🔗 Share this article

When I am a game master, I historically steered clear of significant use of chance during my Dungeons & Dragons sessions. I preferred was for narrative flow and what happened in a game to be determined by player choice as opposed to the roll of a die. Recently, I decided to change my approach, and I'm incredibly happy with the result.

The Inspiration: Observing 'Luck Rolls'

A popular streamed game features a DM who regularly calls for "chance rolls" from the adventurers. This involves picking a polyhedral and assigning possible results tied to the result. While it's at its core no different from consulting a random table, these get invented in the moment when a character's decision has no clear resolution.

I opted to test this technique at my own session, mainly because it seemed engaging and presented a break from my normal practice. The outcome were eye-opening, prompting me to reflect on the perennial tension between pre-determination and improvisation in a roleplaying game.

A Powerful In-Game Example

At a session, my players had survived a large-scale fight. Later, a cleric character inquired after two beloved NPCs—a pair—had made it. Rather than picking a fate, I asked for a roll. I told the player to roll a d20. I defined the outcomes as: on a 1-4, both died; on a 5-9, a single one would die; a high roll, they survived.

Fate decreed a 4. This triggered a deeply poignant scene where the party found the remains of their companions, still united in their final moments. The cleric held last rites, which was uniquely powerful due to previous story developments. As a final gesture, I decided that the NPCs' bodies were strangely transformed, revealing a spell-storing object. By chance, the item's magical effect was perfectly what the group lacked to address another critical story problem. One just orchestrate this type of magical story beats.

Improving DM Agility

This event caused me to question if chance and making it up are actually the core of tabletop RPGs. Even if you are a detail-oriented DM, your ability to adapt may atrophy. Players often find joy in derailing the most carefully laid narratives. Therefore, a good DM needs to be able to adapt swiftly and create content on the fly.

Utilizing similar mechanics is a great way to develop these abilities without venturing too far outside your preparation. The trick is to apply them for small-scale circumstances that won't drastically alter the overarching story. For instance, I would not employ it to decide if the king's advisor is a secret enemy. However, I could use it to decide if the characters arrive just in time to see a key action unfolds.

Enhancing Collaborative Storytelling

Spontaneous randomization also helps maintain tension and cultivate the sensation that the story is dynamic, shaping based on their choices in real-time. It prevents the sense that they are merely pawns in a rigidly planned script, thereby strengthening the collaborative nature of storytelling.

Randomization has long been part of the core of D&D. The game's roots were reliant on encounter generators, which made sense for a playstyle focused on dungeon crawling. While modern D&D frequently prioritizes narrative and role-play, leading many DMs to feel they require detailed plans, that may not be the required method.

Achieving the Sweet Spot

It is perfectly no problem with doing your prep. However, it's also fine no issue with stepping back and allowing the whim of chance to determine certain outcomes in place of you. Direction is a big part of a DM's responsibilities. We use it to run the game, yet we often struggle to give some up, even when doing so can lead to great moments.

My final advice is this: Don't be afraid of letting go of the reins. Embrace a little randomness for inconsequential story elements. You might just discover that the organic story beat is far more powerful than anything you would have pre-written in advance.