Combat as a contest of attack skill vs defense

[Mathulhu]

As a system it can work perfectly fine if you compare like with like as is down in other contests between skills. If you want to decide who wins in a sword fight just roll sword skills and the person with the largest margin of success is the winner.

I have found a different option works with my players. If the fight looks like it is dragging on too long out of character have people react like it is dragging on too long in character. No one should just stand there and mechanically throw the same attack over and over again (unless they really are automatons) just to have it deflected in the same way.