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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Balesir" data-source="post: 6348291" data-attributes="member: 27160">Well, I think escaping from a locked, blacked-out carriage could work - you just need to think through the win/lose states. What is the worst position that the PCs could be in (and still be having fun) at the start of the next challenge? There's your base "lose" condition. And what is the best that they might achieve (without short-circuiting the adventure)? There's your base "win" condition. Now decide whether you want a simple win/lose switch or a graduated "succeed after no fails/succeed after 1 fail/succeed after 2 fails/fail the challenge" range of outcomes.Finally - and importantly (@pemerton can probably say more on this) - be ready to adjust the outcome based on the fictional state arising from what the players have their characters actually do. One of the best bits of advice I have seen for SCs is: don't let the players say something like "I roll athletics to try to catch the guy". Have them explain what their character is actually doing, and then decide or negotiate the skill they roll based on that action, and have the gains/losses moulded by those actions. For example, assuming that the idea of the train roof chase is that the PCs catch the hooded guy, maybe successes at slowing them will mean they need to use resources like an Encounter power to kill the driver (if that's what they are trying to do), while shooting at them will mean they start the ensuing fight down on hit points. Maybe the hooded guy could even be a Solo if the SC fails or an Elite if it succeeds. Maybe success leaves the driver barely alive and able to give instructions on controlling the train. On the "escape from a carriage", that might affect the difficulty of the rooftop chase challenge (because hooded guy has more or less head start) - and/or maybe using Encounter or Daily powers can break the door of the carriage (giving auto successes) but those powers will not then be available for the next encounter (because there is no time for a rest!). Maybe failing the escape challenge leaves the PCs hanging onto the outside of the carriage rather than escaping into another carriage or onto a boarding stage. Maybe success at escaping interrupts the bad guys in their preparations for future challenges/encounters (giving the PCs surprise, say, or meaning the opponents don't have some useful piece of kit).Work through this sort of "best case/worst case" analysis and you should find you have a better idea of what the challenges are really about - i.e. what their stakes are.</blockquote>

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