Running away from danger

I've been reading a necessary critique of the high lethality we've been used to deal with in the OSR (Old School Renaissance).

This post, in particular, reminds us of the benefits that derive from a perduring character, from a character that becomes more than a problem-solving pawn, who gets a personality of his own, group dynamics, etc.

Turning from high lethality towards consequence-rich play seems like a step in the right direction. But more things are necessary. Much of OSR gaming seems rooted in a fear-driven approach, instead of being curiosity-driven. At least for players that get some pleasure out of portraying a character and having them evolve and change.

Why is this? We need curiosity to discover things, to put characters in danger and make adventures happen. We need light-hearted foolishness, and in order to get that, we also need clear and simple procedures to escape from battle or other risky situations.

For much of ttrpg history, the process of running away has been a nuisance in most traditional games, when it should be a usable escape pod to try after a catastrophe. In some OSR games, it might be deliberately absent, as their intention is for the players to truly engage with the situation and elaborate a plan for running away: describe how they do it, instead of falling back to the comfort of triggering a mechanic as one does press a button.

In the meantime, we've sort of created the expectations that a fight is to be fought to its bitter end, we've made running away uncomfortable or complicated, to the point that most of times, if you're on the losing side of a fight, you're already doomed and uncapable of escaping from it.

But hear me out: running away is not a process of careful planning and reasoning. It is, more often than not, a gut reaction, guided by reflexes and instinct, so a last-resort-run-away button fits reasonably well with diegesis and the OSR style, in my book, something akin to making a reflexes save to dodge a fireball.

Which might be a good source of inspiration for this rule for running away?

Inspirations

Let's take a look at Apocalypse World. This game has a move for a couple of playbooks (Gunlugger and Driver) that allows characters to run away from a dangerous situation:

Fuck this shit: name your escape route and roll+hard. On a 10+, sweet, you’re gone. On a 7–9, you can go or stay, but if you go it costs you: leave something behind, or take something with you, the MC will tell you what. On a miss, you’re caught vulnerable, half in and half out.

So, running away is a trade off situation where you will sometimes lose something or end up in a more difficult position, and a roll will determine how this goes on. It's not exactly conflict resolution, but hits close to it. And I think we can handle it like an escape button for desperate situations that doesn't have an option free of consequences (if you want an orderly retreat, you'll have to devise a plan and execute it as a player, engage with the fiction, that is).

Running away

1_ Roll over d20 systems

When your character is in a dire situation and you want to escape, announce it and point towards a direction and method (generally, running). If escaping is at least partially possible, the GM will allow you to roll. This process does not apply to escaping from prison, being tied up, or otherwise fully restrained, but it could work when cornered by a monster or partially restrained.

Roll using the best of Will/Reflexes save (D&D), Agility (Mörk Borg), Agility/Aura + your bonus by level (UVG). Each character rolls individually, as this is a gut reaction rather than a careful plan (but the group might come up with a justification for rolling as a group, and the GM or the rules could accommodate such an approach).

The difficulty is 5 + the monster or danger's level, if applicable. If the game does not use levels for dangers, set the difficulty at 5.

Results Based on the Roll:

• Natural 20: You end up anywhere in the dungeon (the GM decides), but not in a dangerous place, and you know how you got there. You keep your equipment, weapon, torch, and companions (even if they failed their own roll).
• 15 + danger's level or higher: You end up anywhere in the dungeon (the GM decides), but not in a dangerous place. You keep your equipment, weapon, torch, and companions.
• 10 + danger's level or higher: You end up anywhere in the dungeon (the GM decides), but not in a dangerous place. Roll once on the table of consequences, but otherwise, you're okay.
• 5 + danger's level or higher: You end up anywhere in the dungeon (the GM decides), but not in a dangerous place. Roll twice on the table of consequences, but you've escaped.
• Less than 5 + danger's level: You think you've lost your pursuer, but it's still after you, and you're not yet out of danger. Roll once on the table of consequences.

Table of consequences

1: you've lost 2 hp per level of menace, while running away, or you're fatigued, if there's such a concept in this game.
2: you've lost your weapon and torch, if you had those, in order to escape, as well anything else you kept on your hands.
3: your backpack or sack got open and some random item was lost during your hectic escape.
4: you lost your pursuer, but got tangled up with a new, lesser danger. Roll for encounter, or the GM defines what you find.
5: you end up separated from your partners.
6: it's all ok!

2_ Roll under d20 systems (Electric Bastionland, Mythic Bastionland)

Let's say you're not using a roll above d20 system, but instead Electric Bastionland, Mythic Bastionland or another OSR/NSR game where you succeed by rolling under your (mostly unmodified) stats.

For those games, we'll simplify the rule as follows: just roll Clarity or Dexterity.

• If you miss, you escape, but roll twice in the table of consequences.
• If you succeed, you escape, but roll once in the table of consequences.
• If you play with fumbles (natural 20): you think you've lost your pursuer, but it's still on your heels, and you're not yet out of danger. Roll once on the table of consequences.
• If you play with critical success (same as your stat rating): you end up anywhere in the dungeon (the GM decides), but not in a dangerous place. You keep your equipment, weapon, torch, and companions.

And that's it! I think this rule has enough unpredictability, that players won't spam it repeatedly. At best, the GM will place them wherever he/she wants in the dungeon, and that allows for some nice chaos.

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