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Message: <blockquote data-quote="MoogleEmpMog" data-source="post: 3482078" data-attributes="member: 22882">An encounter is anything that a) you can fail and b) is interesting - ideally for the whole party.  Not just a combat, but navigating dangerous terrain, negotiating passage with a powerful baron, exploring a trapped tomb, or sneaking through enemy territory.The reason per-encounter works is because non-encounter events aren't worth playing out in the first place.  They are the 'grind' that drags down the gaming and roleplaying experience.Anything that is either trivial or uninteresting is not an encounter and should be narrated by the players.  An untrapped door, made of a breakable material, with no time pressure?  This is something that WILL be solved if the party decides to, whether the PCs have limited or unlimited resources - so skip it.  A small battle against weak opponents who can't call for backup or escape?  The PCs will win - so skip it.  An murder mystery when the characters have speak with dead?  Roleplay the speaking if it's either fun or interesting (or if the victim can only describe, rather than identify, his killer), but it's not an encounter and has no reason to consume resources.My policy is to classify every event as one of four types:ENCOUNTERSAnything where you need to roll dice to resolve the outcome is an encounter.  No encounter should be boring or trivial.  Thus, every encounter should include a meaningful risk of failure of some type, and should be important to the adventure.  Most sessions should have one or two encounters at the most, because each encounter should be memorable and exciting for all the players (and each one likely takes a while to resolve).  The GM sets the stage, and the dice, tactics and expenditure of resources determine the outcome.ROLEPLAYING EVENTSThese are events where there's no possibility of meaningful failure, but which can still be fun to roleplay out.  This includes intra-party dialogue, conversing with friendly NPCs, or trading banter with an antagonist who is separated from the party by some barrier neither side can cross.  Characters' special abilities are almost always useless in this type of event, so their use doesn't matter one way or another.  The GM narrates the scene, and the players determine their dialogue.  The outcome is either never in doubt or determined by the course of the conversation.NARRATED EVENTSThese are events that do not involve a chance of failure, an NPC, or meaningful dialogue among PCs, but which are still either fun or important to know about.  This includes wiping out mook enemies who are no threat to the PCs, navigating a non-dangerous but potentially interesting environment, foiling the 'dangers' of a lower-level wilderness area or dungeon, researching in a vast library, casting non-encounter spells like scry, druids turning into birds and scouting the area, and the party returning to the city in wealth and glory after a successful adventure.  If a PC's special ability would be useful or interesting, that PC's player is free to describe how the characer used his abilities.  The GM narrates some, the players narrate some; the outcome is never in doubt.SKIPPED EVENTSThese are events that, frankly, are boring.  They just happen in the background; special abilities are either used or not.If a scene would not appear in an adventure movie or novel, it's skipped.  If it would be covered briefly (often to demonstrate a character's prowess), it's narrated.  If it's dialogue, it's roleplayed.  If it's a memorable, climacting scene, it's an encounter.</blockquote>

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