I was hoping someone could help me understand a specific element of the game. I know opposed checks follow certain rules (i.e. if the opposing characteristic is equal to the acting characteristic then roll 2 challenge dice, if the opposing characteristic is less than the acting characteristic then roll 1 challenge dice, etc.). I was wondering why this rule is not used for combat? Aside from, "that's what the FAQ tells us to do", why do we always default combat to just 1 challenge die even though the action cards tell us that it is Weapon Skill vs. Target Defense? Yes, I know it makes it tougher to hit in most cases, but is that the whole reason? Is it maybe because players cannot compare the stats quickly enough and end up slowing down the game? Additionally, why is a target's agility not factored into his or her defense at all? It seems that doing things this way really minimizes the tactical depth that occurs from differences in ability. Maybe this is why some people feel it is too easy to hit? I personally don't mind my players hitting more frequently--I think it makes for a more exciting game, but I do find players that wish to play the classic nimble fighter (high agility and light armour) get pummeled consistently. Even with action cards, the core mechanic will punish that kind of play.
Has anyone ever tried to play a session using opposed checks for melee and ranged attacks ? How about using the target's agility (I suppose modified by the defensive rating of armour instead of adding misfortune dice) as the opposing defensive characteristic? Again, aside from "it's what the FAQ says to do", is there a good reason to do it the official way or is the system robust enough that it would work using the opposed check method? Would the opposed check method result in a better system? If not, (and here I think I've found the heart of my question) why is the opposed check rule even there in the first place? If the system works better by making a check default to just 1 purple die (modified by misfortune dice) then why not just make everything work that way?