Re: Fixed-length extended contests?

From: Sam Elliot <sam.elliot1_at_...>
Date: Thu, 24 Mar 2005 08:22:02 -0000

> I've always had a problem with this kind of set up in extended
contests. What decisions does the clock make? How are subsequent ticks of the clock different from each other so that one is more significant than another? As I see it, there are no decisons the clock can make, so it can't change the APs it bids each round, so the EC degenerates into a long period of boring dice rolling. Make it a simple contest between A and B, and get on with it.

> As for the lock-picking example, I think that there are some types
of scene in literature and film that, while thrilling to watch, are really boring to role-play through.

Well yes, I think this is getting to the kernel - which of these things might have a mechanic which supports them, making them enjoyable to play out in HQ and which is it simply not worth trying to transpose...

> contest. But if it's just a question of whether my horse if fast
enough to
> catch the just-hijacked train, resolve it in a single roll.

...and which might best be done briefly.

Sam.