Change to Advantages?

[Valamir]

I'm not certain what the change to Advantages on the FAQ means.

In the GenCon rules, the Advantage die remains until it is canceled by an action...presumeably you roll sufficient Victories to overcome and negate the Advantage altogether (or at least reduce its die size).  Since this concept is actually the core driver of my own Robots & Rapiers design, I was pretty comfortable with it.

So, I'm not sure how to interpret the FAQ.  Are advantage dice now 1 use only and then they go away without needing to be canceled?  Do they remain in force but can only be used once per battle?

The example in the book refers to centaurs being "Swiftest on the plain of Illos" and having a d8 advantage (presumeably to any contest where speed is useful...like positioning rolls).  Does this rule change mean they only get to be "swiftest" for one roll and then that's it?  I'm not sure I follow.

[John Harper]

You get to keep an advantage die until someone takes action to reduce or negate it, yes. However, you may only use an advantage once per contest. They don't "go away" after use.

So, in a simple contest, the centaurs could add their d8 to their roll. In a battle where speed mattered (or for a positioning roll) each centaur would have an extra d8 to use in any one roll in the battle. After the battle, the cenaurs would still have their "Swiftest" advantage die to use in future contests.

[Valamir]

Cool.  I get it now.

As an alternative...instead of hard coding 1 use per contest...how about if the Advantage gets used in every roll it applies until the first time the user loses a roll using it?

[John Harper]

That sounds like a fun gambling variant. Let us know how it works if you use it.

[Darren Hill]

I've used a mechanic like that in my own game system, and it has worked well - I see no reason it wouldn't in Agon. But actual play is the true test, of course.

Here's another idea: Each time the Advantage is used it is impaired. It can be refreshed just like other traits until negated.

Ralph's question, though, opens up another for me:

"the Advantage die remains until it is canceled by an action...presumeably you roll sufficient Victories to overcome and negate the Advantage altogether (or at least reduce its die size). "

I asked earlier about countering advantages, and the answer was that they aren't actually countered - instead the acting character gets a counter-advantage. Or did I misunderstand, again?

And if they are countered, are they simply eliminated with a success, or are they reduced by 1 step per victury?

Finally, a related question: the text mentions Enhancement Levels:
"Impairment or enhancement levels are applied to the size of the die. If you have an enhancement level to your d8 Insight, then it becomes one size larger: a d10."

Are there any situations in the text where Enhancement levels are actually used? When would you recommend they be used?

[John Harper]

Ooops, bad wording on my part. Advantages are not "countered" in the way Ralph suggests (reducing the die size), though that is a cool variant. You have it right, Darren.

Example: The centaurs are "swiftest on the plains of Illios" d8. The heroes win an advantage to counter that by getting "the fastest horses in the world" d10 (or d6, d8, or whatever). Now both sides have an advantage die to add when speed matters.

Enhancement levels are a legacy element that didn't get incorporated into the final game. There are some semi-obvious ways to apply them, though, if you feel that you need somehting like that in your game. So far, I haven't seen a need in my play.

[Darren Hill]

Taking your example: the Heroes get "the fastest horses in the world," d10 - do they get to keep that advantage for later contests, later quests, and/or later islands?

Another thought: when you spend a Strife to buy a d8 advantage for an opponent, does this increase the Glory award for defeating that opponent?

[John Harper]

Yes and yes.