NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Manbearcat" data-source="post: 6107092" data-attributes="member: 6696971">I agree with the first part.  You are indeed supposed to earn the rewards of the success.  In D&D, these rewards are (i) character progression (XP and resources/items) and (ii) favorable story progression.However, framing the challenges to be surmounted is really a playstyle/technique and system issue.  For instance, in <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?334595-You-re-doing-what-Surprising-the-DM&p=6105708&viewfull=1#post6105708" target="_blank">this post</a> I detailed how I skipped the Rogue's infiltration of the temple and securing an idol that had to be brought to a village for a curse-purging ritual.  I started the scene off with the assumption that the Rogue had already secured the idol and was immediately dealing with different pressure (his hidden horse was being attacked by a pack of whooping hyenas, which attracted the attention of the snake cult).  My approach here was multi-fold;1 - Within the last month, the Rogue performed his shtick of "master infiltrator" by sneaking into a difficult place and performing a particularly difficult task.2 - As in Burning Wheel's Instincts, I don't set up scene Bangs that violate base assumptions of characters; eg the master infiltrator shtick.3 - The players in my game are all outdoorsmen (and one woman), proficient (but not masters) in several "chase-oriented" skill-sets (Skills, Powers, Feats).  However, their acumen is limited relative to the Rogue's mastery in the infiltration/burgling arts.   4 - My players love chase scenes and will request them on their own or I will solicit scene Kickers to create them.  One of the players actually requested a chase scene a few weeks before this occurred.  I wanted to ensure that a proper chase scene ensued out of this conflict.  Hoping for a chase scene to emerge organically through standard, procedural D&D exploration is playing against the casino house advantage.So what could have happened?  The Rogue goes inside and is successful on a "Secure the Idol" infiltration Skill Challenge while the other two party members (also stealthy) quietly dispatch any sentries that may cause a problem for the Rogue's egress.  Knowing this group, this is a very likely outcome.  They ride off afterwards.What did happen?  I assumed the success of the Rogue but then put him immediately in a difficult spot to start off the scene...in an area that is out of his expertise (dealing with wild animals, especially an aggressive, starving pack of hyenas).  The chase scene was extremely exciting and ultimately resulted in a failed Skill Challenge and led to a very interesting outcome.  The players didn't decide to try to jump the gorge, they didn't try to pull a feint (escaping one direction while they sent their horses off in another, hoping the enemies give chase), and they didn't try to climb down the steep face of the gorge and escape via river travel.  They looked for natural terrain features to try to escape via subterranean passage (narrow caverns allowing them to more easily create choke points).  Well, they found one, but it wasn't what they were hoping for as this accrued failure was the final one in the Skill Challenge, causing them to lose it.  A sinkhole opened up beneath them, swallowing the group and their pursuers (see Florida).  The injured players (each took 2 Healing Surges in damage) dealt with a short (L + 2) combat with the snake-men cultists who survived the fall and then an "Escape the Underdark" scene (pulled straight out of "The Descent").Ultimately, they succeeded their "Escape the Underdark" Skill Challenge (and defeated a difficult, L + 4 combat).  Queue Transition Scene - we didn't play out the 12 hour travel via forest trail - of them hoofing it to the village on foot.  Ritual performed.  Curse lifted.  Game session over.  So.  We have:1 - Unplayed, assumed successful Rogue Infiltration.2 - Framed Chase Scene which was unsuccessful.  The failed resolution of this naturally led to 3 and 4 which ended in 5.3 - Off-the-cuff snake men combat in the pitch-black underdark which was successful.4 - Off-the-cuff Escape The Underdark scene with a genre-esque ("The Descent") being hunted by "mole-men" ordeal.  This ultimately led to a deadly combat at the exit to the lair.  Both of these were successful.5 - Mostly unplayed, 12 hour forest-trail-jaunt, Transition Scene where the players, took inventory of the situation and their future; roleplaying a bit.1 and 5 were hand-waved and 3 and 4 were completely unscripted (I had several ideas about what the follow-up scene would look like pre-game...that certainly wasn't one of them).  I'm curious, does anyone feel that there is player entitlement or players not earning their spoils there?  Should I have just played out 1 and hoped that they were unsuccessful in their "sweet spot" SOP and that maybe a chase might manifest?  Should I have had an extra random encounter during 5?</blockquote>

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