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Message: <blockquote data-quote="DEFCON 1" data-source="post: 5731421" data-attributes="member: 7006">For me... like everything, my thoughts are all towards moderation.  It's more fun for me if every situation is different and the methods for getting past challenges is as varied as the challenges themselves.  Sometimes a hard-coded single solution that the DM knows and which the players have to figure out is good (most 'puzzles' would fall into this category.)  Sometimes, the DM creates a scenario which a direction the players want to go in and the DM has some broad strokes planned out to help facilitate the player's journey along (most skill challenges would be like this.)  And sometimes the DM can throw out a scenario where he has nothing in mind for a solution, because (assuming he is well-aware of the ingenuity of his players)... the players methodically trying to work out a solution ends up being cooler and more creative than he would have come up with, and thus once they start down a path, the DM can then go into 'Yes, And' mode and walk with them, pointing things out and throwing obstacles in the path based upon his own ideas of logic, the reality of the world, and what is on the other side of the challenge and how that would influence the steps the party is taking.Needless to say... all three situations require a strong DM who knows when to give and take with the players-- giving hints or holding back info-- in order to keep frustration to a minimum but also giving a real sense of accomplishment when finally completed.  By varying these scenarios up... it keeps the players and DM interested and entertained for the same reason why you change up the numbers and roles of monsters in combat encounters.  You don't want to run 5 encounters in a row that consist of nothing but 2 Elite Lurkers... and by the same token, you don't want every puzzle or challenge to be solvable by a Level 3 Skill Challenge.</blockquote>

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