🔗 Share this article

As a game master, I traditionally shied away from extensive use of chance during my Dungeons & Dragons sessions. My preference was for story direction and what happened in a game to be shaped by character actions rather than random chance. However, I chose to try something different, and I'm very glad I did.

The Spark: Seeing an Improvised Tool

A well-known streamed game features a DM who often requests "chance rolls" from the players. The process entails selecting a specific dice and assigning consequences based on the roll. This is essentially no unlike rolling on a random table, these are devised spontaneously when a character's decision has no obvious outcome.

I opted to test this technique at my own table, mainly because it appeared novel and offered a departure from my normal practice. The outcome were fantastic, prompting me to reconsider the often-debated dynamic between preparation and randomization in a roleplaying game.

An Emotional Session Moment

During one session, my group had concluded a city-wide fight. When the dust settled, a cleric character wondered if two beloved NPCs—a brother and sister—had made it. Instead of picking a fate, I handed it over to chance. I asked the player to make a twenty-sided die roll. I defined the outcomes as: on a 1-4, both were killed; a middling roll, only one succumbed; a high roll, they survived.

The die came up a 4. This triggered a deeply moving scene where the adventurers found the corpses of their allies, forever united in death. The cleric conducted funeral rites, which was particularly meaningful due to earlier roleplaying. In a concluding gesture, I improvised that the forms were suddenly restored, showing a enchanted item. I rolled for, the bead's contained spell was exactly what the group required to address another pressing story problem. It's impossible to script this type of serendipitous story beats.

Sharpening Your Improvisation

This event led me to ponder if improvisation and spontaneity are truly the core of this game. Even if you are a detail-oriented DM, your skill to pivot may atrophy. Adventurers often find joy in derailing the most carefully laid narratives. Therefore, a effective DM needs to be able to think quickly and fabricate content in real-time.

Employing similar mechanics is a fantastic way to train these abilities without straying too much outside your usual style. The trick is to apply them for minor situations that don't fundamentally change the campaign's main plot. To illustrate, I would avoid using it to decide if the central plot figure is a traitor. But, I would consider using it to figure out whether the party reach a location right after a critical event occurs.

Strengthening Player Agency

This technique also works to maintain tension and foster the impression that the game world is dynamic, evolving according to their actions as they play. It reduces the feeling that they are merely characters in a rigidly planned script, thereby strengthening the collaborative nature of the game.

Randomization has always been part of the game's DNA. Early editions were enamored with random tables, which made sense for a game focused on exploration. While modern D&D often prioritizes story and character, leading many DMs to feel they need exhaustive notes, it's not necessarily the required method.

Finding the Healthy Equilibrium

There is absolutely nothing wrong with thorough preparation. But, there is also no issue with stepping back and permitting the rolls to decide some things in place of you. Direction is a big factor in a DM's responsibilities. We require it to facilitate play, yet we frequently find it hard to cede it, even when doing so can lead to great moments.

The core advice is this: Have no fear of letting go of the reins. Embrace a little randomness for inconsequential outcomes. The result could find that the organic story beat is far more powerful than anything you might have pre-written in advance.