Situation: whats your call?

[copeab]

I'll add that my personal preferences as a GM (in all the games I run) come into this.

The two points are:

1) If it's not impossible for a PC to do something, then he can try to do it. The chances may be incredibly low, but the chance is there.

2) Friendly NPCs don't get to roll to do something a PC (or more than one) have rolled and failed. NPCs shall not upstage PCs. If the PCs are expecting the NPC to do something (such as in a combat with a lot of soldiers, or he's an expert with a skill no PC possesses) then the NPC rolls normally.

So, if anyone in the HUMVEE is an NPC, I don't roll for for him until all the PCs who could roll have done so and failed.

[Legbreaker]

I sort of like how the original Shadowrun handled additional attempts at the same task - they made the target number for success harder each time.
Perhaps the same idea could be implemented for multiple people trying to spot - person with the best position/chance goes first with the task becoming increasingly harder for each one following (who's probably got their back turned anyway).