GameMastery Chase Cards Deck from Paizo

These chase cards contain a series of obstacles and events for use in a fantasy RPG chase scene. While intended to be used for Pathfinder 1, I’ve successfully used them several times for Savage Worlds Pathfinder. I think these would also work for Shadowdark without much modification, and plan on trying this when appropriate.

Play Time: Occasionally, have used in sessions, each chase approximately 30-60 minutes

General Thoughts: Good design, good art, flexible enough that I could modify on the fly for Savage Worlds. I appreciate they included urban, wilderness, and dungeon obstacles all in one deck – a lot of publishers would have made three large decks.

I have a penchant for cards, card decks, and little add-ons for my RPGs. I haven’t GM’d a game with minis or grid movement for ages, so I guess I entertain myself with other miscellaneous RPG trinkets and toys.

I picked up the Chase Cards from Paizo a while ago. Originally I planned to use them for Pathfinder 1 (when I was running that as part of Pathfinder Society, Paizo’s Organized Play community), but I ended up adapting the cards for Savage Worlds Pathfinder.

I’ve used these cards during crucial scenes during several adventures that I off the cuff modified to Savage Worlds Pathfinder:

• Pathfinder Society Scenario #2-02: Before the Dawn—Part II: Rescue at Azlant Ridge
• Pathfinder Society Scenario #4–01: Rise of the Goblin Guild
• Torrents of Gyre, a Kunos adventure I wrote

I haven’t used these in a dungeon chase scene, but I plan on having these on hand for if my Shadowdark game devolves into a chase (probably an escape from a monster instead of a pursuit, given the gritty nature of Shadowdark.)

The variety of obstacles was nice. I really enjoyed the urban elements, such as high fences, muddy alleys, marketplaces, etc. It captured the pulp feel of Savage Worlds and low-level Pathfinder well.

The wilderness obstacles were also good – there was enough variety that my players didn’t know what to anticipate. Given the chase card layout, I was able to offer a diverging path, which is one of the better chase design options. I first played a split-path chase scene in Pathfinder 2, and it was an eye opener about how chases (in this case, escaping the ruins of desolate Carcosa) could drive an evocative story. While these chase cards are much more generic, they’re versatile enough to use with very little GM work.

Looking at Paizo’s website, there are more chase decks available, including one for Pathfinder 2. I know that I’m not likely to need multiple decks, but for GMs who want a more modern deck, there’s options.

Available on Paizo.com: https://paizo.com/products/btpy8yst?GameMastery-Chase-Cards-Deck