Group Assists

From: orlanthumathi <anti.spam_at_...>
Date: Sat, 08 Oct 2011 12:17:21 -0000

There is a more profound issue with assists. If you focus on Conflict Resolution, then assistance is equally an agenda in the conflict, and as such would be better handled as a goal ranked equally amongst the other goals in the contest (all be it potentially orthogonal). This requires either procedural rules like FATE, a more open and amorphous currency exchange like Dogs in the Vineyard or HQ1, or an emergent procedure like Sorcerer or Kill Puppies for Satan.

This isn't one of HQ2's strengths, as it instead splits multiple character goals into various two character conflicts. This necessitates cross conflict assist rules, which feel less suited to the overall arena of the conflict.

You gain the clarity of discrete conflicts, but you loose an overall idea of the conflict being a multifacited whole and a form of Conflict Resolution in and of itself. This narrower focus is often smoothed over in the narrative in HQ2 if the GM or players want to express a wider perspective, but it isn't handled in the system very smoothly.