Now I'm aware that the rules for social encounters in DH2 are controversial but I happen to enjoy them a lot. I feel they help me to come up with deep personalities for adhoc NPCs on the go. So long story short I realy use them. Recently I was wondering if my interpretation of them is maybe not so good and I wanted to ask how other GMs handle it. The question is this:

When the Disposition of an NPC towards the warband has changed during an encounter should I use the changed Disposition for the next encounter with the same NPC or does he/she start from the initial Disposition again?

So far I ruled that the changed Disposition sticks. Now sometimes if my PCs get lucky they change the disposition of an NPC to let's say 90 and with only one encounter they have gotten a new best friend who almost always acts in the warband's best interest.

Do you also handle it like this or do you reset Disposition between encounters? Or maybe similarly to Subtlety when travelling from one planet to the next, let the Disposition change randomly towards its starting value?

Use discretion...

Major NPC > yes I would hold over the last value their Disposition was adjusted to

Minor NPC > no - they'd be handled on a situation by situation basis (i.e. every time met)

What do you others guys say?

Discretion.

Would that NPC keep the same thoughts towards the party? If yes, the new, if no... Then I guess the party can go and get $&@$%"!.

I'd keep the NPC's Disposition the same between encounters. If they're significant enough to warrant keeping track of their Disposition, it should remain mostly stable over the course of an adventure.

I'd keep the NPC's Disposition the same between encounters. If they're significant enough to warrant keeping track of their Disposition, it should remain mostly stable over the course of an adventure.

That is, unless the NPC in question is anything but stable.

I have little experience with "Social Combat" in DH2, but on a hunch I'd say: it depends.

If we consider Disposition like opinion, it's safe to say that it wouldn't just reset over just a few weeks. On the other hand, it is also entirely plausible that Disposition may "decay" over time -- perhaps not to the default level, but that new best friend you made may just treat you like an amiable acquaintance if you haven't kept in contact with them for months or years. Take a page from The Sims as an example.

Ideally, you could keep track on just how an NPC's Disposition was established, as different actions may yield different durations (short-term impressions from simple personal interaction vs lasting impact due to heroic stunts or feelings of gratitude/indebtedness), but this is probably only doable if you manage your NPCs in some sort of card or file system where such minutiae can be recorded. Highly optional, of course.