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[ADRP] Endurance
finarvyn:
I think that an interesting discussion is whether the Endurance attribute is over-rated or under-rated. I apologize if no one finds this interesting, but I have had discussions on other Amber forums and usually find a wide variety of opinions on this issue....
Many ADRP players seem to think that Endurance is a wasted stat because it doesn't directly affect the outcome of a conflict. Certainly, Psyche, Strength, and Warfare can be closely associated with success or failure in a conflict, but Endurance seems to be worthless to many.
I would argue quite the opposite. Endurance has connections to all three of the main conflict attributes, thereby making it the most important of the four. A character can win a mind battle, swordplay, or a martial arts duel in a hurry as long as that character dominates in that attribute. But in Amber, it seems like most characters are similar in their abilities and true domination is rare. Therefore in the majority of conflicts, since there is no clear and dominant winner, the conflict should begin to default to Endurance to determine the victor.
In the ADRP rulebook, when Erick writes a simulated auction among his players, the GM tells the players that each attribute is the most important. The reader is encouraged to believe that all four are equally critical, but I think the correct answer is that Endurance is the best!
Just an opinion. :D
RPGPundit:
Yes, to me, Endurance has two things going for it:
1. Its the great tie-breaker.
2. Its the battery that lets you power most of the Powers.
It won't save you if your opponent has a clear attribute advantage against you in whatever contest you're having, but if you're close it can give you the time you need to come up with something, or even to tire the other guy out if your End is vast superior to his.
RPGPundit
Otha:
Endurance is only important to the extent that the GM makes it so.
There's almost never ties, because the first person to occupy a particular "rung" always has the advantage, so the concept of "tie breaker" is a slippery one.
Endurance is listed as being the battery for the powers, but not to what extent. The GM can make Amber level endurance enough for most any task, or he can exhaust people after the most minimal power use.
SunBoy:
I only directed two auctions, but in both of them I managed to "sell" endurance as the most important one- the one with most points invested on. As a GM, I try to make it a valuable attribute, as the first placer is the only one who can really keep a straining rhytm for days on end, use powers continuosly and so on.
I mean, there's a reason why the protagonist of the novels ain't Benedict nor Fiona nor Gerry, right? Corwin wasn't only the dirtiest sonuvabitch- and yes he was, Brand was a real sport beside him- he also had the batteries to keep going, and ultimately that was one of the reasons he reached what he did. I mean, he wasn't the best swordman, nor the strongest or the mindman, but he built a whole fucking universe just with wit and gut.
finarvyn:
--- Quote from: Otha ---There's almost never ties, because the first person to occupy a particular "rung" always has the advantage, so the concept of "tie breaker" is a slippery one.
--- End quote ---
Ah, but to me a "tie" implies two combatants who are near each other, not only the case of exact equals. My reasoning is that ADRP is designed with a ranking in mind and that since there should never be two individuals with the exact same ranking, if a tie implied sameness then there would be zero point in having Endurance at all. Clearly, since Endurance is included in the "big four", it is intended to have an impact on the game.
So ... the gray area becomes a matter of how close to one another the two attributes should be before the GM rules that Endurance takes over. Is it a matter of closeness of ranks? Is it a matter of closeness of points spent? This is where the "art" of being a GM kicks in.
However, as a numbers guy I would be happier if there was some sort of guideline for me to use. Not too specific, because I don't want my players to get so hung up on the numbers that they try to min/max the game.
Either way, I like Endurance because it can assist in all three fronts of conflict resolution.
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