Doubt about confronting skills

[Jose Luis]

Hello, I have a doubt concerning the rules of "Runequest roleplaying in Glorantha".

It is about confronting skills; the rules state that the skill roll that gets the higher success wins, so a special roll wins over a normal one, for example.

The rules say that in case of a tie, nobody wins and the situation does not change, somehow.  But in at least one example in the book, a situation where both rolls are normal successes, the example shows a winner (I believe it was the one with the higher skill); is that a mistake?

Also, some situations do not really allow for a tie; it must have a winner, so what can it be done in these cases when a tie is obtained?

Thanks and regards.

[Scotty]

48 minutes ago, Jose Luis said:

Hello, I have a doubt concerning the rules of "Runequest roleplaying in Glorantha".

It is about confronting skills; the rules state that the skill roll that gets the higher success wins, so a special roll wins over a normal one, for example.

Yes

48 minutes ago, Jose Luis said:

The rules say that in case of a tie, nobody wins and the situation does not change, somehow. 

Yes,  the situation is temporarily unresolved. Per RQG, 144:

Tie: A tie (where both participants achieve the same type of success) means the situation is temporarily unresolved.

Note that temporarily unresolved, doesn't mean not resolved or won't be resolved. It just might take a bit longer. 

48 minutes ago, Jose Luis said:

But in at least one example in the book, a situation where both rolls are normal successes, the example shows a winner (I believe it was the one with the higher skill); is that a mistake?

There are corrections in the Q&A.

48 minutes ago, Jose Luis said:

Also, some situations do not really allow for a tie; it must have a winner, so what can it be done in these cases when a tie is obtained?

 

The RQ Line Editor Jason Durall says:

Quote

The rules cannot – and should not – account for every permutation of character interaction.
The gamemaster’s role is to make decisions about circumstances that are unclear and rule accordingly. 

In situations such as this in my games, I often choose that the lowest roll wins (nearest to 01).

[DreadDomain]

14 hours ago, Jose Luis said:

Also, some situations do not really allow for a tie; it must have a winner, so what can it be done in these cases when a tie is obtained?

My preferred option is to use the Mythras way (also an optional rule in BRP p.112). If both roll the same level of success, the highest roll win. That way having a higher skill gives you an edge without totally skewing it in your favor - this is what happens if you use the highest skill wins.

Edited June 24, 2023 by DreadDomain

[Akhôrahil]

I think it makes sense to use different solutions by need.

• Inconclusive tie, roll again later (potentially even much later).
• As the above, except the stakes also increase.
• Resolves as a tie (a boardgame or an election could be literal tie), or as a compromise (Bargain, for instance).
• Highest successful roll, Pendragon-style. This is great when the conflict has to resolve, right now.