The Road to Amber

So, I think I agree that wits is well-suited to indirect stuff. I could see the justification for grace. Resolve and Force seem hard to apply to these situations. I'm guessing most people wouldn't try. If so, though, you can always talk it over when you throw the compares at each other. I'm sure someone out there has a good justification for an indirect conflict involving force.

I don't think resources should be used on the character-scale. I figure exceptionally shady people with mild means can probably hire some thugs and bravos for a quick job when the occasion calls for it, so long as they don't go overboard. Going overboard (siccing an army on someone) is another story altogether. 'Corwin sics Amber's populace, potency 5, focus 3 on someone' token used in an indirect conflict +compare is beyond overkill.

As far as challenges? Tuning a +challenge for optimal fun is tough. I can definitely see the case for a +compare for this sort of thing.

This is sort of how I imagine something with an indirect conflict might go:
Villain: I'd like to ambush you and your date. I won't be present, but I'll be coordinating.
Victim: OK. I don't mind mopping up a few goons and impressing my date, or taking some scrapes. I know and trust you, so let's just negotiate informally for a narrow, short-term result after the compare, ok?
Villain: Excellent. I'm not really interested in big +storybuilding myself, so if we can't agree on something afterwords, I'll be down a few goons, you'll be up some bruises? This would be an indirect combat.
Victim: Cool. Let's do the +compare.
Villain does: sty-in + wits.
Victim does: phy-st + skl-wm + skl-fm + grace
Villain: Classic ambush. Distraction, a few guys running interference to keep annoying interlopers away. A few thugs who mean business.
Victim: Makes sense. I'll just slice, run, and headbutt my way through them.

Both parties agree to compares. The result comes up: villain wins, 1 conseqence.
Victim: Curses.
Villain: Heh. Neat. Anyhow, all I want out of this is to drag you (blindfolded) back to my place where I can deliver a chilling monologue. You can escape unharmed.
Victim: Works for me.
<they pose it out>

alternately: victim wins, 1 consequence.
Villain: Curses
Victim: Conan was an amatuer. Anyhow, I want to interrogate a goon and learn who sent him.
Villain: Sounds great. They are goons though, so they won't know everything. Something about who sent them and where you can find him certainly, though. Maybe some of the why.
Victim: I can live with that.
<they pose it out>

Maybe it'd be far uglier in practice, though?