Elrostar's page

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Jabberwock.
Dear sweet Bajeebus.
I'll be in my bunk.

I think that for a Throne War style game, having an attribute auction is perfectly reasonable. It does indeed represent a situation in which everyone has known each other for a long time and is acutely aware of each other's strengths and weaknesses. And one in which there will probably be quite a few casualties among the players, of course. So as a way of dealing with a throne war among the elders (who have indeed known each other for centuries), it is a perfectly reasonable approach.
That doesn't happen to be the style of Amber game I enjoy, however. I like it to be possible to have PCs be not intimately familiar with each other's strengths and weaknesses, perhaps because they haven't known each other for too long,
I like games in which players are free to explore the world(s) and interact with people, each other, and engage in whatever it is they enjoy. Oh, and also deal with whatever threats may be poised to overthrow them (or even Amber).

In terms of the attribute system as Wujick created it, I just don't feel that it is in any way a proper reflection of Zelazny's books. The vast chasm between Shadowlings and Amberites is simply not something that is found in the novels. An obvious illustration of this is where Corwin is being attacked by Gerard and Ganelon jumps in and knocks Gerard out, allowing Corwin to escape. If Gerard's Strength is such that he is (essentially) infinitely superior to every other Amberite, how the hell do we account for him being knocked out by a mere Shadowling. Of course, as it happens, Ganelon is actually Oberon in disguise, but the fact that none of the parties involved (Corwin, Benedict, Gerard) immediately deduce that Ganelon is an Amberite (and a damn special one at that) is a pretty strong indication that Amberites are not elevated above the level of the most capable of Shadowlings. There are numerous other examples, but that one is pretty solid, I would think.

Arguments that I shouldn't insist on precision crunch are, to my mind, missing the point. I'm not asking for a system that is detailed like GURPS. I'm just asking for one that is self-consistent and makes sense, and is a decent representation of how things work in Zelazny's books. And I honestly don't feel that ADRPG (as created by Wujick) does that, although it's possible to modify it in order to make it work.
I just don't feel that a system in which Flora is stronger, more resilient and a better general than all PCs by construction is a terribly sensible model. Additionally, having a game in which any agency the players may feel can be instantly trumped by the presence of an elder (and indeed, where the suggested resolution of any serious threat or problem is supposed to be resolved by a deus ex machina style intervention on the part of an Elder) is one that is terribly interesting one in which to be a player.
The best Amber game I played in used no rules at all, actually. And the other good games I've been a player in used a number of variants of ADRPG, including FUDGE and an extension to the attribute system (in order to reflect things like Status, knowledge of Shadows, ability to keep and learn other people's secrets). None of these included an auction.

So I guess I'm saying that an attribute auction can work just fine for certain games. But the game the OP is running doesn't off-hand seem to be one of them.