Editing Samsara:Fundamentals (section)

===Example 1: The Sea Finch===
In a swordfight, Captain Smashing initiates the duel and is the protagonist at the start of the contest.  This makes Baron Vile the antagonist.  Captain Smashing is a saucy rogue, possibly showing off in front of some nearby damsels.  He’s not trying to kill Baron Vile; just make him look silly and deprive him of his weapon.  Vile, meanwhile, thinks that Smashing is a jerk who’s been a thorn in his side for far too long; he’d like to jab his sword into Smashing’s throat.

So the two actors have very different goals.  Given this, whenever Captain Smashing delivers checks to Vile, the player and the GM must interpret this in light of his goal.  If he delivers 1 check, perhaps he made Vile stumble a bit.  If he delivered 6 checks, he might have gotten the Baron to thrust his sword into a doorway, gotten it stuck, and then reached over and smacked Vile on the face.  If Smashing wins (see Winning the Contest below), then the player and GM will have to interpret how he won and why Baron Vile is out of the contest.  Perhaps he lets Vile knock himself unconscious on a low-hanging branch, or perhaps the Baron is so overcome with shame that he just collapses in a heap.

On the other hand, if Baron Vile delivers 1 check, he might have pricked the Captain’s hand with the tip of his sword or even just gotten him off-balance.  If he delivers 6 checks, he might well have rammed a length of that steel into some valuable piece of Smashing.  If Baron Vile wins, then Captain Smashing is probably dead or dying.