Re: Re: edges; contests

From: Robin D. Laws <rdl_at_...>
Date: Wed, 28 Jun 2000 21:32:17 -0500


At 03:18 PM 6/28/00 -0700, David Dunham wrote:

>Nick asked
>
> >Should you routinely use a separate "attacking ability" and
> >"defending ability" throughout extended contests, swapping over
> >between bidding rounds?
>
>(Robin, what's wrong with this approach? Surely Nick shouldn't have
>to use Stiff Upper Lip to convince his daughter to get back in bed.
>And if it turns out his Voice is not working, why can't he switch to
>Threaten with Spanking?)

The key here is the word "routinely". For most routine situations (fighting, magic, suasion), I would assume that heroes have broad enough abilities that they can be used for both active and reactive actions. The desire to have different abilities in use for active and reactive actions in almost every extended contest seems to me to derive from an impulse towards over-complication.

The example you cite is fine, but not the sort of extended contest that will come up more often than not in the average game.

And of course characters can switch abilities at any time.

Take care >>> Robin

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