All stats are created equal, but some are more equal than others.
(I seem to be in the mood to write about roleplaying today....)

Practically all roleplaying games use stats and there are very few that seem to actually keep them balanced. Most systems seem to have just tried to make stats as balanced as they can. Sure, Str in GURPs may not be as important as Dex, but it does have it's uses. In the Champions/Hero system they tried to balance it out by having some stats cost more than others. Amber on the other hand has the auction system to balance stats. If the players don't think Strength is going to be as useful as Warfare, they won't bid up as high on the stat. Of course, most Amber games don't use auctions or ranks. The auctions are time consuming and keeping track of the current rank of a character as new PCs and NPCs are added is a pain.

Personally, my theory on attributes in the Amber DRPG is if two PCs who spent equal points in different attributes face off using those attributes, the thing the GM should be comparing is the ranks of those attributes. If one character spent 40 points to get first rank Strength and the other spent 50 points to get second rank Psyche and they face off using those attributes in an equal situation where neither attribute has an advantage then the character with the first rank attribute should win. (I can't think of a situation where neither would have an advantage, but this a hypothetical question, no?) Now, if a PC and an NPC face off with equal points spent, than the PC wins. That's "main character power."

Now maybe that person who spent the 50 points for a second rank ability gets upset because he spent an equal points as the first rank character. That player should remember that the reason he has second rank was because he and at least one other player thought that first rank in that ability would come in to play more often. The character who has the first rank took more of a gamble that the ability he bid up for (Strength in the example) might come in handy. It did in this case.

So, since I don't need to worry about ranks unless the PCs are fighting eachother, I don't figure the NPCs in to the ranks. That makes figuring out who has first, second, etc. a whole lot easier.

"What if a player has a power that boosts an attribute?" Well, all of the powers in Amber come with a drawback. If th player is using an existing power to boost an attribute than it already has its flaws. If it is a brand new power, I would have made sure that attribute-boosting power would have enough of a drawback to balance it at character creation. So, if it can improve the characters ranking, it should have a worthy disadvantage. (Perhaps it only lasts for a very short time and leaves the character exhausted and vulnerable after using it....) Also, just because that character temporarily has a higher rank does not mean he instantly wins. The actions of the attacking and defending characters has to be taken in to account as in any fight between characters. If the defending character doesn't make he mistake of underestimating his new high-powered opponent and stays on the defensive he may be able to make it a test of Endurance or be able to stall until help arrives.