Repeat a Skill Challenge?

[Chris Knapp]

I am creating an adventure for my group where they take a small boat out on the ocean to an off shore encounter area. They have a 3 encounters there, then either swim or sail back. The sailing/swimming is a skill challenge (complexity 2, so hopefully it won't take too long.) Problem is, I had planned on using the same skill challenge to get them back to the mainland. But on reading through the adventure, I'm afraid the PCs might think: WTF? Same skill challenge again? Any ideas? Would you, as a player, feel like it's a drag to do the same skill challenge again, even if the situation calls for it?

 

[Quickleaf]

How does the sailing skill challenge (either before or after the 3 encounters offshore) enhance the game? What choices does it give the PCs or what might it lead to? I ask since it's a travel-based SC.

I definitely wouldn't want to play the same SC twice. What if the boat/swim back is different enough to make it seem like an entirely new SC? For example, what if there's someone poisoned and they need to get back to town quickly to heal them all the while being harried by a man-eating eel?

 

[Bronze_Dragon]

Never repeat a skill challenge in my opinion.

There are many methods to prevent this. Quickleaf has a good idea changing the skill challenge enough to make it almost like a new challenge. You can also decide to go the easy route and say that the PCs have enough experience or understood the current well enough in order to go back to the mainland without too much difficulty (maybe a simple skill check that if failed taxes a healing surge). Or you could say that the tide favors you, sending you back to the mainland easily (explaining why it was difficult when going out to sea).

Or you could go a more interesting route. Have them discover a strange waygate that instantly transports them back to town, or the next encouter (wherever you want). Have a treacherous evil villain show up and cast a teleportation spell to get the PCs out of his hair while he does his villainous deeds. Or have the PCs, on their travel back, get shipwrecked on an island. Or have a new NPC appear (an incredible sailor or elemental or something) and rescue them in the middle of a squall/storm.

IMO: Repetition is bad in RPGs; spice things up and keep your PCs on their toes.

 

[fissionessence]

In my opinion, skill challenges should only be for things interesting and story-related. Crossing an ocean or something should be a couple skill checks, not a 'skill challenge'. Unless you have failures trigger random encounters or something, there's no point to make it a challenge.

If there are random encounters, then you may as well repeat it, since obviously you want random encounters to happen and for that to be part of your setting/game.

~

 

[BobTheNob]

With skill challenges, make it a challenge only if
a) They have another way to beat the situation before them
b) The consequences of failure only result in an incovenience or a minor alteration in the outcome

The last thing you want to do is place an arbitrary skill challenge in front of your players only to have this result in the adventure coming to a full halt because they didnt get their rolls

 

[Chris Knapp]

Thanks for all the replies! I will definitely scrap the idea of using the same challenge to model the return trip. I like the ideas for alternate options getting back to land.