Balesir
Adventurer
You should play it however you please, of course, but I don't think what I'm suggesting needs to break free from in-game logic - it's just a consequence not a determinant. For instance, one circumstance that seems to me most likely to precipitate an encounter with the summoned creature is spending time poking around for clues. I don't know about you, but I always seem to spend more time fossicking about when I fail to find what I'm looking for than I do when I find it - hence I generally think of failures in "search" type tasks meaning that more (game) time has been expended than for successes.
On actions generating successes - I agree 100%. Rituals and powers, especially, can be used to acquire successes just as much as skill rolls can in skill challenges I run. Other things may not even be "successes" - but still happen when the characters reach a certain place/do a certain thing.
Another thing I use is that successes might, in addition to moving incrementally towards an overall goal, provide opportunities to get 'bonuses' such as treasure (if it's searched for), incidental information or sundry recharges (if certain actions are taken pursuant to the opportunity being presented).
On actions generating successes - I agree 100%. Rituals and powers, especially, can be used to acquire successes just as much as skill rolls can in skill challenges I run. Other things may not even be "successes" - but still happen when the characters reach a certain place/do a certain thing.
Another thing I use is that successes might, in addition to moving incrementally towards an overall goal, provide opportunities to get 'bonuses' such as treasure (if it's searched for), incidental information or sundry recharges (if certain actions are taken pursuant to the opportunity being presented).