You can use dynamic countdowns to track the progress of a chase scene, whether the PCs are pursuing or being pursued. When the chase begins, set two countdowns: one for the pursuing party, and the other for the escaping party. First pick a die size for the pursuers’ countdown—the more time you want the chase to take, the larger the die should be—then set that die at its highest value. Then use another die of the same size for the escapee’s countdown, but set that die at a lower value to reflect how much of a lead they have.

For example, a chase through a town market could use d6 dice and each tick of the countdown could represent one range band (Very Close to Close, Close to Far, Far to Very Far, etc). For a chase playing out over a longer distance, such as the PCs pursuing a group of bandits across the countryside, each tick on the countdown might represent several kilometers or miles.

Regardless of whether the PCs are escaping or pursuing, their action rolls advance both countdowns, as shown on the earlier Dynamic Countdown Advancement table. When a PC succeeds on an action roll, it ticks down their countdown, which is a Progress Countdown. When they fail on an action roll—or roll a success with Fear—it ticks down the other party’s countdown, which is a Consequence Countdown. (Yes, this means that on a success with Fear, both countdowns advance by one!) When setting the difficulty of these rolls, consider the adversary’s difficulty plus any other narrative considerations.

Example Chase

A thief has stolen the Wizard’s spellbook and so the PCs are chasing them across a market square. The GM decides on a d6 for the thief’s countdown—a Consequence Countdown—and sets its value at 4 since the thief has a slight head start over the PCs.

The Rogue asks to go first, clambering up onto the market-stall tents to run over the top rather than pushing through the crowds. The GM calls for an Agility roll against the thief’s difficulty of 15, and the Rogue uses her Second Story Experience to get a bonus. The Sorcerer spends a Hope to Help an Ally, describing how he channels his affinity with air to boost the Rogue up. With the help of the sorcerer, the Rogue rolls a success with Hope, so the GM ticks the PC’s Progress Countdown from 6 to 4; this represents the Rogue gaining on the thief and helping the group catch up by providing a quicker route through the crowd.

Next, the Wizard wants to take things into his own hands. Using his Book of Sitil grimoire, he describes how he conjures an illusion of a runaway horse charging across the thief’s path, forcing them to slow down rather than get trampled. The Wizard makes a Spellcast roll against difficulty 15, but rolls a failure with Fear. The GM describes the thief seeing through the illusion at the last moment, moving through the crowd to force others to react to the horse and bar the party’s way. The GM ticks the thief’s Consequence Countdown down from 3 to 1 as the thief makes it a Far distance away from the party. They are losing sight of the thief and now in real danger of them getting away—if the Consequence Countdown ticks down one more time, the thief will be gone.