But doesn't reloading make the whole process pointless?
Yes it does, kind of. But I think of it like this...if reloading a saved game after I get clobbered isn't cheating, but rather *expected behavior* (as opposed to starting over every time you get squashed), then what's the harm in reloading a save to get the RPS outcome you want?
I'm still wrestling a bit with that...;) And I don't do it mostly but ride with the initial result. But sometimes, I just don't want to fight simply because I stuck my foot in my mouth--so I'll redo the RPS until I win...;)
I can't get over the fact that I could never pass the initiate test because my other PC kept disagreeing with me on every question, and I was right. At that point I would have preferred an override and just let the other PC be pissed at me.
I haven't gotten there yet, but thanks for reminding me that I ought to head back and get that done...;) I won the initial RPS contest with the initiates that were supposed to bar my way, and so I can go past them any time I like. Doesn't really do me much good, however, since I'm not yet strong enough to proceed very far into the desert...;)
Also, when in Hibenheim(sp?) I didn't feel like fighting every time I wanted to warm up at a fire, so I played the RPS games--sometimes I had to fight, sometimes not. I think it's a rather intriguing element in the game.