I'm replying to to the digest, so please excuse me if I don't have the original text, but the question was how the AP bid system worked with archery.
I'd say the system makes lots of sense when there is two people shooting at each other. It is something like the classic gunfight scenes in westerns. You can pop out of cover and let loose quickly, but probably not so accurately, or you can be running and dodging and fire anyways--these are low AP bids, unlikely to do much damage, but not running much risk of you ending up with a yard or so of wood aerating your body. On the other hand, you can stand still, brace yourself, aim carefully, and let fly, quite possibly hitting them dead centre, but leaving yourself awfully exposed.
Even when one side can't shoot back, presumably they are doing *something*. Whatever they are attempting to do should be reflected in the skill they are using. If they are trying to close with you, then dodging or running or some such would be appropriate. If they are trying to get out of range, or find solid cover where you can't hit them, that could also use running, or find cover, or whatever seems right. The contest then is to see if you can run them out of AP, and get a chance to plonk them well, before they can reach you, or get out of range, or seek cover. A lot of the time you may not be attempting to hit them so directly as you to herd them. They dash towards a large jumble of boulders, you quickly take aim and let fly. If you win they have to throw themselves back, away from cover, to avoid the arrow, if they win they avoided the shot and got closer. If they gamble a lot they are making a straight sprint with little effor to dodge. If you gamble a lot you are aiming to hit them, not to deter them from where they are going. Of course, you can use the "wound them instead of transferring 7APs" option to reflect minor hits, if that is what you want to do.
I think the key to making this work is figuring the right skills, describing each sides goals, and applying reasonable modifiers and edges. Let's face it, it is much easier to avoid an archer in dense forest than on a bald plain!
--Bryan
PS. Hope nobody minds me showing up on the list and
starting to spout off right away.
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