>From: "parental_unit_2" <parental_unit_2_at_...>
>Shouldn't AP totals change somehow to reflect this? If one side
>completely changes the nature of the contest, shouldn't it somehow
>reset the totals?
I don't think so.
If an action changes the situation, then the bid needs to be large enough to represent this when all is said and done. This is the point of Brand's article. When the action taken to change things is complete, the new AP should then represent the current situation. If the bid cannot do so, then it's not large enough.
So, for example, let's say that there's a contest in which one side has a large AP advantage, 50 to 25, but the small side tries to make a move to make it where they abilities used are about at parity. Well, if the contest started right then in the parity situation, then 25, 25 might be approrpriate. So, IOW, the bid to alter the situation should be 25. If the player succeeds in altering the situation, then, in fact, the points are at what they would be if the situation had started where it's now been maneuvered to.
Now, this is an ideal situation, and you can't always make it work out perfectly. But the real question with AP is not how many you have, but how the AP compare proportionally. This is why the suggested bid sizes are always given in terms of percentages. For example, if the player in the above example gets the idea late to alter the conflict, starting at 12 and 25 AP respectively, then he still should bit 100% to make the contest even.
You can use the parity thing as a guideline for setting appropriate bids. Won't always work perfectly, but it'll give you ideas.
There are some who advocate simply giving everyone the same number of APs to start for every contest (50, perhaps). I won't advocate for or against this system, but I think it can work, and eliminates all these concerns. In any case, if you can see how this works, then you can see why with the current system it's not an issue. AP aren't a measure of precisely where one stands so much as a comparison of relative dramatic strength. From one POV, the only reason to give the higher amount is because that character (not his situation), is cooler than the other character.
Mike
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