This mechanics seems find and dandy. I'll put it to use on Friday, should any of these events take place:
1. A fight on bridge, with a Wind mage among the bad guys... I think increasing the tension with this mechanics can be done easily but, as other have pointed out, not by counting down rounds. If a character is pushed off the bridge, margin of success of the Acrobatics roll will determine the size of the pool. And he will roll each turn of the initiative order. Will you arrest and restrain the enemy mage or will you risk him casting another spell while you rescue you friend... the small gargoyle he's hanging from is creaking... Usually when a main character threatens to fall ALL of his friends try to help him up, while in RPG, the party telepathically cooperate perfectly... adding tension could work...
2. They plan an infiltration. I have been struggling to replicate some "alertness levels" from some time and I think the countdown mechanics would be a very good fit: A large pool, and when there is no dice, the complex goes into full alert. The pool is rolled after each round of combat (over multiple fights) because fighting is noisy, each time someone yells and shouts (so they'd need to knock some of the witness), each time they do drop a bucket into a well visiting a dwarven tomb... The large initial pool will ensure they (very probably) don't raise the alarm right off the beginning but it will incentivize to be extra discrete and quick while investigating the complex.
I can see the mechanics getting much use in the future, but maybe not at the scale of a single fight measured in rounds.
1. A fight on bridge, with a Wind mage among the bad guys... I think increasing the tension with this mechanics can be done easily but, as other have pointed out, not by counting down rounds. If a character is pushed off the bridge, margin of success of the Acrobatics roll will determine the size of the pool. And he will roll each turn of the initiative order. Will you arrest and restrain the enemy mage or will you risk him casting another spell while you rescue you friend... the small gargoyle he's hanging from is creaking... Usually when a main character threatens to fall ALL of his friends try to help him up, while in RPG, the party telepathically cooperate perfectly... adding tension could work...
2. They plan an infiltration. I have been struggling to replicate some "alertness levels" from some time and I think the countdown mechanics would be a very good fit: A large pool, and when there is no dice, the complex goes into full alert. The pool is rolled after each round of combat (over multiple fights) because fighting is noisy, each time someone yells and shouts (so they'd need to knock some of the witness), each time they do drop a bucket into a well visiting a dwarven tomb... The large initial pool will ensure they (very probably) don't raise the alarm right off the beginning but it will incentivize to be extra discrete and quick while investigating the complex.
I can see the mechanics getting much use in the future, but maybe not at the scale of a single fight measured in rounds.
