My opinion is players have to be rewarded for making smart/clever choices (and either punished for making stupid choices, or strongly discouraged from making them). If your players are up against a Zorak Zorani Death Lord, and the pass fail cycle says they are due for an easy win - don't make the ZZ any physically easier, but let the players fool him, or hide from him, or fast talk or whatever. If they are due for a fail, maybe he engages them in a combat contest - or maybe he is still too hard to beat in combat, but also wily and not easy to fool or hide from, and captures them.
The pass/fail cycle doesn't mean you have to let players do any stupid stuff they feel like, or that you have to completely throw away any semblance of simulationism. Just give them big hints (or just outright state) what contests are inappropriate. Then offer them an appropriate contest, or better yet go along with the contest that they attempt to engage in.
Cheers David
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