My character is standing for election to the Senate. The election campaign lasts 5 days, and the narrator suggests that the candidates make a single exchange each day and if it's not resolved by the 5th day (candidates may be knocked out of the race earler) then it will be resolved in a furious bout of campaigning on the 5th day. That seems fair to me.
On the 3rd day my character is attacked in a back alley by a thug trying to beat me up and steal my purse.
I'd quite happily run the combat as an extended contest, if that seemed appropriate at the time. The understanding being that this contest has no intrinsic impact on the election race even if my character is injured (unless the character dies, but hey, ho).
If the thug was hired by a rival to eliminate me from the contest, that's different. Their hiring and sending the thug is their bid for this day - a high AP (probably desperation stakes) bet perhaps using their 'Underworld Contacts' ability. I defend with my Close Combat ability. If I lose badly I'm injured or dead and unable to continue in the election. If I win well (say an AP transfer in my favour) then perhaps I've got evidence implicating my rival in the attack.
So in conclusion, yes I suppose it might occasionaly be sensible to run an extended contest concurrently with, or within another one, but only if the two contests don't influence each other and even then I'd only allow it grudgingly.
Simon Hibbs
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