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Message: <blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 6269707" data-attributes="member: 42582">[MENTION=6774800]Joe Sumfin[/MENTION]If you're interested in using skill challenges for resolving non-combat conflicts, <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?301282-Actual-play-examples-balance-between-fiction-and-mechanics" target="_blank">here</a> <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?309950-Actual-play-my-first-quot-social-only-quot-session" target="_blank">are</a> <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?312367-Actual-play-another-combat-free-session-with-intra-party-dyanmics" target="_blank">some</a> <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?324955-Whelm-reforged-as-Overwhelm-and-other-recent-skill-challenges" target="_blank">links</a> to actual replay reports.Also, don't pay attention to posts like this:If you want to learn how to use a system like skill challengs to improve your game, take advice from those who are using them effectively, not from those who don't know how they're meant to work.Here is a summary of the key process for running a skill challenge (taken from the 4e PHB and DMG, plus some posts from    [MENTION=386]LostSoul[/MENTION] on these boards):A skill challenge is defined by its context in an adventure. Remember, skill challenges are a framework to help resolve conflicts. If there’s no more conflict – if nothing bad can happen to the PCs, if they are okay with what’s happening, if there’s no reason for them to roll – then the skill challenge is over. Conversely, we know that the skill challenge is still ongoing if bad things will happen to the PCs unless they succeed at their skill rolls. Whatever the details of a skill challenge, the basic structure of a skill challenge is straightforward: the goal is to accumulate a specific number of victories (usually in the form of successful skill checks) before getting too many defeats (three failed checks). The GM determines the level and complexity of the skill challenge. The DM sets the stage for a skill challenge by describing the situation (including defining the PCs’ goal), describing the obstacle(s) the PCs face to accomplish their goal, and giving the players some idea of the options they have in the encounter. The DM then describes the environment, listens to the players’ responses, lets them make their skill checks, and narrates the results. Depending on the success or failure of a player’s check, the DM describes the consequences and goes on to the next action. The players describe their PCs’ actions and make checks until they either successfully complete the challenge or fail. Remember that all checks that are not secondary skill checks count towards success and failure. But if one PC has been successful at more of his checks, s/he will end up in a different situation from the rest of the group once the skill challenge resolves (even if the skill challenge overall ends up in failure). It’s up to the players to think of ways to use their PCs’ skills to meet the challenges they face. In skill challenges, players will come up with uses for skills that the DM didn’t expect to play a role. When a player’s turn comes up in a skill challenge, let that player’s character use any skill the player wants. Try not to say no. As long as the player or you can come up with a way to let this secondary skill play a part in the challenge, go for it. This encourages players to think about the challenge in more depth. However, it’s particularly important to make sure these checks are grounded in actions that make sense in the adventure and the situation. The DM should ask what exactly the character might be doing. Don’t say no too often, but don’t say yes if it doesn’t make sense in the context of the challenge.The most important things are:(1) The fiction comes first - skill checks correspond to the PC attempting something in the fiction;(2) The GM has to narrate outcomes so as to keep the challenge alive, but moving towards some sort of climactic outcome. Handling that pacing aspect - keeping up the pressure, so the players still have a reason to declare checks and roll, but moving towards a satisfying resolution (whether success or failure) - is the GMing challenge in a skill challenge; much like, in combat, the GM challenge is working out fun and clever tactics for the monsters/NPCs.The examples I linked to give some illustrations of this in practice.</blockquote>

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