Session Report-Back is a feature in which I jot down my after-action thoughts about my weekly D&D session for my Disciples of Dreth'dor campaign.

The PCs led a militia of 300 strong on an assault on the Big Bad's town. Taking point, they plowed through the enemies' front lines, crushing the unprepared defenders and fought alongside their small army against hordes of slavers, corrupt guards, and general nogoodniks.

The players had fun, the PCs took a step toward their ultimate goal of defeating the Big Bad, and things didn't drag on into eternity.

Good session.

How did I handle a battle on such a massive scale? There was no way I would play it out with actual combat -- it would take an hour just to play out Round 1. And while I tried homebrewed Mass Combat systems in the past, I've never been fond of their impersonal nature. Sure, they handle masses of troops well, but the story isn't about the armies -- it's about the PCs.

I made use of 4e's greatest innovation: the Skill Challenge.

The PCs would defeat the enemy -- that was never in question. The question was, how wounded would they be by the time they had to fight the Villain herself? So the skill challenge assumed that, every round, the PCs were making the best use of their At-Will powers. On top of that, they could make skill checks to give themselves an edge in the battle -- and thus earn a Success toward completing the Skill Challenge and finishing the battle. A failure meant the loss of a Healing Surge.

The Ranger used Heal to patch-up the wounded and get them back into the fight.

The Fighter used Intimidate to cow enemies into fleeing.

The Warlord used Diplomacy to rally the troops.

The Wizard used History to call upon historical battlefield tactics.

The Rogue used Stealth to snipe enemies from a hidden roost.

The players got to use their creativity to find ways to use their skills to give them an edge in combat, and that was a big part of the fun.

The Skill Challenge is a powerful tool; it's a shame that we don't have enough solid examples of how to get the most out of them.