🔗 Share this article

When I am a Dungeon Master, I traditionally shied away from heavy use of randomization during my D&D games. I tended was for narrative flow and session development to be guided by character actions instead of random chance. Recently, I opted to try something different, and I'm truly pleased with the outcome.

The Spark: Watching an Improvised Tool

A well-known podcast showcases a DM who frequently calls for "fate rolls" from the participants. The process entails choosing a polyhedral and assigning consequences contingent on the result. While it's at its core no different from consulting a pre-generated chart, these are devised spontaneously when a character's decision has no clear conclusion.

I decided to try this technique at my own session, mostly because it seemed engaging and offered a departure from my usual habits. The experience were fantastic, prompting me to reflect on the often-debated tension between pre-determination and randomization in a D&D campaign.

An Emotional In-Game Example

At a session, my group had survived a massive fight. Afterwards, a cleric character inquired after two friendly NPCs—a brother and sister—had lived. Rather than deciding myself, I handed it over to chance. I told the player to roll a d20. The possible results were: a low roll, both would perish; on a 5-9, only one would die; on a 10+, they survived.

The player rolled a 4. This led to a incredibly moving moment where the characters found the remains of their friends, still clasped together in death. The cleric conducted a ceremony, which was particularly powerful due to previous roleplaying. In a concluding touch, I decided that the forms were suddenly transformed, showing a enchanted item. I randomized, the bead's magical effect was perfectly what the party lacked to resolve another pressing quest obstacle. It's impossible to script this type of serendipitous coincidences.

Sharpening DM Agility

This experience made me wonder if chance and spontaneity are truly the essence of tabletop RPGs. Although you are a meticulously planning DM, your ability to adapt need exercise. Adventurers often find joy in upending the most detailed narratives. Therefore, a skilled DM needs to be able to think quickly and create content in the moment.

Utilizing similar mechanics is a excellent way to develop these skills without straying too much outside your preparation. The key is to deploy them for small-scale circumstances that won't drastically alter the overarching story. To illustrate, I would avoid using it to decide if the king's advisor is a traitor. Instead, I would consider using it to decide whether the characters enter a room moments before a critical event occurs.

Strengthening Collaborative Storytelling

This technique also works to maintain tension and create the impression that the game world is responsive, evolving according to their decisions as they play. It combats the sense that they are merely actors in a pre-written story, thereby strengthening the collaborative nature of the game.

This approach has historically been integral to the original design. The game's roots were filled with encounter generators, which suited a playstyle focused on dungeon crawling. Even though contemporary D&D tends to prioritizes narrative and role-play, leading many DMs to feel they need exhaustive notes, this isn't always the only path.

Striking the Healthy Equilibrium

It is perfectly no problem with thorough preparation. But, there is also nothing wrong with stepping back and permitting the whim of chance to guide minor details instead of you. Authority is a major aspect of a DM's job. We use it to facilitate play, yet we often struggle to cede it, at times when doing so can lead to great moments.

My final advice is this: Do not fear of letting go of control. Experiment with a little improvisation for smaller story elements. The result could create that the surprising result is significantly more powerful than anything you could have pre-written by yourself.