Using climactic consequences you count all RPs scored against you, and losers add 1 to the total (p 37). So on the losing side suffering eg. 3, 3, and 1 (against multiple opponents) is enough for a Dying result. Multiple opponents are dangerous as hell.
In a 1-1 contest and especially using rising action, yes, it's hard.
Then again, Dying is as good as Dead for most practical purposes -- and scoring a difference of 7 is a bit easier than a difference of 8.
> Either way seems to be extremly unlikely, why I guess I am doing something wrong. Can
> anybody help me out?
Aside from the multiple opponent and +1 to losers in climactic scenes, I don't think you are doing anything wrong. HQ2 by default is not very deadly -- but it can be made more so in a number of ways.
Some places in the book:
Parting Shot (p38): after winning, kick them while they're down. Once.
Risky Gambit (p49): score an additional resolution point if you win, makes 3 major victories sufficient for a 8 RP difference.
Upping The Stakes (p75): successive losses in successive extended constests ramp up the consequences.
Death Spiral (p76): if losers of exchanges suffer consequences immediately, extended contests become more deadly as likelyhood of scoring major/total victories increases.
Helpless Foes (p85): while the main text here is about preventing heroes from slaughtering their vanquished foes, the clear implication is that less-than-heroic characters could do just that. The text also notes the option to treat major, or even minor victories as instant kills against unworthy opponents.
It also depends on the framing of the contest: mutual goal of Hurt The Other Guy Till He's Down is different from a mutual goal of Only One Of Us Will Walk Out Of Here Alive. Case in point: the Graduated Goals example on p85 shows a Minor Victory in a simple contest killing a PC -- which is OK given the framing, presumably.
So, um.
I think NPCs and PCs need to be differentiated here, and genre conventions taken into account.
HQ seems to on purpose go against the general RPG grain of indiscriminate killing, but if this makes for awkward play, it's easy to fix. If you don't like having helpless but injured foes instead of dead ones -- just declare them dead or dying. I think this is clearly the right choice for eg. Sword & Sorcery: Conan leaves blood and entrails on the ground, not moderately injured opponents. Similarly for classic D&Desque fantasy: foes either flee, or fall down dead -- no moral choices of what to do with them afterward. That's for NPCs.
If it seems that player characters are not in sufficient mortal danger... well, that's trickier. You could eg. make NPC's take Risky Gambits or use Upping the Stakes. Implementing the death spiral increases danger overall. One unorthodox option is increasing the required RP total to win an extended contest: this makes them more deadly.
Cheers,
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