>The problem with this is if someone joins the
>contest who lacks a level of mastery. They would
>begin the contest with negative APs.
And thus they should stay out of the way! Seriously though, if you expect characters to join a partially-resolved contest, then factor in their stats beforehand. I have no problems with letting an outclassed character get knocked out of a contest before they really get into it. I would allow a character the equivalent of a final action to remain active (i.e., achieve a positive AP total), if willing to entertain the significant risk of being defeated even more thoroughly.
Even important characters (like player-heroes) can get into trouble if seriously outclassed, in the cinematic trope which the HERO WARS rules model. A lawspeaker who rushes into a fight between weaponthanes without thought deserves to get hurt, just as a weaponthane deserves to get humiliated when rushing into a legal case. Knowing when to let the specialists deal with a problem is part of everyday life.
>It is the _Narrator_ who must do the arithmetic.
If the Narrator wants a scene involving an extended contest to last a certain amount of play time, he or she is already factoring in the arithmetic. The easiest way to speed up contests as currently written is by reducing the number of APs involved.
>The Narrator can ask each player for the APs of
>their character, which reduces the Narrator work-
>load when it is highest.
If the Narrator prepares for extended contests in advance, his or her workload during a play session is likewise reduced. The players may do something unexpected but, in that situation, a Narrator can adjust more easily because he or she has already thought things through. Adds to the drama, rather than derailing the entire contest, as the players can never be certain whether their ploys will actually work.
-- Michael Richard Schwartz | Language is my playground, mschwartz_at_... | and words, its slides and Ann Arbor, Michigan USA | swingsets. -- yours truly
Powered by hypermail