A custom move idea popped into my head so I thought I’d share what I came up with for discussion/feedback!
Each time you move through an area while fleeing a steading in which you are wanted, roll…
• …+ DEX if you try to flit between cover and shadows.
• …+ CHA if you try to blend and act inconspicuously.
• …+ INT if you try to proceed unseen via the ingenious use of something at hand.
Take a -1 to the roll if the area is likely to contain a member of the faction that you are wanted by.
On a 10+:
You traverse the area without incident.
On a 7-9:
You traverse the area but leave evidence or rumor of your presence.
The GM gains 1 hold.
If the GM now has 3 or more hold, you have been caught.
On a 6-:
The GM will describe how are recognized, delayed or obstructed and you must resolve this before leaving the area.
The GM gains 2 hold.
If the GM now has 3 or more hold, you have been caught.
The hold numbers could definitely be tweaked depending on steading size and notoriety, but I didn’t want the move to outstay its welcome.
Rather than the GM having hold, I might label it as the player gaining “heat” or “notice”.
Other than that, it seems okay. I’d probably add 1-heat automatically for an area with a faction you’re wanted by, rather than a -1 to the roll.
• …+ WIS if you try to proceed through the blind spot of the people looking for you.
Why use “GM hold” (or Heat, or whatever) instead of fictional developments?
Like, this move basically turns an escape scenario into a D&D 4e Skill Challenge (TM), where you have to get X 7+ results before accumulating Y 7-9 or 6- results. You can completely gloss over the fictional outcomes and details.
It also supposes that the PCs only goal (and action) is to get out. What if the PCs realize they’ve left a trail or been spotted, and take some other action to mitigate that attention?
I’d go with something more fiction-oriented, like: On a 10+, choose 1, on a 7-9 choose 2:
* You’re spotted by someone who will raise the alarm; ask the GM for the details
* You left clear evidence of your passing; telling us what it was
* You haven’t yet left the district.
Also (and this will be a problem with either approach): you’re usually going to be doing this a group. Who rolls? Is everyone else just Aiding/Interfering?
Having the player “gain heat” is a simple enough thematic tweak, good idea.
And yeah, the move does make a few assumptions. I was imagining a single player trying to flee a steading. If that stops being their goal, the move is not triggered – they might still be caught based on how the fiction develops…
I imagined the move as being a way of adding drama to an “escape the city” scene, allowing players to use all the classic tropes and environments of such scenes rather than a single/no roll or overly protracted journey through the city.
Why not just use the Outstanding Warrants move?