Chases have the following factors:

  • The differences in speed between the pursuer and the pursued
  • The ability to maintain that speed
  • Environmental complications

To turn these factors into mechanics, we can give speed scores (either die values or absolute values depending onhow deterministic you want things to be) to the two parties. Each round the pursuer and pursued move at their speed either creating distance or closing it. There is also distance and a distance threshold. Distance threshold is a value where if the distance value reaches or exceeds it, the pursued gets away.

For the ability to maintain speed and environmental complications we can use a modified version of the encounter die system. Roll a 1d6 each round.

  1. Encounter: Some other party appears during the chase. You can either roll on a random encounter table or make something up. Either way this party should complicate the chase in some way and force players to make some kind of decision. Examples could include more guards arriving, innocent bystanders in the way, some giant monster in the way, etc.
  2. Setback: Something happens that causes distance to increase
  3. Locality: There is a change in the environment that players will need to adapt to or suffer some consequences
  4. Exhaustion: There is the potential to lose some speed unless a check is successfully passed
  5. Opportunity: Distance can be closed or gained at the cost of a resource
  6. Gap Closure: Distance is further narrowed

Additionally, in the interest of avoiding a potential situation where a chase goes on indefinitely, the GM should set a clock that gets ticked each round. Once this clock completes the chase resolves in one party’s favor.