just skip it!
Sometimes the most logical in-world thing to happen wouldn't be the most interesting. What's a principled GM to do?
Just skip to the next interesting thing! Hit that fast-forward button!
Here's the procedure:
- Get clarity on what the PCs' standard operating procedure and approach is, and anything that would cause them to stand back and adjust that approach.
- In your head, figure out a likely timeline of how things would happen if they kept on doing that, up until the next interesting decision point. (Consider making or asking for a reaction roll, if you want a broadly neutral oracle for "how well things go.")
- Narrate up to there, checking to pause each time you describe what PCs are doing, or what the results are. If any player clarifies that's not what their PC would do or find the situation interesting enough to engage with, stop the bus.
- Stop yourself if it's not obvious what them following their SOP would look like, or what the results of that would be, or if you're granting them information that would make it worthwhile for them to change their approach, or if you find the situation interesting enough to engage with.
The goal here is to elide what you want to elide for the sake of efficiency, while being ready to hit the breaks and zoom in/concretely engage when it would elide what you don't want to.