Actions & Planning
Overview
Each day you plan your runners’ actions. You have until 23:00 CET — nothing submitted after that is accepted. Everything you don’t plan doesn’t happen.
Your goal: deploy every available unit meaningfully. An idle runner is wasted potential.
Action Categories
Violence
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| ATTACK | Direct attack on an enemy runner or building |
| AMBUSH | Set up an ambush at a location — waits for a target and strikes |
| ASSASSINATE | Targeted kill order on a specific person. High STL and STR requirements |
| RAID | Assault a building. Steals goods/money and damages the facility |
| SNIPE | Ranged attack. Requires line of sight and special equipment |
| DRIVE_BY | Quick attack from a moving vehicle. Less precise but harder to trace |
Stealth
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| SCOUT | Surveys a sector and delivers intel. Quality depends on INT |
| PLACE_SPY | Plants an informant in an enemy building |
| HACK_RECON | Digital reconnaissance — reveals finances or runner positions of an opponent |
| HACK_FREEZE | Temporarily freezes an enemy account or system |
| HACK_AUDIT | Triggers a government audit on the target. Expensive but devastating |
Real Estate
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| ASSIGN_MANAGER | Stations a runner as manager in a building |
| RECALL_MANAGER | Withdraws a manager from a building |
| REBUILD | Repairs a damaged building |
| ARSON | Sets fire to an enemy building |
| BOMB | Explosive attack. High damage, high heat |
| SABOTAGE | Subtle damage — the target won’t notice until later |
Income
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| COLLECT | Collects revenue from your operations |
| EXTORT | Extorts a business or NPC in the sector |
| PRODUCE_DRUGS | Manufactures drugs in a lab |
| BREW_ALCOHOL | Produces illegal alcohol |
| SUPPLY_ILLEGAL | Delivers illegal goods to buyers |
Logistics
Runners move across the map via A* routing — the engine automatically calculates the optimal path. Different vehicle types affect speed and visibility:
- On foot — Slow but inconspicuous
- Car — Standard speed, normal heat
- Motorcycle — Fast, partially ignores traffic
- Van — Slow, but can transport goods
- Speedboat — Waterfront sectors only, bypasses road traffic entirely
Diplomacy
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| NAP Declaration | Propose a non-aggression pact with another player |
| TRANSFER | Hand over money, goods, or runners to another player |
| PUBLIC_APOLOGY | Public apology — reduces heat but costs reputation |
Institutions
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| BRIBE | Bribes police officers, judges, or officials |
| RECRUIT (Contacts) | Recruits a contact within an institution |
| CAMPAIGN_INVEST | Invests in a political campaign for long-term influence |
| PLANT_STORY | Plants a story in the media — diverts attention or spreads disinformation |
Personnel
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| RECRUIT_SCOUT | Sends a recruiter to a venue (Day 1 of the recruitment cycle) |
| POACH | Recruits a rival’s runner. Requires high CHA and money |
| FIRE | Dismisses a runner. May lower loyalty of teammates |
| EMERGENCY_RECRUIT | Immediate emergency recruitment for $5,000 |
Defense
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| GUARD | Guards a building against attacks |
| PATROL | Patrols a sector — increases reconnaissance and defense |
| BODYGUARD | Protects a specific runner or manager |
| FLEE_TO_SAFEHOUSE | Flee to a safehouse — reduces heat, runner is inactive for one day |
Special
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| JAILBREAK | Breaks an arrested runner out of prison |
| BRIBE_GUARD | Bribes prison guards for better conditions or early release |
| UNDERCOVER | Infiltrates a runner covertly into an enemy organization |
| FALSE_ATTRIBUTION | Pins one of your actions on another player |
| DONATE | Donates to Third Places for Benefactor status |
Condition System
Instead of rigid orders, you can build IF/THEN/ELSE chains — up to 3 levels deep.
Example:
If HEAT is below 50, then RAID the warehouse in Sector 8. Otherwise: If HP is above 70, then SCOUT Sector 8. Otherwise: FLEE_TO_SAFEHOUSE.
Available condition types:
| Condition | Checks… |
|---|---|
heat_below |
Is the runner’s heat below value X? |
loy_above |
Is loyalty above value X? |
cash_above |
Do you have more than X cash? |
hp_below |
Is the runner’s HP below value X? |
stress_above |
Is stress above value X? |
sector_heat_below |
Is the sector heat below value X? |
The condition system is your most powerful tool. Use it to respond to unforeseen situations without having to intervene manually.
Macros
For recurring workflows you can create macros — reusable action templates:
- “Laundering Routine” — COLLECT from all operations, then launder via predefined channels
- “South Patrol” — Team Beta patrols Sectors 12, 13, 14 in rotation
- “Escalation Plan” — If own building attacked, reinforce GUARD and ATTACK attackers
Macros save time and reduce errors during daily planning.
Action Outcomes: 4 Tiers
Every action has one of four possible outcomes:
| Outcome | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Critical Failure | The action fails catastrophically. Severe side effects possible. |
| Failure | The action fails. Varying consequences depending on failure type. |
| Success | The action succeeds as planned. |
| Critical Success | The action succeeds exceptionally well. Bonus effects possible. |
Success calculation follows the formula: primary attribute × random factor vs. action threshold. A runner with high STR has better odds on ATTACK, but luck always plays a role.
Failure Types
Not every failure is the same. There are five ways an action can go wrong:
| Failure Type | What happens |
|---|---|
| Null | Nothing. The action fizzles without consequence. |
| Heat Penalty | The action generates heat even though it failed. Someone saw something. |
| Traceback | Your opponent learns WHO attempted the action against them. Your identity is compromised. |
| Escalation | Authorities take notice. Arrest risk for the executing runner increases drastically. |
| Blowback | The runner suffers damage — HP loss, injury, or worse. |
Always plan an exit strategy. Especially for risky actions like ASSASSINATE or BOMB, the probability of severe failure types is high.