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Message: <blockquote data-quote="jbear" data-source="post: 5329611" data-attributes="member: 75065">Well I don't know what combination of keys I just hit or how it even happened but I managed to swallow a pretty long and detailed post. And i'm not going there again tonight.So let's see if I can be more conscise and get to the point.To me, the essence of a skill challenge is about keeping things dynamic, rewarding engagement with the challenge, having exciting consequences for failure that complicates and changes the situation in a way that the PCs have to resolve that failure before they can continue doing whatever they were trying to do. I often set the difficulty of a skill check depending on what everyone is doing as a whole. Yes, 'the Face' IS good at bluffing, but the sharp eyed captain of the guard is also observing his twitchy friends while they talk. Step A) Everyone describes to me what you are doing and howStep B) I'll tell you what skill I want you to roll and give you a bonus for good ideas or even lower the DC for great ideas based on what you just told meStep C) The result of these checks sets the difficulty of the Face's attempt to convince the guard of whatever fib he is about to let slip from his glib tongue.Step D) The result determines the direction the action of the challenge takes.I announce when a skill challenge has begun once it is underway (first meaningful roll is made). I also impose my norms on how players resolve a challenge. No one gets away with 'I use diplomacy on the guard', or 'I roll diplomacy'. I'm not interested in what they want to roll, I'm interested in what they do and say and how they go about that. That quite often requires a demonstration, especially with social interactions. Once again this is rewarded or penalised as I deem fair.What I don't announce is the Primary and Secondary skills. I describe the situation. The plaers decide how they are going to deal with that situation. When the players ask me more things or begin to act, well the challenge has begun. They find the way to resolve it. I have a few possibilities thought out before hand and usually certain events that will happen at certain points to further complicate things. And I have thought out beforehand possible complications that could occur should they slip at certain points to make sure the players are actually challenged by the challenge.I don't think it is the fact whether you announce a challenge explicitly or not that make or breaks a good skill challenge. It's what you do with the challenge after that which makes it fun, challenging, tense or memorable. My playstyle is not total immersion. I enjoy the fact that it is a game. I prefer immersion to be more like being at the beach or at the pool, you take a dip just at the right time and it's wonderful, and then back out to relax on the towel or in the deck chair charging up for the next dip. This helps avoid wierdness. This is my preference. Each to their own. But I'd say it was a fairly safe bet that any of my players would say that the skill challenges I've put them through have been fun, exciting and memorable.</blockquote>

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