Mundane Contests

[Mike Holmes]

Occasionally I like to use the conflict system for something that might seem kinda odd. I have the character roll for something really mundane. For example, in one case, before heading out for a party, I had each character going make a grooming die roll to see how nicely they had made themselves up. Most of the characters did not have grooming, so they had to roll against their default 6, with some augments. I made this a variable augment roll, essentially, so they could choose to go for any level of bonus that they liked. Some chose to roll against a 5, some against a 10, etc. The results, I thought, were interesting, in that they set a tone for the subsequent action. And the bonuses did get used for rolls that evening, they weren't just a throwaway.

Now, all of this seems in some ways to go against certain principles. For example, the "no self-respecting hero" clause of automatic success. And general narrativism principles which speak to only doing contests when they're dramatically interesting.

I guess my question is, in making a character a protagonist, does it sometimes do to zoom into the "small stuff" occasionally to humanize them? I'm not talking about rolling every time they try to cross the street or to tie their sandals. But once in a while, just to set a mood?

Does this seem kosher?

Mike