This roll adjusts each participant’s MOV rating for the duration of this chase. Every vehicle and character has a movement rating (MOV). A vehicle’s speed depends on a driver’s skill, while a character’s foot speed depends on their physical condition.
Each participant in the chase makes a CON roll (if on foot or other self-propelled mode) to test his or her physical condition and endurance. Drivers make a Drive Auto roll (for vehicles) to test their handling of the vehicle.
The fleeing character escapes if their adjusted MOV is higher than their pursuer. The Keeper is free to narrate a brief explanation of how this occurs, or to ask the players for suggestions. The chase is over and the Keeper should move the game on.
If the pursuer’s adjusted MOV rating is equal to or greater than that of the fleeing character, a chase is established, and the chase rules are bought into play. Proceed with Part 2: Cut to the chase.
If the fleeing character’s MOV was not high enough to lose the pursuer, the Keeper should move the action onto the point at which pursuer is just two locations behind, regardless of how the chase started. This short range serves to focus play on the exciting part of the chase. Whether the characters started next to each other or a mile apart, the aim is to “cut to the chase”. The fleeing character has already had one chance to escape using the speed roll. The Keeper would normally set the starting range to two locations, but may opt for a tenser chase by reducing it to one location in exceptional circumstances. It is advised not to set the range beyond two locations.
"Location" is a term used to denote a position in the chase. The locations do not need to be equally spaced; a locked door or a flight of stairs might separate two locations, while another might be a point on a stretch of open road. Locations divide the chase into narrative chunks, rather than being a set physical distance. For example, a hotel might be divided into multiple locations: revolving door, crowded foyer, stairs, lifts, corridors, restaurant, kitchens, bedrooms, offices, and so on.
If a chase takes place at the same time as a separate combat, the Keeper should ensure that the distance between locations is not excessive, otherwise you may end up with one group of characters running the length of a city block in the time it takes another investigator to smash a chair over a cultist’s head.
A chase is made up of a string of locations. The Keeper should keep careful track of which character is at which location. Depending on their speed, characters may move 1 or more locations each round. Hazards and barriers (see following) are positioned between locations and may slow a character’s progress.