Re: (TFT) Question to list --> contests.

[ErolB1@aol.com]

In a message dated 8/3/2003 9:15:30 PM Central Daylight Time, 
rsmith@lightspeed.ca writes:

>     So I ask the list, what would be a
> good way of resolving a contest between
> two characters.  (A contest is when both
> people are directly competing against
> each other.)


A method I've just recently come up with but haven't tried in actual play: 

One character rolls 3 dice vs [attribute], with a penalty equal to the amount 
by which the other character's [attribute] is over 10. If the other character 
has an [attribute] under 10, the first character gets a corresponding bonus. 
E.g. if Character B has St 12, then Character A rolls 3d vs St at a -2 
penalty. If Character B has St 9, then Character A rolls at a +1 bonus. 

I use this in my new rules where one character shoves another (St vs St) or 
when two characters both want to enter the same hex as their end-of-turn shift 
(Dx vs Dx), as well as for various other things. 

Advantages: 

o It requires only one die roll. 

o It's symmetrical: It doesn't matter which character rolls and which 
supplies the modifier.

o For common attribute scores (those in the 10-19 range) determining the 
penalty is dead easy. 

As for how much of a chance a weaker character has, this method will give the 
weaker character an 8- roll with a 2 point disadvantage, a 7- roll with a 3 
point disadvantage, and a 6- roll with a 4 point disadvantage. 

Checking the numbers...<sfx: Blinkenlights> This turns out to be somewhat 
worse for the weaker figure than your method 2 - I guess that you want to give 
weaker characters a better chance than I do. 

I suppose you could cut the penalty/bonus in half, so as to give weaker 
figures a better chance: That way, a 3-4 pt disadvantage (assuming rounding up) 
would be an 8- roll instead of a 7- or 6- roll. This would be a somewhat better 
chance than your method 2, at the cost of a bit of clunkiness. 

Erol K. Bayburt
ErolB1@aol.com
=====
Post to the entire list by writing to tft@brainiac.com.
Unsubscribe by mailing to majordomo@brainiac.com with the message body
"unsubscribe tft"