player 3: I dodge to the left of the cart.

DM: Player 1 please roll DC 15 to avoid a push cart that has entered your path.

DM: Player 2 please roll DC 13 to avoid a shopper.

DM: Player 3 please roll a DC 13 to avoid a shopper.


DM Recap: In hot pursuit you run after the thief, entering the market, Player 1 trying to avoid a push cart that entered his path, leaps over the cart of fruit to the yells and curses of the vendor and shoppers, and falls behind a few paces. Trying to avoid the same cart, Player 2 collides into a shopper crashing to the cobblestones, knee throbbing, to see player 3 leading the way to the passage, weaving and dodging the throng, player 1 only a few paces behind.

This ends section 1 – the DM will ask the players what they do now. This is the start of section 2.

Movies are always a good start to look for ideas, they are storyboards and planned out, their is a market (fish/fruit are big), a hill, and some turns, you just add element to them.

 

[soulforge]

This is good stuff so far.

I'm trying to think of more.. the one that really got my mind interested in what others use for their chases is that someone mention the whiff, curse, and thud when someone trips. That creates a good picture in my mind of someone tripping.