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> Has anyone yet had a satisfying Extended Contest with the new rules, what made it work, how did the system aid this, and what if anything did you bring to the mechanics to help it work? Are there types of contest that consistently work better than others?
Below is a representative incident from a long-running Glorantha game we ran with HQ 2. Londrulf, a player character from the Longneedle clan, is trying to seduce a non-player character named Rangare with Orlanth magic (his Air rune) and an augment from a magical bear cloak. Rangare is resisting with her relationship to her clan, which is at feud with Londrulf's.
The incident was important to the overall campaign, so the narrator decided to run it as an Extended Contest. The contest lasted about 3 rounds. I've flagged what I believe happened, although my notes didn't include that much detail.
They key thing: The players and the narrator have to pause at the end of each round of an Extended Contest, interpret the roll and the resulting change in resolution point totals, and embellish the unfolding story in an entertaining way based on results. The mechanics tell you what direction the story is going, in general, but it's pretty much the people in the room who make it interesting.
Rob
Londrulf at last found a moment when he could speak to
Rangare. "I am glad to speak to you aside from your relatives a
moment."
"I have many relatives here," she said, "and it's cold - I
should be getting back to them."
"I have a warm cloak," said Londrulf, wrapping Umbo's shaggy
bulk around her shoulders, "let me show you the stars, and sing you a
song my father made."
The gentle caresses of the winds brought her under the cloak
to look at the stars, but she kept her distance.
[Round 1: I think this was a Minor victory for Londrulf, so he's slightly ahead on resolution points.]
Londrulf passed her the wine vessel and asked her what she wanted out of life. "I want to provide for my kin, and protect them," she said. So Londrulf sang one of Voski's songs of love for the bear. "I still can't believe I'm under a cloak with a Longneedle," she observed.
[Round 2: Tie or marginal victory for Rangare, I think, Londrulf still ahead.]
"I am determined to end the feud, and I could never harm
you," said Voski.
They sat wordless, and Londrulf tried to draw her into an
embrace. She answered it stiffly at first, but the warm embrace of
the bear cloak and the cool whisperings of Orlanth's winds at last
brought her into his arms.
[Round 3: Victory for Londrulf, but not a massive one.]
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