OSR is totally doable without OGL, with almost no change.

I mean, the only reason people went with OGL is because it made people FEEL better about not being frivolously sued.

I agree WotC _felt_ it was a bad idea. I just think they are idiots.

Quote from: Marleycat;775081I understood the approach and liked it in theory but what went wrong? I didn't play 4e that much.

The problem with them was the setup, at least from my perspective. The examples in the DMG were horrid and didn't give players a clear indication of what they should or shouldn't know. The system has come a long way from that period, to being much better, but it's all moot now.

When I run skill challenges, it's better when the players don't know they're going on. They have no idea of the "need 4 successes before 2 failures" to move on. Further, success hinging on Skill Challenges should never be done, it should be more like a barrier or road block that the group gets over or, failing, has to find another way around.

Often time when Skill Challenges come up, I have the group approach the situation organically (ie. not say "roll Initiative" or give them a clue mechanics are in use). They range ALL over the place from social interactions like getting a better bargain at the smithy for selling their looted armor to convincing the roving band of elves to NOT murder the simple woodsmen in the next village to traversing a dangerous swamp. Giving them a series of situations to overcome using their skills, powers, and just plain ol' improvisation and basing how well they succeed on those attempts.

Skill Challenges should also have a clear cut point to it's success or failure (known only to the DM).

Here's an example, the PCs are met with a dilemma to which they need to reach the enemy's castle to stop the ritual before eternal darkness sets across the land. They don't have horses so they must find a quick means to get there. They have 48-hrs before the eclipse starts. Now they have a map and the map has a land route but it's too far to make by foot before the time is up and horses will make it just barely. They can cut through the swamp, which will be significantly quicker but the swamp is deadly. They can also attempt other stuff too (like stealing horses from a nearby village etc.) If they attempt the swamp, it's a Skill Challenge.

They'll probably use Nature (to gain an idea of terrain and local fauna), Perception (to pick the easiest paths through the forest and stay the course), and Athletics/Acrobatics (to get over minor obstacles). People not trained in these can use their powers to aid their allies during their checks or make Endurance or Stealth checks that help them (to press on or to hide from dangers).  

Now they can succeed with all the skill checks and make it through the swamp in say, 10-hrs and that gives them time to plan their assault on the evil Mcguffin's fortress or find allies in towns close by, etc. If they fail the skill challenge, you have a few options as the DM. You could say that they got lost and the time spent was too great and now the eclipse has started and they failed to stop the evil McGuffin (a terrible setback, something you might want to do as a last resort) OR you could hinge their success on a Combat Encounter between some Swamp inhabitants (Trolls, Hags, Bullywugs, Troglodytes, even a Green Dragon) and success leads them to the other side unscathed and with time to attack the keep OR failure is death and they arrive with zero time to plan the assault OR you could have them lose a lot of Healing Surges but they make it through the swamp with just enough time to assault the McGuffin's keep (but not enough time to rest and regain their lost Healing Surges).

That's always been the way I've done Skill Challenges in the past. They've worked out fairly well for the most part. The only time I didn't have fun making on was the first time I went by the book and it was a dismal failure.