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I am making an investigative skill challenge for my group's next adventure. The village Dunneebrook is reported to have been sacked by the Wild Hunt and the PCs can go there to search for clues.
In Robin Laws' GUMSHOE system "core clues" are automatically acquired so long as the PC uses an appropriate skill to discover them - no role is needed. There are also "secondary clues" which can provide extra information or benefit - these can be acquired by spending points from a point pool (which represent some kind of investigative resource). The GUMSHOE system was meant to address the problem of "the clue that the players missed" grinding gaming sessions to a halt.
I like this approach and want to translate it to my skill challenge.
My idea is to set up areas of investigation within the sacked village - using a skill in a plausible way automatically gets that area's "core clue". Additional clues are possible in many areas but getting them involves some kind of risk (i.e. a skill check with consequences for failure). A failed check might mean a Red Herring, a hard to interpret clue which casts doubt on the "core clue", a hazard in the area like a collapsing roof, a scavenger monster attacking, the PC falling and getting separated from the party, etc.
Does this sound like a feasible adaptation of GUMSHOE for 4e? Does this model makes the overall victory / defeat in the skill challenge moot? Any bright ideas for how to make this skill challenge awesome?
In Robin Laws' GUMSHOE system "core clues" are automatically acquired so long as the PC uses an appropriate skill to discover them - no role is needed. There are also "secondary clues" which can provide extra information or benefit - these can be acquired by spending points from a point pool (which represent some kind of investigative resource). The GUMSHOE system was meant to address the problem of "the clue that the players missed" grinding gaming sessions to a halt.
I like this approach and want to translate it to my skill challenge.
My idea is to set up areas of investigation within the sacked village - using a skill in a plausible way automatically gets that area's "core clue". Additional clues are possible in many areas but getting them involves some kind of risk (i.e. a skill check with consequences for failure). A failed check might mean a Red Herring, a hard to interpret clue which casts doubt on the "core clue", a hazard in the area like a collapsing roof, a scavenger monster attacking, the PC falling and getting separated from the party, etc.
Does this sound like a feasible adaptation of GUMSHOE for 4e? Does this model makes the overall victory / defeat in the skill challenge moot? Any bright ideas for how to make this skill challenge awesome?