@nepets: The classics never go out of style! ;)
@Totes: I was writing up this long, detailed treatise on my thought process, then realized an example is probably a lot more effective >.<
~~~
Scene: Agent Totes is in a crowded public park that intelligence says may be hit be a terrorist attack. They're looking to stop the bad guys before they can realize their nefarious plans.
Player: I'm scanning the crowd and looking for anyone who looks suspicious.
GM: Great, what specifically are you looking for and how are you going about it?
Player: I guess I'm looking for anyone who looks out of the ordinary from the regular park goers. Most people are here to relax and enjoy the scenery, hang out with friends and family, walk their dogs, exercise, stuff like that. So anyone who seems unusually vigilant or nervous, especially if they're carrying a package, bag, backpack, that kind of thing.
GM: Sounds good. Are you using any traits for this?
Player: Yeah... I'll use my gift for 'strategic and tactical thinking' to imagine where I would go to have the best view of the park but still be somewhat out of sight. And I'll use my pocket drone to help me scout out those locations.
GM: Fantastic. You cast your eyes over the scene looking for the kinds of spots that would provide cover while still allowing for decent sightlines into the heart of the park. You send your drone out in an expanding circular pattern beyond the first line of trees and note a number of different spots that meet your criteria. Most are either vacant or occupied by people who don't *seem* overly suspicious - families with children, older people, friends and couples picnicking, and so on. However, there are three locations that are occupied by individuals who cause your internal red flags to go off:
1) A group of three men, ranging from twenties to thirties, standing in a loose circle several yards off the path beneath a copse of trees. Their clothing is non-descript - jeans, cargo pants, tshirts, One has a heavy gold chain around his neck. Their attention is directed toward the center of the park and they only speak intermittently.
2) A woman and man, she is late twenties-early thirties; he appears late thirties-early forties, standing near the side of what appears to be a maintenance shed. They are dressed practically, if a bit formally for a picnic. There is a black gym bag on the ground between their feet. His attention is on the center of the park, while she smokes and seems uncomfortable.
3) A lone young man, late teens-early twenties. He sits on a low stone wall, legs on either side, 20 meters or so from the main path and about 40 meters from a busy playground. There is an old backpack leaning against the wall near his feet. His focus shifts back and forth between the main park and the playground.
Make a roll to see if you detect anything that might narrow down your search. Roll 3d6, one base die and two for your traits vs 2d6 for the opposition (foes trying to avoid detection, time stress). I'm setting a countdown timer at four - each time you make an investigation roll, the countdown will progress til the event triggers.
OOC:
The highest uncancelled die is a 4. In this case this was more of a quality roll than a Yes/No roll, and a 4 is a decent if not great result.
GM: After a few more minutes of surveillance, you see the men in the first group conduct what appears to be a drug deal. During that time, the man and woman in group 2 have not appreciably changed their posture or their focus. The woman has lit another cigarette from the butt of the first and the man has checked his watch a number of times. Meanwhile, the young man on the stone wall has rummaged in his backpack, withdrawing a small, cheap looking drone and a remote control. His eyes continue to dart from the park to the playground and back.
The countdown is now at 3, how do you proceed?
