Larp 101: The Game » Challenges
Situations in which you throw chops are called Challenges. There are three types: physical, mental, and social challenges. These challenges correspond to the three Attributes of a character and, during most challenges, at least one trait from the appropriate Attribute is at risk. Each challenge, regardless of it's type, is broken into two steps: the initial bid and the (optional) retests.
The initial bid begins when one player—who's the offensive player—indicates one or more other players—who're on defense—with whom he or she will throw chops. Then, chops are thrown. When challenges are one-on-one, we resolve the contest by comparing symbols and the winner is determined by who throws the winning one (in rock vs. paper, for example, the player throwing paper would win). For one-to-many, so-called Mass Challenges, each symbol thrown by a defensive player is compared to the offensive one.
In the event of a tie on symbols, the number of traits are compared. For example, recall the following image form the previous section:
A character's Attribute Traits
If a character with these Attribute Traits were to be in a Mental Challenge where both he and his opponent threw paper, then he would be said to be "bidding" six mental traits. If his opponent has more traits than six, she would win the initial bid. As traits are spent throughout a game session, the number of traits a player can bid is reduced as his or her character becomes exhausted. If both players in a challenge have the same number of traits, the challenge is a draw.
At this point, the loser of the initial bid would have spent one of their Attribute Traits. However, if they wish to avoid this, they can call for a retest by spending an appropriate Ability Trait. We've not spoken of Abilities, but these are the skills your character possesses like the ability to shoot guns, drive a car, or perform athletic maneuvers. Some challenges specify an Ability that must be had in order to retest, but others are less structured. In these cases, one of the Storytellers will determine the Abilities that can be spent.
When the loser of the initial bid calls for a retest, the winner can block the test also by spending an appropriate ability. If no appropriate ability is had by the winner, then chops are thrown and resolved just like during the initial bid. If the retest is blocked, then that retest is over.
Some Disciplines can provide characters with additional retests. Further, defending players in Mental and Social Challenges can also retest by spending their character's Willpower, which is another type of trait in the game. These retests are resolved exactly as we talked about above.