Re: Tracking Multiple Actions within Extended Contests

From: parental_unit_2 <parental_unit_2_at_...>
Date: Tue, 01 May 2007 19:59:41 -0000

>
> David:
> > From the player perspective, use an Extended
> > Contest if you want a better chance at winning (since you can use
> > more HP, and since a single bad roll doesn't screw you).

> But do you as a player really think like that?

David is describing the pattern that set in during two multi-year games in his Seattle Farmers group, one of which he narrated. In general, the more risk-averse players always asked for Extended Contests, for the reasons he outlines.

I'd add: The chances of a "single bad roll" are relatively high when HeroQuest opponents are relatively evenly matched. In a simple contest, you need a four point advantage in the target number to have a 50% chance of victory (and your opponent will still have a 46% chance). You need a 10 point advantage to have a 60% chance.

The player group summarized the situation as "nothing less than a mastery matters". Hero Point bumps are thus very important -- superior skills less than a mastery are not enough to give a risk-averse player a reasonable chance of victory, but several well-placed bumps will.