>I think you have to police it well so that it doesn't get abused.
>I'm sure this nut has been cracked before. Anyone?
Generally, I think that how much lattitude you allow in terms of allowing characters to use various abilities is going to be local to the group in question. That is, it'll work for some and not for others to do what you propose. Some groups are more radical, and some less.
As far as "abuse", simply be consistent and it'll work out for your group. That means if you allow it in one case, allow it across the board. If you allow it across the board, how can it be abused? Players are informed by what you allow, and what you do not.
Real abuse is complaining about the GM's rulings when they're fair. That's not something that rules can fix.
One more comment - if you take the time to carefully consider the goals of a contest, a lot of times what's appropriate becomes more apparent. If the goal is "Defend My Children" then I think the relationship is a good place to start. If it's "Kill that guy who might threaten my children" then I'd have to start leaning towards spear skill more. Remember that the results of using the Relationship to defend one's children my not end up involving using a spear at all, but possibly ingenuity, or running, or whatever. Wheras if you're comparing your spear ability against that of another in the description of the contest, the outcomes would seem more dependent on spear ability.
Again, how you end up playing it will be local. But all I've seen is consistent groups in terms of what they allowed, and so it's never been an issue in any game I've played.
Mike
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