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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Janx" data-source="post: 5728884" data-attributes="member: 8835">Something to ponder, Imaro also concieved in his talk about the Chase, that he did not want a shortcut to bypass the challenge.Effectively, both of you have an interest in having some content not be bypassable or trivialized such that one idea makes the whole problem simple to solve (thus cutting 4 hours of content to 1 hour?).I think it might be a mistake to want to thwart that path if it is valid.  But it may be wise to make that path interesting if the players go down it. So, don't say "there's no shortcut" if you think that'll kill all the fun stuff you had planned.  Don't say the orcs and hobs won't go to war against each other or sign a truce if the PCs try.If you didn't think of that possibility during planning, do the applicable skill checks, spice it up if you can, but if they make it, let it work.  Because the players outsmarted the GM and they should not be punished for it.  (or, if you can adlib, do what the next paragraph says)If you do think of the possibility, then plan some content to make that path interesting as well.  Maybe some extra skill checks or drama or complications.  Not with the intent to make it fail, but to provide some challenge and fun if things go that way.That means, during the planning of a chase, if you think "they might want to take a shortcut", then look at the map, draw in the shortcut path, and plan some challenges along that route.If you think they might try to broker a full peace or redirect both sides against each other and watch, make some notes about the outcome of such a possibility.  maybe the 2 tribes unify too well and actually go on a bigger campaign of war.  Maybe it takes a lot more diplomacy and treachery drama as both sides are "trying" to broker a deal with the PCs and a neutral party, and internal factions to both tribes are trying to sabotage it (go hunt down a ST:TNG episode, I'm sure there's a few along this theme).The "I Win" button should lead to the next Challenge.  Not fretting that they just bypassed all your notes and it was too easy.  There's lots of things I do at work that others struggle to solve that I find the "I Win" button to solve.  My bosses don't go shutting that down to make it harder for me.  They give me a cookie and hand me the next problem to solve.</blockquote>

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