Cut To The Chase

[Pants]

I'm downloading it at the moment.

Let me just say that this will be my first .pdf purchase. I've always had trouble adjucating chases and it looks like this will fill the niche. Besides, the PC's will be in Sharn soon and I can see many spire-topping, balcony-hopping chase scenes occuring in Eberron's shadiest metropolis.

 

[BSF]

It's a good PDF and I finally playtested it last night. One thing I have noticed here though: you really want to only have one chase leader. Either the good guys are pursuing one "vehicle" or the PCs are all in one "vehicle" and the bad guys are pursuing them. I tried to run a chase with multiple PC "vehicles" being pursued by multiple bad guy "vehicles". It doesn't work as well.

Mind you, I don't think this is really a weakness in the rules, you can do it any way you like. but if you want to keep the element of the chase quick, and tension filled, you want to keep the dynamics fairly simple. 8 riders on horseback being chased by 20 worgs with riders is too many variables to keep the pace screaming forward.

If I were going to do it again, I would probably group the PC's together, use the slowest speed factor (mixed light coursers and heavy destriers) and probably the highest ride check. Then apply penalalties to the group based on individual actions. That would have kept things flowing quickly.

I do look forward to using Hot Pursuit again with lessons learned.

 

[Berandor]

It's a good PDF and I finally playtested it last night. One thing I have noticed here though: you really want to only have one chase leader. Either the good guys are pursuing one "vehicle" or the PCs are all in one "vehicle" and the bad guys are pursuing them. I tried to run a chase with multiple PC "vehicles" being pursued by multiple bad guy "vehicles". It doesn't work as well.

Mind you, I don't think this is really a weakness in the rules, you can do it any way you like. but if you want to keep the element of the chase quick, and tension filled, you want to keep the dynamics fairly simple. 8 riders on horseback being chased by 20 worgs with riders is too many variables to keep the pace screaming forward.

If I were going to do it again, I would probably group the PC's together, use the slowest speed factor (mixed light coursers and heavy destriers) and probably the highest ride check. Then apply penalalties to the group based on individual actions. That would have kept things flowing quickly.

I do look forward to using Hot Pursuit again with lessons learned.

That's what I would've done, too. Treat the pursued as one vehicle.

But I wonder what I'd do with maneuvers then? The best/worst rider makes the check, or they all make checks?

Interesting situation.

 

[BSF]

Yeah, I'm not 100% sure on that either. It isn't a perfect answer to do it that way, but there is the price between being quick and dynamic or bogging the chase down in details.

 

[barsoomcore]

You know, every chase in the playtesting consisted of a single prey with multiple predators, so I never even considered it. The first game session I ran after it was published, the PCs all jumped on separate mounts and rode off with half a nation of warriors in pursuit.

"Hot Pursuit", even.

Anyway, I smacked myself in the head and quickly tried to figure out how to make it work. It was actually pretty easy.

I told them that if they wanted to stick together, they had to go at the pace of the worst rider in the group. So that player made all the Ride checks for their Close/Lengthen attempts and the opposed checks against the pursuers. Meanwhile, the other players I allowed to use One Hand On The Wheel to perform Passenger maneuvers, throwing phosphorus grenades and stuff like that.

It worked out well enough. My backup plan was, if they decided not to stick together, was to run it as separate chases, with individual enemies pursuing each PC. Sub-optimal but I think that would work, too.

 

[Desdichado]

Are you going to make the Cannonball Run d20 expansion you referenced in JPL's "make a genre" thread?

 

[BSF]

It wasn't a big deal. I mangled along in game.

Oddly enough, the character with the slowest mount had the best ride skill and the character with the fastest mount had the worst ride skill. Still, the 3rd level goblin warriors on worgs had the best skill of everyone with a +13. I hadn't been paying real close attention, but the PCs really don't have much in the way of ride skill with this group.

 

[barsoomcore]

JD: Mm. I know there was a "Thunderball Rally" minigame in Polyhedron already, so that one's a bit of a back-burner. But maybe "Trucker: The Calvacade".



BSF: Yeah, it's funny how these things always seem to work out. If the story is there, and your players are on, the rules don't always matter that much.

 

[iwatt]

I used Hot Pursuit last night in my Star Wars game. Cool, great fun. Still have to gain more familiarity with the rules

The setup: Waldu the rodian wannabe Bounty-Hunter and Elde Branto the Duros wannabe Blockade Runner have tracked down the shady smuggler Kal-Tenoth to his hide-out in the slums of Nar-Shadda. although they did try guile and subterfuge at first, our heroes rapidly retuned to their classic style of: "frag first, questions later".

4 very dead thugs and one demolished assasin droid later, the dust settles with our boys putting a homing beacon on Kal-tenoth's Air-truck before the smuggler flies off.

The crack Duros pilot and his Rodian friend quickly hop onto their speeder (right after picking up the Droids cool repeating rifle). Thanks to the homing beacon, our heroes easily start tracking the Smugler. A couple of rounds later, the air truck is in sight and Waldu begins to snipe at it with the repeating rifle. Alas, in the tight quarters of the Nar-Shadda warrens, a stalled truck must be avoided by those involved in the chase. Kal-tenoth just barely swerves the obstcle, while our heroes decide to jump over it (DC 24). Unfortunately, Elde seems to miss the ramp and is apparently going to smash into the truck (rolled a 1). Somehow, he tries to correct mid-jump (uses his luck/1 day) but still smashes against the truck(another 1 ).

As the Smuggler proceeds to escape, the heroes speeder breaks apart and our heroes are tossed to the ground, just meters from a speed-biker gang. The gang members start laughing until waldu quickdraws his Thermal detonator and "convinces" the bikers to loan them a speed bike. Our banged up heroes proceed to chase Kal.-tenoth, who buy this time has gon into a speedway (Open). Thanks to the homing beacon, our boys once again start to catch up. All of the sudden, a cargo caravan crosse the speedway, forcing Elde into a quick set of evasive maneuvers (DC 34) which he somehow makes. The smuggler, aware that he hasn't shaken his pursuers, ducks into a ventilation shaft (tight terrain). At this point, the crack shot Waldu takes out the air truck with a series of well placed blaster shots. The chase ends with a banged up smuggler held at gunpoint by the couple of (also banged up) heroes.


Good times had by all.

One observation: Action points flowed like water during this chase. I'm thinking of twinking the DCs since I want some even more cinematic chases. Not sure yet. Maybe I'll just stick to smaller Obstacles

 

[barsoomcore]

Hey, that sounds like huge fun.

Chases are good. Everyone should have more chases.

Says me.