Sample Encounter: “Clearance Sale”
A concrete scenario for reasoning about combat mechanics. We walk through what characters want to do and let that drive system design.
Situation
A four-person crew of freelance operators has been hired to retrieve a data core from a Sabine Industries warehouse on Korvus. The warehouse is in a sprawling industrial district and is supposed to be lightly guarded by corporate security. The crew did some recon beforehand — they know the layout roughly, they know there are guards, but they don’t know exact numbers or positions.
What they don’t know: a rival crew (working for a different buyer) got here first and is already inside. The rival crew tripped an alarm, and now corporate security is on high alert. The PCs are about to walk into a three-way mess.
The Space
A large rectangular warehouse, approximately 60m x 40m. Industrial setting.
Layout
- Main floor: Open space with rows of heavy metal shelving units (~2m tall, spaced ~4m apart). Creates lanes and partial cover.
- Loading dock (south wall): Large roll-up doors, some open. This is where the PCs are entering.
- Office block (northeast corner): Elevated mezzanine with glass windows overlooking the main floor. The data core is up here.
- Back corridor (north wall): Service hallway connecting the office to a rear exit.
- Staircase: Single staircase from main floor up to the mezzanine, near the northeast corner.
- Scattered obstacles: Forklifts, stacked crates, tool stations — providing hard cover in various spots.
Distances (Approximate)
- Loading dock to nearest shelving row: ~8m
- Loading dock to office staircase: ~50m (diagonal across floor)
- Shelving aisles: ~4m wide, ~20m long
- Mezzanine height above floor: ~5m
- Mezzanine guard to main floor center: ~25m (good firing angle down through glass)
Player Characters (4)
Kade — The Point Man
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Role | Aggressive entry, close-quarters combat |
| Firearms | 3 |
| Tactics | 2 |
| Agility | High |
| Endurance | Moderate |
| Specialization | Close Quarters |
Equipment:
- SMG (suppressed) — high rate of fire, effective at short range, reduced noise
- Sidearm (backup)
- Flashbangs x2
- Light armor (mobility prioritized)
Player Archetype: Wants to move fast, breach rooms, clear corners, be the first one through the door. Gets bored sitting still. Takes calculated risks.
Senna — The Shooter
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Role | Overwatch, precision fire |
| Firearms | 4 |
| Awareness | 3 |
| Agility | Moderate |
| Endurance | Moderate |
| Specialization | Precision Shooting |
Equipment:
- Semi-auto rifle with magnified optic — accurate at range, slower fire rate
- Sidearm (backup)
- Medium armor
Player Archetype: Wants to find an elevated or distant position with good sight lines, call out targets to the team, take precise shots. Patient and methodical.
Doc — The Medic
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Role | Combat medic, team sustain |
| Medicine | 3 |
| Firearms | 2 |
| Agility | Moderate |
| Endurance | High |
| Specialization | Combat Stims |
Equipment:
- Carbine — general purpose, middle-of-the-road performance
- Trauma kit (bandages, hemostatic agents, surgical tools)
- Stim injectors x3 (pain suppression, temporary performance boost)
- Light armor
Player Archetype: Stays near the team but not on the front line. Patches people up fast. Keeps everyone fighting. Will shoot when needed but medicine is the priority.
Rook — The Tech
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Role | Recon, hacking, objective completion |
| Software | 3 |
| Electronics | 3 |
| Firearms | 1 |
| Agility | Moderate |
| Endurance | Low |
| Specialization | Intrusion |
Equipment:
- Sidearm only — minimal combat capability
- Hacking deck — interface for electronic intrusion
- Recon drone — small, quiet, camera + motion sensor
- No armor (chose mobility and carrying capacity for tech gear)
Player Archetype: Avoids direct combat entirely if possible. Sends the drone ahead, hacks security systems, disables cameras, unlocks doors. Grabs the data core. Stays out of the line of fire. If forced to fight, they’re in trouble.
Opposition
Corporate Security (3 Guards)
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Firearms | 2 |
| Awareness | 2 |
| Tactics | 1 |
| Armor | Medium |
| Weapons | Standard rifles, sidearms |
| Equipment | Radios, body cams |
Positions:
- Guard 1 (Mezzanine): On the mezzanine overlooking the main floor through the glass windows. Has a commanding view of most of the warehouse. Currently focused on the rival crew below.
- Guard 2 (Staircase): At the base of the staircase leading to the mezzanine. Covering the approach.
- Guard 3 (Ground floor, east side): Near the east wall shelving, watching for flanking movement.
Behavior:
- Alert — alarm has been triggered
- Not elite — trained but not combat veterans
- Will call for backup if things escalate. Backup arrives in approximately 5 minutes.
- Defensive posture — holding positions near the objective (office block)
- Will not pursue aggressively; will hold and wait for reinforcements
Rival Crew (3 Operators)
| Operator | Firearms | Notable |
|---|---|---|
| Rival Lead | 3 | Experienced, calm under pressure |
| Rival Heavy | 2 | Carrying a support weapon (LMG) |
| Rival Runner | 2 | Wounded — GSW right arm, limping, bleeding |
Position: Pinned in a shelving aisle roughly in the center of the warehouse. The mezzanine guard spotted them and has them suppressed. They’re behind cover but can’t advance toward the office without crossing the guard’s firing line.
Status:
- Rival Runner is wounded: arm hit, causing pain, moderate bleed, impaired shooting with that arm
- They don’t know the PCs are coming in through the loading dock behind them
- They might be hostile, might be willing to cooperate temporarily, depending on how the PCs approach
- Their objective is the same data core
The Moment
The PCs are at the loading dock entrance. Inside, they can hear:
- Sporadic gunfire (a few shots, silence, a few more)
- The sharp crack of a rifle from above (mezzanine guard)
- Voices echoing in the warehouse (indistinct)
They don’t know who’s shooting at whom or why.
- Rook’s drone is charged and ready to deploy
- Kade is checking his SMG and stacking up at the door
- Senna is scanning the loading dock area for elevated positions (there’s a maintenance catwalk along the south wall, ~4m up)
- Doc is checking supplies and staying close to the team
What happens next is up to the players.
Why This Encounter Exercises Key Mechanics
| Character | Wants To… | Mechanical Questions Raised |
|---|---|---|
| Rook | Send drone in first | How does recon work? What info does it give? How long does it take? |
| Senna | Find overwatch position | How does elevation help? Aimed shots vs. snap shots? Covering fire? |
| Kade | Breach aggressively | Movement through cover? Rounding corners? Flashbang effects? Initiative when encountering enemies? |
| Doc | Stay safe, heal fast | Healing during combat? Move + heal in same turn? Stim effects? |
| All | Assess the rival crew | Diplomacy mid-combat? IFF (friend-or-foe) uncertainty? |
| Guards | Hold and call backup | Time pressure mechanics? NPC defensive behavior? |
| Rival Runner | Fight while wounded | How do existing wounds affect performance? |
Walkthrough
(This section will be populated as we work through the encounter moment by moment, reasoning about what each character wants to do and what mechanics need to support it.)