Well having now read the entire text (with the exception of all the Cruel Fortune entries) I have one fairly big question:

Exactly when can someone spend 3 X's to kill an NPC?

The example of Hugh McMinn vs. Tom Reed confused me a bit here because it suggests that Hannah's goal is killing Tom.  And yet, she has 4 X's already, even without making a success roll.  So did she even need to do the Brutality vs. Soul roll to beat up on Tom, or can she just spend the 3 X's and kill him outright?
Then, exactly when does the "fight" begin?  As soon as the GM says it does?  And at that point, spending 3 X's to kill outright is no longer an option?

Secondly, I have a question about Prizes.  2 die prizes in particular.  Exactly what kind of protection can you give them?

She could have spent 3 Xs to kill him instead, yes. Fighting him preserves her Xs (supposing that she wins).

The fight begins when the characters begin fighting. Strictly, after the one character has attacked the other, when the other character fights back. If one character attacks another and the other doesn't fight back, it's not a fight.

Once the fight's begun, spending 3 Xs to kill is no longer an option, correct.

For 2-die prizes, you're limited to the "spend 1" and "spend 2" options, of course. So you can give them:
An armed ship's protection (although you'll be extrapolating its size; I recommend a sloop with profile 8);
A company of marines (for which you can substitute any body of armed men), perhaps exceptional;
A link to a particular cruel fortune;
A costly delay.

...In whatever combination you like that adds up to 2.

-Vincent

lumpley wrote: For 2-die prizes, you're limited to the "spend 1" and "spend 2" options, of course. So you can give them:
An armed ship's protection (although you'll be extrapolating its size; I recommend a sloop with profile 8);