>1. Extended contests take some getting used to, and there have been discussions of how to run them on this list. I've been running and playing Hero Wars-->HeroQuest for about 3 1/2 years and I still haven't seen a consistent treatment of extended contests. You don't need to use them, but you may want to try because they can work well. You may want to attend a demo or games convention game if feasible in order to see how someone else runs them, though that may not be a method that works for you.
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I have also been narrating Hero Wars / HeroQuest for over three years
now, and only this week began to understand how I should use extended
contests in my game. I previously ran at least one extended contest in
every "scene" - and sometimes more than one. Magical abilities were only
used as augments to the main ability except under unusual circumstances.
After reading that others were using magical abilities (or any ability,
really) in a much more direct way, I tried avoiding the extended
contests unless the situation clearly called for one - a climactic duel,
debate, etc. As it happened, we avoided extended contests altogether. It
was *much* more fun! Players scoured their character sheets for
appropriate magical abilities, and used them in creative ways to achieve
their goal. My NPC villains were doing the same. It was fun and exciting
in ways that my game has not seen in a long time. The players were very
pleased, and thanked me for making the change.
This does not mean that I have given up on extended contests, but when you only have a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. I am happy to discover that there are more tools in HeroQuest than I thought! :)
~Kevin McD - Slow Learner
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