How do you handle characters with high Impress skills?

[Antilles]

I think that's the right way to play it - but even when their attitude hits Devoted, the Courtier doesn't own them.  After all, mechanically, the NPC won't help out all that much (they aren't a Contact, so you can use Persuade for one action a scene, but that's normally it).

Owning them might be a bit of an overstatement, but don't forget Disposition is added as a bonus to several social checks, including Impress. A +25 on top of a Courtier's already impressive Impress check means the NPC better have an equally impressive Resolve check + the request is outrageous enough to give him a sufficiently large bonus on the resolve check (i.e. deadly risk and no incentive) or he'll do it. So yeah, a Courtier can pretty much boss around a Devoted NPC as much as he wants.

Also, there are no limits to how often you can Persuade someone per scene. You're probably thinking of Influence.

[Krensky]

If you want to cool down Disposition, keep the number, but provide a bonus equal to the Attitude difference from Neutral.

+/-1 for Intrigued/Cold
+/-2 for Friendly/Unfriendly

Etc.

[warlock69]

I was interested in social mechanics a while back.  Here are a couple of interesting articles on the topic:

http://www.roleplayingtips.com/gm-techniques/conversation-skills-in-an-action-game/

http://zzarchov.blogspot.com/2009/06/follow-up-to-social-conflict-mechanics.html

I like how Fantasy Craft makes use of simple mechanics to handle social encounters.  I think a more elaborate subsystem would be too complicated given the simple task resolution of the skill system.  Also, I think elaborate systems, like Duel of Wits, while simulating social manuevering in interesting ways, can complicate or overshadow roleplaying.

Like other posters have suggested, be sure to separate Disposition from Attitude (relation in the scene vs. relation in the long term) and scene limitations on Attitude shifts.  How a character feels in the moment can change rapidly, but changes in a relationship happen slowly, building over multiple encounters.  Another important thing to remember in social encounters are circumstantial modifiers.  The events surrounding an encounter set the stage for the players.  Trying to chat up a character in a uncomfortable situation can be more difficult.  Knowing more about a character can make it easier to impress them.  Chatting up a hottie then smooching with her mortal enemy in front of her is not a good idea.  Convincing someone to help you and then acting like a dick to them is not going to help you win them over again.  A GM should be ready to impose modifiers and/or Disposition shifts when the situation warrants it.