The clock runs down. The casualties stay. Move.

What This Is

A solo game. One detective. One job at a time. Los Angeles, 1947 to 1953.

You're on the Squad. The Squad isn't on the org chart. The work isn't in any report. Chief Horrall set it up. Chief Parker keeps it running. Nobody signs the orders.

The job is to stop threats faction security can't acknowledge in time. Mob hits. Bombings. Snatches. Crew jobs the regular force won't touch. You don't arrest. You don't write reports. You walk in before the clock hits zero.

Each job is a clock. Roll the threat. Track it. Reach the room before the timer runs out. Stop it or carry the casualties.

This is not an investigation. The crime is in motion. The body count is what you didn't get to in time.

How It Works

The Job Generator (CH.03) builds a complete operation in seven rolls. The Squad (CH.02) deploys you against it. CH.04 covers the chain, the Heat counter, the verbs. The Interdict (CH.05) is the climax: three beats, you walk in. CH.06 builds your detective. CH.07 tracks casualties, Strain, and the Combination overhead.

What you need. A fistful of D6. One D8. One D10. Tokens for Hard Facts, Leads, Tactical, and Heat. A notebook. One index card per job.

Starting Your First Job

If this is your first time at the desk, don't optimize. Open a job. The engine teaches itself when the timer is already moving.

Step	Do This	Where
1	Use the First Job Detective. Pick one Specialization, one Code line, one War Detail.	CH.06
2	Roll the seven Job Generator steps. Write only what fits on the index card.	CH.03
3	Write the three anatomy targets face-down: the Operator, the Asset, the Trigger.	CH.03 Step 2
4	Run the First Read. Reveal one target on a success, two on Natural 6.	CH.04
5	Play Session 1: three actions, then tick the timer. Stop there if you're learning.	CH.04

The Solo Loop

You're the detective and the city. You play your operator. The city runs on itself: factions react, sources move, the timer counts down.

Three phases stack on the standard solo round.

Phase	When	What It Does
First Read	Before Session 1	Cold brief. Reveal anatomy targets before the timer ticks.
Operations	Every session	Walk, lean, pull, stake. Build the chain. Manage Heat. Lay Low if you must.
The Interdict	Chain Stage 4 reached, OR timer hits zero	Three beats. Approach. Engage. Resolve. You walk in.

The Job Index Card

Write the Generator results on one card. Seven lines. If the threat doesn't fit, it isn't defined yet.

Anatomy boxes start hidden. You may know what's written there. Your detective doesn't until a rule reveals it or an action lands on it.

The Core Verb

Every decision at the desk is one attempt: stop the threat before the timer hits zero.

Not catch. Not document. Stop. The Squad doesn't promise the operator goes free. It promises the threat doesn't execute. When you don't know what to do, return to the verb. What's the next thing between you and stopping it?

Glossary at a Glance

Terms used throughout. Detailed rules in the chapters cited.

Term	One-line meaning	Defined
WALK	Action against scenes, locations, evidence on site. LEGS or EYE.	CH.04
LEAN	Action against witnesses, suspects, contacts. NERVE.	CH.04
PULL	Action against records, archives, ledgers. EYE.	CH.04
STAKE	Active surveillance, vehicle pursuit, foot tail. LEGS.	CH.04
HIT	Interdict-only verb. The Engage beat. SHT, FGT, or specialty.	CH.05
EYE / LEGS / NERVE	Three primary attributes. D6 target numbers (e.g., EYE 4+).	CH.06
SHT / FGT	Combat attributes. Fire at the Engage beat.	CH.06
Hard Fact	Evidence currency. Two in pool advances the chain one stage.	CH.04
Lead	Unconfirmed intel. +1 to one roll. Carries between sessions.	CH.04
Tactical	Interdict currency. Anatomy hits only. Cap 4. Determines close quality.	CH.04
Heat	Exposure counter. Failures push it. Triggers consequences at 3 / 5 / 7 / 9.	CH.04
The Chain	Five stages: Signal → Vector → Cell → Window → Intercept. Stage 4 unlocks the Interdict.	CH.04
Anatomy	Three hidden targets: the Operator, the Asset, the Trigger.	CH.04
The Code	One sentence. What the war taught you not to do.	CH.06
The Interdict	The climax. Three beats. Approach. Engage. Resolve.	CH.05
Strain	What the work does to you. Separate from wounds.	CH.07
The Combination	Mob hierarchy ladder: Soldier → Crew → Job → Family → Combination.	CH.07

Third floor, Central Station. Locked door. No nameplate.

What the Squad Is

The unsigned answer to the threats the city won't admit it has.

The PD documents what they bury. The Squad stops what they can't. The casualties from threats the Squad failed are public record. The casualties from threats it stopped are nothing.

Detectives on the Squad work without paper. The work is done before anyone files. If you survive, you file later. If you don't, the Sergeant files for you.

Why the Squad Exists

The PD has a chain of command, a press office, and the morning paper to answer to. The Squad answers to the Sergeant. The Sergeant answers to whoever's chief that year. Nothing in writing.

When a threat crosses jurisdictions faster than a warrant can move, the Squad moves.

The work is illegal in pieces. The wires are illegal. The renditions are illegal. The room you walk into in Coldwater Canyon at 2 a.m. is illegal. The city decided in 1946 to live with that. The Squad is what that decision looks like.

Clearance Tiers

Three tiers. Each unlocks more dangerous threats, more support, worse politics.

Tier	Threats	Support	Notes
Patrol	Light or Hardened crews. Local jobs.	Brief, sidearm, comms.	Entry. Most detectives stay here.
Detective	Networked operations. Faction-adjacent.	Enhanced brief, contact intel, prior file access.	Requires a Stop on record.
Squad	Outfit-Backed jobs. Combination work.	Full kit. Sealed warrants.	Rare. Senior standing. Clean Web work.

Casualties never leave your file. Failed Interdicts go on your career record permanently. Three Failed Interdicts in a row: the contact relationship lapses. No notification. The Sergeant stops routing.

The Sergeant

You have one. He routes the jobs. He delivers the brief. He receives the report no one will read. Sergeants vary. What they know and what they share are rarely the same thing.

The Job Generator names your Sergeant at job open. His intel quality determines what the Squad brief contains before you walk in.

Job Types the Squad Takes

Six categories. Every generated job falls into one.

Active Killer. One operator. Multiple victims. Escalating. The next one is days, hours, away. Faction law won't catch up before the next.

Crew Job. A criminal cell mid-execution. Bookmaking expansion. Hijack ring. Multiple actors. The PD can't move on the cell without burning their informant.

The Bomb. Device or chemical event. Hard timer. Whoever set it is no longer in the room. Mickey Cohen's Brentwood house was bombed in February '49. The case writes itself.

The Move. Asset transfer in motion. Cash, narcotics, a witness, a body. Crossing jurisdictions through a corridor nobody is policing.

The Snatch. A person taken. Kidnap-for-ransom or worse. Someone wanted them gone before tomorrow.

The Hit. Multi-vector strike against a target faction security has chosen not to harden. The hit works because someone bought the silence.

What Makes a Squad Detective

A regular cop runs cases inside a department that protects its own. A Squad detective runs jobs against threats the department can't admit it sees. The skill overlap is real. The end is different.

Cops chase doctrine. Squad work is against opposition that doesn't — the threat is irregular, time-pressed, often suicidal. The clock is the first obstacle. The threat itself is the second. Your own restraint, when restraint costs lives, is the third.

The war is in the room with you. It shaped what you'll do under a timer. It shaped what you won't. The Code is the line you wrote in 1945, and the city is going to test it again tonight.

Seven rolls. One countdown. Everything that wants to kill someone before you arrive.

Overview

Run Steps 1 through 7 in order. Each step constrains the next. By the end you have a complete threat on an index card.

Write results on the Job Index Card (CH.01). Seven lines. If a result doesn't fit, the threat isn't defined enough yet.

Step 1: Job Type

Roll D6.

D6	Type	The Brief
1	Active Killer	One operator. Multiple victims. The next one is days, hours, away.
2	Crew Job	A cell mid-execution. Faction security can't move without burning their own.
3	The Bomb	Device or chemical event. Whoever set it is no longer in the room.
4	The Move	An asset moving across jurisdictions. The corridor isn't policed.
5	The Snatch	A person taken before tomorrow. Someone wanted them gone.
6	The Hit	Multi-vector strike. Someone bought the silence around the target.

Step 2: Tempo

Roll D6. Tempo sets the Threat Clock — the timer counting down to execution.

D6	Tempo	Timer	Feel
1–2	Slow	12	Long-game cell work. Weeks ahead.
3–4	Medium	7	Days ahead. The next victim is named.
5–6	Fast	4	Hours. The device is set. The convoy is moving.

The Threat Clock ticks down 1 at session end. At 0, the Interdict happens immediately before the next session starts, or the threat executes if you decline the forced Interdict.

Step 3: Capability

Roll D6. Sets the Target's defensive math at the Interdict.

D6	Capability	Threshold
1–2	Light Crew	Good (2+). Untrained or skeleton.
3–4	Hardened	Hard (4+). Faction-trained. Equipment matched to the work.
5	Networked	Very Hard (5+). Cell structure. Tradecraft. Web Intel +1 on Stop.
6	Outfit-Backed	Extreme (6+). Combination shadow support. Web Intel +1 on Stop.

Capability above Outfit-Backed. If an effect such as Fortify raises Capability one tier, treat as Untouchable (7+). Untouchable is the ceiling; further increases instead apply −1 to the Resolve roll.

Step 4: Trajectory

Roll D8. Where the threat is in its plan when you pick up the brief. Modifies the Threat Clock.

D8	Trajectory	Effect
1	Recruiting	Timer +2.
2	Acquiring	Timer +1.
3	Practicing	No modifier.
4	Staging	No modifier.
5	Final Prep	Timer −1.
6	Active	Timer −2.
7	Imminent	Timer −3.
8	In Progress	Timer starts at 1. You have one session.

Step 5: Territory

Roll D8. The territory determines who polices the streets, what your badge is worth, and what the operating conditions look like.

D8	Territory	Texture
1	Hollywood	Studios run their own security. PULL against any studio system is Hard or worse. Sources perform.
2	Bunker Hill	Boarding houses, residential hotels. LEAN one tier easier (minimum Good). Everyone is lonely. Most have a reason to talk.
3	Central Avenue	Black LA. The PD treats it as occupied. A white detective is visible. Heat consequences escalate one tier faster.
4	Long Beach / San Pedro	Navy town, oil, longshoremen. Mob-adjacent. PULL on shipping records is gold. LEAN on a longshoreman is Hard.
5	The Valley	Orange groves, ranches, new tract. Things get buried, sometimes literally. WALK one tier easier. Witnesses make appointments.
6	Pasadena / San Marino	Old money. Caltech. Doors don't open without a name. LEAN Very Hard until you have one.
7	East LA / Boyle Heights	LAPD Intelligence runs informants. Heat rises faster. Failed PULL adds +1 extra Heat in this territory.
8	Downtown	City Hall. Hall of Justice. Pershing Square. All institutions here. All rot here. Faction territory.

Step 6: Target Posture

Roll D6. What the Target does when they detect you closing in. Triggers when the Threat Chain reaches Stage 3 (Cell) or Heat reaches 5, whichever comes first.

D6	Posture	Effect
1	Underground	Timer +1. Next STAKE threshold +1 tier (if already at Extreme, apply as −1 die-roll modifier per CH.04 floor and ceiling).
2	Accelerate	Timer −2.
3	Split	The cell divides. Operator anatomy resets face-down.
4	Fortify	Capability threshold +1 tier. Outfit-Backed becomes Untouchable (7+).
5	Set Up	Faction security ambushes your next session. Heat +2.
6	Pull the Trigger	Threat executes early. Timer −2.

Step 7: Sergeant

Roll D6.

D6	Sergeant	Personality	Intel Quality
1	O'Mara	Sharp. Trusts you with data, not reasons.	Excellent. D3 Leads at job open.
2	Wooters	Measured. Holds back more than he shares.	Good. One free SITREP reroll per job.
3	Burns	Clinically detached. Wants the kill confirmed.	Mixed. Target data accurate. Territory data dated.
4	Junior Detective	Nervous. First field routing.	Poor. After Session 1, roll D6: 1–3 reroll one Step result; 4–6 +1 Lead.
5	Stoker (Remote)	Laconic. Disappears between transmissions.	Field-tested. 1 free Tactical Token at job open.
6	No Sergeant	Comms dead. Running blind.	None. Heat starts at +1. Payout +1 tier on Stop.

Anatomy: Setting the Three Targets

Every job has three anatomy targets. Hidden at setup. Revealed through play. Hitting them produces Tactical Tokens that determine Interdict quality.

• The Operator. The human element executing the threat.
• The Asset. The weapon, device, vehicle, substance, or person being moved.
• The Trigger. The activation: signal, command, dead-man, timer, scheduled meet.

The clock counts down. The Heat counts up. You work between them.

The Operations Loop

Each session: take three actions. The Threat Clock ticks down 1 at session end. If the chain reaches Stage 4, the Interdict becomes available. If the timer hits 0, the Interdict happens this session anyway — with whatever Stage you've reached.

The loop runs until the Interdict resolves. The Threat Clock is the timer. Heat is the secondary pressure. Both are visible. Both compound.

At Stage	If You Don't Know What To Do	Default Move
1 Signal	Establish the first hard fact.	WALK the scene or PULL the obvious record.
2 Vector	Turn the connection into a person, route, or system.	STAKE the meet. LEAN a cooperative source.
3 Cell	Convert leads into anatomy hits.	Interview a named source. Hit a revealed target.
4 Window	Close now or risk one more session for Intercept.	Interdict if Heat or Timer is high.
5 Intercept	The room is set. Don't wait.	Interdict.

Action Verbs

Five verbs. Four are operations. The fifth fires only at the climax.

Action	Attribute	Use
WALK	LEGS or EYE	Scenes, on-site evidence, institutional inspection.
LEAN	NERVE	Witnesses, suspects, contacts. Sit across, don't blink.
PULL	EYE	Records, archives, ledgers, phone logs, registries.
STAKE	LEGS	Active surveillance. Vehicle pursuit. Foot tail through the city.
HIT	SHT, FGT, or specialty	Interdict only. The Engage beat. See CH.05.

LEGS vs. EYE for WALK. Use LEGS when the work is physical: moving through a space, reading a body, getting to the scene before the cleaners. Use EYE when the work is analytical: interpreting documents on site, identifying patterns across a scene.

WALK vs. PULL. WALK is the scene of the crime, the site of relevance, the building you've entered. PULL is records work — whether at the County clerk's window, at a phone-company supervisor's desk, or stolen out of a filing cabinet at 2 a.m. If the work is in the room where the crime happened, it's WALK. If the work is the paper that names the room, it's PULL.

Thresholds

Threshold	Roll	Context
Good	2+	Cooperative source. Clean approach.
Standard	3+	Neutral source. Standard surveillance.
Hard	4+	Reluctant source. Active faction security.
Very Hard	5+	Hostile source. Networked tradecraft.
Extreme	6+	Embedded protection. Outfit-level system.

Use the stricter of your attribute target and the source threshold. Modifiers add to the die. The threshold is fixed.

Threshold floor and ceiling. Thresholds cannot move easier than Good (2+) or harder than Extreme (6+). When an effect would push past either, it stops at the floor or ceiling. Apply remaining bonuses as die-roll modifiers instead.

Default source threshold. If no rule, table, territory, posture, or fiction sets it, use Standard (3+). Move to Good for cooperative sources, Hard for reluctant, Very Hard for hostile or networked, Extreme for embedded or Architecture-level.

Action Resolution

Name your action and the source. Roll D6, apply modifiers, compare to threshold.

Success. Generate 1 Hard Fact. Anatomy target: also 1 Tactical Token.

Failure. Mark 1 Heat. Source threshold goes up one tier.

Natural 6. Generate 1 Hard Fact and 1 Lead. Anatomy target: also 1 Tactical Token. Plus the action-specific bonus below.

Natural 1. Mark 2 Heat. Plus the action-specific consequence below.

Action	Natural 6 Bonus	Natural 1 Consequence
WALK	You read the scene cleanly. The next WALK at this location is one tier easier.	You disturbed the scene. WALK threshold here +1 tier for the job.
LEAN	The source becomes an active contact: one more direct answer this case, no roll required (see below).	The source warns the Target's network or a faction-aligned contact. Word travels.
PULL	You also surface a partial truth about a source you haven't yet reached.	The system logs the inquiry. PULL +1 tier against this system family.
STAKE	The Threat Clock pauses one session.	You're seen. A faction camera or street contact catches your face. Next job in this territory starts at Heat +2.
HIT (Interdict only)	See CH.05 Beat 2.	See CH.05 Beat 2. The Engage produced exposure — mark 2 Casualties.

Spending an active-contact answer (LEAN Natural 6). Declare it at the start of any session, before actions, or between actions. It costs no action slot. The source provides one piece of narrative information — a name, a location, a routine, a date. No tokens are generated. Use it for the question whose answer would unlock a stalled chain. One per Natural 6 LEAN, per source.

Tokens

Three currencies. Each does one job.

Hard Facts. Advance the Threat Chain. Two in pool: chain advances one stage. Remove both.

Pool overflow. When an action brings the pool to 2 or more in a single resolution, the chain advances once. Both tokens are removed. Any further Hard Facts generated by that same action are lost. The next pool always starts empty after an advancement, even if the same roll would have refilled it. One advancement per action.

Leads. Unconfirmed intel. +1 to one investigation roll. Declare before rolling. Carries between sessions within a job. No cap. They do not carry between jobs unless a Sergeant, requisition, or after-case event grants them.

Going cold. At each new session start, you may retire 1 Lead as cold. Optional.

Tactical Tokens. Modify Interdict rolls. From anatomy hits only. Cap: 4. A fifth converts into 1 Lead. The Final Operation in a campaign raises the cap to 5.

The Threat Chain

Five stages. Sits face-up at the desk. Moving it forward is the primary goal of every session.

Stage	Name	Established	Unlocks
1	Signal	Something is happening.	WALK, PULL, STAKE available. LEAN at Hard until Stage 2.
2	Vector	Direction or pattern.	LEAN drops to Standard. Shadow Phase available.
3	Cell	The unit. Names or roles.	Target Posture activates. Interrogation Sub-Sequence available.
4	Window	When and where it triggers.	Interdict available.
5	Intercept	Everything you need.	Interdict +1 to the Resolve roll.

Anatomy: The Triad

Three targets, hidden at setup. Revealed through play.

• The Operator. The human element executing the threat.
• The Asset. The weapon, device, vehicle, or substance.
• The Trigger. The activation — signal, command, dead-man, timer.

Revealing. At job open, write Operator/Asset/Trigger face-down. The First Read reveals targets before Session 1. During play, when an action clearly lands on a hidden target, flip that target face-up after the roll. If the roll succeeded, count it as an anatomy hit and generate Tactical. If it failed, the target is revealed but no Tactical is generated.

Anatomy hits. When you succeed against a revealed target, generate 1 Tactical Token in addition to the Hard Fact.

Re-hits allowed. An anatomy target can be hit more than once. Each successful action against a revealed target generates another Tactical Token, up to the cap of 4.

Primary anatomy target. When a rule references "the Target's primary anatomy target," use the Operator unless the fiction makes the Asset or Trigger more central to the threat.

The First Read

Before Session 1, the Squad brief. One roll. No clock tick.

Roll EYE. Standard (3+) for most. Hard (4+) when the Target's faction has surveillance presence in the territory.

Result	Effect
Success	Reveal one anatomy target.
Natural 6	Reveal two.
Natural 1	False target. First action on it auto-fails, marks 1 Heat. Then reveal a real one.
Failure	No reveal. Walk in cold.

The Shadow Phase

Available at Stage 2. Once per session, before actions. Quiet observation: a parked car across the street, a coffee shop window, a long lens.

Roll LEGS 3+.

Result	Effect
Success	Generate 1 Lead. No Heat risk.
Natural 6	Generate 1 Lead and 1 Hard Fact.
Failure	The source or location notices something. Their next direct contact +1 tier harder.
Natural 1	The Target notices. Posture activates one stage early. Mark 1 Heat.

Heat

Heat tracks how exposed your operation has become. Failure adds Heat. Natural 1 adds more. The counter is visible. You watch it rise.

Trigger	Heat
Failed action	+1
Natural 1 on any action	+2

Heat Consequences

Persistent pressure. Apply at threshold. At each later session start, apply every row at or below current Heat.

Heat	Consequence
3	Soft surveillance. A faction contact is asking. While Heat 3+, sources +1 tier harder to LEAN.
5	Active surveillance. Faction security has a file. Target Posture activates if it hasn't. Remove 1 Lead now and at each later session start while Heat 5+.
7	Direct action. A faction security team moves on your best source. They go silent. Threat Clock ticks down 1 once on crossing.
9	Operation blown. While Heat 9+, all LEAN +1 additional tier. Your Sergeant is being pulled.

Lay Low

Full-session action. At Heat 5–8, declare Lay Low at session start, before any Heat consequences trigger. No Shadow Phase. No actions. Heat −1. Skip all start-of-session Heat consequences. The Threat Clock still ticks down at session end.

The Threat Clock

One job: count down to zero. Ticks 1 at session end. Heat 7 ticks it once on crossing. Some Postures tick it. Some don't.

When the clock hits 0, the Interdict happens immediately — before the next session starts. The detective doesn't get another session of chain work. Stages 1–3 force the Interdict at penalty (CH.05). Stages 4+ goes clean.

If the clock hits 0 mid-session (Heat 7 acceleration, Posture Pull the Trigger, etc.), finish the current session's actions, then immediately resolve the Interdict with whatever Stage you reached.

Tracked Consequences

A failed PULL trips a passive monitor. Heat goes up as written — the counter is single, not tracked per faction. But note who owns the system on the Job Index Card.

When the Heat 7 consequence fires (best source goes silent), decide which faction acts based on whose monitors you've tripped most. In solo play, make the harshest plausible choice, or roll between equally plausible factions. The Heat counter is one number. The narrative consequence has a face.

The Interrogation Sub-Sequence

Named interrogations of key sources or identified Operators use a three-roll sub-sequence. Optional for general sources. Required for named subjects once the chain reaches Stage 3. The full sub-sequence costs one action; do not spend one action per beat.

Beat 1: Establish

Open the source. LEAN at the threshold as set. Success: move to Beat 2. Failure: source closes off. LEAN +1 tier. Interrogation ends this session.

The standalone Natural 6 LEAN bonus does not apply during an Interrogation — the sub-sequence replaces the standalone roll. A Natural 6 on Beat 1 still counts as a Success.

Beat 2: Work

Hold the line. Roll NERVE vs. the source's resistance: Low 2+, Standard 3+, High 4+, Protected 5+. Success: move to Beat 3. Failure: partial truth only (1 Lead instead of Hard Fact). Mark 1 Heat.

Beat 3: Break

Roll D6, modified by how Beat 2 went. Beat 2 failure ends the interrogation before Beat 3.

Beat 2 Result	Beat 3 Modifier
Beat threshold by 1+	+2 to roll
Met threshold exactly	+1 to roll

D6 (mod)	Result
6+	Full truth. 1 Hard Fact + 1 Tactical Token. Anatomy target: 2 Hard Facts + 1 Tactical Token.
4–5	Partial truth. 1 Hard Fact. Anatomy target: also 1 Tactical Token (the partial puts the target on the page). Source is protecting something.
2–3	Refusal. No evidence. No Tactical even on anatomy targets. LEAN +2 tiers for this job.
1 or less	Counter-pressure. The source warns the Target. No Tactical. Threat Clock −1. Mark 1 Heat.

Partial Truths

A failed LEAN doesn't mean refusal. The source gives something that sounds useful but is incomplete. Managing what the detective doesn't know they're missing is the core craft of running this game.

Before each session, prepare two or three partial truths for each named source. Know what's true, what's visible, what they'd protect under full pressure. The formula: enough to keep moving, not enough to close cleanly on what they don't yet know.

You built the chain. Now you walk in and stop it.

When the Chain Reaches Stage 4

At Stage 4 (Window), the Interdict becomes available. You don't have to take it. Reaching Stage 5 (Intercept) before the Interdict adds +1 to the Resolve roll. But the timer is running and the Target has noticed. Every session you wait is a tick down.

Entering the Interdict. Declare at the start of a session, after the Shadow Phase, or immediately after an action advances the chain to Stage 4 or 5. Once declared, stop taking actions and resolve this chapter. If you advanced to Stage 4 or 5 and don't declare, finish any remaining actions, tick the clock at session end, then decide again next session.

What the Interdict is. A three-beat sequence. You walk in. Things happen fast. Casualties get counted afterward.

What it isn't. A meeting. The Squad doesn't deliver files. The Interdict is the moment you stop the threat with whatever the chain put in your hand.

Tactical Assessment

Before the Interdict, count your Tactical Tokens. This sets your starting position.

Tactical	Modifier
0	−1 to all Interdict rolls.
1	No modifier.
2	+1 to all Interdict rolls.
3	+2 to all Interdict rolls.
4	+1 to all Interdict rolls. Capability threshold drops one tier.
5	Final Operation only. +2 to all rolls. Capability drops one tier.

Tactical 5. Normal jobs cap Tactical at 4. Final Operations raise the cap to 5. Tactical 5 combines complete position with complete anatomy: take +2 to all three rolls and drop Capability one tier. Untouchable becomes Outfit-Backed; Outfit-Backed becomes Networked.

Chain Stage bonus. If the chain is at Stage 5 (Intercept), add +1 to the Resolve roll.

The Interdict Sequence

Three beats. Each is a roll. Run them in order.

Crossing the Code. Once per Interdict, before any one roll, declare you are crossing your Code. +2 to that roll. Mark the career record entry as Code Crossed.

The Hostile cap. An Interdict in which the Code was crossed cannot end Failed, Hostile. Treat any failed-by-3+ Resolve as Failed Intercept.

Three crossings. After three Code Crossed entries on your record, the Squad opens an internal review. The next After-Case Event is treated as Squad Review.

Stage 3 cases cannot cross to force the Interdict. The Code Cross to push through a forced Interdict requires Stage 4 or higher. A timer-zero hit at Stage 3 or below resolves at penalty without that option.

Beat 1: Approach

You position. Roll D6 + Tactical modifier vs. the Target's Capability threshold.

Result vs. Threshold	Effect on Beat 2
Beat by 2+	Surprise. Engage at Good (2+).
Met or beat by 1	Standard position. Engage at Standard (3+).
Failed by 1	Compromised approach. Engage at Hard (4+). No Capability adjustment.
Failed by 2+	They know you're coming. Engage at Very Hard (5+). If Engage fails, Failed Intercept.

Beat 2: Engage

The action. Roll FGT (close), SHT (ranged), NERVE (defuse, hold composure, talk them down), or your specialty (Specialist) at the Engage threshold from Beat 1.

Success. Move to Resolve.

Failure. Mark 1 Casualty. Capability threshold for Resolve increases one tier. If you were at Failed Intercept risk (Beat 1 failed by 2+) and Beat 2 fails, the Interdict is Failed.

Natural 6. Move to Resolve at +1 to the roll. Capability threshold drops one tier.

Natural 1. Mark 2 Casualties. The Engage produced exposure.

Beat 3: Resolve

How it ends. Roll D6 + Tactical modifier + (1 if Stage 5). Compare to Capability (as modified by earlier beats).

Forced by the clock. If the Threat Clock hit zero before the chain reached Stage 4, the Interdict is forced at this Stage with a per-stage penalty:

Stage at Clock Zero	Penalty
1 or 2	Capability +2 tiers. Resolve roll −2.
3	Capability +1 tier. Resolve roll −1.
4 or 5	No penalty. Standard Interdict.

If a forced Interdict penalty would raise Capability above Untouchable, keep Capability at Untouchable and apply the excess as −1 each to the Resolve roll.

You may decline a forced Interdict. The threat then executes for full casualties.

Close Types

Apply rows in order. Each row excludes the rows below it. Stage 5 + beat by 2+ is always Clean Stop, never Stop. At Stages 1–3, any Resolve success above the threshold is a Stop.

Result	Outcome
Beat threshold by 2+ AND chain at Stage 5	Clean Stop
Beat threshold by 2+ at Stage 4	Stop
Beat threshold by 1 at Stage 4 or 5, OR beat by 1+ at Stages 1–3	Stop
Met threshold exactly	Partial Stop
Failed by 1–2	Failed Intercept
Failed by 3+	Failed, Hostile

Casualty Resolution

Each close produces a casualty count. Casualties from Beat 2 failures or Natural 1s are kept. Roll for additional casualties per close type.

Close Type	Additional Casualties
Clean Stop	0 (any from Beat 2 retained)
Stop	+1d3
Partial Stop	+1d6
Failed Intercept	Full Threat Type roll (below)
Failed, Hostile	Full Threat Type roll, plus the Target takes counter-action against your team

Threat Type	Casualty Roll
Active Killer	1d4 + 1
Crew Job	1d6
The Bomb	1d10 + 5
The Move	1d4
The Snatch	1 (the asset taken)
The Hit	2d6

Casualties go on your career record. They do not reset.

Close Type Details

Clean Stop. The threat is neutralized cleanly. Minimal exposure. Career credit: Clean Stop. Payout at full tier. Heat resets to 0.

Stop. The threat is neutralized. The operation cost lives. Career credit: Stop. Payout at standard. Heat resets to 2.

Partial Stop. The threat is degraded but not eliminated. Some element survives — the Operator escapes, the Asset reaches its secondary target, the Trigger half-fires. Career credit: Partial. Payout reduced. Heat resets to 4.

Failed Intercept. The threat executes. Full casualty roll for the Threat Type. The Target's faction has the operation on file. Heat resets to 6 next case. Three Failed Intercepts in a row, no Stops, the Squad stops routing.

Failed, Hostile. The threat executes AND the Target takes counter-action. They go after one of your sources, your Sergeant, or you directly. If the detective is targeted, resolve using OT combat and wound rules. If a source or Sergeant is targeted, they become unavailable until a future job reopens that contact. Heat resets to 8. The next Interdict is at −1 to all rolls.

Between Cases

If chaining jobs into a career, resolve in this order after each close.

1. Wound Recovery. Light wounds recover automatically. Mortal Wounds persist. Roll NERVE 4+ to recover each Mortal Wound. Failure: it carries.

2. Heat Reset. By close type (above).

3. Casualty Record. Add this case's casualties to your permanent total.

4. Squad Standing Check. Apply clearance advancement (CH.07). Check evolutions.

5. Campaign Pressure. If using the campaign layer, update faction clocks, contacts, territory familiarity, Strain, and close-type Aftermath (CH.07).

After-Case Events (D8)

D8	Event
1	The casualties make the news. Faction press names you. Heat starts +2 next case.
2	Squad review. Roll clearance advancement check now if eligible.
3	Sergeant change. Re-roll Step 7 next case.
4	Connection. Web Intel +1 (CH.07).
5	Source comes forward. Start next case with 1 Lead.
6	Quiet period. Heat resets to 0 regardless of close type.
7	A casualty's family asks questions. Roleplay as desired. The next After-Case Event is +1.
8	The Combination moves. Web Intel +2. Threat Clock −1 on the next Outfit-Backed case.

Build for the room you walk into when the timer hits zero.

Building Your Detective

Fully generative. No pre-built characters. Construct from attributes, a Specialization, a War Detail, and a Code.

Assign attributes per point-buy. Pick one Specialization. Roll or pick one War Detail. Write your Code — one sentence describing what you won't do to stop a threat. Record on your character sheet plus the career record (CH.07).

Attributes

Five attributes. Three carry the work. Two cover the room when the work goes hot.

EYE. Reads scenes and records. Pulling files, interpreting documents, identifying patterns. Drives PULL and the analytical face of WALK.

LEGS. Physical work. Walking the scene, surveillance, vehicle pursuit, getting in and out. Drives STAKE and the physical face of WALK.

NERVE. Sit across from someone and don't blink. Hold a line under pressure. Drives LEAN and the Interrogation Sub-Sequence. The Pressure roll in the Interdict is also NERVE.

FGT. Engage at the Interdict for close work — breaching, melee, hand-to-hand.

SHT. Engage at the Interdict for ranged work — sniping, suppression, defuse-from-distance.

The War Detail

Every detective carries one thing the war put into them. Provides an advantage in specific contexts and a Heat pressure in scenes that touch what it cost. The advantage and the liability are the same biography. Roll D8 or pick.

D8	War Detail	Advantage	Liability
1	OSS, European Theater	+2 PULL against any institutional records.	Heat +1 in scenes involving Germans, displaced persons, or the Bureau.
2	Pacific MP / CID	+2 LEAN against military or veteran sources.	Heat +1 in scenes involving Japanese-Americans.
3	Marine, island campaigns	+2 WALK at violent scenes.	Heat +1 in the first scene of every job until you've eaten.
4	Army Air Corps, B-17 / B-24	+2 to anything done at night.	Heat +1 in confined spaces.
5	Navy / ONI	+2 PULL against shipping, port, or financial records.	Heat +1 in any scene around water.
6	8th Army, Italy	+2 LEAN against Italian sources, mob-adjacent and otherwise.	Heat +1 in churches.
7	Liberator (camp opener, ETO)	+2 LEAN against any source dehumanizing a victim by category.	Heat +1 when the threat's defense is institutional ("it was policy, it was orders").
8	Stateside MP / Provost	+2 WALK against any LAPD, Sheriff's, or military police installation.	Heat +1 when the LAPD itself is the Target's faction.

War Details apply automatically. They require no declaration. Liabilities apply automatically too.

Specializations

Pick one at character creation. The Specialization defines how you work. Not a personality. A trained method.

The Hat

You break things to make truth surface. The work is loud, but it moves.

Always-on: +2 to FGT or SHT at the Interdict's Engage beat.

Job open: Start every job with 1 Hard Fact already in your pool. The first scene gives up something.

Anatomy advantage: Engage at the Asset anatomy uses FGT or SHT instead of NERVE.

The Tap

Wires don't lie. Whoever built the system thought they buried it, but they built it first. The Squad's wires aren't legal, and that's the point.

Always-on: +2 to PULL against faction-administered systems (LAPD, the Bureau, the studios, the phone company, the banks).

Once per system encountered: First PULL against an unfamiliar system at +2.

Trigger advantage: When the Trigger anatomy is a system (signal, network command, phone line, dead-man), you can RUN against it during the Interdict instead of HIT.

The Tail

You follow the line. The threat thinks it moved. You're already where it's going.

Always-on: A successful Shadow Phase generates 1 Lead AND 1 Hard Fact. Natural 6 generates one additional Lead.

Once per case: Run a second Shadow Phase the same session. Declare after the first resolves.

Operator advantage: When the Operator anatomy is revealed, the Threat Clock pauses for one session.

The Interrogator

People talk before the full weight closes around them. You arrive first.

Always-on: +2 to LEAN when the case's Capability is Hardened or below. The Interrogator works best on threats that haven't yet wrapped themselves in faction muscle. (Capability is a property of the case, not a per-source rating.)

Once per case: Drop one LEAN threshold one tier. Available regardless of case Capability.

Beat 1 advantage: Approach roll +1 if any Operator was LEANed successfully during the case.

The Specialist

Specialist work. Bomb tech, sniper, breacher, medic.

Always-on: Pick one specialty at character creation: Defuse, Long Shot, Breach, Trauma. The matching Engage roll uses your highest applicable attribute.

Once per case: Cancel one Casualty result. Apply before or after Beat 2 / Beat 3.

Anatomy advantage: First action against the Trigger anatomy is at +2.

The Code

Write one sentence: what you won't do to stop a threat.

Record on your career record. When the Interdict isn't going cleanly, there will be a moment where crossing it produces a better outcome.

Crossing the Code. Once per Interdict, before any one roll, declare you are crossing your Code. +2 to that roll. Mark the career record entry as Code Crossed.

The Hostile cap. An Interdict in which the Code was crossed cannot end Failed, Hostile. Treat any failed-by-3+ Resolve as Failed Intercept.

Three crossings. After three Code Crossed entries, the Squad opens an internal review. The next After-Case Event is treated as Squad Review.

The point: you decided in advance what kind of detective you are. The threat will find out if you meant it.

Starting Equipment

Squad detectives receive a field kit at job open. Equipment draws on the Requisition tier matching your clearance.

Patrol. Choose two: Sidearm Loadout (+1 SHT during Engage, one Interdict). Comms Suite (Sergeant intel arrives without Heat risk from interception). Source Credit (one source begins the case at one tier easier LEAN, your choice). Territory Brief (+1 to First Read if the territory is on your career record).

Detective. All Patrol items available. Choose one additional: Wire Kit (one PULL per case at Standard regardless of source threshold; the Squad's wires remain illegal). Sealed Warrant (Squad mandate cannot be challenged until Stage 4). Specialty Loadout (declare a Specialist for one case; if you're already a Specialist, gain a second).

Squad. All Patrol and Detective items available. Choose one additional: Archive Access (one anatomy target known at job open, no roll). Black Warrant (Squad mandate cannot be challenged by any faction during this case, regardless of Capability). Direct Line (Sergeant intel quality +1 tier; No Sergeant becomes Junior Detective).

The casualties stay on the file. The Combination is older than any of us.

The Career Record

One document. One entry per closed job. The proof of what you did and what it cost.

Per case, record:

• Case number (sequential)
• Threat type
• Tempo (Slow / Medium / Fast)
• Capability tier
• Close type (Clean Stop / Stop / Partial Stop / Failed Intercept / Failed, Hostile)
• Casualties this case
• Cumulative casualty total
• One line of field notes. Not a summary. Something specific.

The casualty total never resets. Across a thirty-job career, the number reaches three figures. The number on your file tells you what kind of detective you've been.

Campaign Frame

A campaign is a chain of cases with memory. At minimum, track the career record, Heat reset, clearance, and the Combination Web. For a deeper campaign, add the ledgers below after Case 1.

Campaign length. Six jobs is a short arc. Ten to twelve is a full season. Thirty is a career record, not a promise of survival.

The Final Operation. The last job of any campaign — declared by the player, or generated when the Combination tracker reaches Stage 5 (Combination). The Final Operation always rolls Capability one tier higher than its base, raises the Tactical cap to 5 (CH.04), and applies the Final Operation Aftermath: regardless of close type, retire one detective from active duty (Strain too high, wound too deep, name on too many faction files). Make a new detective for the next campaign. Casualties on the previous record stay where they are.

Faction Clocks

Pick three active factions for the campaign: one dominant local power, one rival, one shadow patron. Add a fourth only if the table wants more politics. Each faction has two clocks.

Clock	Range	What It Means
Suspicion	0–6	How clearly the faction can identify your methods, contacts, routes.
Leverage	0–6	What the faction can make you do, deny, or pay for.

Mark Suspicion +1 when a job in their territory ends Partial Stop or worse, on Natural 1 that exposes your identity, or when you cross your Code in public. Mark Leverage +1 when you accept help, use a faction source twice, leave a source exposed, or take a requisition that depends on local permission.

Clock at	Effect
3	The faction has a file. First LEAN against faction-affiliated sources each case is +1 tier harder.
5	The faction moves. Start next case in their territory at Heat +1, or pay 1 Leverage to ignore.
6	The clock resolves. Suspicion 6: the faction burns one contact or route. Leverage 6: the faction demands a favor before the next Interdict. Reset that clock to 3 afterward.

Faction Roster

Period factions. Pick from these.

The PD Brass. Suspicion: how loud you've been. Leverage: what they can make you do.

The DA's Office. They can shut your unit down with one announcement.

The Mob. Subdivides 1947–1950 into Cohen and Dragna. Collapses to a single clock after Dragna's death.

The Press. Hearst's Examiner on one side, Chandler's Times on the other. More dangerous than the Mob.

City Hall / Police Commission. The political layer. The Bloody Christmas of '51 is what happens when this clock fires.

The Bureau. Hoover's project. Communist hunting, civil rights surveillance, the LA office. They don't help. They collect.

Contacts and Sources

Any named source who matters after a case becomes a contact. Write one tag beside the name. Contacts are campaign assets until the record says otherwise. Roll D6 for status, or pick.

D6	Status	Effect
1	Loyal	Once, start a case in their territory with +1 Lead.
2	Useful	One LEAN against them starts one tier easier.
3	Afraid	Available, but first contact marks Heat +1.
4	Compromised	Use them and mark one faction Suspicion +1.
5	Missing	Unavailable until an Aftermath result or fiction brings them back.
6	Burned	Unavailable. Using their name marks Leverage +1 with the faction that burned them.

Contact recovery. A Clean Stop may improve one contact one step toward Loyal. A Failed, Hostile worsens one contact one step toward Burned.

Territory Familiarity

Each territory has a Familiarity score from 0 to 5. Add +1 when you close a case there. Add +1 when you choose Territory Intel as a Field Requisition. Familiarity never rises above 5.

Familiarity	Effect
1	You know one safe route. First STAKE failure each case in this territory does not raise the source threshold.
3	You know who talks. Once per case, convert 1 Heat gain from LEAN into loss of 1 Lead instead.
5	City Memory. Heat 3's Soft Surveillance threshold moves to 4. Sources you've previously LEANed in this territory start one tier easier.

Detective Strain

Strain measures what the work does to you. Separate from wounds. Start at 0.

Gain 1 Strain when a case ends Failed Intercept or Failed, Hostile; when casualties in one case exceed 6; when you cross your Code; or when an Aftermath says the case follows you home. Strain triggers stack; if two triggers happen in one case, gain 2 Strain.

Strain	Effect
2	Sleep debt. First Read rolls of Natural 1 mark 2 Heat instead of 1 Heat on the false target.
4	Short fuse. Once per case, a failed LEAN also marks 1 additional Heat unless you spend 1 Lead.
6	Breaking pattern. Before each Interdict, choose: cross the Code for +2 and mark Code Crossed, or take −1 to Resolve.

Relief. Reduce Strain by 1 after a Clean Stop with 0 casualties, after an After-Case Quiet Period, or by spending a full case on Lay Low instead of taking a contract. If you skip a contract this way, choose the territory where the detective hides and the faction most likely to exploit the pause, then roll Partial or Failed Aftermath. Apply any contact, faction, territory, Strain, or Web result to those choices. The city still moved without you.

Aftermath by Close Type

After resolving the CH.05 After-Case Event, roll D6 on the table matching the close type if you want campaign pressure. Apply the result before generating the next case.

Clean Stop Aftermath

D6	Result
1	A faction claims credit. Mark Suspicion +1 with that faction.
2	A source survives clean. Improve one contact one step toward Loyal.
3	The Squad notices. Next clearance check gains +1.
4	The Target left a clean thread. Gain 1 Web Intel if Capability was Networked or higher.
5	The territory breathes. Familiarity +1 in that territory.
6	No one saw you. Reduce Heat next case by 1, minimum 0.

Stop Aftermath

D6	Result
1	The casualties get names. Gain 1 Strain.
2	A contact asks for protection. Mark Leverage +1 or spend next requisition on them.
3	The Squad sends a cleaner brief. Start next case with +1 Lead.
4	The Target's faction has fragments. Suspicion +1 with that faction.
5	A surviving source becomes Useful. Add to contacts.
6	You learn the district's rhythm. Familiarity +1 in this territory.

Partial or Failed Aftermath

D6	Result
1	The survivor talks first. Suspicion +1 with two factions.
2	A contact disappears. Mark one contact Missing.
3	The threat mutates. Next case of the same Threat Type starts with Capability +1 tier.
4	The Squad buries the record. Advancement checks unavailable next case.
5	You know what you missed. Start next same-territory case with +1 Lead.
6	The Combination moved behind it. Web Intel +1, then gain 1 Strain.

Failed, Hostile Aftermath

D6	Result
1	Retaliation lands. One contact is Burned.
2	Your route is known. Familiarity in this territory drops by 1.
3	The Sergeant is implicated. Re-roll Sergeant next case and start Heat +1.
4	A faction demands silence. Leverage +2 with that faction.
5	The Squad restricts you. No requisition next case.
6	The Web eats the failure. Web Intel +2, gain 2 Strain.

Squad Clearance Advancement

Clearance advances through Stops, not time served. The Squad cares whether the threat stopped.

Patrol to Detective

Requirements: At least 4 cases closed. At least 2 Stops or better. No more than 1 Failed, Hostile.

Advancement check: After meeting requirements, roll D6 on the next case close. On a 4+, clearance advances. On 1–3, pending. Try again next case.

Detective to Squad

Requirements: At least 8 cases closed. At least 4 Stops or better. At least 1 Clean Stop. No more than 2 Failed, Hostile.

Advancement check: After meeting requirements, roll D6 on the next case close. On a 5+, clearance advances. On 1–4, pending. The Squad is careful with Squad-tier work. They have reasons.

Personal Evolutions

Permanent improvements earned through case patterns. Each evolution can be earned once.

No Witnesses. Three Shadow Phase successes without triggering a Suspicion result, within any two consecutive cases. Effect: Once per case, a failed Shadow Phase produces no consequence. The source noticed something, but not you.

The Cost. Two Stops or better against Networked or Outfit-Backed Capability subjects. Effect: Once per case, invoke Squad authority. One faction-affiliated source's LEAN drops one tier. Declared before rolling.

Reading the Room. Three cases closed of the same Threat Type. Effect: Once per case, before the First Read, declare the Trajectory (D8). If correct, First Read auto-succeeds and reveals two anatomy targets. If wrong, proceed with the standard roll.

Heat Resistant. Reach Detective clearance without a Failed, Hostile on record. Effect: Natural 1 marks 1 Heat instead of 2.

Tactical. A Clean Stop with 0 anatomy hits. You stopped it on chain work alone. Effect: Enter every Interdict with 1 Tactical Token regardless of anatomy.

City Memory. Five cases closed in the same territory. Effect: In this territory, Heat 3's Soft Surveillance threshold moves to 4. Sources you've successfully LEANed in this territory start one tier easier on all future cases.

Squad Requisitions

One requisition per closed case, at the tier matching your clearance.

Patrol. Pick one: Extra Lead (start next case with +1 Lead). Resupply (swap kit at no cost before case open). Territory Intel (one territory data entry not yet on your record; treat as one case for familiarity).

Detective. Pick one: Source Network (a named contact from a prior case is available next case as a cooperating, Good source). Sealed Brief (Target Posture is known at job open). Heat Suppression (Heat starts next case at −2, minimum 0).

Squad. Pick one: Backup Team (one free Tactical Token at the next Interdict; the Sergeant put two more men on the perimeter). Black Warrant (Squad mandate cannot be challenged by any faction during this case, regardless of Capability). Combination Brief (all three anatomy targets known at job open; the Squad has had a man inside this operation for months).

The Combination

A persistent meta-tracker across cases. Five stages: Soldier → Crew → Job → Family → Combination.

The Combination doesn't progress automatically. Web Intel must be earned.

Source	Web Intel
Closing a Networked or Outfit-Backed case at Stop or better	+1
After-Case Event 4 ("Connection")	+1
After-Case Event 8 ("The Combination moves")	+2
LEAN Natural 6 against a Web-tagged source	+1

Each Web Intel advances the tracker one stage.

Stage	Name	What You Know
1	Soldier	You have a button man's name. He'll talk if scared.
2	Crew	You know the captain's people. Cohen's Sunset operation. Dragna's San Pedro crew.
3	The Job	You see a coordinated operation across crews. The shape, not the heads.
4	The Family	You know the family. Cohen, Dragna, the Outfit's western arm.
5	The Combination	The national wire. Chicago, New York, the Commission. The thing older than any of you.

Action Verbs

Action	Attribute	Use
WALK	LEGS or EYE	Scenes, on-site evidence, institutional inspection
LEAN	NERVE	Witnesses, suspects, contacts
PULL	EYE	Records, archives, ledgers
STAKE	LEGS	Surveillance, vehicle pursuit, foot tail
HIT	FGT, SHT, NERVE, or specialty	Interdict only. Beat 2.

Thresholds

Threshold	Roll
Good	2+
Standard	3+
Hard	4+
Very Hard	5+
Extreme	6+

Use the stricter of attribute target and source threshold. Modifiers add to the die. Floor: Good (2+). Ceiling: Extreme (6+).

Roll Results

Result	Effect
Success	1 Hard Fact. Anatomy: +1 Tactical.
Natural 6 (raw)	1 Hard Fact + 1 Lead. Anatomy: +1 Tactical also.
Failure	1 Heat. Source +1 tier.
Natural 1 (raw)	2 Heat. Verb consequence.

Tokens

Token	Function
Hard Fact	2 in pool advances chain. Both removed. One advancement per action.
Lead	+1 to one roll. Carries between sessions. No cap.
Tactical	From anatomy hits. Modifies Interdict. Cap 4. Final Op: cap 5.

The Threat Chain

Stage	Name	Unlocks
1	Signal	WALK, PULL, STAKE available
2	Vector	LEAN drops to Standard. Shadow Phase available.
3	Cell	Posture activates. Interrogation available.
4	Window	Interdict available
5	Intercept	Resolve roll +1

Stage Prompts

Stage	Next Question	Default Move
1	What proves something is moving?	WALK / PULL the obvious
2	What turns this into a person, route, or system?	LEAN / STAKE / Shadow
3	Which anatomy can become Tactical?	Interrogate / hit revealed target
4	Walk in now, or push for Stage 5?	Interdict if Heat or Timer is high
5	What are you waiting for?	Walk in.

Heat

Heat	Consequence
3	Soft surveillance. LEAN +1 tier.
5	Active. Posture activates. Lose 1 Lead/session.
7	Direct. Best source goes silent. Timer −1 once on crossing.
9	Operation blown. LEAN +1 again. Sergeant being pulled.

Lay Low: Heat 5–8, full session, no actions, Heat −1, skip start-of-session consequences. Timer still ticks.

Shadow Phase

Stage 2+. Once per session. LEGS 3+. Success: 1 Lead. Natural 6: 1 Lead + 1 Hard Fact. Failure: source notices, +1 tier next contact. Natural 1: Posture activates early, mark 1 Heat.

The Interdict

Code Cross: once per Interdict, +2 to one roll. Code-crossed cannot end Failed, Hostile.

Tactical	Modifier
0	−1 to all Interdict rolls
1	No modifier
2	+1
3	+2
4	+1; Capability drops one tier
5 (Final Op)	+2; Capability drops one tier

Stage 5 bonus: +1 to Resolve.

Beat	Roll	Governs
1: Approach	D6 + Tactical vs. Capability	Beat 2 threshold
2: Engage	FGT/SHT/NERVE/specialty at Beat 1 threshold	Resolve access
3: Resolve	D6 + Tactical (+Stage 5) vs. Capability (mod)	Close type

Close Types

Result	Outcome
Beat by 2+ AND Stage 5	Clean Stop
Beat by 2+ at Stage 4, OR beat by 1+ at Stages 1–3	Stop
Met threshold exactly	Partial Stop
Failed by 1–2	Failed Intercept
Failed by 3+	Failed, Hostile

Casualty Rolls (Failed Intercept)

Threat	Roll
Active Killer	1d4 + 1
Crew Job	1d6
Bomb	1d10 + 5
Move	1d4
Snatch	1
Hit	2d6

First Read

One per case. Before Session 1. EYE Standard (3+) or Hard (4+) in surveillance-heavy territories.

Success: Reveal 1. Natural 6: Reveal 2. Natural 1: false target; first action auto-fails, marks 1 Heat. Failure: Walk in cold.

Anatomy

Operator / Asset / Trigger. Hidden at setup. Hit on revealed targets gives +1 Tactical. Re-hits allowed up to cap.

Specializations at a Glance

Spec	Always-On	Once Per Case
The Hat	+2 FGT/SHT at Engage	Start with 1 Hard Fact
The Tap	+2 PULL vs. faction systems	+2 to first PULL on new system
The Tail	Shadow success = 1 Lead + 1 Hard	Run a second Shadow this session
The Interrogator	+2 LEAN below Networked Capability	Drop one LEAN threshold one tier
The Specialist	One specialty matched to Engage	Cancel one Casualty result

How To Use This

Roll on these tables when the job has a slot the Generator didn't fill — a source, a room, a Trigger, the line the Target says when you walk in. Every table here is optional. Skip it if you already know.

Tables are organized by where they fire: job open, mid-game, climax, after.

Source Archetypes

When the chain has stalled and you don't know who to LEAN next, roll D10 on the table matching your Job Type.

Active Killer

D10	Source
1	The first patrolman who saw the body and isn't sleeping.
2	The morgue attendant who handled the previous victim.
3	The hotel clerk where one of the killings happened.
4	The neighbor who heard nothing and won't say why.
5	The cab driver who picked up the wrong fare.
6	The desk sergeant who flagged the pattern before the brass would.
7	The reporter sitting on a story the Examiner won't run.
8	The gun store owner who sold what he shouldn't have.
9	The previous victim who survived and won't talk to the regular cops.
10	The mother. She knows. She's looking at you.

Crew Job

D10	Source
1	The bookmaker's runner getting cold feet.
2	A bartender who hears more than he should.
3	The crew's wheelman, in debt to someone outside the crew.
4	The fence trying to move what they shouldn't have.
5	A vice captain who flips for the right price.
6	The contractor who built the room they're meeting in.
7	The wife of a soldier who isn't coming home.
8	The Mob informant the PD already runs — but doesn't.
9	A rival crew's lieutenant, taking notes from the next table.
10	The captain himself, drunk in the back of the Pacific Dining Car.

The Bomb

D10	Source
1	An Army demo specialist who recognizes the build.
2	The hardware clerk who sold the components.
3	A rival bomber who knows the signature.
4	The wife of the man who walked out the door this morning with a heavy briefcase.
5	The watchmaker who built the timer.
6	The longshoreman who unloaded the crate.
7	The garage mechanic who saw what was being installed in the trunk.
8	A Federal agent on a parallel case.
9	The target himself. He knows.
10	The Combination has a man on the line, willing to talk for one favor.

The Move

D10	Source
1	The corridor monitor — a phone operator, a switchboard girl.
2	The freight handler who saw the manifest.
3	The toll collector with a memory for cars.
4	A Sheriff's deputy on the wrong side of a county line.
5	The garage that sold the false plates.
6	The driver, if you reach him before they do.
7	The buyer's representative, slumming where they shouldn't.
8	A black-market courier who specializes in this corridor.
9	The dispatcher who logged the route.
10	The customs man on the take.

The Snatch

D10	Source
1	The witness who saw the car and won't say what color.
2	The family member who got the call and changed.
3	The doorman at the building she lived in.
4	The driver of the cab she got into.
5	A pawnbroker who saw something he wishes he hadn't.
6	A neighbor who heard the wrong door close.
7	A fixer who knows where bodies stay alive.
8	The dispatcher of the false ambulance.
9	The contract player at a studio, who knows because someone told her not to disappear too.
10	The prior snatch victim who was returned.

The Hit

D10	Source
1	The bodyguard who got reassigned that morning.
2	The hotel staffer who watched the rehearsal.
3	A driver who refused the route.
4	The target's mistress.
5	The Combination's accountant, three families deep.
6	The waiter at Sherry's who's done this dance before.
7	A Federal who's been watching for months.
8	The shooter, if someone got cold feet.
9	The man who hired the shooter, paying through three layers.
10	The target himself, on the phone, giving you ten minutes.

Anatomy Seeds

Roll D6 on each axis if the brief hasn't suggested one. Tables match Job Type.

Active Killer

D6	Operator	Asset	Trigger
1	The killer's day job — a delivery man, a meter reader.	The murder weapon, kept and reused.	The day of the week he hunts.
2	A veteran who came home wrong.	The car he uses to move bodies.	The radio program that calms him.
3	The man whose face the city sees and forgets.	The basement room where it happens.	A specific physical type that triggers him.
4	An ex-cop who knows the procedure.	The map he keeps marking.	The newspaper coverage of the previous kill.
5	A guard at the institution he was released from.	The trophy he takes.	Anniversary of something.
6	The killer who hasn't started yet, but will tomorrow.	The notebook with the names.	The voice that tells him.

Crew Job

D6	Operator	Asset	Trigger
1	The captain running it from a back booth.	The cash being moved through the parlor.	The signal phone call from out-of-state.
2	The lieutenant who'd flip if pressured.	The shipment crossing tomorrow.	The numbers payout schedule.
3	The wheelman with a record.	The safe house in the Valley.	The replacement of the previous crew.
4	The shooter who pulled the last job.	The weapons cache.	A funeral that brings the captains together.
5	The accountant who knows the books.	The blackmail file on a councilman.	A specific date for an arranged murder.
6	The Family man down from Chicago.	The corridor through Long Beach.	The PD shift change that opens the window.

The Bomb

D6	Operator	Asset	Trigger
1	The Army-trained builder, under contract.	The device, in transit.	The watch timer.
2	The placer, who isn't the builder.	The car the bomb is wired to.	The ignition switch.
3	The buyer who ordered it.	The basement in Brentwood.	The trip wire under the porch.
4	The Federal source providing components.	The hotel room where it sits.	The phone call from a payphone.
5	The driver of the truck that delivered it.	The civilian crowd it's aimed at.	The dead-man switch.
6	The veteran who built it for one favor.	The target's office in City Hall.	The countdown set for tomorrow's noon.

The Move

D6	Operator	Asset	Trigger
1	The driver, a parolee.	The cash, $40,000 in non-sequential bills.	The 11pm departure.
2	The escort, two cars deep.	The witness being moved.	The county line crossing.
3	The shipping foreman.	The narcotic shipment.	The arrival of the connecting freight.
4	The Combination's man on the route.	The body in the trunk.	The funeral home that accepts no questions.
5	The customs man at San Pedro.	The crate marked agricultural.	The turn of the tide.
6	The deputy on the wrong side of the line.	The records being moved out of state.	The morning shift change at the toll.

The Snatch

D6	Operator	Asset	Trigger
1	The driver of the false ambulance.	The taken person, alive in a back room.	The phone call demanding the ransom.
2	The boyfriend who set it up.	The girl, in a Long Beach apartment.	The arrival of the buyer.
3	The fixer who arranged it.	The contract player being moved off-lot.	The studio's deadline to return her.
4	The father, in on it.	The child, in a desert house.	Sundown.
5	The hospital orderly who delivered her.	The witness, still alive, sedated.	The court date she was supposed to testify on.
6	The Combination's specialist.	The body, if you took too long.	The window before they cut their losses.

The Hit

D6	Operator	Asset	Trigger
1	The shooter, a button man from Detroit.	The rifle, already in position.	The target's exit from the hotel.
2	The Combination's contractor.	The car, parked across the street.	The phone call confirming the target arrived.
3	The local crew, hired to clean up.	The hideaway gun in the bouquet.	The waiter's nod.
4	The widow's brother.	The shotgun in the laundry truck.	The family's morning routine.
5	The Federal informant, gone bad.	The car bomb.	The ignition.
6	The man the target trusts most.	The drink in his hand.	The toast.

Interdict Voices

What the Target says when you walk in. Roll D6 on the table matching Capability.

Light Crew (2+)

D6	Said
1	"Don't shoot don't shoot don't shoot —"
2	"You ain't supposed to be here, mister."
3	"I'll tell you the whole thing. Just take her with you."
4	"It wasn't supposed to be this big."
5	"They said you wouldn't come till tomorrow."
6	"I can give you the man who told me to do it."

Hardened (4+)

D6	Said
1	"Cop or not, you walk back out the way you came."
2	"Mickey ain't going to like this."
3	"You picked the wrong night."
4	"That door behind you isn't the same door."
5	"My lawyer's already on Spring Street."
6	"You're outnumbered. You think we don't know that?"

Networked (5+)

D6	Said
1	"Your Sergeant knows. Ask him."
2	"You won't be reassigned. You'll be retired."
3	"This whole building is on the payroll."
4	"You think you walked in alone."
5	"There's a wire on this room. You hear that hum? That's it."
6	"You can stop me. You can't stop the next one."

Outfit-Backed (6+)

D6	Said
1	"I have read your file, detective. The whole thing."
2	"Chicago paid for this room. You're a guest."
3	"You were sent here because they want plausible deniability when this fails."
4	"This isn't the first time the Squad has tried."
5	"You'll be reassigned to a different precinct within the week. This is not a threat."
6	"There's no body that survives this room. There hasn't been for years."

The Code Test

When the Interdict isn't going cleanly, the moment to cross your Code presents itself. If you don't know what that moment looks like in this job, roll D8.

D8	The Moment
1	The Operator offers a bigger name — not yours — in exchange for the gun staying lowered.
2	The witness will only sign if you sign first, with your name, in your hand.
3	Evidence sits on the floor. The lights cut for thirty-eight seconds.
4	A source begs to be left out of the file.
5	Your Sergeant's voice on the radio: "We prefer Partial here. For our reasons."
6	The Operator is dying. Confession in the next ten minutes is admissible. After they die, it isn't.
7	A Federal — not Squad — offers to share evidence. Real evidence. Not the kind the Squad documents in cooperation.
8	The Operator's child is in the next room and would talk if asked. You did not ask. You could.

Climax Variables Expanded

If a Posture or Heat 7 fires a Climax-style trigger and you don't know who acts, roll D6.

D6	Form
1	Visible surveillance — a black sedan, a man at the corner. They want you to know.
2	A rival Squad detective is suddenly assigned to "support" your case.
3	Your Sergeant is reassigned. New sergeant, mid-job.
4	A captain you owed calls in the favor.
5	A faction press release names your case by file number.
6	A faction security team escorts you off a site, politely, with no charges.

Field Notes

The career record asks for one line of field notes per close. Not a summary. Something specific. Roll D20 if you don't know what to write.

D20	What You Write
1	The smell of cordite in a hotel hallway in October.
2	What the Operator's hands were doing while he lied.
3	The casualty count. The names you didn't get.
4	What the Sergeant said before the door closed.
5	The specific kind of silence in a precinct house at hour 14.
6	The shift change that almost cost everyone.
7	The dent in the wall behind where he was sitting.
8	The phrase the source repeated three times.
9	What the Squad didn't ask when you filed.
10	The way the file in your safe reads with this case in it now.
11	The thing your Sergeant did not say in your last call.
12	The sound the building made before the breach.
13	The first lie. The second lie. The lie that mattered.
14	The kind of light in a clean room after a body is removed.
15	What the Operator was reading when you walked in.
16	The detail you didn't include because it would have made you sound certain.
17	The bystander you didn't see.
18	The hour your Heat first hit 5.
19	The thing you didn't do because of your Code.
20	The exact configuration of the room when it was over.

One job. Start to interdict.

Worked Example: Case 001 — The Bomb, Brentwood

Detective: Sgt. Frank Halloran. Patrol clearance. EYE 3+, LEGS 4+, NERVE 3+, FGT 4+, SHT 4+. Specialization: The Specialist (Defuse). War Detail: Army Air Corps, B-17 (+2 night, +1 Heat in confined spaces). Code: "I don't move evidence I haven't logged."

Generator

Step 1 (Job Type): D6 = 3. The Bomb.

Step 2 (Tempo): D6 = 4. Medium. Timer starts at 7.

Step 3 (Capability): D6 = 4. Hardened. Hard 4+.

Step 4 (Trajectory): D8 = 5. Final Prep. Timer −1. Timer = 6.

Step 5 (Territory): D8 = 8. Downtown. Faction territory.

Step 6 (Posture): D6 = 4. Fortify. On trigger, Capability +1 tier.

Step 7 (Sergeant): D6 = 2. Wooters. Good intel.

Anatomy seeds (Bomb): Operator D6 = 6 (the veteran who built it for one favor). Asset D6 = 4 (the hotel room where it sits). Trigger D6 = 6 (countdown set for tomorrow's noon). All face-down.

Index card. Bomb / Medium / Hardened / Final Prep / Downtown / Fortify / Wooters / Anatomy: [ ] [ ] [ ] / Timer: 6.

The First Read

Halloran's EYE 3+. Downtown isn't surveillance-heavy for the Mob (the brief is a Mob job — Wooters tells Halloran the bomb's aimed at a city auditor at the Biltmore). Standard 3+. Roll D6 = 5. Success. Reveal one anatomy: the Asset — Wooters has an envelope with a Biltmore room reservation under a name that doesn't exist. Asset face-up: the bomb is in Room 814 of the Biltmore.

Session 1

Action 1 — PULL the Biltmore registry for the past week. EYE 3+. Downtown faction territory but no specific surveillance. Standard 3+. Roll D6 = 4. Success. 1 Hard Fact. The reservation was made by a man named Vasco. Pool: 1 Hard Fact.

Action 2 — STAKE Room 814. LEGS 4+. Halloran sits in the lobby with the Examiner open. Roll D6 = 5. Beat 4+. Success. 1 Hard Fact. Pool: 2 Hard Facts.

Chain advances. Stage 1 (Signal) to Stage 2 (Vector). Remove both. Pool: 0. LEAN drops to Standard for cooperative sources. Shadow Phase available.

Action 3 — LEAN on the Biltmore desk clerk. NERVE 3+. Cooperative source (he's nervous; he saw Vasco). Bunker Hill rule doesn't apply downtown. Standard 3+. Roll D6 = 6. Natural 6. 1 Hard Fact + 1 Lead. The clerk says Vasco came in yesterday with a man "carrying his briefcase like a baby." That man is the Operator anatomy — the veteran who built it. Halloran flags this mentally but the anatomy isn't named yet, so no flip.

Pool: 1 Hard Fact, 1 Lead.

End of Session 1. Timer 6 → 5.

Session 2

Shadow Phase. Halloran sits on the Biltmore from across the street. TACT 3+ (LEGS for him). Roll D6 = 4. Success. 1 Lead. Pool: 1 Hard Fact, 2 Leads.

Action 1 — LEAN on the room service waiter. NERVE 3+. Cooperative. Standard 3+. Roll D6 = 1. Natural 1. Mark 2 Heat. Source warns the Target. Heat: 2. The waiter calls upstairs. The Operator now knows the Squad is on the building.

Action 2 — LEAN on a vet who ran demolitions in Italy and lives on Skid Row. Halloran's War Detail (B-17) doesn't help here, but a vet-to-vet conversation is plausible. NERVE 3+. Cooperative source on the surface, but he knows what he saw. Standard 3+. Roll D6 = 4. Success. 1 Hard Fact. Pool: 2 Hard Facts, 2 Leads.

The vet names the builder: a man called Reed who worked OSS in Naples. That's the Operator anatomy. Flip Operator face-up. Anatomy hit on Operator. +1 Tactical Token. Pool: 2 Hard Facts, 2 Leads, 1 Tactical.

Chain advances. Stage 2 (Vector) to Stage 3 (Cell). Remove 2 Hard Facts. Posture activates: Fortify. Capability +1 tier — Hardened becomes Networked (5+). Interrogation Sub-Sequence available.

Pool: 0 Hard Facts, 2 Leads, 1 Tactical.

Action 3 — STAKE the Biltmore service entrance. Now Halloran wants Reed coming or going. LEGS 4+. Standard 3+. Heat 2 (no consequence yet). Roll D6 = 5. Beat 4+. Success. Anatomy hit on Operator (re-hit allowed). +1 Hard Fact + 1 Tactical. Reed walks past Halloran into the service door, carrying nothing. The Trigger is set; he's confirming the timer. Pool: 1 Hard Fact, 2 Leads, 2 Tactical.

End of Session 2. Timer 5 → 4.

Session 3

Halloran has a choice. The bomb is set for noon tomorrow. Stage 3, timer 4. He could push for Stage 4 (Window) and an unforced Interdict, or take a forced one at Stage 3 (penalty: Capability +1 tier, Resolve −1) before the bomb goes.

He pushes for Stage 4.

Action 1 — Interrogation Sub-Sequence on Reed. Halloran finds Reed at his rooming house at midnight. Specialist Defuse advantage doesn't apply to a LEAN. Specialist's "first action against the Trigger anatomy is at +2" doesn't apply — this is the Operator. Standard NERVE 3+ work.

Beat 1 (Establish): NERVE 3+. Reed is a vet. Halloran's a vet. Standard 3+. Roll D6 = 4. Beat threshold by 1. Success. Move to Beat 2.

Beat 2 (Work): Reed's resistance is Protected (5+) — the Combination has him. NERVE 3+ at threshold 5+. Roll D6 = 5. Beat threshold exactly. Success. Beat 3 modifier: +1 (met exactly).

Beat 3 (Break): D6 + 1. Roll D6 = 4. Total 5. Partial truth. 1 Hard Fact. Reed names the Trigger: a clockwork timer wired to a mercury switch. He doesn't name who paid for the bomb. Flip Trigger face-up. Anatomy hit on Trigger. +1 Tactical. Pool: 2 Hard Facts, 2 Leads, 3 Tactical.

Chain advances. Stage 3 (Cell) to Stage 4 (Window). Remove 2 Hard Facts. Interdict available. Pool: 0 Hard Facts, 2 Leads, 3 Tactical.

Halloran could take the Interdict now. He chooses to push for Stage 5.

Action 2 — STAKE Room 814 again. Specialist's Trigger advantage now applies: first action against Trigger at +2. LEGS 4+ + 2 = LEGS 2+ effective. Standard 3+. Roll D6 = 3. With +2 = 5. Beat threshold by 2. Success. Anatomy hit on Trigger (re-hit). +1 Hard Fact + 1 Tactical. But Tactical is at 4 (cap). The fifth converts to a Lead. Pool: 1 Hard Fact, 3 Leads, 4 Tactical.

From the lobby Halloran sees the bomb's vibration: the timer is wound. He has the room, the man, the device.

Action 3 — PULL the Biltmore floor schematic at the City Building Department. EYE 3+. Standard 3+ (downtown). Roll D6 = 6. Natural 6. 1 Hard Fact + 1 Lead. Pool: 2 Hard Facts, 4 Leads, 4 Tactical.

Chain advances. Stage 4 (Window) to Stage 5 (Intercept). Remove 2 Hard Facts. Pool: 0 Hard Facts, 4 Leads, 4 Tactical.

End of Session 3. Timer 4 → 3.

The bomb fires at noon tomorrow. Halloran goes in tonight.

The Interdict

Stage 5. Tactical 4: +1 to all rolls AND Capability drops one tier (Networked 5+ → Hardened 4+). Stage 5 bonus: +1 to Resolve.

Beat 1 (Approach). D6 + 1 (Tactical). Roll D6 = 4. With +1 = 5. Capability 4+. Beat by 1. Standard position. Engage at Standard 3+.

Beat 2 (Engage). Halloran is the Specialist (Defuse). Engage roll uses his highest applicable attribute — EYE 3+ for the defuse work. Standard 3+. War Detail: B-17 night work, +2 (it's 2 a.m.). But he's in a confined hotel room: +1 Heat (his liability). Roll D6 = 4. With +2 = 6. Natural 6? Raw was 4. Not natural 6. But the modified roll beats threshold cleanly. Success. Move to Resolve.

Heat: 2 + 1 = 3. Soft surveillance threshold crossed; future LEAN +1 tier (the case is over after this Interdict, so no effect this case).

Beat 3 (Resolve). D6 + 1 (Tactical) + 1 (Stage 5). Capability is now Hardened 4+. Roll D6 = 5. With +2 = 7. Beat threshold by 3. Beat by 2+ AND Stage 5: Clean Stop.

Result: Clean Stop. Halloran defuses the bomb at 2:14 a.m. Reed is in custody by 3:00. The auditor walks into the Biltmore at noon and never knows.

Casualties: 0. Heat resets to 0.

After-Case

After-Case roll: D8 = 4. Connection. Web Intel +1.

Halloran's Combination tracker: Stage 1 (Soldier). One name: Reed. The man who paid for the bomb is still out there.

What This Example Demonstrated

Five verbs in motion. WALK didn't fire this case — Halloran worked PULL, STAKE, LEAN. WALK would have applied if he'd entered the Biltmore room earlier, but the threat made physical entry too dangerous until the Interdict.

Tactical caps. Halloran hit Tactical 4 mid-Session 3. The next anatomy hit converted to a Lead. The cap held.

Posture as escalator. Fortify activated at Stage 3 and pushed Capability up. The Tactical 4 + Capability drop in the Interdict cancelled it back out. The Posture made the difference between a Stop and a Clean Stop in the math.

The Specialist's Trigger advantage. The +2 to first Trigger action gave Halloran a beat-the-threshold-by-2 STAKE that produced the cap-fifth Tactical conversion to Lead.

Code never crossed. Halloran's Code — "I don't move evidence I haven't logged" — never came up. He logged everything. The bomb sat in evidence by 4 a.m.