What we did was have two sides to the contest(s), both NPCs, with reasonably high but even "persuade" people type skills. And then we looked at all the other groupings whose support mattered, worked out how thoroughly they were supporting each side, and set them up as "community support" to the lead NPCs, at various levels of commitment. This community support was what gave the leaders high numbers, not their own abilities.
As it stood, there was stalemate. So the job of the PCs was to persuade the
various support groups to change sides, or at least get more (or less)
enthusiastic. After a bit of this, the main NPCs would have another go at
each other. It meant a bit of time working out what each support group was
using to resist each attempt to change their minds - were they being bribed,
threatened, persuaded, seduced...? and I did a few little charts of how far
types of victory shifted their support levels, but it worked out. Summary of
the rules here:
http://www.herewardslegion.info/wikka/wikka.php?wakka=RulesGroupSupport
The whole thing was unfortunately cut short by a couple of extreme dice-rolls on the part of the Lunar leader, who ended up politically very very dead, and shortly afterwards, physically dead as well. But it was fun while it lasted.
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