The only real issue I have there is mechanically. If you already have a weapon of high rating, allowing THAT to satisfy the catch just makes you that much more of that one badass who overshadows the whole party. Everyone else is using their claws and daggers while you get to deal 4- or 5-stress hits left and right. And THEN this big tank comes along and everyone else is that much more ineffective against it, while you get to bypass its Catch and kill it that much harder, leaving everyone else in the party to wonder why they ever bother doing anything except throwing out a few maneuvers here and there.

I mean, it's one thing to be the star fighter in a party. It's quite another when you leave everyone else in the dust to the point where they don't even feel useful.

Those things (or werebuffalos or werebears), by all rights, should have some natural armor rating and extra stress, as detailed in Inhuman Toughness. Problem is, that needs to be assigned to a Catch, and those animals don't really have Catches. You just need a big enough bullet. So, the Catch should offer a +0 refund, but what would you put there?

By the time the far future comes about, the catch to magic will change from tech-hex to something else.  Bob has said it has changed before, and if people rely on technology simply to live, magic would have to adjust or cease to exist (a wizard born on a starship would likely not survive to procreate, for example).

Good point. Bob did say "every three centuries" or so. Maybe it'd have subspace effects, since that's the newest technological advancement by then.

Your Story, page 61. It's where it's talking about writing the backstories for your story aspects.

This seems shameless, using one forum to promote another.

I'm also shameless, and I love both products, so you've earned my vote :-D

A LOT of good points, there.

I think it should still be possible to talk someone into giving up even when the fists start flying, but it should be a LOT harder to do during combat than around a table.

I'll talk with my group and see what they want to do.

I just let them do social attacks on their turn, mix it all into the same conflict. Running two conflicts simultaneously like that would just be overly confusing.

To determine turn order, just go with whatever type of conflict it started as. And if one's going to continue trying to talk while the other is using his fists, then do Empathy of the first guy vs. Alertness of the second.