Firstly there is no rule which says when to use extended contests versus simple contests - choose whichever is better for representing the situation and for the flow of the game. At the Conjuration demo game I played in we never used extended contests - and the game still worked very well.
>
>1) If a significant combat starts, with say a charge of the hero's
>(Players) against a group of bowmen how would you run that ? What
>kind of skills would you use to start the AP totals and when would
>you judge the hero's getting to the bowmen so they can engage in Hand
>to hand combat ? Would this be as a concept of a AP total or a number
>of contests rounds ?
>
>or
>
>Would you view this as a simple context of bows vs combat/shield
>skill - to manage get into combat ? I could see that more in a
>different setting where way the hero's opponents had automatic
>weapons...
I would start the contest using the Hero's movement abilities (which they will "attack" with to try to get in close) and whatever ability the bowmen are using to try to keep the Heroes at a distance (often their skill with the bow - but mounted archers might use their horses' movement). But the bowmen might have different goals which might make a different ability more appropriate.
>
>2) If a hero (a player) has a major NPC on the run and draws his bow
>to shot a major NPC is this an extended contest or a simple one ? If
>simple then how do you judge the combat results and if complex how is
>this described to/by the players ?
I would use a simple contest (partly because I can't think of a good way to run it as an extended contest). If the Hero wins, use the "Contest Consequences" chart to determine how badly the NPC is wounded.
>
>3) If in the middle of a 'straight/normal' combat one of the players
>wants their character to taunt an opponent into making a mistake or
>throw sand in their eye's etc. Is this a simple contest in the middle
>of the extended one (and if sucessfull this provides edges for the
>extended completion which is rolled straight after the simple one) ?
>Would the principle be the same if instead of verbal taunts the
>player decided to use Erol Flin style acrobatics to help in the
>combat? or am I missing something here
There are times when it is appropriate to use a simple contest during an extended contest, but usually I would run these as part of the extended contest using different abilities. If changes in advantage point totals adequately describe the effect from a mechanical point of view (there will be narrative effects as well) then it can be done as an exchange within the extended contest.
-- -- "The T'ang emperors were strong believers in the pills of immortality. More emperors died of poisoning from ingesting minerals in the T'ang than in any other dynasty" - Eva Wong _The Shambhala Guide to Taoism_ Paul K.
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