Give Chase or Flee — Advanced Old School Revival

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The give chase or flee action lets you structure a dynamic chase scene while in encounter mode. The action helps break down what's happening in the scene in a way that's both discrete and abstract. The goal of the action is to simulate the chaos and excitement contained in a high stakes pursuit, whether the PCs are the hunters or the prey.

About Pursuit Tactics

What's important to remember when running this action is that the pursuit tactics are there to help you assess progress on the clock, not to help the players decide what to do. That is, when the players are deciding what to do when their initiative comes up, have them describe what they're doing from the perspective of the fiction, not from the perspective of the tactics. It's your job to resolve their action as a tactic in order to assess whether they earn success toward moving the clock.

The example provided in the core rules is overly explicit about what tactic is being used to make it clear how PC actions resolve into pursuit tactics, but generally you should encourage the PC to talk in terms of fictional rather than mechanical intent.

Sticking to the Fiction

For example, this is how the core rules illustrates the Create an Obstacle action:

GM (both roll initiative): The guards just barely win initiative. They’re right behind you. There’s a bridge up ahead, stretching out over a chasm. What do you do?

Player: I’m going to create an obstacle. Let’s see how they like a stick of dynamite in their face when we get to that bridge!

GM: All right, let’s see if you’re able to light and toss it while you’re hauling ass. Give me a Deft success check.

…But ideally the player should make no reference to the action itself, and just talk about what they’re trying to do in the fiction:

GM (both roll initiative): The guards just barely win initiative. They’re right behind you. There’s a bridge up ahead, stretching out over a chasm. What do you do?

Player: I have some dynamite in my inventory, can I lite it and throw it at the entrance to the temple? Let’s see how they like a stick of dynamite in their face when we get to that bridge!

GM: All right, let’s see if you’re able to light and toss it while you’re hauling ass. Give me a Deft success check.

The GM here should make a mental note that what the player is doing is Create an Obstacle. You can certainly tell the player this is how you’re resolving their action as well, but you do so at the risk of focusing their attention on the narrative rather than the simulation, which can break their immersion.

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