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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Aenghus" data-source="post: 5965046" data-attributes="member: 2656">I like the skill challenge concept as an idea, but it's a complex set of concepts and the execution so far has been more optimistic than comprehensive. I think they require a fair amount of DM skill to use smoothly, and that this is inevitable and unavoidable - I fear a skill challenge system that seamlessly connects the mechanics to the fiction of the setting is a pipe dream, it's always going to be work to implement. I suspect the backlash against the skill challenge concept is partially because of establishing expectations  that skill challenges wouldn't need lots of work to implement, something that isn't true IMO.One of their biggest issues, but it's one that extends to every element of RPGs, is they require player buy-in to work. The players , at least some of them, need to want to achieve a particular goal. If they turn out not to, it may be time to short-circuit the planned activity in favour of something they actually want to do.It's important to encourage participation in any skill challenge system, something the existings system can fail do to with it's high penalty for any failure. I find some challenges better suit a time-limited mechanic, where the PC's need to achieve a certain number of successes within X time periods, and failures aren't penalised other than the consequences of the failure itself. When players can't damage the overall task by individual failures, they are more willing to improvise and take risks. Which is another issue - Failures need to be interesting as well, both individual failures and overall failure in a challenge. It's necessary that failure not be a road block to the adventure, but not sufficient, the new situation needs to be interesting in and of itself and perhaps throw up new possibilities. This is difficult to do, and there is insufficient assistance given to referees to help them on this.Tolerances of players for different types of activity varies hugely. In one game the suave diplomat PC may trick the boorish barbarian PC into missing a audience with the king to prevent the crisis that would be the likely outcome, to the acclaim of all players involved. in another the player of the barbarian might hate such manipulation and resent it out of character. It's impossible for rigid mechanics to anticipate such individual likes and dislikes, there needs to be some flexibility.</blockquote>

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