> Could someone explain how Group Simple Contests work?
I'll have a stab. Note that you should only use Group Simple Contests for things that aren't particularly important, so don't agonize too much over the mechanics and probabilities...
> As far as I can see , it reads that everyone does an ability test,
> and highest number of successes wins
Not quite, 'cos if there isn't a clear "winning" side you go on to compare the best die rolls on the simple contest chart.
> Things go a bit pearshaped when all the contestants have masteries.
Well, you could simply play the familiar masteries-cancelling game in that case: I doubt it would have much impact on the result, and (after all) you don't use Group Simple Contests in particularly important situations.
> Also it means that numbers are all important
Yes, but not the way you meant!
> If I have 4 guys with 20, they all roll successes and 2 guys with 20w,
> they will also roll successes (are these bumped automatically in ability
> tests?).
(Yes).
> Assume they are, that gives four successes versus two critical successes,
> how do we resolve this?
You compare the better of the two results (critical success) with the best of the four die rolls (success) on the Simple Contest Chart and award a Minor Victory to the two masters, who do after all significantly outclass their more numerous opponents.
> The four characters have a much higher chance of having the lowest number,
> though if we did a group extended contest, the advantage would probably be
> with the 20w contestants.
Yes, but it looks to me like that the lowest number only matters if both sides roll a Success at best (i.e. when the lower roll gets a marginal victory). This is also the only time that the +3 per fail / +6 per fumble rule comes into play. In all other cases, the "better best result" wins.
In the example in italics on p.128, if Rollo had rolled a crit (1), his side would have won outright. No need to add +6 for the two failures on his side: a crit beats a success on the Simple Contest Chart.
I could be misreading the rule, but it looks straightforward to me. A crit is a crit is a crit...
Cheers, Nick
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