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Except the one in the quote I’m referencing from PFS1 *is* skippable and fully explained as optional *for* parties needing an extra challenge.
So, this is not the same thing that I'm referring to. I'm referring to encounters that have a text box that says "If there are less than XX minutes for your table to finish, skip this combat."
The presented "If your party wants a harder challenge" encounters are very few and far between (I don't think there are more than five 1e scenarios that offer this option). In this situation, the GM is supposed to present it as the following:
"Hey players, the scenario provides an additional encounter if you want a harder challenge. There are no additional rewards, but if you think this has been easy and want to ramp it up a bit, you can. You just all need to agree to this additional encounter."
It's similar to the Champion vs. Soldier options for 10-98. The entire group has to agree to it, and the GM needs to present that as such. If the GM just threw the encounter in without consulting the table, then that's a failure on the GM and not the developers for providing the optional encounter.
Maybe *you* don't want anything extraneously difficult added to a scenario, but there were full tables of 15-16 Champion for 10-98 at GenCon that happily accepted the harder final encounter because they wanted the challenge.
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A question for the OP - what's the difference between an optional encounter that grants no treasure, and a non-optional encounter that grants no treasure? Is it only because you know it's optional that it's a problem?
The difference is:
Every GM will run and every player will face the non-optional encounter.
Not every GM and not every player will face the optional encounters.
...and so, with no voice in the decision, some players get hard mode and some don’t.
Venture-Lieutenant, Netherlands—Leiden
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Collecting some comments from Tommy, Bob, roysier, Scott and Blake's, I think some guidelines for good optional encounters would be:
* Placed near the end of the scenario so you know if there's time for it.
* Placed before the climax of the scenario.
* Tells the GM "if there is time you can run this optional encounter", not "must run" or even "should run". It's okay to skip the optional encounter if the table likes to finish early even if strictly speaking there is time.
* Doesn't especially punish you for doing it: doesn't single out the NPC you're escorting through the scenario for example. It shouldn't be much harder for groups doing the optional encounter to get full rewards.
* Should be more or less resource neutral. The bossfight shouldn't be much harder for doing the optional encounter. Avoid inflicting long-term status effects in the optional encounter. Consider putting consumables in the loot to compensate for resources used in the encounter, to make it resource neutral. Hero point refresh is also an option.
* Should be reward-neutral. People not doing the optional encounter shouldn't feel screwed. [Opinions vary on this.] With the treasure bundle system, don't put in a treasure bundle in the optional encounter even if you do give out loot.
* Shouldn't be story-critical. The scenario should still make sense without it.
* Should be interesting though, not just a random time sink. Could be done by adding more depth to the story or having a neat set piece fight.
In summary, an optional encounter should be something that you do because you have enough time, and because it's a fun encounter to spend that time on. In order to make it optional and fair, it is not story-critical and has low impact on resources and rewards.
Venture-Lieutenant, Online—PbP
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I think I'd also be OK with an optional encounter as a way to 'make up for' something that happened earlier. For example, if the PCs need to meet three out of five conditions, it would be OK to make the optional encounter be a sixth possibility, so that players who messed up three conditions can still get full rewards.
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The final encounter in 1-03 was not and optional encounter or ambush encounter, it was the BOSS FIGHT. The encounter before it was by-passed by good perception and engineering checks both times I ran it. Even if they would have triggered that encounter, both tables would have finished on or before time. YMMV as it obviously did for Blake.