So, in an exchange where one side has dice left and the other doesn’t, they automatically become the aggressor and now know they can execute a comparatively unopposed attack. Let’s look at two 13 dice combatants, and some things that could screw the “all in” attack. They won’t always, but they can - enough to make it a gamble with the attacker’s life.

1. A shield. Lower DTN means you need less dice on average...so if he throws 13, a defensive throw of 9 will probably block the strike or muff it to the point it glances harmlessly off armor. The remaining 4 dice go into a high precision attack against a weak point on the now defenseless attacker.

2. A riposte (counter) or a rota. If the party succeeds, it gets every one of the attackers successes back as more dice for the next exchange. Combined with a fencing blade or a long sword the defender would have the TN advantage as well. Low risk - if the attack gets through, it’s probably barely getting through and unless he’s completely unarmored the defender is fine. High pay off - if the dice go in y favor, suddenly you have 5-7 dice to fight a 0 die opponent with.

3. Ovveruns and Masterstrokes - particularly in heavily armored combat. The defender puts just enough in to let the chain mail or plate have a good chance of making the attack irrelevant, then uses the attacking portion of the maneuver to get in for free.

4. Full evasion. Will almost certainly avoid the blow and set the two combatants apart. Knowing what your “all in” opponent likes to do, come back in aggressive with a long extending thrust and leave enough dice to make it fast. Skewer him through the throat before his massive overhand chip comes down.

And more....

My bet is someone killed a few mooks with massive dice advantage and never had a near equal opponent punish them for the equivalent of taking giant sweeping slashes.