Ian Cooper replied:
...
> How satisfying a
> conclusion if in the final battle the villain is
> felled by one lucky roll? What we want is a see-saw
> battle, that has everyone on the edge of their seats.
...
Given that HPs spent in a contest BEFORE an NPC spends his are wasted, should the Narrator announce at the start of a contest that the NPC has HPs, and say how many the NPC has?
If the battle was going against the PCs, would the Narrator give the PCs free bumps, to swing it back again?
Otherwise, you are saying that the PC's HP stock should be expended to ensure a see-saw battle (either spent for real advantage, or wasted because of NPC HPs). Forcing a PC to spend their HPs to produce a Narrator effect (as it were) seems unfair. And what if the PCs don't actually want a see-saw battle? Climaxes need not be see-saw. Miyamoto Musashi's battle at the lone pine is just a succession of slaughters.
But what if the PCs don't have any HPs to spend? How will the Narrator ensure a see-saw battle, if things go against the PCs? Or are you saying that a rapid defeat of the PCs is OK, but a rapid defeat of the NPC is not?
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