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<blockquote data-quote="Umbran" data-source="post: 4506140" data-attributes="member: 177">I think folks discussing Skill Challenges, and trying to get at the original intent of the system, ought to look at the intro to the <a href="http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/4ex/20080505a" target="_blank">WotC Excerpts article</a> by Bill Slavicsek.&nbsp; Having room for role play is part of the intent.I also think Keith Baker's got a relevant <a href="http://gloomforge.livejournal.com/12135.html" target="_blank">LJ blog entry</a>.&nbsp; Specifically: &quot;Rewarding Flavor and Creativity. In running a challenge, I'm not looking for the PC to say &quot;I'm using Diplomacy.&quot; I want him to roleplay the scene. How's he making his case? Is he drawing on anything specifically relevant to his target? While I like this for color, it's called out as something that SHOULD be rewarded. In providing advice to the DM, page 74 of the DMG specifically notes that you can choose to reward creative action (or penalize the opposite) by applying a -2 to +2 modifier to the check. In some cases, I've specifically set up encounters where the player can get an even higher bonus if he brings up the right thing - but more on that later.&quot;Which is not to say you must use it a particular way, but that such use is pretty darned easy to work in.I think far too much attention is being given to what the system &quot;is&quot;, instead of what you can do with the system.&nbsp; I've seen more than one admission that the Skill Challenge system is written a bit... stiffly, so that folks read it too strictly.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Umbran, post: 4506140, member: 177"] I think folks discussing Skill Challenges, and trying to get at the original intent of the system, ought to look at the intro to the [url=http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/4ex/20080505a]WotC Excerpts article[/url] by Bill Slavicsek. Having room for role play is part of the intent. I also think Keith Baker's got a relevant [url=http://gloomforge.livejournal.com/12135.html]LJ blog entry[/url]. Specifically: [I]"[B]Rewarding Flavor and Creativity[/B]. In running a challenge, I'm not looking for the PC to say "I'm using Diplomacy." I want him to roleplay the scene. How's he making his case? Is he drawing on anything specifically relevant to his target? While I like this for color, it's called out as something that SHOULD be rewarded. In providing advice to the DM, page 74 of the DMG specifically notes that you can choose to reward creative action (or penalize the opposite) by applying a -2 to +2 modifier to the check. In some cases, I've specifically set up encounters where the player can get an even higher bonus if he brings up the right thing - but more on that later."[/I] Which is not to say you must use it a particular way, but that such use is pretty darned easy to work in. I think far too much attention is being given to what the system "is", instead of what you can do with the system. I've seen more than one admission that the Skill Challenge system is written a bit... stiffly, so that folks read it too strictly. [/QUOTE]

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