A Game on the Run?

[CorPse]

Hey Gang,

 

I was wondering if anyone had ever tried to do a game where the PCs are constantly on the run...

 

You could do it like Prison Break, which has, through stretching credulity a little, managed to keep a cluster of characters together.

 

Or, if it were a solo game (I'm led to believe these exist) you could do something like The Fugitive (a great show that I'm renting because it was before my time).

 

So anyone ever used this model? So many games have the: incident, investigation, fight of some sort, resolution structure that I constantly think about other ways to do things.

[tkdguy]

Re: A Game on the Run?

 

I briefly ran a nonmagical fantasy where all the characters were outlaws. It only lasted a couple of sessions, unforunately. Then real life got in the way, and the campaign died.

[CorPse]

Re: A Game on the Run?

 

I thought Farscape pulled off what could be the SF Hero version of this admirably.

 

And the cool thing about an "on the run" game would be the moment when somebody looks at the other players and say, "Dammit, we're not running any more..."

[Korvar]

Re: A Game on the Run?

 

Blake's Seven, also.

[jtelson]

Re: A Game on the Run?

 

I've run a near future campaign where the group was on the run from an artificial intellence program. They spent the campaign operating below the radar, having adventures while trying to figure out what it was up to and how to stop it. The campaign petered out before the thrilling conclusion but the individual arcs went pretty well.

[The Monster]

Re: A Game on the Run?

 

Probably my best example of this was a one-shot con game several years ago. Fantasy Hero: the PCs were patients at an army hospital, and each had certain severe injuries (magician had a head injury which caused big sorcery penalties, the fighter had a broken leg, etc.) - and all the healing herbs were used up. Their army had been defeated, and upon hearing the news, all the staff (except for one PC healer) had run off. The goal was to get across the bridge home before the orcs captured it, and along the way there were other survivors (many badly injured or incapacitated themselves), bands of orc raiders and inflitrators, rogue human looters, etc. The final scene was a desperate defense of the bridge against the orc vanguard while the last group of survivors limped across - and the human reinforcements approached to defend the bridge. Worked out pretty well.

 

Although there was one problem. The healer was played very badly. He found some herbs partway through the adventure, but kept them secret. He did not even offer to cure anyone's ills until they captured an orc - then he offered to heal the orc! And refused to consider healing any PCs. Several players commented afterwards that if they ever had to play with that guy again, they'd find a reason to kill him off. The guy has become well-known for being hard to game with.

 

Be that as it may, I frequently have the players on the lam from one or more big power players - the Inquisition in 7th Sea, the Senate in Serenity, the Ascended in Feng Shui. I'm afraid it's becoming a cliche for me...

[Wyrm Ouroboros]

Re: A Game on the Run?

 

I'm currently running a Supers game on Hero Central where the PCs are all essentially 'on the lam' from an entire world that has revolted violently against Powers -- sort of like 'Kingdom Come' in the 'DC Future'. Fortunately, at least two of them have Megascale movement, which means that acting in Los Angeles and hiding out in the Andes twenty minutes later is actually a possiblity for them...

[CorPse]

Re: A Game on the Run?

 

Very cool guys...

 

... just the kind of stuff I was looking for.

[Gadodel]

Re: A Game on the Run?

 

A couple of movies to keep in mind:

Warriors-One gang in New York against all the other gangs.

Smoking Aces-One criminal against a whole host of bounty hunters, criminals et al.

Ronin-Mercenaries being hunted while on a mission. One of the best car chase scenes ever.

[Dholcrist]

Re: A Game on the Run?

 

Played in a few sort of like that, but never so focused on the chase. Mostly our old Cyberpunk games we all played outlaws pretty often, and more than once had entire corporations after us (thanks to the random events in the character creation). It's resulted in many an untimely character death.

 

A personal favorite of mine was a "Wild West" CP game where we had to keep meticulous track of fuel and equipment (where we would usually just fudge), and were chased by a myriad of mafiosos, police, corporations, nomad packs, and their ilk all the way across four or five states. Though we did eventually settle down in Salt Lake City.

 

Champions also works well when you're playing an X-Men knockoff team, in a world that hates and fears them for being different.

 

And lastly there was a DC campaign where our supers (street level) were all wanted by the police, which made things difficult.

[tkdguy]

Re: A Game on the Run?

 

In my short-lived martial arts/film noir game, the PCs ended up running from the law because the villain killed their client and framed them for the murder. The villain had kidnapped the PCs' client who had them recover some stolen property. He tried to free her in return for getting back his "property," but the PCs wouldn't talk to him, so he killed her instead. That might have been a mistake on my part. I could have instead let them figure out where she was being held and tried to free her.

[CorPse]

Re: A Game on the Run?

 

In my short-lived martial arts/film noir game' date=' the PCs ended up running from the law because the villain killed their client and framed them for the murder. The villain had kidnapped the PCs' client who had them recover some stolen property. He tried to free her in return for getting back his "property," but the PCs wouldn't talk to him, so he killed her instead. That might have been a mistake on my part. I could have instead let them figure out where she was being held and tried to free her.[/quote']

 

I'd call that uncompromising in a good way. Let the players know that there will be consequences for not playing ball when the life of an innocent person is on the line.

[jaws]

Re: A Game on the Run?

 

In my short-lived martial arts/film noir game' date=' the PCs ended up running from the law because the villain killed their client and framed them for the murder. The villain had kidnapped the PCs' client who had them recover some stolen property. He tried to free her in return for getting back his "property," but the PCs wouldn't talk to him, so he killed her instead. That might have been a mistake on my part. I could have instead let them figure out where she was being held and tried to free her.[/quote']

 

I'd call that uncompromising in a good way. Let the players know that there will be consequences for not playing ball when the life of an innocent person is on the line.

 

I concur . I have had to remind my players once or twice of this... Very effective at getting reactions and gawking in disbelief form the players. Especially when one of them died in a stand off while being held hostage.

 

The other players refused to "play ball" so the player got toasted.

 

All in all an enlightening experience worth killing a PC.