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<blockquote data-quote="FormerlyDickensC" data-source="post: 4303484" data-attributes="member: 53954">OP brings up a good point...but it might have more to do with player dynamics rather than system/mechanic dynamics. In any event, the primary difference b/t combat and skill challenge is that combat has no role-play override whereas skill challenge does. That is, in combat I can't act out the way I swing my sword in order to garner a bonus on my attack roll.&nbsp; But in a skill challenge, I can role-play (through 1st/3rd person narrative or whatever) my actions in such a manner that would garner a bonus to my skill check. This difference is the key aspect that no other D&amp;D edition introduced (for the most part).....it allows role play to have a direct and calculable effect on game play.&nbsp; At the very least, the skill challenge allows quantifiable rules for linking role play and game play. This is the nucleus of the system. I'm not saying the skill challenges are perfect or even all that good as is. But the underlying goal in their creation is important.&nbsp; This ought to drive a lot of development for the tabletop rpg world (not that it hasn't already in indie publishing and house rules) by making this affect more mainstream. In any case, we need to be careful in our attempts to link skill challenges and combat. Each plays a different part in the conduct of the game.&nbsp; Ultimately, I think 1) partial success mediation and 2) role-play bonus determination will determine the effectiveness of skill challenges in any given game session. Once we start seeing some good premade modules with good skill challenges in them, I think we'll all be better off and perhaps better understand where the system can be taken.&nbsp; ...having said that, there is much room for modification in the existing system.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="FormerlyDickensC, post: 4303484, member: 53954"] OP brings up a good point...but it might have more to do with player dynamics rather than system/mechanic dynamics. In any event, the primary difference b/t combat and skill challenge is that combat has no role-play override whereas skill challenge does. That is, in combat I can't act out the way I swing my sword in order to garner a bonus on my attack roll. But in a skill challenge, I can role-play (through 1st/3rd person narrative or whatever) my actions in such a manner that would garner a bonus to my skill check. This difference is the key aspect that no other D&D edition introduced (for the most part).....it allows role play to have a direct and calculable effect on game play. [B]At the very least, the skill challenge allows quantifiable rules for linking role play and game play.[/B] This is the nucleus of the system. I'm not saying the skill challenges are perfect or even all that good as is. But the underlying goal in their creation is important. This ought to drive a lot of development for the tabletop rpg world (not that it hasn't already in indie publishing and house rules) by making this affect more mainstream. In any case, we need to be careful in our attempts to link skill challenges and combat. Each plays a different part in the conduct of the game. Ultimately, I think [B]1) partial success mediation[/B] and [B]2) role-play bonus determination[/B] will determine the effectiveness of skill challenges in any given game session. Once we start seeing some good premade modules with good skill challenges in them, I think we'll all be better off and perhaps better understand where the system can be taken. ...having said that, there is much room for modification in the existing system. [/QUOTE]

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