TEXT: Hot Pursuit
  Foot Chase Rules for Top Secret/SI
  By J.L. Hicks
  Awhile back, I was writing a scenario for my cam-
  paign that featured a foot chase.  To my surprise,
  there were no definitive foot chase rules written for
  Top Secret/SI (TSSI, for short).  Sure, there were
  rules for movement and such, but using those rules
  meant that the character with the highest MOV and/or
  CON score would always win.
  So, in the interest of realism, I offer this optional
  system for resolving foot chases in the Top Secret/SI
  game.
  The Basics
  The character’s Attribute scores will decide who
  “wins” a foot pursuit:  MOV is the number of feet a
  character can run in a given turn, and CON is the
  number of turns that a character can run.  Using the
  normal rules, only these two scores are relevant to a
  chase, but in this system two other scores will be
  relevant – WIL and DEX.
  The Beginning
  The first thing the Admin must do is to determine
  whether these rules are appropriate for the situation
  at hand.  To qualify as a true foot chase, there must
  be a) one or more characters who flee the scene on
  foot and do not wish to be caught, and b) one or
  more characters who run after the fleeing characters
  and do not wish to let them get away.  A chase offi-
  cially begins when both of these criteria are met.
  The Admin must take several factors into account
  as soon as a foot pursuit begins.  At the end of this
  article (under the heading: The Tables) are a number
  of modifier tables which affect running speed (MOV)
  and endurance (CON).  At the beginning of each turn
  of the chase, the Admin must decide which modifiers
  are applicable.
  Then, the Admin determines the distance between
  the pursuer and the pursued.  This should be rela-
  tively easy if the pursued is retreating from combat,
  as everyone will have a good idea as to what partici-
  pants are where.
  Next, the Admin must determine whether any of the
  participants are running (at full or ½ MOV) when the
  chase begins (officially, a chase begins as soon as
  someone decides to run after someone else).  This is
  important, since a character can run at only half of his
  MOV score on the first turn of running (it takes time to
  get up to full speed).
  It is important to make this decision realistically.
  Many players, in the interest of giving their characters
  a slight advantage, will automatically declare that
  their characters were running as the chase begins.  If
  the chase was a result of combat, it will already be
  known what the characters were doing beforehand;
  but if not, the Admin must decide based on what is
  happening as the chase begins – a character walking
  down the street will be walking, not running, but a
  character out for his morning jog will most likely be
  running.
  Note that we are determining a character’s speed at
  the beginning of the turn and not the direction in
  which they were moving – in other words, it isn’t rele-
  vant that a character was merely running across the
  street as the chase begins, and not running after the
  person who is fleeing.  He would still be running.
  The Limits
  A character’s MOV score is the number of feet per
  turn that a character can run during a single turn.  He
  may continue running at this rate for a number of
  turns equal to his CON score before reaching the
  point of exhaustion.
  Using these alternate rules, a character may run
  faster and farther than normal.  From this point for-
  ward, the character’s running speed (based on MOV)
  will be referred to as speed, and the number of
  rounds he may run (based on CON) will be referred
  to as endurance.
  Speed can be increased by passing a WIL check
  (using the WIL Modifier Table).  This increases the
  character’s running speed by 2d10 feet for that turn,
  but subtracts an additional turn from the character’s
  endurance.  A character cannot attempt to increase
  speed if he is past the point of exhaustion.
  
  This check is subject to Bad Breaks and Lucky
  Breaks.  A roll of 01-04 means that the character may
  run an additional 1d10 feet.  A roll of 00 means that
  the character is granted this burst of extra speed and
  it costs no extra turns from the characters endurance
  to increase speed during this turn.
  On the other hand, a Bad Break of 95-98 means
  that the character stumbles, subtracting 2d10 feet
  from the character’s speed this turn.  A roll of 99
  means that the character actually slips and falls (see
  The Obstacles for the effects of falling).
  A character may run even after he’s reached the
  point of exhaustion.  He may do so by making a
  modified WIL check at the beginning of each turn af-
  ter passing the point of exhaustion.
  A successful check means that the character may
  continue running (but may not attempt to increase his
  speed by making a WIL check).  A failed check, how-
  ever, means that the character collapses from ex-
  haustion.
  When making WIL checks to continue running past
  the point of exhaustion, a Lucky Break of 01-04
  means that the character gets his “second wind” – he
  may run for an additional 1d10 turns before again
  reaching the point of exhaustion.  A Lucky Break of
  00 increases this time to 2d10 turns.
  If a Bad Break of 95-98 is rolled, the character falls
  to the ground unconscious and may take no action
  until he regains consciousness 1d10 turns later.  A
  Bad Break of 99 means that the character falls un-
  conscious and takes a nasty fall, suffering 1d10
  points of bruise damage to a random location.
  A character who reaches or exceeds the point of
  exhaustion – whether they quit the chase voluntarily
  or as the result of a failed WIL check – has all Attrib-
  ute checks halved until the character rests (see The
  Recovery for more info).  In addition, a character
  who collapses as a result of a failed endurance WIL
  check is incapacitated – he must pass a WIL check to
  perform any action – including speaking.
  The Terrain
  Terrain affects both speed and endurance.  It in-
  cludes all environmental conditions, not merely the
  surface on which the characters are running. See
  The Tables for specifics.
  Terrain modifiers are determined by the terrain’s
  properties, rather than by its specific type.  When
  determining modifiers, the Admin chooses only those
  that would affect movement for whatever type of ter-
  rain the characters are on.
  Looking at the Terrain Tables, readers will note that
  most of the modifiers are penalties.  This is due to the
  fact that the characters speed is assumed to be his
  running speed under optimal conditions.
  Most of the terrain properties are self-explanatory,
  but just for the sake of clarity, all are defined here.
  From the Terrain Table:
  Dry:  Dry terrain is not slippery.
  Non-Slip: A very rare terrain type – usually man-
  made – that is designed for increased traction.
  Examples of this terrain type would be a hallway
  covered with rubber mats, a scored-steel catwalk,
  and some types of carpeting.
  Slightly Slippery:  This terrain is usually not danger-
  ous under normal circumstances.  Polished tile
  and a frozen lake are examples of slightly slippery
  terrain.
  Slippery:  This terrain includes things such as mud,
  oily blacktop, etc.
  Very Slippery:  This terrain is extremely treacherous.
  It includes such things as wet, polished tile; skat-
  ing rink ice; and a muddy, uphill slope.
  Ankle-Deep Water:  The Admin must use judgement
  when using this modifier.  A mud puddle would
  have very little impact on overall movement
  speed.  This modifier is intended to be used only if
  all – or nearly all – of  the terrain traveled across
  is covered with water.
  Knee-Deep Water:  Unlike ankle-deep water, knee-
  deep water affects movement even a compara-
  tively small area – say, 25 to 50 percent – is cov-
  ered with water.  Crossing a narrow stream would
  have no effect on movement, but following the
  stream would.
  This terrain type also includes things such as
  brush and high grass which would have an effect
  on movement.
  Waist-Deep Water:  This has a profound effect on
  movement.
  Level:  Level terrain, obviously, slopes neither uphill
  nor downhill.  At least not significantly.
  Slight Downhill:  A slight downhill slope is between
  5 and 23 degrees.
  
  Downhill:  A downhill slope is between 24 and 45
  degrees.
  Severe Downhill:  A severe downhill slope is be-
  tween 45 and 60 degrees.  Anything over that is con-
  sidered to be a cliff.
  Slight Uphill/Uphill/Severe Uphill:  These coincide
  with their downhill counterparts, except that the
  characters are moving in the opposite direction.
  Cliff:  This is any slope of over 60 degrees.  Char-
  acters cannot run up a cliff.  However, if the cliff is
  between 60 and 75 degrees, a character can slide
  down.
  Sliding speed is equal to the number of degrees
  of the slope.  Likewise, this number is the percent
  chance that the character will lose his footing and
  fall down the cliff unless a DEX check is passed
  (see page 8 of the Administrator’s Guide for the
  effects of falling).
  Hard:  This is terrain that is solid and unyielding,
  such as rock or concrete.
  Firm:  Firm terrain is solid, but yields slightly under
  pressure.  Examples would be dirt, packed sand,
  and packed snow.
  Soft:  This terrain yields significantly under pressure.
  Loose sand, for example.
  Mushy:  Two examples of this terrain type are mud
  and loose snow.
  Even:  Not to be confused with “Level”, Even terrain
  is smooth (ie., no rocks to trip over, etc.).  Most
  urban terrain is even.
  Uneven:  Uneven terrain is not smooth.  It has slight
  hills, dips, and/or minor obstacles which affect
  movement but are not worth making an Attribute
  check to overcome (logs, large rocks, etc.).  Most
  wilderness terrain is uneven.  Stairs are also con-
  sidered to be uneven terrain.
  Broken:  This type of terrain is uneven in the ex-
  treme, such as a field of boulders.
  Shifting:  Shifting terrain moves – or can move –
  under the character’s feet.  A gravel road, a rocky
  hillside, and a mound of rubble all would count as
  shifting terrain.
  Universal Modifiers are environmental modifiers
  that affect the movement of all participants of a foot
  pursuit, regardless of what sort of terran they are
  moving across:
  Darkness:  Characters running at night or in unlit
  areas are apt to run much slower, since they can-
  not see obstacles until it is too late.  Optionally,
  the Admin may rule that the characters may ig-
  nore this modifier, but will have to make an INT
  check each turn.  If the INT check fails, the char-
  acter trips over something, runs into a wall, etc.
  The specific effects are left to the Admin’s judge-
  ment.
  Fog:  This will not usually have an effect on move-
  ment.  However, if it reduces visibility to within a
  few feet then movement will be slowed.
  Of more importance than reduced movement is
  the fact that the pursued character has a better
  chance at hiding or evading (see The Escape).
  Heavy Fog:  For game purposes, fog is considered
  heavy when visibility is reduced to almost nil.
  Smoke:  The effects of smoke on speed are similar –
  but more severe -- to the effects fog.  The added
  severity is due to the fact that the runner will be
  coughing and choking (or expending a lot of effort
  trying not to).  In addition, it also has an effect on
  the runner’s endurance.
  Heavy Smoke:  Smoke is considered heavy when
  visibility is reduced to nearly zero.  Heavy smoke
  should only be encountered in the rarest of cir-
  cumstances (such as inside a burning building).
  There may be other effects which are beyond
  the scope of these rules, such as damage from
  smoke inhalation.  In any event, it may be wiser to
  run the other way.
  High Temperature:  Needless to say, high tem-
  perature has an effect on endurance.  This modi-
  fier only applies if the temperature is above 90°F
  (30°C).
  Use this modifier only if the temperature is a “dry
  heat”, such as a desert.  If there is also High Hu-
  midity, use that modifier instead.
  High Humidity:  Use this modifier only if the humidity
  is accompanied by high temperature (80°F, 25°C),
  but do not combine the modifiers – use only this
  one.
  Thin Atmosphere:  At higher altitudes the air is
  much thinner than normal and has an effect on
  endurance.  A cop chasing a crook through the
  streets of Bogota, Columbia would have a much
  harder time than a cop in New York.
  
  Finally, there are the personal modifiers, which af-
  fect only specific individuals (though more than one
  participant may be affected by the same modifier):
  Footwear:  This is categorized by comfort and trac-
  tion.  Note that comfort is subjective – one char-
  acter may be comfortable in cowboy boots, while
  another would not.
  A pair of Reeboks would be considered High
  Comfort/High Traction shoes, while spike-heel
  shoes are most definitely Low Comfort/Low Trac-
  tion.
  Clothing, Uncomfortable:  Again, comfort is subjec-
  tive and is based on what a character is used to
  wearing.  A character who normally dresses in
  jeans and T-shirts would be uncomfortable wear-
  ing a business suit.
  Clothing, Restrictive:  Clothing is considered to be
  restrictive if it hinders body movement – such as
  the above-mentioned business suit.
  Clothing, Cold-Weather:  Use this modifier only
  when the clothing worn is not appropriate for the
  weather.  A heavy parka on a warm spring day in
  a temperate climate, or a suit jacket in tropical
  weather would be considered cold-weather cloth-
  ing.
  The Admin and players must keep in mind that
  although the clothing may be comfortable to wear
  for normal day-to-day activity, it may not be ap-
  propriate for sprinting at top speed.
  Injury, Bruise Damage:  All injuries affect speed
  and/or endurance in some way, even bruise dam-
  age.  To calculate the total modifier, multiply all
  penalties by the number of points of damage,
  rounding decimals to the nearest whole number.
  Injury, Wound Damage:  Needless to say, injuries
  from blunt objects cause injuries far different than
  from edged or pointed objects.  Some of the pen-
  alties are more sever, some are less.
  IMPORTANT NOTE:  The Admin is free to change
  these modifiers as he or she sees fit, depending
  upon the situation.  For example, a character who
  has been slashed in the face with a knife would
  not be as seriously affected as one who had been
  shot in the head – both injuries cause the same
  amount of wound damage, but would not have the
  same effect on speed and endurance.
  The Complications
  In a perfect world, a character could run at a con-
  sistent rate, with his speed affected only by the ter-
  rain.  But this world isn’t perfect.
  Obstacles are things which can affect movement,
  but are not a part of the general terrain – streams,
  gullys, overturned trash cans, etc.  A character may
  attempt to move around these obstacles (wasting
  movement points), but the shortest, most direct route
  is to jump over them.
  A character can jump vertically (a “high jump”) a
  distance of three feet.  This is true whether the char-
  acter is running or standing still.  Characters with the
  Athletic Ability advantage may add one foot for each
  point they have in that advantage.
  Jumping horizontally (“long jumping”) is a bit more
  complicated – and risky.  A jumping character can
  clear a distance equal to 20% of his current move-
  ment speed.  Thus, if a character is running at a
  speed of 40’ per turn, he may jump 8’.  When per-
  forming a long jump, the character also jumps 3’ ver-
  tically.
  After completing a long jump or hurdling over an
  obstacle, the character must make a DEX check to
  avoid stumbling.  If the check fails, the character’s
  movement is reduced by ½ for one full turn, and the
  character must then make a REF check to remain on
  his feet.  Failing that check means that the character
  falls down.
  A fallen character follows the same rules for move-
  ment as a prone character – it takes one full turn to
  go from a prone to a standing position.  On the fol-
  lowing turn, they may move up to ½ of their MOV
  score, in feet.  Then on the third turn they may move
  a number of feet equal to their full MOV score.
  The Opposition
  Somewhere along the line, one of the participants in
  a foot chase may decide to up the ante and pop off a
  few rounds.  The pursuer and the pursued have dif-
  ferent options, which affect their movement and their
  ability to hit.
  These options assume that one character is running
  from another character behind him.  If this is not the
  case (ie., the pursued character is in hiding), then the
  Admin must use common sense to determine exactly
  what options are available and what their effects are.
  When attacking with firearms, the pursuing charac-
  ter has the following options:
  
  Run-and-Fire Method:  The character fires his or her
  weapon without slowing down.  This results in a
  very low chance to hit (see page 75 of the Top
  Secret/S.I. Players’ Guide for details).
  Slow-Down-and-Fire Method:  The pursuer can at-
  tempt to improve his chances of hitting by slowing
  down before firing (see page 75 of the Top Se-
  cret/S.I. Players’ Guide for details).
  Stop-and-Fire Method:  Finally, the pursuer can
  maximize his chance to hit by coming to a com-
  plete stop and firing his weapon.  Remember that
  the character may only move at ½ MOV on the
  next turn.
  While the pursuer’s combat options are fairly stan-
  dard, the options of the person being chased are not,
  due to the fact that his target is behind him – and
  he’d like to keep it that way!
  Over-the-Shoulder Method:  Just as the name im-
  plies, a character using this option merely points
  the gun over his shoulder, pulls the trigger, and
  hopes he hits his target.  Anyone irresponsible
  enough to try this firing method suffers a –40
  modifier to his attack, with no movement penal-
  ties.
  Though the chances of scoring a hit are virtually
  nil (when one considers the movement modifiers,
  etc.), the use of this attack has a psychological
  effect on those in pursuit – they must pass a WIL
  check or be slowed to ½ MOV next turn.
  Obviously, this attack is only possible with pis-
  tols.
  Running-Sideways Method:  A character taking this
  combat option turns sideways to see his attacker,
  aims briefly, pulls the trigger, then resumes run-
  ning normally (thus, the individual is not actually
  “running sideways”).
  The individual suffers a –20 penalty to hit (over
  and above all other modifiers) and runs at only ½
  MOV during that turn.
  Turn-and-Fire Method:  Only characters with a good
  lead, or are confident that they can drop an oppo-
  nent with a single shot should use this method, as
  it requires that the character comes to a complete
  stop (ie., does not move that turn) and turns to
  face his pursuer before firing.
  No to-hit penalty is incurred, but the individual
  may only move at ½ MOV on the following turn –
  assuming that the pursuer hasn’t already caught
  up with up.
  The Takedown
  Obviously, the whole point of engaging in a pursuit
  is either to catch the person being pursued, or – in
  the case of the pursued – to get away.  This section
  deals with the ways that the pursued can be caught.
  There are several ways that a pursuit can end in the
  pursuer’s favor.  The simplest being that the pursued
  merely gives up.  Actually this isn’t as uncommon an
  ending as it might seem – At some point the person
  being pursued may realize that he simply isn’t fast
  enough to outrun, or strong enough to outfight, his
  pursuers.  Considering the dire effects of exhaustion,
  this may even be a prudent course of action even if
  the pursuer and the pursued are evenly matched.
  Exhaustion occurs when a character has run for a
  number of turns equal to his CON score, and fails to
  pass a WIL check to keep going.  This brings the
  chase to a close, regardless of whether the ex-
  hausted individual is the pursuer or the person being
  pursued.
  If the exhausted individual has not opted to con-
  tinue running by passing WIL checks (see The Lim-
  its), all attributes are halved.  If combat occurs, the
  exhausted character falls unconscious after suffering
  damage equal to half or more of his hit points in any
  hit location.
  The consequences are far more severe if the char-
  acter chose to continue running past the point of ex-
  haustion – upon failing a WIL check (or choosing not
  to continue), that character is totally incapacitated
  and unable to perform any action whatsoever.  The
  character is conscious, and can speak (with difficulty)
  – but even so much as shouting is out of the ques-
  tion.
  For more information on the effects of exhaustion,
  see The Recovery.
  Of course, a chase can be brought to an end by
  using brute force.  In order to use any of these meth-
  ods, the pursuer and the pursued must be within 5’ of
  each other, unless noted.
  The Running Jump:  Simply put, the pursuer at-
  tempts the pursued.  In order to succeed, the pur-
  suer must make a normal to-hit roll.  Success
  brings both individuals to the ground.  If the roll
  fails, the pursuer must pass a DEX check or be
  slowed to ½ MOVE during the following round.  If
  the DEX check results in a Bad break, the char-
  acter falls to the ground, must spend an entire
  turn getting up, and may only run at ½ MOV on
  the turn after that.  A Lucky Break, however,
  
  means that although he hasn’t tackled the pur-
  sued per se, he did manage to knock him down.
  A second type of running jump attack is the stuff
  of movies – jumping upon the pursued from above
  (a fire escape, etc.).  To do this, the pursuer
  makes a normal attack roll.  If the attack suc-
  ceeds, the character tackles the pursued charac-
  ter; if it fails, the character misses and falls to the
  ground.
  Wrestling:  The pursuer may opt to wrestle his
  quarry to the ground by force.  To do this, he must
  make a successful Wrestling skill check.  As an
  exception to the rule, a default Wrestling check is
  allowed, since the attacker is trying to bring his
  opponent to the ground, rather than to subdue
  him.  Of course, that skill would come in handy
  once both people are down….
  Melee Weapon Attack:  This, the most brutal of
  takedown techniques, involves attacking the pur-
  sued with a blunt object such as a nightstick,
  blackjack, baseball bat, etc.  In addition to taking
  bruise damage, the victim of a successful attack
  must pass a DEX check to remain on his feet,
  modified by –10 per point of damage taken from
  the attack.
  The advantage of using this technique is that the
  attacker remains on his feet after a successful at-
  tack.
  Push / Body Slam:  Not everyone has a blunt
  weapon handy as a chase comes to a close, so
  anyone wishing to knock an opponent to the
  ground while he, himself, remains standing must
  choose this option.
  In essence, the pursuer uses his own body as
  the blunt weapon.  He must make a successful
  attack roll to hit, after which the opponent is al-
  lowed and unmodified DEX check to remain
  standing.
  Finally, a chase can end in combat.  Either the pur-
  suer succeeds in taking down his opponent, or the
  pursued simply decides that if he cannot outrun his
  opponent, maybe he can outfight him.  Combat oc-
  curs normally, with the following exceptions:  anyone
  on the ground who wishes to stand up must spend an
  entire turn doing so; and any character who has
  reached the point of exhaustion has all attributes cut
  in half.  If that character has passed the point of ex-
  haustion (ie., has made WIL checks to continue run-
  ning), and did not quit running due to a failed WIL
  check (ie., chose to stop and fight or was taken
  down), then that character must make a WIL check
  each turn to continue fighting.  A failed WIL check
  means that the character falls to the ground, totally
  exhausted and incapacitated.
  The Escape
  While the pursuer’s goal is to capture his opponent,
  the pursued wants nothing more than to escape.
  There are several ways that the chase can end in the
  pursued’s favor:
  If the pursued is tougher than his pursuer, the
  chase becomes a test of endurance – the pursuer
  collapses from exhaustion (or simply gives up), al-
  lowing his opponent to get away.
  Evasion:  A second means of escape is to evade.
  Evasion occurs when the pursued character has
  not been detected by his pursuer for several turns
  – meaning that he has not been seen, heard,
  tracked, etc.
  Pursuing NPCs must pass an WIL check each
  turn, or else adopt a “he-could-be-anywhere-by-
  now” mentality and give up the chase.  In addition,
  whenever they are faced with a situation where
  the pursued may have moved off in a different di-
  rection (a side street, a door, open terrain, etc.) or
  gone into hiding, they must also pass an INT
  check to follow the pursued.  Failing the INT
  check means that they move off in a randomly-
  determined direction.
  Player characters who are the pursuers make
  their own decisions as to which direction they go,
  and when to give up, though a generous Admin
  might make secret INT checks, giving hints as to
  which direction their quarry may have taken if the
  roll is successful.
  Hiding:  Similar to evasion, hiding means that the
  pursued character goes undetected by his pursu-
  ers.  It also means that he quits running.
  In order to hide, a character must be completely
  out of his pursuer’s line of sight (a 1-turn lead
  time, at least).  There must also be a something to
  hide in (a dumpster, darkness, etc.).
  When the pursued goes into hiding, his pursuers
  make the usual INT check (see Evasion, above).
  If the roll is failed, they continue moving past the
  hiding character, oblivious to the fact that he has
  gone into hiding.  If the roll succeeds, however,
  the pursuer realizes that something is amiss.
  The pursuer then must pass the usual WIL and
  INT checks to find the pursued.  During this time,
  the pursued character may attempt to evade, if
  movement is possible (in darkness, for example),
  but only at walking speed or slower.  If the pur-
  sued character does move, the pursuer gains a
  +10% bonus to his INT check – success means
  that he detects the PC (sees him, hears him, finds
  his footprints, etc.).
  
  The Recovery
  Running at high speed for extended periods of time
  obviously has a price.  That price, for the purposes of
  these rules, involves penalties to attribute scores until
  the character rests.
  The penalties and resting time depend upon the
  amount of time that the character spent running:
  Not Past the Point of Exhaustion:  If the character
  did not pass the Point of Exhaustion (ie., was not
  forced to make a WIL check to continue running,
  due to fatigue), then that character spends no
  time recovering.  The character is tired and will
  feel the need to sit down and rest, but suffers no
  adverse effects if he does not.
  Past the Point of Exhaustion:  If the character has
  passed the Point of Exhaustion, that character’s
  attributes are halved.  He may remove that pen-
  alty by resting for five minutes or more.
  The penalty remains for one hour, or until the
  character rests.
  Incapacitated:  A character who has been required
  to make a WIL check to continue running and
  failed is incapacitated.  Incapacitated characters
  must make a WIL check to perform any action (in-
  cluding speaking coherently!) until they have
  rested for five minutes (and making WIL checks to
  perform actions, even if failed, does not qualify as
  rest).  This effect lasts for thirty minutes, or until
  the character rests.
  In addition, all attributes are quartered for one
  hour, or until the character rests for an additional
  five minutes.  After resting, all attributes are
  halved until the character sleeps for at least four
  hours.
  The Extended Chase
  Occasionally, a foot chase isn’t an all-out run, but
  rather, the action is sporadic – the pursued goes into
  hiding, the pursuers quit looking, but remain in the
  area, then catch sight of their quarry, and the chase
  begins again.
  When this happens, the characters involved in the
  chase have a chance to rest and recover before the
  action begins anew.
  For characters who have not yet passed the Point
  of Exhaustion, this has the effect of “lowering” the
  number of turns that the character has run.  For ex-
  ample, a character who runs for 20 turns, then rests
  for five, is treated as if he had only run for 15 turns
  when the chase begins again (ie., he may run for an
  additional five turns before WIL checks are required).
  Things are more difficult for characters who have
  passed the Point of Exhaustion.  Unless they have
  been able to rest for five minutes, their attributes –
  including MOV – are halved.  They must also pass a
  WIL check to continue the chase, with failure mean-
  ing that he can move no faster than walking speed.
  The Tables
  These three tables presented here modify the
  speed and endurance of the characters involved in
  the chase.  All modifiers are cumulative, and are to
  be rounded to the nearest whole number.
  Terrain Modifier Table:
  Property
  Speed
  Endurance
  Surface
  Dry
  0
  0
  Non-slip
  +1
  0
  Slightly Slippery
  -5
  .1
  Slippery
  -10
  .3
  Very Slippery
  -20
  .5
  Inclination
  Level
  0
  0
  Slight Downhill
  +5
  0
  Downhill
  +10
  0
  Severe Downhill
  +15
  .3
  Slight Uphill
  -5
  .1
  Uphill
  -10
  .5
  Severe Uphill
  -20
  1
  Cliff
  special
  0
  Stability
  Hard
  0
  .1
  Firm
  0
  0
  Soft
  -5
  .3
  Mushy
  -10
  .5
  Texture
  Even
  0
  0
  Uneven
  -5
  .3
  Broken
  -10
  .5
  Shifting
  -10
  1
  Universal Modifier Table:
  Condition
  Speed
  Endurance
  Visibility
  Darkness
  -10
  0
  Fog
  -10
  0
  Heavy Fog
  -20
  0
  Smoke
  -10
  .5
  Heavy Smoke
  -20
  1
  Atmospheric
  High Temperature
  -10-20
  .5-1
  High Humidity
  -10-20
  .5-1
  
  Thin Atmosphere
  -10
  .5
  Personal Modifier Table:
  Condition
  Speed Endurance
  Footwear
  High Comfort/Good Traction
  +10
  0
  Med. Comfort/Good Traction
  +5
  0
  Low Comfort/Good Traction
  +5
  .3
  High Comfort/Med. Traction
  +5
  0
  Med. Comfort/Med. Traction
  0
  0
  Low Comfort/Med. Traction
  0
  .5
  High Comfort/Bad Traction
  0
  .3
  Med. Comfort/Bad Traction
  -5
  .5
  Low Comfort/Bad Traction
  -5
  1
  Clothing
  Uncomfortable
  0
  .3
  Restrictive
  -5
  .1
  Cold-Weather
  -5
  .5
  Injury, Bruise Damage
  Head
  -3
  .3
  Chest
  -5
  .2
  Abdomen
  -5
  .2
  Arms/Hands
  0
  0
  Legs
  -10
  .5
  Injury, Wound Damage
  Head
  -5
  .5
  Chest
  -10
  .5
  Abdomen
  -7
  .3
  Arms/Hands
  0
  .1
  Legs
  -15
  1
  The Equipment
  While the pursuing character can easily bring a
  chase to a close by using either melee weapons or
  firearms, the pursued character is at a severe disad-
  vantage when attempting the same.
  To compensate for this, a character who is expect-
  ing to be chased can use special equipment meant to
  injure or deter his pursuers.
  Item
  Wt.
  Cost
  Caltrops
  .1
  --
  Marbles
  .3
  $1
  Grease Pack
  .1
  $1
  Caltrops:  These items are not commercially avail-
  able, and must be made by the character (or an
  associate).  These are generally made by bending
  two nails at right angles, then welding them to-
  gether so that when the caltrop is tossed on the
  ground, one of the points will always point up-
  ward.
  Ten caltrops can be scattered over a 5’ by 5’
  area, and anyone passing through that area must
  pass a DEX check or step on one.  Stepping on a
  caltrop causes 1-2 points of damage to that per-
  son’s feet (legs).
  Marbles: Readily available at and five-and-dime
  store, marbles are sold in bags of 50.  A bag of
  marbles can be scattered to cover a 10'’by 10'
  area, and anyone passing through the area must
  save vs. DEX or fall.
  Falling carries the usual penalties – the charac-
  ter spends a full turn standing up, then moves at
  ½ MOV on the next turn.
  Grease Pack:  packs of heavy grease, pressed flat
  and wrapped in a brittle plastic wrapper.  Meant to
  be used to lubricate the fifth-wheels of travel trail-
  ers and tractor-trailer rigs, they can also be used
  to deter pursuit.
  Anyone stepping on a grease pack must save
  vs. DEX or fall to the ground, with the usual pen-
  alties (see above).  In addition, the grease –sticks
  to the soles of the characters shoes, and will re-
  main there for three more turns of running time
  (unless cleaned), meaning that the character must
  continue making DEX checks to avoid falling.
  Grease packs are easily seen during the day
  (making them virtually useless), but at night they
  are nearly invisible.  In game terms, this means
  that grease packs may not be used during the
  day, and at night (or in darkness), a pursuing
  character must pass an INT check in order to see
  the pack and avoid stepping on it.
  Final Notes
  A foot chase is something that should get a char-
  acter's blood going, and when a character is excited,
  that feeling should be passed on to the player.
  These rules are meant to add excitement and uncer-
  tainty to a foot chase, and should not be used if the
  usage of them degenerates into a mathematical ex-
  ercise.
  Unfortunately, I have some experience with being
  pursued – my “flaming youth” was more like a bon-
  fire.
  My friends and I decided one night that it would be
  fun to climb to the top of a huge neon sign mounted
  on the roof of a local hotel.  We did it, and it was
  boring.  Then we made our way off the roof and down
  to the hotel’s ground floor, then decided to use the
  restroom.
  While we were relieving ourselves, one of us
  opened a cabinet underneath the sink and found
  about fifty rolls of toilet paper.  An idea formed…..
  
  Our jackets bulging with purloined TP, we made our
  way out the hotel’s revolving door (it was a very fancy
  hotel) and headed downtown to The Strip (you know,
  the place where everyone cruises on the weekend –
  every small town has one….).
  We climbed up a fire escape onto yet another roof-
  top – this one a large, abandoned apartment building
  – and proceeded to tie off the TP rolls and throw
  them off the roof.  The building was soon covered
  with fifty TP streamers.  It was glorious.
  Well, at least we thought so, and – judging by the
  cheers and catcalls from our fellow bored and dis-
  contented youths on the street below – so did every-
  one else.  Everyone, that is, except the police.  The
  cops.  The pigs.  The Man.
  Hearing a command to “hold it right there” coming
  from the fire escape we’d used to get onto the roof,
  we showed our usual respect for authority.  We took
  off.
  The rooftop was pitch black, studded with pipes,
  vents, and other obstacles.  There were open sky-
  lights – nearly invisible in the darkness – and anyone
  falling into it would plummet four of more stories to
  their death.  In typical old-downtown fashion, build-
  ings of varying heights were built up against each
  other.  This meant that at intervals we had to either
  climb up or jump down distances of ten feet or so.
  Terrified, we charged headlong through the night,
  not knowing whether each step would land on solid
  ground, or over the edge of a skylight.  Aside from
  the fire escape, there was only one other way off the
  roof, and we made for it.
  The rickety wooden staircase was painted bright
  orange, and we were sure that the cops knew about
  it, and that we would find them there, waiting for us.
  When we got there, we were surprised to find it un-
  guarded, and we used it to make good our escape.
  Heh heh.  Pigs.
  It was definitely not a numbers game.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Top Secret/S.I/Top Secret S.I. - Foot Chase Rules.pdf