Objective
Source GM Core pg. 218
The first thing you'll need to determine is the party's objective, or broad goal. Maybe the PCs need to find their way into a hidden laboratory, locate a particular person within a corporation, rob a bank, or plant a piece of incriminating evidence. An infiltration can consist of a single objective, but a more complex one might include two or more objectives in sequence—the PCs might first need to find a way to enter the corporation's headquarters, then find the starship with the experimental Drift engine, and then escape in the ship before the authorities have a chance to set up a blockade.
To achieve an objective, the PCs must overcome a certain number of obstacles—specific challenges the PCs face, such as maneuvering past a laser sensor grid or persistent paparazzi. For a simple objective, they might need to overcome only one or two obstacles, while a more complex one might require several.
It's a good idea to offer more obstacles as options than the characters need to overcome, and the PCs don't all have to choose the same ones. This represents the fact that there's more than one way into a base and allows PCs to choose obstacles that play to their strengths. It also means you have more options you can adapt if the PCs decide on a truly novel way to tackle their objective.
Once a character has overcome the required number of obstacles to reach the objective, they move on to the next objective. This might mean that some characters move on to a second objective and start making progress toward it while other characters are still completing obstacles from the first objective. When all characters have completed the final objective, the infiltration is a success!
While the characters are pursuing their objectives, however, they need to avoid notice. Awareness Points (AP) measure the extent to which an opposing party is aware of the PCs' actions and apply to the party as a whole. As the PCs' Awareness Points increase, the infiltration becomes more difficult as the opposition shores up its defenses. If the PCs generate too many Awareness Points, they're found out, and their infiltration fails altogether!
To achieve an objective, the PCs must overcome a certain number of obstacles—specific challenges the PCs face, such as maneuvering past a laser sensor grid or persistent paparazzi. For a simple objective, they might need to overcome only one or two obstacles, while a more complex one might require several.
It's a good idea to offer more obstacles as options than the characters need to overcome, and the PCs don't all have to choose the same ones. This represents the fact that there's more than one way into a base and allows PCs to choose obstacles that play to their strengths. It also means you have more options you can adapt if the PCs decide on a truly novel way to tackle their objective.
Once a character has overcome the required number of obstacles to reach the objective, they move on to the next objective. This might mean that some characters move on to a second objective and start making progress toward it while other characters are still completing obstacles from the first objective. When all characters have completed the final objective, the infiltration is a success!
While the characters are pursuing their objectives, however, they need to avoid notice. Awareness Points (AP) measure the extent to which an opposing party is aware of the PCs' actions and apply to the party as a whole. As the PCs' Awareness Points increase, the infiltration becomes more difficult as the opposition shores up its defenses. If the PCs generate too many Awareness Points, they're found out, and their infiltration fails altogether!