These are some thoughts I've had while reading through the rules. Normally I try to avoid modifying a game before playing but I felt especially extended tests need a little more structure (the outline below are more or less stolen straight from another game called Noir).

Active and passive skill usage (Awareness)
An activity directly opposed by someone makes for an Opposed Skill Test. An activity passively opposed by someone do not.

• Trying to sneak past a guard on duty that is actively trying to prevent infiltration = an Opposed Skill Test
• Trying to sneak past a busy scavenger searching for scrap metal = a flat Skill Test

Extended tests (p.37)
How time consuming an Extended Test is are determined by the complexity of the task at hand. This in turn is measured by two factors;

One test can be made at each time increment:
• Very fast - one test per round
• Fast - one test per minute
• Short - one test per fifteen minutes
• Medium - one test per hour
• Long - one test per day
• Very long - one test per week
• Extremely long - one test per month

To succeed with the test a number of Degrees of Successes must be made:
• Easy - 1 DoS*
• Routine - 5 DoS
• Challenging - 10 DoS
• Difficult - 15 DoS
• Hard - 20 DoS
• Very hard - 25 DoS

*Degrees of Success

One example would be to use Security to pick a lock. A normal sturdy pad lock would perhaps need 5 DoS and a test could be made each round. A good craftsmanship safe would perhaps need 25 DoS and a test could be made once every fifteen minutes while a best craftsmanship safe would need perhaps 30 DoS and a test could only be made once every hour.

Now, I am not quite sure if Opposed skill tests factor in here. Say someone plants a bomb and someone else wants to disarm that bomb. Would this be an Extended test modified by the DoS of the bomb planter, or a simple Opposed test?

Comments?

This could then be applied on Inquiry tests: the amount of information gleaned is dependant on the number of Degrees of Success. The general conditions, such as a crowded marketplace, or a bar filled with surly regulars, determines how often an Inquiry test can be made.

The players can then determine themselves how much time (based on the number of tests) they want to use to gather information and are given information corresponding to the number of DoS that they have acquired.

For instance, in a crowded marketplace, they are allowed to make one test per fifteen minutes (short). After three tests they have acquired 7 DoS and have been given the information at both the easy and routine difficulties and decide to not waste any more time.