Re: House Rule for extended contests

From: drpachyderm <dunlaing_at_...>
Date: Tue, 02 Sep 2003 15:36:15 -0000

> dramatic. So I think Laws Law regarding repeated declarations of
action

> applies here. If the player can't come up with a creative use for
the

> Ability, then his opponent gets a bonus for resistance (ostensibly
for being

> predictable).

>

> If it's not in the rules already somewhere, I suggest a cumulative
bonus to

> the defender ranging from three to five per addition depending on
how

> mundane the description is. So, if my player says, "I swing at him"
for a

> second time (and maybe even on the first time if I'm feeling my
oats), I can

> assign his opponent a +4 bonus (I'll save +5 for, "I do it again"
sorts of

> descriptions). Do it yet again, and it'll go to a +8, etc.

>

> Now, I can extend this and say that simply using the same Ability
repeatedly

> becomes easier to adapt to for the defender.

What if you turned this on its head. What if, instead of assigning a penalty for using the same thing over and over, you assigned a bonus for doing neat things? Wouldn't that have about the same mathematical effect? And it might lead to less friction between Narrator and player.

Example one:

Fred (with a 10W) fights Ted (an NPC with a 10W)

Fred: I swing at him. [They each roll against 10W]

Narrator: Ted throws sand in your eye and swings. [They each roll against 10W]

Fred: I swing again.

Narrator: Ok, you're doing the same thing all over again, you're -4 [Fred swings at 6W, Ted swings at 10W]

Fred: son of a-- <grumble grumble> not driving you home <grumble grumble>

Example two:

Fred (with a 10W) fights Ted (an NPC with a 10W)

Fred: I swing at him. [They each roll against 10W]

Narrator: Ted throws sand in your eye and swings. Ted did something cool, so he gets to add 4 [Fred swings at 10W, Ted swings at 14W]

Fred: son of a-- <grumble grumble> not driving you home <grumble grumble>

Narrator: You can get the same benefit, you know, if you do something other than just swing again.

Fred: I swing again--no, wait, I jump up onto the table and hack down at him!

Narrator: Sweet [Fred swings at 14W, Ted swings at 10W]

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