What do all of you do, particularly on the fly, to make things seem challenging, unexpected, and earned?
I know there are mechanical systems that remind the GM to do this: GM Intrusions, optional Pass/Fail in Questworlds, Success at a Cost / GM Moves in PBTA like games but I'm not always using one of those systems.
1a: play should not
seem to be challenging. It should either
be challenging, or not.
If every time my character leaps across a chasm they allways succeed no matter what the odds. Then there is no challenge. Its just a backdrop as there is no chance of failure. Or failure was just arbitrarily decided. Thats storygaming. Or in some cases not even role playing - its just storytelling.
That said. It is a valid playstyle as long as everyones on board and knows that the Wizard is behind the curtain.
2+1b: With this sort of playstyle one thing to do is let the dice fall where they may. Let the unexpected happen. Let failures happen. But there should allways be some means to either continue on or work around the setback. Or even follow the setback now.
The character leaps over the chasm. This needs a stat check to succeed as they are exceeding the normal distance that can be leaped. What happens on failure?
A: they miss. Depending on the distance or degree of failure can then either
B1: Have them make a stat check to grab onto the ledge.
B2: They start plummeting and possibly can make another stat check before impact.
B3: Impact and take damage, possibly lethal damage depending on distance and what they hit. Death may be the only outcome at that point unless theres something down there to miigate this.
C: Now they can climb up and out. Or look around down there and see what they find. Or are dead.
D: if Dead this is possibly not the end. Someone can climb down and retrieve the body and haul it back somewhere to be raised. Or if they have the ability or item. Raise them right there.
only failing all this and a few more things would you be at
E: the character is dead. Roll new character.
Or the character is picking a lock and fails. They could try again if their tools did not break. And if the tools break they can try bashing down the door. And if they cant bash down the door they can try finding some other way in. Or make another way in.
Or the character is in a car chase and looses the target. They could try guessing the route based on what they know, possibly using any shortcuts to make up lost time. Or use this to their advantage to see if the spooked target rabbits to someplace important they know of. Or look for clues elsewhere. And so on.