The Firebird's latest activity

Right--and the skill challenge mechanic is broken (for certain preferences) because it decouples resolution from the fiction...

Well, first, a number of people have stated explicitly that they are not making this claim. And second, this is of course true, but it...

Not what I said. In my experience, in games with skill challenges or progress clocks, I'm making decisions for my PC based on what I...

This isn't an objective discussion. Map and key is not objectively inferior to not map and key.

What is "wrong" is that it is the same amount regardless of what the characters do. This trivialises the fictional position and choices...

No. That is why I said they have to have a minimum amount of plausibility. Once that has been reached though, anything goes. "Not...

It is not "hidden" it is just unknown to all participants, as we do not yet know what sort of actions the characters might take and how...

Thoughtfully considering everyone's comments. Regarding the arbitrariness of clocks: The table was introduced to their 1st countdown...

The way I describe it isn't insulting to both the players and the GM? It also doesn't gloss over the degree of control the players have...

A possible alternative to map-and-key as described in the OP, and possibly somewhat resembling the way "best interests" are generated in...

Characters in dungeon crawls tend to be on the light side. This happens for a variety of reasons, whether you’re talking about...

It isn't about being hidden or not. It's about whether the player's action declarations make a significant difference in resolving the...

I did understand it more broadly. My understanding was that much of the active, "on camera" parts of the setting is mapped out in at...

It is very different. See my prison escape example. In skill challenge the players have less input, as no matter what they do, they have...

Ok. Then I definitely do not think "map and key" is the default. Perhaps @Micah Sweet understood it more broadly as well? So you then...