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I'm running a game session at Gen Con and I am looking for suggestions or techniques for giving players more opportunities to utilize their skills. Does anyone have any techniques they developed over the years to encourage skill use and more role-playing? I've considered incorporating something similar to the D&D4E skill challenges. Thoughts anyone?

I make a list of skills that each character has exclusively and create a situation where they're needed in the game, so that each player becomes crucial to the success of the mission, and their skill use is key. I try to make the adventures so that they highlight how the Palladium system is played for the people who are new to it.

Stealth is required.
Important data on this computer.
I stepped on a mine help.
Zombies! I'll hold them off get this car started!
I think my leg is broke.
I've been hit.
Does this look like a trap to you?
The gm says "trust me" then smiles.
Are you sure your not a spie?
Say who knows how to cook?
Ok Your six feet the waters nine.
Where are we again?
Sure I'll hop on the turret gun.
What type of monster is that?
Which way do the tracks lead?
You been lost in the woods for days.
Is this poison ivy?
My guns jammed.
Let me ask him, you guys might wanna go outside.
How do I get untied?
Seven times nine equals.
Whats this letter say?
How many of them are out there?
I ripped the crotch outa my jeans.
Yea I can do a backflip.
I climb a tree.
I think he might be armed, pat him down.
Ok I think you get the idea. Lol

Thanks everyone! We'll see if someone cleverly applies their Housekeeping (Professional Quality) skill.

I think skill use shows up different in different groups and players work. I have some players that want to talk it out and role-play the situation, others aren't as gifted in that area so they choose to let the dice speak for them.

To encourage the use of skills, you need to build in problems where those skills are needed. Where consequences are real if they choose to 'smash' through a problem rather than think it out. Traps can work this way, but also having delicate valuables being destroyed becomes players choose the 'Hulk Smash' route rather than carefully bi-pass the security system.

Be creative, one thing that can help is thinking a head of time through a few skill problems. Figure out which skills you would allow and perhaps what bonuses or penalties that could be used for a given situation. Just have a crib sheet of them. It helps you get in the mind of using them as well.

I want dice rolls. Its a character in a game. Not an imiginary avatar with all the knowledge you have from reading every dimension book twice.
Jussayin.

I prefer a little of both.
Some situations are not about talking it out and roleplaying and you need the dice to figure out what happened. Swimming does come to mind, as do the medical skills.
Some situations are just built for roleplaying even if there is a skill available to cover it. Courtly and Military Etiquette come to mind as does gambling (if all the characters are playing poker, then actually playing poker is AWESOME)
And with some psionic abilities or magic abilities some skills become little more than spend appropriate resource and tell me as the GM what you want to do. Telemechanics jumps to mind there.

It's really just a matter of what you and your players are comfortable with.

Cigar~

Agreed. Dice rolls and character stats also keep players in check...at least sometimes.

Getting a feel for the players at the convention is going to be the next challenge to prepare for. So far I've had good luck in the past. Players were pretty level and I've only had one deliberately disruptive player and a few immature players (as in experience with RPGs in general). I'll set the pace and let them run with it.

The crib sheet helped and I ended up swapping out some characters because they were too much alike in their skill set. But I have to admit I tend to gravitate toward the 'Hulk Smash' or 'Brock Sampson' routine no matter what type of character I'm playing.

Skills are the great equalizer in the game. Sure my hero is tough n strong but without a skill heavy character to lead the team, betcha the badguys always get away.
Lets take a typical Brick. Guys good in a fight.
Put him up against an evil secret agent or hunter.........he wouldn't last very long.

Skills are awesome! !

Cleaning up a crime scene or seeing a how a crime scene was cleaned up and possibly knowing other places to look for trace [beautiful combo to go with Criminal Forensics]

Well played NMI. Well played.

25 xp wether successful or not.

The Palladium equivalent of "killing boars."