🔗 Share this article

In my role as a game master, I traditionally avoided extensive use of randomization during my Dungeons & Dragons sessions. My preference was for narrative flow and what happened in a game to be determined by character actions rather than pure luck. That said, I chose to alter my method, and I'm very happy with the result.

The Inspiration: Observing a Custom Mechanic

A well-known streamed game showcases a DM who frequently asks for "fate rolls" from the adventurers. The process entails selecting a polyhedral and outlining consequences contingent on the result. It's essentially no distinct from rolling on a random table, these are devised spontaneously when a player's action has no clear conclusion.

I decided to try this approach at my own session, primarily because it appeared interesting and presented a departure from my standard routine. The results were eye-opening, prompting me to reconsider the often-debated balance between planning and spontaneity in a tabletop session.

An Emotional Session Moment

At a session, my players had just emerged from a massive battle. Afterwards, a player wondered if two friendly NPCs—a pair—had lived. Rather than picking a fate, I handed it over to chance. I asked the player to make a twenty-sided die roll. The possible results were: a low roll, both would perish; on a 5-9, a single one succumbed; a high roll, they survived.

The die came up a 4. This triggered a deeply emotional scene where the party found the bodies of their allies, forever clasped together in death. The group performed a ceremony, which was particularly meaningful due to earlier story developments. In a concluding reward, I improvised that the remains were miraculously restored, containing a enchanted item. By chance, the item's magical effect was precisely what the party needed to resolve another critical quest obstacle. One just plan these kinds of serendipitous coincidences.

Improving Your Improvisation

This experience made me wonder if chance and thinking on your feet are in fact the beating heart of D&D. Even if you are a meticulously planning DM, your ability to adapt can rust. Players frequently excel at derailing the most detailed narratives. Therefore, a good DM must be able to adapt swiftly and create content on the fly.

Using on-the-spot randomization is a great way to train these skills without going completely outside your usual style. The strategy is to use them for small-scale decisions that don't fundamentally change the campaign's main plot. To illustrate, I would not employ it to determine if the king's advisor is a traitor. Instead, I might use it to figure out if the characters enter a room just in time to see a key action occurs.

Enhancing Player Agency

Spontaneous randomization also works to make players feel invested and foster the sensation that the story is alive, progressing in reaction to their decisions immediately. It reduces the perception that they are merely characters in a pre-written narrative, thereby enhancing the cooperative aspect of roleplaying.

This approach has historically been embedded in the core of D&D. The game's roots were enamored with encounter generators, which fit a playstyle focused on exploration. While modern D&D tends to emphasizes plot-driven play, leading many DMs to feel they must prep extensively, this isn't always the required method.

Finding the Right Balance

There is absolutely no issue with doing your prep. Yet, equally valid no issue with relinquishing control and allowing the rolls to decide some things instead of you. Direction is a major factor in a DM's job. We use it to run the game, yet we frequently find it hard to cede it, in situations where doing so could be beneficial.

A piece of suggestion is this: Do not fear of letting go of your plan. Embrace a little randomness for minor details. It may discover that the surprising result is far more memorable than anything you might have pre-written by yourself.