In D&D, letting everyone roll perception, investigation, or knowledge checks guarantees success, so why bother rolling? I love group rolls for Perception just because they are the simplest connection between mechanics and RP. Folks fail the check and it’s instantly “Yeah, I was daydreaming about the treasure,” or “I’m too focused on horseback crocheting.” Everyone gets invested!
— Richard Malena-Webber (@rmalena) October 22, 2019
Sometimes the question is WHO notices. Your guide just picked the pocket of an arrogant guard. If the rogue notices, they’ll probably snicker and wink. If the Paladin notices they might feel obliged to intervene. It’s not breaking the story, just about who gets an RP moment.
— Keith Baker (@HellcowKeith) October 23, 2019
Depends on how integral the success is to the story… GUMSHOE, frex, ensures that the PCs find the clues necessary to advance the plot without “well, we didn’t find that one important thing, so the game grinds to a halt here.”