I've just started to run the second book and so far intimidate has been used very little in a combat setting. One of my players started to use it a little more towards the end of the last session though and it got me thinking about how the fluff of the book combines with the crunch of the mechanics.
By that I mean that a lot of the encounters are made up of NPCs who have very strong beliefs. I don't feel that the more static DCs are a fair reflection of these peoples' resolve, especially as the PCs can pump all sorts of traits, feats and items into the intimidate skill. I know that would make them more terrifying, so intimidate should work, but it does make me concerned that encounters could be prematurely stopped through the constant use of intimidate.
Am I barking up the wrong tree? Am I completely alone with this? What do you think?
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I wouldn't worry about it. Shaken is not a huge debuff, and the player's would typically be using their standard action to demoralize other, which only affects a single opponent.
If they end up getting Dazzling Display, then they're sacrificing their entire to affect all enemies within range.
I have always thought that Intimidation and Demoralization is pretty balanced.