Vehicle Chases

Vehicle chases have always been a thorn in my side since I started playing Shadowrun. I’ve always wanted that cinematic experience of the PCs’ vehicles skittering down a road while gangers chase them, dragging chains through the streets. This has never been really successfully done. So many attempts, so many times I tried to figure out the chase TNs.

So this is my attempt to fix it so you can make chase TNs and Scenes that will make your players sit on the edge of their seat.

Basic Rules

Before the chase begins, set the end goal. It’s either, reach a specific area or escape your pursuers. This will tell you how many turns are required to complete the chase.

If they are trying to reach a specific area, then you add the players involved in the chase and add 2. Whoever reaches that many successful segments first wins the chase.

If they are trying to escape, then whoever beats the other in success contests 3 times first wins.

Each segment of the chase is done as a success contest vs a moving TN starting at your vehicle’s base handling. On each segment a complication or event will arise. The drivers will have to deal with those complications. It’s assumed that you can shoot at vehicles in the chase at any time, however shooting at vehicles who are multiple segments apart gives a +2 TN due to being separated.

Set the speed of the chase. Each chase has set speed, it’s up to the GM to decide if the chase is even possible. If someone is on a bicycle and someone else is in a Honda Turbo on the open road, that chase is going to end quickly. However, if it’s in a super crowded street, the cyclist may have the advantage. This also means when a crash test occurs, you will know the rough speed of the vehicles involved.

Assume chase speeds for inner city are around 80 to 100 KPH.

Assume chase speeds for Highway are closer 110 to 160 KPH.

Remember vehicles cannot go faster than 25% more of their “Speed” values. So scooters are not going to keep up when the big vehicles get involved.

Control Pool is available throughout the chase. It only refreshes every 3 segments.

Each time a vehicle is forced to make a crash test and succeeds, it receives a light wound from the strain. This will keep the chases from begin infinite, as the slow wear and tear begins to strip them down from near misses and clipping various loose scenary.

TN Modifiers

Terrain Modifiers are subject to GMs discretion based on vehicle size. Motorcycles ripping between cars on the highway might be restricted, but for a car would be tight.

Chase Complications/Events

These can be randomly pulled (written on index cards and shuffled) or planned by the GM as segments to the chase. Each segment will have its own special rules, though they are as minimized as possible to make this as fluid as possible.

Potholes

The road has large holes or is rough enough that hitting anything dead on at speed might be the end of the vehicle. Each chaser makes a handling test with a +1 target number. If either achieves 0 successes, the vehicle must make a body test at TN 4. Failure means light damage. Rule of 1 means the car suffers catastrophic damage resulting in a crash.

Unstable Terrain

The road has slick covering over it, this could be oil, snow, ice, etc. The chasers make a handling test with their off-road handling at a +2. Failure means a crash test, and they are out of the chase.

Street Obstacle

Something dangerous in the street, be it a person, concrete chunk, water barrier, etc. Whatever it is, it will be quite bad if you collide with it. A sharp maneuver with handling +3 will allow you to dodge it. Failure results in a crash test and damage based on whatever was struck.

Sudden Visual Problem

Be it a covering that suddenly shrouds the vehicle, a sudden downpour, water falling off a bridge, etc. Something has obscured the dashboard and during a high speed chase that could be death. Handling TN +8 OR Handling TN only but only using Autonav dice.

Heavy Traffic

The chase requires weaving in and out of traffic. Handling test success contest. Ensure you apply modifiers based on terrain modifiers for each vehicle.

Sudden Stop

The chase requires sudden breaking. Whoever can reduce their speed the fastest can be set to maneuver. This means that the vehicle’s acceleration is the key here. Make a standard handling roll. Whoever has the highest speed value adjustment wins this segment.

Steep Hill

The hill means getting air! Make a handling test at +3 TN. Achieving no successes requires a crash test as they come down hard.

Construction Area

Construction means sharp turns, stops, hazards of all types. Choose another event from this list: Potholes, Sudden Visual Problem, Street Obstacle, Unstable Terrain. Add +2 to that target number. Stage the crash damage up one level if they strike something. Everything is more dangerous in construction areas.

Straight Away

The chase goes wide open and acceleration is king. Whoever can accelerate the fastest can gain here. Make a standard handling roll. Whoever has the highest speed value adjustment wins this segment.

Hard Turn

The chase requires a skidding hard turn. Make a handling test with +1 TN.

Cross Traffic

Weaving between cars or people running across the road. Handling TN at +2. Failure to generate successes means immediate crash test!

Sabotage

This is a chance to set up a trap for the other chasers. This is when someone leans out the window and shoots out the tires of other vehicles to make obstacles, deploys oil slicks, somehow causes metal pipes to fill the area ahead, etc. Standard handling test. The next complication adds +1 TN per success made on this segment’s test. So if Chaser A gets 3 successes and Chaser B gets 4. Chaser A’s next test is +4 TN, Chase B’s is +3.

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