>If there's still only one way through, one possible
>allowed end result, the players still have to toe the
>line to succeed. That's fine for small stuff, picking
>locks, solving puzzles, but for a scenario as a whole,
>it's very restrictive and dissatisfying...
No one here has suggested that entire adventures be scripted in full, or that such a thing is desirable. Gareth wondered how best to integrate a desired endpiece into the extended contest mechanism. It is not difficult, but requires some forethought due to the different way things are handled in HERO WARS, as compared to most game rules.
The villain in Gareth's scene need only take unrelated actions (per p. 144 of HERO WARS) to further move up the stair toward the roof. Back-pedalling while defending himself is quite an impediment (per pp. 138-9 of HERO WARS), so he can probably climb three yards per AP invested in the action as long as he succeeds at an appropriate ability test. The APs invested should be lost regardless of success or failure, due to the precarious nature of the action. That is the easiest way to handle the climb, and the villain can attempt to flee the contest as well if his APs drop below a certain value. Successful flight allows him to get to the roof, where he can deliver his last words before the heroes can initiate a new contest (like a simple one to cut him down) or administer a coup-de-grace.
Hopefully that answers Gareth's question...
-- Michael Richard Schwartz | Language is my playground, mschwartz_at_... | and words, its slides and Ann Arbor, Michigan USA | swingsets. -- yours truly
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