Jailbreak Introduction Encounter

Players can choose to start the game in classic Elder Scrolls tradition, with their adventurersAdventurerEach character created by a player is an Adventurer. Each adventurer is a party member.Rulebook p. 90 fighting to escape imprisonment. This encounter introduces players to the battle rules and acts as the final step of adventurer creationAdventurer CreationEach player creates a unique adventurer at the outset of the first session of a campaign.Rulebook pp. 19, 26–27. The achievements of the adventurers in this battle then determine their available classClassesYour adventurer's class adds special class abilities you can use, typically by spending a resource called tenacity that you accrue over the course of the game.Rulebook pp. 25, 31 options. It is strongly recommended for your first game, and can also be played in later campaigns when players wish to make a more thematic class choice.

For a more structured approach to learning the rules through this encounter, you can follow an extended example of this battle in the separate Tutorial Guide. As you play, refer to:

• Adventurer CreationAdventurer CreationEach player creates a unique adventurer at the outset of the first session of a campaign.Rulebook pp. 19, 26–27, the adventurer matAdventurer MatYour adventurer mat holds everything that makes up your adventurer, from race and class sheets to the cooldown track, active slots and inventory.Rulebook p. 18, stats, skill linesSkill LinesAn overview of the different Skill Lines available.Rulebook pp. 21–22, the cooldown trackCooldown TrackDice are placed here as the adventurer exhausts their skill dice or gains fatigue and status effect dice. The Cooldown stat determines the number of dice that are removed from the track each turn.Rulebook pp. 23, 60 and active slotsActive SlotDice placed in active slots are referred to as active dice. An active die remains in its slot until you remove it as described in its skill line's reference sheet or at the end of battle.Rulebook p. 24.
• The battle roundBattle RoundDuring a round, each adventurer takes a turn. After your party has finished its turns, each enemy takes its own turn. After all units have completed a single turn, the round endsRulebook p. 57, adventurer turnsAdventurer TurnDuring your turn, you can take a number of actions, including moving, engaging, resolving class abilities, or exploring at a distance.Rulebook p. 59 and enemy turnsEnemy TurnAfter all adventurer turns (and any companion turns), each enemy takes a turn in order from highest to lowest level value.Rulebook pp. 64–66.
• CachesCacheCaches are locked containers found on the battle map that adventurers may open to gain item cards.Rulebook p. 68 and lockpickingLockpickingAdventurers frequently need to pick locks in order to open caches or disarm traps. To do so, the adventurer makes a lockpick check against the mechanism's difficulty code.Rulebook pp. 68–70.

Battle Setup

The Jailbreak Introduction encounter is a clash, played on the clash tile and the entrance tile as shown in the diagram on pg. 92 of the rulebook.

1. Follow the Game SetupGame SetupChoose a province, set out the components, choose a difficulty, set up adventurers and then set up your guild quest.Rulebook pp. 12–15 procedure through step 6, creating your adventurers up to (but not including) choosing a class, with the following exceptions:
   • Do not fill the level 1/5 enemy draw bag. Instead, place only these 5 level 1 enemies in it: High Elf Bandit, Argonian Bandit, Skeever Pup, Skeleton and Spriggan.
   • Do not set the party's Day Dial; day 1 does not start until after this battle.
   • Set the party's XP Dial to 1 instead of 2.
2. Place the clash tile in the play area and connect the smaller entrance tile as shown. Then, place the cacheCacheCaches are locked containers found on the battle map that adventurers may open to gain item cards.Rulebook p. 68 chip in the hex shown on the diagram.
3. Draw and deploy 1 enemy chip from the level 1/5 enemy bag for each adventurer in the game. This is equivalent to calculating an enemy poolEnemy PoolThe enemy pool (EP) sets the levels of the enemies drawn for a battle: the party's XP Dial value multiplied by the number of adventurers, spent on the highest-level enemies possible.Rulebook p. 54 based on a party XP of 1. Deploy each enemy with its level 1 (black border) side faceup in the next numbered hex as shown in the diagram, starting with Hex 1. Each enemy is deployed with HP chips stacked under it equal to its Health stat.
4. Deploy each adventurer to a hex on the smaller entrance tile. Start by choosing an adventurer to take the first player token and deploy their chip. Then, deploy each other adventurer in clockwise order around the table. Each adventurer sets their battle formBattle FormsBattle form icons appear on skill lines, abilities, and weapon items. During an engage action, the adventurer's battle form limits the dice that can be rolled together and sets the adventurer's range.Rulebook pp. 22, 61 when deployed (see Battle SetupBattle SetupEvery battle is set up in the same order: set up the battle map, place cache chips, deploy enemies, deploy adventurers, deploy companions, then set the Round Counter to 1.Rulebook pp. 54, 57).
5. Set the Round Counter die to 1; the battle is ready to start!

Playing the Battle

The Jailbreak Introduction encounter has a unique battle objective: the adventurers must either defeat all enemies on the map, or all undefeated adventurers must escape.

• Escaping: An adventurer may escape at the start of their turnTurnDuring a battle round, each unit on the battle map takes a turn. Some abilities are limited to a certain number of uses per turn; that limit is reset at the start of each unit's turn.Rulebook p. 89 if they occupy 1 of the green hexes at the far end of the clash tile. Remove that adventurer from the map; their turn ends and they take no further turns in the battle.
• End of Battle: The battle ends at the end of a roundBattle RoundDuring a round, each adventurer takes a turn. After your party has finished its turns, each enemy takes its own turn. After all units have completed a single turn, the round endsRulebook p. 57 if all enemies are defeated, all adventurers are defeatedDefeatedA unit is defeated when it loses its last HP chip or an effect states that it is defeatedRulebook pp. 67, 88, or all undefeated adventurers have escaped.

After the battle ends, check that you have recorded each adventurer's achievements. Then, move on to End of Battle Cleanup and Class Rewards.

Achievements Checklist

As you play, note which adventurer completes each of the following achievements. Each adventurer can complete multiple achievements, but it is also possible for an adventurer to complete none. You can write adventurers' names next to their achievements, or print and fill in the checklist from the Chip Theory Games website.

• Defeat High Elf Bandit
• Defeat Argonian Bandit
• Defeat Skeever Pup
• Defeat Skeleton
• Defeat Spriggan
• Succeed at Cache Lockpick
• Escape First
• Take the First Turn
• Take the Last Turn
• First to Take Damage from an Enemy at Range 2+
• First to Take Damage from an Enemy at Range 1

End of Battle Cleanup

After the battle ends, follow the End of Battle CleanupEnd of BattleA battle ends after the current round when any of the following occur: The party achieves the encounter's objectives, or the party retreats from battle, or all adventurers are defeated.Rulebook p. 86 steps, but place all of the level 1/5 enemy chips into their enemy bag (instead of only the 5 you used for this battle). Also, place all of the level 10/20 enemy chips into their enemy bag.

Remember to remove and exhaust any remaining skill dice from your active slotsActive SlotDice placed in active slots are referred to as active dice. An active die remains in its slot until you remove it as described in its skill line's reference sheet or at the end of battle.Rulebook p. 24 and to recoverRecoverAn adventurer may only recover a die from their cooldown track. A drained die can only be recovered by an ability that specifically affects drained dice.Rulebook pp. 23, 89 any drainedDrainedThe ability is resolved instantly as described in its entry. Then, that die is placed on the adventurer's race sheet. It is unavailable for the remainder of the battle and is considered drained.Rulebook p. 60 skill dice. However, leave skill, status, light fatigue, or overfatigue dice in your cooldown trackCooldown TrackDice are placed here as the adventurer exhausts their skill dice or gains fatigue and status effect dice. The Cooldown stat determines the number of dice that are removed from the track each turn.Rulebook pp. 23, 60. Keep any tenacityTenacityA resource tracked using the peg slots at the bottom right side of your adventurer mat. Accumulated tenacity remains until it is spent to trigger a class ability or reduced by another effect.Rulebook pp. 25, 89 and itemsItemsAdventurers can gain useful items along their way. Each item card takes up 1 space in an adventurer's inventory, whether it is in a ready slot or the pack area. There are 2 types of item cards, common and legendary.Rulebook pp. 28–29 that you gained during the battle, unless you decide not to base your class choice on your achievements.

Class Rewards

After a battle, adventurers normally complete the Reward PhaseReward PhaseThe party gains any rewards from the encounter it resolved during the previous phase.Rulebook pp. 43–44 to gain XP from their encounter and spend it. Instead of XP, this battle rewards each adventurer with their choice of several classes based on the achievements they completed.

Each adventurer considers the classes earned by their achievements, then chooses 1 of those classes, takes that class's sheet, and places it next to their adventurer mat. Some of these classes are only available in the ValenwoodValenwood [VW]Native Skill - Iron Bark (VW) expansion.

• Fewer than 2 options: An adventurer with fewer than 2 classes to choose from must wait until each other adventurer has chosen a class. Then, that adventurer sets aside any class sheet based on their own achievement and shuffles all of the other sheets—not just those left from the other adventurers' achievements. They draw sheets until they have 2 (including any earned by their own achievement) and then choose 1 to use in this game. If multiple adventurers have fewer than 2 class options, they may decide the order in which they shuffle and choose.
• All adventurers defeated: Shuffle all of the class sheets. Then, each adventurer draws 2 and chooses 1.

It is recommended that players do not look at the rewards list until after the battle.

Show the class rewards for each achievement

Achievement	Classes
Defeat High Elf Bandit	Arcanist (VW), Sorcerer
Defeat Argonian Bandit	Acrobat, Scout
Defeat Skeever Pup	Nightblade, Warden
Defeat Skeleton	Necromancer, Spellsword
Defeat Spriggan	Pilgrim, Templar
Succeed at Cache Lockpick	Burglar (VW), Rogue
Escape First	Bard, Ranger (VW)
Take the First Turn	Dragonknight
Take the Last Turn	Healer
First to Take Damage from an Enemy at Range 2+	Archer
First to Take Damage from an Enemy at Range 1	Knight

Choosing a Non-Achievement Class

If an adventurer does not want any of the classes earned by their achievements, they can choose from the classes remaining after each other adventurer has chosen. They must also lose any tenacity and discard any items they gained during the battle in order to do so.

Completing Setup

After completing the battle and choosing classes, each player has created their adventurer. Finish setup as follows.

1. Set Progress Dials: Leave the party's Day Dial unset. Set the party's XP Dial to 2 (but leave each adventurer's saved XP tracker at 0).
2. Adventurers Rest: Adventurers normally rest at the end of each day, healing some HP and removing dice from their cooldown track (see End of Day PhaseEnd of Day PhaseActivation of any province effect on the overland map is resolved. Then, the party rests and may trade items.Rulebook p. 45). After the Jailbreak Introduction encounter, this temporary refuge with the party's new guild acts like a town'sTownThese encounters are described in the gazetteer and are triggered when the party ends its overland movement in a town or rolls a result on the unstable die while at an unstable landmark (see Traveling Caravans).Rulebook pp. 38–41 inn action instead: each adventurer heals to their maximum HP and clears all dice from their cooldown track.
3. Choose a Starting Quest: Return to Game SetupGame SetupChoose a province, set out the components, choose a difficulty, set up adventurers and then set up your guild quest.Rulebook pp. 12–15 and resume at step 7, "Set Up Guild Quest". Then begin your session's first day.