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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Sanzuo" data-source="post: 4382927" data-attributes="member: 66180">After running the first session of my first 'real' 4e campaign I would have to say I dislike skill challenges strongly.For the first session I set up two skill challenges the players would run into, and a third that they might run into.  They were of varying complexities.  What we experienced at first was the beginnings of an intriguing non-combat set of skill checks that soon degenerated into a monotonous series of rerolls and retries.  The players were very aware that suddenly they were in a skill challenge.I would later be told that the session I ran totally rocked EXCEPT for the moments when I called for skill challenges.  My players informed me that the pace of the game crashed as soon as I called out for skill checks.  I tried my best to make the challenges fit seamlessly within the game, but it was hard when I had to say; "Okay, now make ANOTHER check..."It's worth mentioning that the party failed all three skill challenges I had set up for that session.  I did plan contingencies for that scenario so that the game wouldn't simply stop, but nonetheless we all felt somewhat dejected and I got the impression that the players felt "whelp, our party fails at adventuring."  And since the game started dragging itself after the failed skill challenges, I worked in the one main "success scenario" I had lined up to perk things up and move the plot along.You can argue about the math behind skill challenges all day, and whether or not the system is broken still doesn't address my big gripe with the system in the first place.My gripe is no matter how it's played; a skill challenged just feels like an interruption in the flow of the game, and not in an exciting way like combat.In past games we have always resolved non-combat scenarios simply through role-playing.  A DM presents a scenario and the players say how they'll react - as simple as that.  If the player describes an action that sounds difficult or carries a risk ask for an appropriate  skill check.  These situations are the part of the game that's intended to be played out based on the characters appropriate responses - and in my opinion that's where you get to learn about the characters personalities.Adding a mechanical dice system to these scenarios in the first place is just stupid - it interrupts the flow of the game, makes role-playing pointless (taking all the personality out of the characters and the game), and takes CONTROL away from the players entirely.  Combat is violent and chaotic, negotiation, investigation and social interaction shouldn't be.Skill challenges suck.</blockquote>

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