Tapping and extended Contests

From: Tim Ellis <tim_at_...>
Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2000 10:35:26 -0000


Both Nick, and Mike Cule before him, have expressed a distaste with the Extended contest mechanism, I can't say , in general it is one I share, I think that, used sensibly, it does manage to reflect the contests that it is modelling. (used sensibly, here means that if your games tribal moots are normally fully played out in first person immersive roleplaying you'd be foolish to disrupt this and insist on an extended contest. Role-play it out, assign suitable modifiers and make a simple roll or simple contest out of it).

One place I am not so convinced of is the "Tapping" rules given in the Sorcery advanced magic section. This suggests that Tapping is an extended contest between the Sorcerors "Tap" and the victims Magic Resistance or best appropriate skill. The example IIRC (I don't have the book with me) is a "Tap Physical" vs a "Climb" of 2W2 - How would you narrate this as an extended contest.

Also What if the Sorceror is attacked first? If you are already in a contest using your Close Combat, how do you deal with an attempt to Tap Relationship, or Tap Mental? You can't run 2 extended contests at the same time, defending with (and generating AP's from) Close Combat seems odd for an attempt to Tap something none-physical. (OK, defending - "The Sorceror makes arcane gestures and reaches out to touch you" "I chop him into tiny pieces with my Big Axe...", but the AP's ought to be based on what he is trying to Tap, at least as I read it...)

Thoughts, examples, alternative rules?

Powered by hypermail