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[darjr]

Hmm. I almost forgot. There is one thing that made skill challenges work for me as a “game”. And that was the advise to tell the players up front what is going on, that it’s a skill challenge and that this is what you need to do and here is the fail condition and here is the success condition and tell them the outcomes to set the stakes.

The only problem for me and almost everyone I ever played with is that it killed the desire for ingenuity and engagement and sense of autonomy in the game.

 

[darjr]

That's why I started not preparing the skill checks before my players asked for them. Just set the difficulty and the failure consequences and wait for your players to give you cool ideas.

But that’s not a skill challenge, precisely. That’s more like traditional skill playing with some skill challenge ideas thrown in.

Don’t get me wrong, I like that more, but it’s not really a skill challenge as per 4e anymore.

But is that my disconnect? Is “skill challenge” now a much more generic term?

 

[Micah Sweet]

That's why I started not preparing the skill checks before my players asked for them. Just set the difficulty and the failure consequences and wait for your players to give you cool ideas.

Your players ask for skill checks?

 

[Stormonu]

Hmm. I almost forgot. There is one thing that made skill challenges work for me as a “game”. And that was the advise to tell the players up front what is going on, that it’s a skill challenge and that this is what you need to do and here is the fail condition and here is the success condition and tell them the outcomes to set the stakes.

The only problem for me and almost everyone I ever played with is that killed the desire for ingenuity and engagement and sense of autonomy in the game.

Yeah, I don’t like announcing it’s a skill challenge, it can be immersive breaking at times - but, I guess “roll for initiative” is sort of the same thing.

My main issue was building one. Not so hard to run one already put together, but preparing one required a lot of guesswork and “player prompting/precognition” to make it usable. And almost always, they’d come up with a method or action I hadn’t thought of that’d throw me for a bit of a loop.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Yeah, I don’t like announcing it’s a skill challenge, it can be immersive breaking at times - but, I guess “roll for initiative” is sort of the same thing.

My main issue was building one. Not so hard to run one already put together, but preparing one required a lot of guesswork and “player prompting/precognition” to make it usable. And almost always, they’d come up with a method or action I hadn’t thought of that’d throw me for a bit of a loop.

I went back and forth on 'announce or not' but overall it seems a half backed concept for the game... one that needs more fine tuneing. I hear level up had something cool, the middle earth books had some cool things and there were a few itteration through 4e.

 

[Demetrios1453]

And here I thought it was cool to see some significant skill challenges in an adventure. This thread has kind of soured that mood...

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Your players ask for skill checks?

Tons do.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

And here I thought it was cool to see some significant skill challenges in an adventure. This thread has kind of soured that mood...

No I liked them too.

 

[darjr]

And here I thought it was cool to see some significant skill challenges in an adventure. This thread has kind of soured that mood...

Sorry!

I’d bet there will be more of this kind. If that helps.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Sorry!

I’d bet there will be more of this kind. If that helps.

I hope we are seeing the begining of them trying to fine tune them