I have one problem in my group and it is a singular character who has min maxed the entire use of XP in order to maximise the pool that she rolls on pretty much every important check she makes (intellect based character) that no matter what I do...I cannot challenge the character at all.

YYYYGG is the dice pool I am up against most and tonight she got 3 triumphs on one roll. It's getting to the stage where I can't potentially make anything bad happen related to computers or mechanics because success us gaurenteed 99% of the time.

However if I dare increase the difficulty to a Formidable, Daunting or Impossible check. I get an earful about its unfair and in any way not possible.

One thing you can do is not put in a challenge that uses the players specific skills. Give them some non intellect rolls to do. It may take some work but if done right it could still make it fun....

1) Think up some good uses for those Triumphs ahead of time—let the PC shine at the appropriate moment

2) Make computers hard to reach, requiring that they go through tough combat or skillful challenge situations.

3) Have a legendary slicer become her personal nemesis. This can explain extremely difficult skill checks.

4) Or, in lieu of a personal nemesis, when the bad guys can prepare for the PC's arrival, have them employ top-military-grade anti-slicer security droid brains on their computer system. Escalation is a thing, especially when one party is aware of the other's capabilities.

On that note, watch Leverage. It's just plain good TV.

This is the player's problem, not yours. I'm all for creating special challenges to let each player shine, I try to have at least a couple of these for each player in a session. But at some point it becomes ridiculous, I'm assuming the scale of your player's challenges far exceeds most of the other challenges the party faces, which makes little story sense. If they have to face "average" mooks and social challenges, only to eventually have to slice "the most awesomely secure server ever" just so they can get their jollies, it seems a little silly.

So at a certain point, other than the usual setback dice, at some point I don't think I'd work to hard to bump things up for the sake of being challenging. Also, I would make sure they can't get away with avoiding everything else and only being involved when they can do their specialty. At some point maybe they'll be frustrated with being useless most of the time, and bored with auto-success the other part of the time, and make a character that's a little broader in scope.

On that note, watch Leverage. It's just plain good TV.

Great show, and I probably have to thank you for getting my family hooked.

It is pretty clear when you watch that the job at hand is made easier when the character is skilled at the task. But it also sets them up to take on tasks they are not good at from time to time. No, the face can't go to the museum to carouse with the cocktail party guests and help the thief enter the vault, as his ex-wife will be there and give his cover away.

This is the player's problem, not yours. I'm all for creating special challenges to let each player shine, I try to have at least a couple of these for each player in a session. But at some point it becomes ridiculous, I'm assuming the scale of your player's challenges far exceeds most of the other challenges the party faces, which makes little story sense. If they have to face "average" mooks and social challenges, only to eventually have to slice "the most awesomely secure server ever" just so they can get their jollies, it seems a little silly.

So at a certain point, other than the usual setback dice, at some point I don't think I'd work to hard to bump things up for the sake of being challenging. Also, I would make sure they can't get away with avoiding everything else and only being involved when they can do their specialty. At some point maybe they'll be frustrated with being useless most of the time, and bored with auto-success the other part of the time, and make a character that's a little broader in scope.

I think the reverse is happening. The GM feels everything is "too easy" for the player (who has a 6 intellect and 4 ranks in comluters and mechanics) and when he tries to increase the difficulty, the player vocally complains that its "too hard". He is having trouble finding ways to challenge the player.

I would try to find ways to force the player to use other skills, as suggested. Maybe they get captured. Its an athletics and stealth check for them to get free, while the rest of the party has mechanics and computers checks to attempt rescue.

You could also, for computer slicing, make it an opposed check based on the ranks of computers the owner has. Suddenly 4Y2G doesn't auto win as much when it is up against 3R2P, or something similar. I don't know about giving them a personal nemesis, unless you could find an awesome way to incorporate that. Might make the player feel like you are picking on them for an extended period of time.

I can empathise with your situation as I have a slicer in my game that has a very similar dice pool (*waves at MKX if he is out there!*).

Firstly, as to disputing the difficulty of checks that you set, I can't even fathom my players ever doing that! Are you using the difficulties fairly? If so, the player needs to pull their head in.

Two examples at relatively extreme ends of the scale:

Breaking Imperial Mililtary encryption on communications I put at a difficulty of formidable with possibly up to 2 black dice or even 2 automatic failures to reflect the equipment that the Imperials are using (hardened coms from dangerous covenants).

Taking control of a normal elevator in a hotel on centrepoint station to change what floor it is going to stop at: average.

Now as to challenge the player, well not much should be a challenge at that level of skill. However, there are always the ever popular opposed checks for truly challenging a character. For instance, if trying to slice the systems of an Imperial Naval ship, they have a team of systems engineers monitoring the system for security and intrusion. A team of 4 naval engineers working as a minion group gives 3 red and 1 purple dice in the opposed pool. Throw in two blacks to reflect their superior equipment and familiarity with the system and you have a real challenge using only minions!

Ninja'd by rowdyoctopus by 1 minute on the opposed check idea!

Read the book Scoundrels, about Han's "Italian Job". Each of the characters in the book, and the movie, have specialties. They are the best at what they each do. The challenge isn't in their individual challenges, it's the whole group, or putting individuals together where one's skill is awesome at the task, but the other's isn't.

For example:

In order to get to the terminal, the slicer and the face get paired together. The face could talk his way out of the prison on Stygian Prime, but it's both of them who get questioned by security. Once inside, they discover it's not one terminal but two, needing simultaneous activation ('That wasn't on the schematics they sold us!') and although the slicer is a computer genius, the face... isn't.

A slicer in our group rolls 5 yellow, 1 green and lowers diff. checks. Usually, when slicing he gets what he wants - as it should be. However, remember that in SW (unless your SW universe is different of course) there is no wi-fi and usually hackers had to plug in manually into at least 'hub' subsystems. Sneak past security etc. Moreover, a despair effect still takes place, even if the hack succeeds - perhaps the slicer left his 'autograph', or a security guard walks onto him etc. etc.

Another point has been already mentioned above - even if he is really good at one thing, chances are good he sucks at combat (or sneaking, or piloting). Sometimes it is good to dump one-trick-ponies into alien (sic!) environments - our slicer recently spent 5 sessions traversing through a jungle. No slicing opportunities until the very end, when he happily hacked an auto-turret (to which he had to first sneak!)

Just out of curiosity? How can someone get YYYYGG??? I get 5 Ranks, but that would get you 1G not 2. So she would have 4INT and 5 ranks?? That would be YYYYG...and if she gets her 5th point in INT then it would be YYYYY.

I know because my PC is a 4AGL guy with 5 Ranks in Pilot Space and 4 ranks in Range Lt. So in combat and piloting I am the Boss. But socially I am crappy. As someone said in a previous post, you can have computer terminals be in high places so it requires athletics or coordination checks...or in tight spaces that are hard to get to. So she will have to use other skills to use her slicing ability.

I can understand your frustration, but it is part of the game.

Just out of curiosity? How can someone get YYYYGG??? I get 5 Ranks, but that would get you 1G not 2. So she would have 4INT and 5 ranks?? That would be YYYYG...and if she gets her 5th point in INT then it would be YYYYY.

Assuming Human or similar:

Starting XP Dump into Int at character creation can get you to 5, leaving almost nothing left for skills and talents. Slicer gets Computers as both Career and Spec, so that gets you 2 ranks. 2 more ranks is only 35 XP. And you force your way to Dedication on the talent tree for 150 XP for +1 Int to max you out at 6 (or you buy a cybernetic brain implant for 10K and a hardish Negotiation check, assuming the GM remembers to make you roll for rarity).

Just out of curiosity? How can someone get YYYYGG??? I get 5 Ranks, but that would get you 1G not 2. So she would have 4INT and 5 ranks?? That would be YYYYG...and if she gets her 5th point in INT then it would be YYYYY.

Intellect:6 and Education: 4 (or vice versa) not sure I understand your question.

As for your player, seriously you need to hose them so that they can really only use INT checks once or so per game and ruin their plans with other checks.

If I have a person who has min/maxed like this, they have gimped their character somewhere... and GUESS what will start coming up ALL the time. Terrible at strength checks? I will set half of the adventure around those.

If they gripe about unfair, i would tell them it was their choice to make the character this way... perhaps you should have made a better rounded character.

Have a nemesis/enemy group lure them somewhere with hard/daunting computers checks, knowing they'll get through. Then, change everything when the Fire Nation attacks.

Have a nemesis/enemy group lure them somewhere with hard/daunting computers checks, knowing they'll get through. Then, change everything when the Fire Nation attacks.

But the Fire Lord is Luke Skywalker....

Have you talked to the player about this? That's the first thing I would recommend. Ask them about their expectations, and what you are looking at as a GM.

As others have said, you can press on their weaknesses that they've left open by the xp-myopathy they've had.

If they gripe about unfair, i would tell them it was their choice to make the character this way... perhaps you should have made a better rounded character.

If this happens, DBAD. Offer them a chance to shift some xp around so they can make a more-balanced, more-fun character.

Have a nemesis/enemy group lure them somewhere with hard/daunting computers checks, knowing they'll get through. Then, change everything when the Fire Nation attacks.

But the Fire Lord is Luke Skywalker....

I thought he was the Joker.

On one hand, you want to give players challenges that they can overcome by using the stuff they've bought with their hard-earned experience, but on the other hand, give them challenges outside their wheelhouse. That's the easy part. To make them sweat the stuff they're good at, start throwing conditions that will add Setback dice to their pool. If it's raining and they're being shot at, can they really breeze that terminal hacking?

Have a nemesis/enemy group lure them somewhere with hard/daunting computers checks, knowing they'll get through. Then, change everything when the Fire Nation attacks.

But the Fire Lord is Luke Skywalker....

I thought he was the Joker.

And the monkey in the spirit world.

Why not just talk to the player? You might get some good insight into the challenges she wants to face. If she raised her skill up that high, it's probably so she can succeed at some crazy stuff. The normal stuff isn't where she wants to be challenged so making a lock tougher to open or throwing a personal nemesis at her might not be the answer. Then again, it just might be! Seeing as the players are contributing to the story, anyway, just having her tell you what she'd really like to do with her character now that she has such legendary capabilities is probably a good thing and just might be awesome.

Why not just talk to the player? You might get some good insight into the challenges she wants to face. If she raised her skill up that high, it's probably so she can succeed at some crazy stuff. The normal stuff isn't where she wants to be challenged so making a lock tougher to open or throwing a personal nemesis at her might not be the answer. Then again, it just might be! Seeing as the players are contributing to the story, anyway, just having her tell you what she'd really like to do with her character now that she has such legendary capabilities is probably a good thing and just might be awesome.

Communicate with the player....the hell you say

Yeah when you have a problem with your game and a player step one should be to TALK to them.

Communicate with the player....the hell you say

I'm new. Sorry.

Btw, I love hearing my reader say "tongue sticking out". I don't know why but it always makes me chuckle. I think the image in my head must be a lot funnier than what the emoticon actually looks like.

Just out of curiosity? How can someone get YYYYGG??? I get 5 Ranks, but that would get you 1G not 2. So she would have 4INT and 5 ranks?? That would be YYYYG...and if she gets her 5th point in INT then it would be YYYYY.

She gets YYYYGG for 6 in Int and 4 in the skill that uses Int. It confused me for a while too but then I realized the max characteristic for a PC is 6.

Personally I wouldn't have done this to a character I'd play. It makes you a one trick pony. I prefer a more balanced approach.

She started off at a 6?!! What species is she?

She started off at a 6?!! What species is she?

Who said she started at 6? She has 4 ranks in computers. Its clearly not a starting character.