Microgame for two players about a Runner (thief, assassin or some other photogenic character) attempting to penetrate to the top level of a high-rise building, versus a Gatekeeper who is in charge of the passive and active security measures of the building the Runner is passing through.

Equipment:
Map of the High-Rise (divided into 10 levels, each
with 6 or 7 spaces; 5 of them have a Safe Room), 1 meeple or marker for the Runner, 13 x 6-sided dice, and 1 x 10-sided die to record Special Actions used (or use 2 6-sided dice, or scrap paper).

Setup:
Gatekeeper sets initial Passive security ratings of each level, and places 3 Patrols that can move around in the High-Rise. Ratings indicated by dice. Runner sets up on the bottom level.

How to Win:
Runner wins if they enter the Safe Room of the top level (the penthouse suite of the target). Gatekeeper wins if they capture Runner.

Play:
each turn consists of 1 Runner turn and 1 Gatekeeper turn. Take 1 option in a turn. Runner goes first.

Runner options:

R1 - reduce the Passive rating of the same or next higher level they are on by 2 (adjust die on the Track down by 2, to a minimum of 1);
R2 - move to any empty space on same level;
R3 - attempt to move to adjacent empty space in the next higher level (roll die to beat higher level's Passive rating)
R4 - take any number of Special Actions at once, limited by the number they have available (Runner starts game with a total of 10 for the entire game).

Special Actions include:
- attempt to reduce the Passive rating of any level by a random amount (roll die);
- enter Safe Room of Runner’s current level;
- move any Gatekeeper Patrol 1 space in any direction.

Gatekeeper options:

G1 – move 1 Patrol in any direction or combination of directions: for each space moved reduce rating of the Patrol by 1 to a minimum of 1, whereupon it must stop moving.

G2 – Reset a Patrol: select one Patrol and turn it upside down so its bottom face becomes the top face and new rating (so a 1 becomes a 6, a 2 a 5, etc).

After the chosen option Gatekeeper can announce a Capture. Gatekeeper wins if they capture Runner.

A simple game that plays in about 10-15 minutes.
Basically designed in about an hour at the Connections-UK conference, Brunel University, September 2024.

-description from designer

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