the d

o o
‘H
THE SCORE

3
 A Quickstart Playset for
The ‘Hood
WHAT’S THE SCORE?
“Smiling” Seth Waterman has a plan, as always, but this
one’s different: he’s going to stick up a security van loaded
with cash. He’s got his older brother Greg to provide muscle
and a couple of mates he owes favours to are going to help
steal the cash and getaway. All he needs to do is plan the
perfect heist with them: nothing can go wrong.

The truth is that things have already gone wrong the

moment he started planning the heist, he just hasn’t found
that out yet...

This is a condensed version of The ‘Hood that allows a

group of 4 or 5 people to get down to playing as quickly
as possible, by presenting a set of pre-created characters
facing a pre-written situation. That means there aren’t
all the options present in the complete game, but the
characters here could easily be carried over into the full
version of The ‘Hood.

I’ve saved a lot of heavy-lifting here by presenting a game

that is simple and ready to play, but in order to do so I’ve
had to strip things down a little, by hiding some rules,
altering or ignoring others and skipping some processes a
new group would normally go through.

In writing this, I’ve put the rules at the point where they
are needed; for example, in the opening scene where they
plan their heist, there are rules for the characters to scope
things out and get the materials they need for the job. No
plan survives contact with the players however, so it’s best
to have a copy of The ‘Hood standing by for when the game
goes in unexpected directions.

4
 NAME:
LOOK
GREG “MONSTER” WATERMAN
NAME:
You’re used to providing manual labour for your younger
brother Seth: this can involve moving crates, guarding
LOOK
doors or breaking arms. It’s simple and undemanding, and
you don’t mind the bruises, the odd hours or the screams.

STATS DEBT
l Handy with his Fists: you don’t need
a weapon to hurt someone; when you
Who How Much
0
get rough, you can roll+brass instead of
roll+edge.

STATS
NAME DEBT
l Hard Bastard: erase this move instead of
going down or out.

1
Who How Much
When you advance, you can take one of
HUSH these moves:
NAME
¡ Extreme Persuasion: when you argue the
2 toss, roll+brass instead of roll+wise.
BRASS
HUSH ¡ Unstoppable: When you take the hard
way and miss, you may choose all three

-1 options to turn it into a hit.

Heat: this is how much trouble you're in and

WISE
BRASS
if it reaches 5, you're burned. You can get

1
Debt can never rise to more than +3; anytime it does so, reset it to zero
andrid ofone:it by shifting the blame to another
choose
PC orexperience.
○ Mark getting an NPC to provide you with an
○ Choose a move from that PC’s playbook.
alibi.
Debt can never rise to more than +3; anytime it does so, reset it to zero
STRAIGHT
WISE and choose one:
○ Mark experience.
HEAT Experience: this
○ Choose a move from EXPERIENCE
that is how
PC’s much you've
playbook.
○ Move an NPC from your payback box to theirs.
learned and you advance when
○ Swap all of your heat forit
all reaches
of theirs. 5: reset it to zero
and take +1 on any stat
○ Make a deal(max.+3) ormust
with that PC: they take a new
do what move.
you want, but they can
argue the toss over the precise terms.
STRAIGHT
Gain Heat as the price of a move or when the Mark experience when:
MC makes a hard move against you. ○ You restore your livelihood.
HEAT EXPERIENCE
○ You take heat.
○ Your debt reaches more than +3 with
STATE another PC

FINE DOWN OUT When ever your experience + heat reaches

Gain Heat as the price of a move or when the Mark experience when:
Mark 1 heat
MC makes andagainst
a hard move 2 experience
you. at5,one:reset
the experience to zero and choose
start
○ You restore of
yourplay.
livelihood.
Make some • -1 ongoing End of the line, ○○ You
Get takemove
a new heat.
When
STATE
dough! you•and another
Livelihood is game over, ○○
PC double-cross When
Take each
+1 ever
stat other, take
your experience
(max:+2)
threatened send flowers ○ reaches
Advance5.a basic move.
the Hard Bastard move if you had○ it
to the family! anda playbook
Advance have erased
move it;
FINE DOWN OUT When ever your experience reaches 5,
otherwise take +1 debt with them. reset experience to zero and choose one:
○ Get a new move
Make some • -1 ongoing End of the line, ○ Take +1 stat (max:+2)
dough! • Livelihood is game over, ○ Advance a basic move.
6 threatened send flowers ○ Advance a playbook move
to the family!
Debt: this is what the other DRAW YOUR PIC
characters owe you; you
can roll+debt to help (they
take +1 on their next roll) or
hinder them (they take -2.)
When your debt with another
PC goes over +3, reset it to
zero and choose one: mark
1 experience, swap all your
heat with theirs or make
a deal where they have to
do what you say but they
can argue the toss over the
details.

"Smiling" Seth Waterman:

Your little brother, you've been a team since school, when
you were the brawn to his brains; sticking up the security
van is his idea. Start with +2 debt with him.

Chris "the Magpie" Cole: The thieving little shit who got you
the sack from your security work at the shopping mall when
you looked the other way for him one night. Start with +3
debt with him.

Penny "Wheels" Winchester: She still hasn't forgiven you

for the time you rammed the car she was driving off the
road because you were being paid to nick a package she was
delivering.

Payback: these are people in your 'hood who might do you

a favour or have a score to settle with you.

¡ "Hot" Lauren Winchester: Penny's half-sister, there's a

thing between you but it's complicated.

¡ "Uncle" Heston Malahide: A bent money-lender who

sometimes pays you to rough non-paying clients up.

¡ Claire "the Godmother" Waterman: Your mum, who you

still live with.

¡ Brian "the Brick" Edwards: Just a mate in the same line of

work as you, but less reliable due to his fondness for nose-
candy.

7
 NAME:
LOOK
"SMILING" SETH WATERMAN
NAME:
Everyone’s looking for something; you bring together those
with a demand and those who can supply. You’re always
LOOK
concocting schemes to make money, but what you mostly
make is trouble.

STATS DEBT
l Negotiator: when you argue the toss,
roll+name instead of roll+wise.
Who How Much
2
STATS DEBT
NAME
l Hiring a Professional: when you ask
around for a person and get a hit, they give
+1 ongoing to make a specific move on the
Who
job you hire them for. How Much

NAME
HUSH
1 When you advance, you can take one of
these moves:

¡ Fence: all goods in your possession take

HUSH
BRASS
1 -hot when you sell them on.

¡ Infamy’s Better than Anonymity: you get

+1 name (name+3).

0
BRASS
WISE
Heat: this is how much trouble you're in and
if it reaches 5, you're burned. You can get
rid of it by shifting the blame to another
Debt can never rise to more than +3; anytime it does so, reset it to zero
andPC orone:
getting an NPC to provide you with an
-1
choose
alibi.
○ Mark experience.
Debt can never
○ Choose a moverise from
to more
thatthan
PC’s+3; anytime it does so, reset it to zero
playbook.
WISE
STRAIGHT
and choose one:
○ Mark experience.
Experience: this
○ Choose a move from is how
that PC’s much you've
playbook.
HEAT ○ Move an NPC from EXPERIENCE
learned and you advance when it reaches theirs.
your payback box to 5: reset it to zero
○ Swap all of your heat for all of theirs.
and take +1 on any stat
○ Make (max.+3)
a deal ormust
with that PC: they take a new
do what move.
you want, but they can
argue the toss over the precise terms.
STRAIGHT
Gain Heat as the price of a move or when the Mark experience when:
HEAT
MC makes a hard move against you. EXPERIENCE
○ You restore your livelihood.
○ You take heat.
○ Your debt reaches more than +3 with
STATE another PC

FINE DOWN OUT

Mark 1 heat
Gain Heat as the and
price of a2move
experience
MC makes a hard move against you.
or when the atWhen
Markever
the○ You
5, reset
your experience
experience
start
experience
when:
of play.
to zero
restore your
+ heat reaches
and choose
livelihood.
one: ○ You take heat.
When
STATE you •and
Make some another
-1 ongoing PCline,double-cross
End of the ○ Get
○ When
a neweach
move
ever yourother,
experiencenullify
dough! • Livelihood is game over, ○ Take +15.stat (max:+2)
reaches
their double-cross
threatened move.
send flowers Whatever ○ Advance a basic move.doesn’t
it is, it just
FINE
happen. DOWN to OUT
the family! When ever your
○ Advance experience
a playbook movereaches 5,
reset experience to zero and choose one:
○ Get a new move
Make some • -1 ongoing End of the line, ○ Take +1 stat (max:+2)
dough! • Livelihood is game over, ○ Advance a basic move.
threatened send flowers ○ Advance a playbook move
8 to the family!
Debt: this is what the other DRAW YOUR PIC
characters owe you; you
can roll+debt to help (they
take +1 on their next roll) or
hinder them (they take -2.)
When your debt with another
PC goes over +3, reset it to
zero and choose one: mark
1 experience, swap all your
heat with theirs or make
a deal where they have to
do what you say but they
can argue the toss over the
details.

Greg "Monster" Waterman:

Your big brother, he always fought your fights for you when
you were kids and your mouth got you into trouble. You can
make a deal with him once, as above.

Chris "the Magpie" Cole: He's too wise to your games after
getting burned by you in the past; he'll be keeping a close
eye on you. Start with +2 debt with him.

Penny "Wheels" Winchester: You swindled her dad over a

phony investment scheme, so she's got reason to dislike and
distrust you. Start with +2 debt with her.

Payback: these are people in your 'hood who might do you

a favour or have a score to settle with you.

¡ Max "Duke" Barrett: King of these streets, he'll break you

if you try anything on his patch.

¡ Tina "Righteous" Wallace: The slightly bent cop on the

beat in your 'hood, stay in her good books by helping her out
with her inquiries.

¡ Claire "the Godmother" Waterman: Your mum, who's

grown used to you providing her with life's little luxuries.

¡ Wes "the Kid" Barrett: Max's nephew, a kid in the 'hood

who runs a few errands for you when you're busy or being
watched.

9
 NAME:
LOOK
CHRIS "THE MAGPIE" COLE
All property is theft, so on balance you’re not really doing
anything wrong. It’s barely a crime when people leave stuff
NAME:
lying around, you're actually, like, tidying up and being all
environmental,
LOOK innit?

STATS DEBT
l Nick It: when you steal gear, roll+hush.
On a 10+, choose 2, on a 7-9, choose 1: you

1
Who
leave no evidence you wereHow Much
there, you can
get out the same way you got in, you don’t
set off any alarms. Goods you steal are
NAME always +hot.
STATS DEBT
2 l In & Out: when you cover your tracks
Who
and get a hit, choose one lessHow Much
option from
HUSH those available.

-1
NAME When you advance, you can take one of
these moves:
BRASS ¡ Stealthy: you get +1 hush (hush+3)

1
HUSH
¡ Disarm: if you enter a situation without a
weapon, you may take the weapon with the
WISE lowest edge or lead value from those around
you.

0
BRASS Debt can never rise to more than +3; anytime it does so, reset it to zero
and choose one:
Heat: this is how much trouble
○ Mark experience. you're in and
○ Choose a move from that PC’s playbook.
if it reaches 5, you're burned. You can get
STRAIGHT rid of it by shifting the blame to another PC
Debt can never rise to more than +3; anytime it does so, reset it to zero
HEAT
or getting an NPC
WISE to provide
and choose one: youEXPERIENCE
with an alibi.
○ Mark experience.
○ Choose a move from that PC’s playbook.
Experience: this ○isMove howan NPCmuch you've
from your paybacklearned
box to theirs. and you
○ Swap all of your heat for all of theirs.
advance when it reaches 5: reset
○ Make a deal with that PC: it to
mustzero
theyexperience
Mark do what and
when:
take
you want, +1canon
but they
Gain Heat as the price of a move or when the
any stat (max.+3) or
argue
MC makes a hard move against you. take
the tossaovernew move.
the precise
○ Youterms.
restore your livelihood.
STRAIGHT ○ You take heat.
○ Your debt reaches more than +3 with
STATE
HEAT EXPERIENCE
another PC

FINE DOWN OUT When ever your experience + heat reaches

5, reset experience to zero and choose
one:
Mark 1 heat
Gainsome
Make Heat as •the andof 2a move
-1 price
ongoing experience
End or
of when the at the
the line, Mark
○ Get start
experience
a new moveof play.
when:
MC makes a hard
dough! move against
• Livelihood you.over,
is game ○ You+1restore
○ Take your livelihood.
stat (max:+2)
threatened send flowers ○ You take
○ Advance heat.
a basic move.
When you and another PC double-cross ○ When each
aever yourother,
experience steal
STATE to the family! ○ Advance playbook move
one bit of their gear from them. reaches 5.
FINE DOWN OUT When ever your experience reaches 5,
reset experience to zero and choose one:
○ Get a new move
10 Make some • -1 ongoing End of the line, ○ Take +1 stat (max:+2)
dough! • Livelihood is game over, ○ Advance a basic move.
threatened send flowers ○ Advance a playbook move
to the family!
Debt: this is what the other DRAW YOUR PIC
characters owe you; you
can roll+debt to help (they
take +1 on their next roll) or
hinder them (they take -2.)
When your debt with another
PC goes over +3, reset it to
zero and choose one: mark
1 experience, swap all your
heat with theirs or make
a deal where they have to
do what you say but they
can argue the toss over the
details.

Greg "Monster" Waterman:

The dumb fuck still hasn't figured out how you lifted his
stereo & DVD from his mum's house, but he suspects you did
it.

"Smiling" Seth Waterman: You both cut your teeth in this

game stealing what you wanted from the local shops. Start
with +2 debt with him.

Penny "Wheels" Winchester: She owes you for that time

you helped her lose a hot car she was driving, just before
the police turned up looking for her. Start with +3 debt with
her.

Payback: these are people in your 'hood who might do you

a favour or have a score to settle with you.

¡ "Uncle" Heston Malahide: Money-lender and fence, he

finds a market for the goods you nick.

¡ Tina "Righteous" Wallace: The local cop, if she knew how

crooked you were, she might not entertain your advances.

¡ "Metal" Mitchell Winstone: You're both in the same game,

except he steals cars and you steal everything else.

¡ "Smooth" Annie Prentiss: She's been in this game since the

1980s and knows everybody; buy her a drink and she might
tell you a name.

11
 NAME:
LOOK
PENNY "WHEELS" WINCHESTER
When it positively, absolutely has to fucking get there
NAME:
tomorrow, you've got the marketable skills and no
conscience: you don't ask what’s in the bag, you just pick it
upLOOK
and drop it off, quickly, quietly and cleanly.

STATS DEBT
l Duck & Dive: when anyone gets rough or
opens fire on you, they take -1 now.

-1
Who How Much
l Your current vehicle is a motorbike:
it's +fast but also +tiny and +weak: you can
NAME outrace most other vehicles but you can't
STATS DEBT
2
carry much and any collision will wreck it.
Who Howone
When you advance, you can take Much
of
HUSH these moves:

1
NAME ¡ Escape Route: when you got to Plan B,
roll+hush instead of roll+wise.
BRASS ¡ Backstreet Knowledge: when you
overtake others on the move, roll+wise. On
1
HUSH
a 10+, you end up minutes ahead of them.
On a 7-9, you are seconds ahead. On a miss,
WISE you stay behind them all the way.

0
BRASS Debt can never rise to more than +3; anytime it does so, reset it to zero
andHeat: this is how much trouble you're in and
choose one:
○ Mark experience.
if it reaches 5, you're burned. You can get
○ Choose a move from that PC’s playbook.
STRAIGHT
rid of it by shifting the blame to another
PC can
Debt ornever
getting anthan
rise to more NPC to provide
+3; anytime youit towith
it does so, reset zero an
HEAT
WISE and choose one: EXPERIENCE
alibi. ○ Mark experience.
○ Choose a move from that PC’s playbook.
Experience: this ○○isMove how an NPC from your payback box to theirs.
much you've learned and you
Swap all of your heat for all of theirs.
advance when it reaches
○ Make a deal 5:
Gain Heat as the price of a move or the
with reset
whentoss
that PC:
the over itexperience
they
Mark to zero
must do what and take
you want,
when: +1canon
but they
argue the precise terms.
any stat
MC makes
STRAIGHT
(max.+3)
a hard move againstoryou.take a new move. ○ You restore your livelihood.
○ You take heat.
○ Your debt reaches more than +3 with
STATE
HEAT EXPERIENCE
another PC

FINE DOWN OUT When ever your experience + heat reaches

5, reset experience to zero and choose
one:
Make
Gainsome
Heat as •the
-1 price of a move
ongoing End or
of when the
the line, Mark
○ Getexperience
a new movewhen:
MC makes a hard
dough! move against
• Livelihood you.over,
is game ○ You+1restore
○ Take your livelihood.
stat (max:+2)
When youthreatened and another PC double-cross
send flowers ○ You take
○ Advance aeach
○ When aever
heat.
basic other, they get
move.
your experience
STATE
dumped
to the family!
in any location of your choice ○ Advance playbook
reacheswithin
5.
move
the city.
FINE DOWN OUT When ever your experience reaches 5,
reset experience to zero and choose one:
○ Get a new move
12 Make some • -1 ongoing End of the line, ○ Take +1 stat (max:+2)
dough! • Livelihood is game over, ○ Advance a basic move.
threatened send flowers ○ Advance a playbook move
to the family!
Debt: this is what the other DRAW YOUR PIC
characters owe you; you
can roll+debt to help (they
take +1 on their next roll) or
hinder them (they take -2.)
When your debt with another
PC goes over +3, reset it to
zero and choose one: mark
1 experience, swap all your
heat with theirs or make
a deal where they have to
do what you say but they
can argue the toss over the
details.

Greg "Monster" Waterman:

He set the police onto you just because you warned him
to stay away from Lauren, your half-sister. You can make a
deal with him once, as above.

"Smiling" Seth Waterman: You once borrowed his car for a

job you were doing, but he didn't get it back in one piece.
Start with +2 debt with him.

Chris "the Magpie" Cole: You've helped him move some of

the stuff he's nicked from time to time. Start with +1 debt
with him.

Payback: these are people in your 'hood who might do you

a favour or have a score to settle with you.

¡ "Hot" Lauren Winchester: Your mum's other daughter, she

tries to keep her nose clean in this rotten town.

¡ Max "Duke" Barrett: He rules the roost around here and

keeps pressuring you to join his crew.

¡ "Metal" Mitchell Winstone: The best gearhead in town,

you smash cars up and he puts them back together again.

¡ Jeanette "Ghost" Douglas: When you need some forged

documents in a hurry, she never lets you down.

13
 DRAMATIS PERSONAE
There are four player characters and ten non-player
characters named in this playset, but more NPCs can quickly
be added as the development of the story demands.
Main Cast
o Monster (Greg Waterman): the muscle, he is older
brother to Seth and involved with Penny's half-sister.
o Smiling Seth (Seth Waterman): the brains, this is his
scheme and he's put the team together.
o The Magpie (Chris Cole): professional but low-class
thief, he's just in this for the money.
o Wheels (Penny Winchester): the getaway driver, she
has a long and complex history with the Waterman
brothers.
Supporting Cast
o Hot Lauren (Lauren Winchester): Penny's half sister and
Greg's sometime girlfriend.
o Uncle (Heston Malahide): a crook with money and
connections, he launders cash and fences stolen goods.
o The Godmother (Claire Waterman): Greg & Seth's
mother, Greg still lives with her, Seth pays her bills.
o The Brick (Brian Edwards): a mate of Greg's, they have
both worked many jobs together as the hired goons.
o Duke (Max Barrett): his gang patrols the 'hood where
the PCs live, keeping it safe and taking their cut.
o Righteous (Tina Wallace): the police patrol officer, she
knows when it's best to look the other way.
o The Kid (Wes Barrett): Max's tearaway nephew, not out
of school yet but already a proud ASBO winner.
o Metal Mitch (Mitchell Winstone): chop shop mechanic
and dealer in dodgy motors.
o Smooth Annie (Annie Prentiss): once a girlfriend to some
notorious gangsters, her youth may have left but she
still has the knowledge and connections.
14
o Ghost (Jeanette Douglas): quiet and anonymous, just
how she likes it, she is the go-to girl for changing your
identity.
ACT ONE: THE PLAN
"Smiling" Seth has a proposal for his brother and a couple
of mates he thinks he can more or less trust; together,
they're going to carry out a heist by sticking up a security
van loaded with the weekly takings of a couple of target
businesses. The first part of this plan requires picking a
target, then finding out about the security arrangements it
uses: what time do the takings get collected, what route
does the van take, who's driving and how are they armed,
etc.
There are two ways the PCs can get the information they
need:
Ask Around: there are a few people about who know this
business, like "Uncle" Heston, "Duke" and "Smooth" Annie,
but they'll probably want something in return for their help
and it'll take a little while before they can give you an
answer.
When you ask around for answers to questions, roll+name.
On a hit, you get an answer and choose options. On a 10+,
choose 1. On a 7-9, choose 2:
o The answer is worse than you expected.
o They don't answer you directly; instead they give you
the name of someone who does have the answer.
o Whoever you ask wants a cut or a favour: mark them
for payback.
Cover Your Tracks: you could just spy things out for
yourself, but that means hanging around on the streets,
trying to observe the routine without arousing suspicion.
When you cover your tracks, roll+hush. On a hit, you get
an answer and choose options. On a 10+ choose 1. On a 7-9,
choose 2:
o It takes several hours.
o You arouse suspicion: mark heat & experience.
o You have to call on another PC for help: tell them to
take +1 debt with you. 15
 Whenever the PCs get an answer to a question, they should
add that information to their plan: start with a big blank
sheet of paper and draw the plan of their heist on it as they
progress.
o Start with whatever small business the van makes its
first collection at.
o As you find out more about the van's route, add the
streets it travels along, marking other sites of interest
on them.
o Think about other streets that aren't on the vans
route: could it be diverted to a more vulnerable spot?
o Note any ways you can exploit the situation:
anything you discover about the drivers, the businesses
they collect from, the time of day they collect at and
so on, can all go on the plan.
Besides a plan of the heist, the PCs will need to tool up with
a getaway vehicle and some weapons: they can find these
by asking around again, but to actually acquire them they'll
have to argue the toss with whoever is willing to part with
the goods.
Ask Around: same as before, but now the PCs are looking
for the tools and other resources they need to carry out the
heist, like weapons, a vehicle, disguises and anything else
they can think of that will be of use to them. They can go
further afield for this, such as by asking "Metal" Mitchell for
a vehicle.
When you ask around for goods & favours, roll+name. On a
10+, choose 1 option. On a 7-9, choose 2:
o What you get isn't quite the quality you expected
and has a mechanical or other problem with it.
o Whoever you asks just points you to where you can
find what you want, they don't have it to hand.
o There's a problem with getting it; you'll have to solve
that before it's yours.
o You owe the person you asked for helping you out;
mark them for payback.
A common drawback with many vehicles and weapons is
that they are hot: each item you have in your possession
16 that is tagged as hot adds +1 to your heat, but you can only
get rid of heat from hot gear by getting rid of the item in
question and you get no experience from it.
Argue the Toss: when you cut a deal with someone or make
an agreement, you want to get the best deal possible for
yourself, just like they want to get the best deal possible
for themselves. Most of the NPCs the PCs have to deal with
want money now, which the PCs probably don't have: that
kind of wealth is represented by dough and the PCs start
with 0dough, which is why they are willing to carry out this
heist. When NPCs demand money now in return for what
they're offering, PCs can respond by haggling over how
much they'll pay or when they'll pay.
When you argue the toss, roll+wise. On a 10+, NPCs take
your deal and PCs either take it or take +1 heat. On a 7-9, if
they take your deal, mark NPCs for payback and PCs take +1
debt with you.
Weapons can be divided into two types: there are the clubs
& blades which provide edge and the firearms which provide
lead. They provide this in a range of +1 to +3: the bigger
the bonus, the more damage they do, but the harder they
are to acquire and to conceal. Vehicles can have all sorts of
tags attached to them, both good and bad: Penny's starting
motorbike is a good example of this, being +fast (able to
overtake most other vehicles) but also +tiny and +weak (no
room for passengers or luggage and very vulnerable). Other
vehicle tags are faster, slow, slower, agile, stiff, roomy and
tough: if a vehicle has more good tags than bad ones, it's
going to cost 3 or more dough, but if there are more bad
tags, you can probably get it cheaper. Another option is to
borrow a vehicle off someone like "Metal" Mitch, but he'll
definitely want payback for that.
This first act of the game, planning the heist, gives the
players a free hand in creating the situation they'll face: no
details are fixed in advance, so any time they ask a question
or propose a strategy, it's down to them to make a move
that will provide the answer or which represents how they
are preparing themselves. Let them plan out their heist for
up to an hour, but then call a halt and move on to the next
section.
As MC, you also need to think about the plan, but you're
looking at it from the perspective of what's missing and
what could go wrong: any question the players don't ask
is one that you get to answer how you like. For example,
have they checked out when a police patrol coincides with
the security van's route? Have they checked for any local 17
 events on the day of the heist? Have they prepared for
what the weather will be like? Jot down a few surprises
you can spring on them in the next act, but be fair about
it: don't just undermine their plan arbitrarily, especially
the parts they have prepared for. If they've managed to get
an inside-man on the security van, then he turns up on the
day as expected, he won't just phone in sick; on the other
hand, if they've left it to one of their contacts to organise
the inside-man, maybe they get someone they weren't
expecting and who can't be trusted...
If things have gone badly wrong with their plans at any
stage, the gang can always ask you for help.
Plan B: roll+wise. On a hit, the MC gives you a way out of
whatever trouble you’re in: this is guaranteed to work, at a
price. If you take the lifeline you’re thrown, choose options;
on a 10+, choose 1. On a 7-9, choose 2.
o You have to leave someone behind.
o You don’t get what you came for.
o It costs you: take -1 dough that must be paid from
the total dough taken in the heist.
INTERMISSION
The PCs now have a plan, but they also have a stack of
problems:
o Heat: if they've attracted too much attention to
themselves, by bringing in too many people on the plan
or acting suspiciously around the target, they'll have
drawn some heat. If this rises to 5+, they're going to
get burned, which means its game over for them when
the cops arrest their ass or some other gang decides to
rub them out.
o Payback: they've either promised a lot of favours or
they've committed themselves to debts they have no
way of paying back unless they pull the heist off. Each
NPC they owe payback to is like a little ticking bomb,
just waiting to blow their life apart.
Before they press on with the heist itself, they'll probably
want to clear the decks a little: once they leap into action,
they won't have time to deal with this shit and it'll keep
mounting up until it topples over and buries them. As MC,
you should strongly suggest to any player with more than
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2 heat or two NPCs marked for payback that they take the
time to deal with some of that before going any further.
Lie Low: the PCs have friends and family who are of less
interest to the police and rival gangs than themselves, so
these are the best people to ask for help when seeking
someone to provide an alibi. These NPCs can act as a
distraction, vouch for your cover story or just let the PC
hide-out in their spare room until the people who are
looking for them have gone away.
When you lie low, roll+straight. On a hit, take -1 heat. On
a 10+, you may also take an additional -1 heat but you owe
someone for this; mark them for payback. On a 7-9, you
only take -1 heat and you owe someone for this; mark them
for payback.
There's no singular move for dealing with NPCs that are
marked for payback, it all depends on who they are and
what they want, but seeking them out to settle things
should gives the PCs the upper hand. The most likely two
things an NPC will want for payback is dough or a favour,
but as the PCs don't have any dough right now, they'd have
to cut the NPC in on the take from the heist in order to
pay them back that way. Persuading an NPC to accept the
promise of money later means arguing the toss with them:
they won't want more than 1dough but they'll want payment
to happen sooner rather than later, so this can easily put
the clock on the PCs, forcing them to act now instead of
spending more time on preparation.
An NPC can also be paid off with a favour that only the PC
is in a position to offer: PCs can check out their unique
moves and offer to put them at the service of an NPC. The
relationships between all the characters can also be put
on the block: as MC, you have to make the 'hood seem
alive, so think about what some of those NPCs could want
from each other and how the PCs could be used as the
go-betweens. Of course, that kind of favour will take more
time and almost certainly lead the PCs even deeper into the
tangled web of loyalties and allegiances that underlie the
'hood.
This is a good time to begin a map of the gangs’ own ‘hood
as well as the target one: mark on it where they hold their
meetings about the heist, where they go to get gear and
information and any other places they mention. This will
help in the final act, when the PCs are looking for escape
routes, hiding places and friendly faces.
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 ACT TWO: THE HEIST
Everything in this act takes place on the day of the heist
itself, so the players better be sure that they're ready for it.
By now, they should have a good map of the security van's
route accompanied by an amount of relevant data about
the routine and the environment. The two main obstacles to
carrying out the heist are dealing with the security and then
getting away, so it's time for some new moves.

Take the hard way: some of this stuff can't be done under
the radar, because there's no subtle way to ram a van off
the road or wrestle a case out of someone's hands. Anytime
the PCs have to get direct and physical to remove an
obstacle to their goal, break out this move.

When you take the hard way, roll+brass. On a hit, you

do what you set out to do and choose options. On a 10+,
choose 1. On a 7-9, choose 2:

o This doesn't go unnoticed: there are witnesses or

cameras watching you, or else you're just leaving clear
evidence behind. Whatever the case, mark heat and
experience.

o You've made things personal by affecting someone

who has a stake in what you're doing: mark your new
enemy for payback.

o That was more painful than you intended it to be:

take -1 forward as you get your breath back or shrug
off the damage.

Get rough: if the problem is someone who just won't step

out of the way, then you might have to take them down, but
you'll need to be tooled up for this.

When you get rough, roll+edge. On a 10+, take your

opponent down. On a 7-9, choose 1.

o They feel threatened enough to back off out of your

way, but they're still active.

o They get their licks in on you: they’re down but you

take -1 ongoing for this situation.

20
Open fire: if you're really serious about your violence, you
need some firepower, especially if it's been established that
the security on the van are armed.

When you open fire, roll+lead. On a 10+, take your

opponent out and take +1 heat. On a 7-9, take your
opponent down and choose 1.

o The authorities take gunfire very seriously, so this

will put them on your tail: take +1 heat.

o You either lose your weapon in the struggle or you

find it expedient to get rid of it: dump the weapon you
used.

o Things are too desperate for you to stick around, so

leave without getting what you came for.

The NPCs aren't just standing around waiting to see what

the PCs will do next while they're carrying out the heist,
they'll be responding appropriately:

o Bystanders are witnesses: even if they aren't calling

the police right now, they'll be able to give a statement
about everything they see and hear later, so how are
the PCs going to deal with that?

o The security guards aren't just going to give up

without a fight: if they're active and armed, they'll
be coming after the PCs however they can, including
the classic tactic of taking out the getaway vehicle
if possible. Failing that, maybe one of the guards is
edgy enough to try a stand-off, forcing a PC to decide
whether their prepared to open fire to get the dough
they came for.

o How quickly are the police going to arrive on the

scene? If the players forgot to ask that sort of question
in their plan, then there could be a patrol on the street
right now, quite possibly "Righteous" Tina Wallace
herself: have they got a plan in place for dealing with
that?

Additionally, there's anything else you've got ready to spring

on them: a group of kids from the nursery walking by, a
heavy storm at the time of the heist or just a have-a-go
hero from the general public who wants to make a bid for
21
 fame & glory. Even when they get through all that, there's
still a getaway to come and they can't just take the hard
way all the way through or else they'll still have cops and
others on their tail. At some point, someone's got to cover
their tracks or the police will just be waiting for them by
the time they get home.

Cover Your Tracks: whether you're trying to avoid some

pursuers, clean up the evidence or using some subtle tactic
like an inside-man, break out this move to get away clean.

When you cover your tracks, roll+hush. On a hit, you get

an answer and choose options. On a 10+ choose 1. On a 7-9,
choose 2:

o You really have to go out of your way & take your

time for this.

o You avoid any immediate attention, but you leave

evidence that can be traced back to you.

o You have to call on another PC for help: tell them to

take +1 debt with you.

While all this is going on, the PCs are going to be attracting
a lot of attention to themselves, which can make their heat
build up quickly, especially if there is one of them making
most of the risky moves. There's no time to lie low in the
middle of this, but luckily there's another option: stick the
blame on a friend.

Take the heat off: when you take heat, you can try to fit
someone else up for it, whether they want you to or not.
Put them in the frame for your misdeeds and when trouble
comes calling, it'll call on them instead.

When you take the heat off, roll+brass. On a hit, deflect

the heat you should have taken to another PC: they mark
heat and experience instead of you. On a 7-9, they also gain
+1 debt with you.

ACT THREE: THE SPLIT

Getting away with the heist isn't the end of the characters'
troubles: now they have to deal with the aftermath.

The amount being carried in the van when they pull off the
22
heist is 15 dough, more if they specifically took a riskier
course of action to get more cash, less if they played it safe
or were forced to abandon the scene prematurely.

Of course, 15 dough doesn't split 4 ways evenly, but they

probably owe someone some payback anyway: also, some of
the gang probably feel entitled to a larger share, because
they did more legwork, took more risks, were essential to
the plan or whatever. Good: this is when they can argue it
all out between themselves.

So where are they going to count out the cash? Are they
all sticking together or are they splitting up? Is just one
of them carrying the cash or are they dividing the cases
between themselves? Bear in mind, the money won't be
evenly be distributed around the cases they got hold of
(at least 2, no more than 5) so one might only hold 2dough
whilst another has 4 or 5. This isn't a good debate to hold
while still on the run, so if they haven't planned for this (or
even if they have: plans can always change) this is a great
time for them to argue the toss with each other, keeping
in mind that on a 10+, any PC who doesn't want to go along
with that deal has to mark heat and experience.

This is when being able to call in a favour really counts: if

any of the PCs reached more than +3 debt with another PC,
they can at least make that PC go along with their scheme,
but the target still gets to argue the toss over the exact
details, so "Give me the case and meet me at the garage
later" can be answered by "Let's both take the case to the
garage together" or "We'll meet later but I'll hold onto the
case."

THE FLY IN THE OINTMENT

There's one question the PCs may not have bothered to ask
when planning the heist: whose money have they stolen?
Seth's biggest weakness is his ego and he doesn't like to
think how little his name means outside his own small
patch: the problem is, he hasn't pulled off this heist on his
own patch, he's pulled it off on someone else's.

All those shopkeepers who have just had their takings

nicked in broad daylight have been paying protection to
Matt "The Scarecrow" Chisholm just so that kind of thing
wouldn't happen to them. They're pissed at him because
he hasn't protected them and he's pissed too because his 23
 livelihood depends on their profits. Now he and his gang are
coming after the crooks who are responsible for this:

Matt "The Scarecrow" Chisholm: when he sniffs you out,

roll+heat: on a 7-9, he knows one thing you're hiding, on a
10+, he knows two things. On a miss, someone tells you he's
been asking around about you.

Ebele "Grim" Fall: she's The Scarecrow's pet psychopath and

when you stand up to her boss, she'll go after the person
you care for most and take them down. This is usually going
to be either Penny's sister Lauren or the Waterman brothers'
mother, Claire.

Brian "The Brick" Edwards: The Scarecrow has hired on

some extra muscle, paying Greg "Monster" Waterman's mate
and occasional colleague to provide a bit of muscular back-
up. When you try to run, he'll follow you relentlessly: he
won't quit until he's got you or you take him down or out.

Keeping hold of the money is the trickiest part of the whole

deal: The Scarecrow won't rest until he's got all his money
back, which includes any debts the PCs have already paid
off with it. Until he has all his money, he's going to make
the PCs' lives hell, largely by using Grim to rough up their
loved ones and The Brick to stop them from running away.
Of course, first he has to get to them, but they left enough
clues for him to follow in Act One, when they asked around
for information & tools: with his talent for finding secrets,
they might as well have painted a trail from the van to their
front doors.

While The Scarecrow and his gang are coming after them,
they're still having to avoid police attention, so some more
lying low is in order to lose all that heat they picked up
during the heist itself. If they miss, then the police are
going to be on their street soon asking questions, but if
that happens to be Tina "Righteous" Wallace, she might help
them out with their problems if the price is right. No matter
how it goes though, all that time spent keeping their head
down just gives The Scarecrow more time to close in on
them and their loved ones.

How does it end? Well, assuming they don't want to just give
the money back to The Scarecrow and then get murdered,
they can always try to kill two birds with one stone: if they
24 can frame The Scarecrow for the heist, then neither his
gang nor the police will still be after them. Helping them in
this is The Brick, Righteous and the shopkeepers who would
like to get The Scarecrow off their back for good. Don't
expect the Scarecrow to go down without a fight though: if
he gets a sniff of what they're up to, he'll send Grim after
them directly to take them out and it'll be a good trick if
they can pull this off without at least one of them getting
burned by the police or the rival gang.

FILLING IN THE BLANKS

All sorts of unpredictable things could happen during this
game, so have your copy of The 'Hood on standby, but
check here first for a quick reminder of some of the general
things you should be doing as MC.

Make a Move
The moves given in each act cover most of the options that
can come up during game play, but if a player states they
want their character to do something which isn't covered,
here's how to handle it:

1. Say yes: consider just allowing it to happen the way

they want; you can complicate it if you wish, but there
isn't always a need to roll dice and a number of actions
can be resolved through negotiation.

2. Use the dice: if you decide to go to the dice, first

make a fair decision about what stat the move uses: if
someone wants to do the same thing later, they'll make
their move using the same stat you pick now.

3. Say what happens: on a 6-, they miss and you should

make a hard move against them; on a 7-9, they succeed
but the price is high or the success is only partial; on a
10+, they succeed with a smaller price.

Hard Moves
When the players miss, the MC makes a hard move, which
is just a way of saying that the consequences of failure are
more than just 'nothing happens', the fiction demands that
the characters always fail forward, so the result of a miss
should change the situation just as much as a hit does.

Here's a checklist of hard moves you can pick from; when 25

 the players miss, start at the top of this list and work
downwards until you come to a move that fits the situation
and hasn't been overused.

Make trouble: the player who missed must roll+heat. On a

hit, whoever they are dealing with turns their back on them
and refuses to be involved any further. On a 12+, the PCs
takes +1 heat; on a 7-9, they can mark the person they're
dealing with for payback and they don't turn their backs on
the PC. On a miss, they stay friendly and sociable.

Turn up the heat: make them take +1 heat. This is a good,

common move to use if it's not clear what the consequences
of a miss could be: when the PCs mess things up, they
attract attention from the authorities or they lose the trust
of other villains, both of which are represented by heat.

If a PC's heat ever rises to 5+, they get burned: either the
authorities have enough evidence on them to send them
away or the heavy mob have enough reason to take the PC
out of their way for good.

Payback: push an NPC from their payback list into the

spotlight and make them deal with it by having that person
demand payback right now: the PC has to either find a way
to meet that demand as soon as possible or convince the
NPC that now is not the best time. Whatever way it goes,
it further complicates the situation the PC is and raises the
tension as well.

Take them down: this is a serious response and should only

be made when the character tries to get rough or open fire
and misses; when a PC goes down, they can make no further
moves in the current scene and they take -1 ongoing (a -1
penalty to all rolls) until they have rested and healed.

If a PC is already down when you hit them with this move,

then they're out: end of the line, game over, send flowers to
the family.

26