🔗 Share this article

As a Dungeon Master, I usually avoided heavy use of chance during my tabletop roleplaying adventures. I tended was for narrative flow and what happened in a game to be guided by character actions as opposed to pure luck. That said, I chose to alter my method, and I'm truly glad I did.

The Catalyst: Seeing an Improvised Tool

A popular podcast features a DM who frequently requests "chance rolls" from the participants. This involves choosing a polyhedral and assigning possible results contingent on the number. This is essentially no unlike consulting a random table, these get invented in the moment when a player's action lacks a predetermined resolution.

I decided to try this approach at my own session, mainly because it seemed novel and presented a change from my normal practice. The experience were fantastic, prompting me to reconsider the ongoing dynamic between pre-determination and improvisation in a tabletop session.

A Memorable Session Moment

During one session, my party had concluded a massive fight. Later, a cleric character asked about two key NPCs—a pair—had lived. In place of deciding myself, I handed it over to chance. I asked the player to roll a d20. The possible results were: a low roll, both would perish; a middling roll, a single one would die; on a 10+, they survived.

The die came up a 4. This led to a incredibly moving sequence where the party discovered the corpses of their friends, still clasped together in death. The party conducted funeral rites, which was especially meaningful due to prior roleplaying. As a final reward, I decided that the NPCs' bodies were suddenly transformed, containing a enchanted item. I rolled for, the item's contained spell was perfectly what the party lacked to resolve another pressing quest obstacle. One just orchestrate these kinds of serendipitous moments.

Sharpening On-the-Spot Skills

This experience made me wonder if improvisation and thinking on your feet are truly the essence of tabletop RPGs. While you are a detail-oriented DM, your skill to pivot can rust. Players reliably take delight in ignoring the best constructed plots. Therefore, a good DM has to be able to pivot effectively and invent content in real-time.

Utilizing similar mechanics is a fantastic way to practice these skills without straying too much outside your comfort zone. The trick is to deploy them for minor decisions that don't fundamentally change the overarching story. To illustrate, I would avoid using it to decide if the main villain is a secret enemy. But, I could use it to figure out whether the PCs enter a room right after a critical event occurs.

Strengthening Collaborative Storytelling

Luck rolls also helps keep players engaged and cultivate the feeling that the story is alive, shaping according to their actions immediately. It prevents the perception that they are merely actors in a rigidly planned story, thereby enhancing the shared aspect of storytelling.

Randomization has historically been part of the game's DNA. Original D&D were enamored with random tables, which made sense for a playstyle focused on treasure hunting. While current D&D frequently focuses on narrative and role-play, leading many DMs to feel they need exhaustive notes, that may not be the only path.

Striking the Right Balance

Absolutely no problem with thorough preparation. However, equally valid no issue with relinquishing control and allowing the dice to guide minor details rather than you. Direction is a significant factor in a DM's responsibilities. We require it to manage the world, yet we often struggle to release it, even when doing so could be beneficial.

My final advice is this: Do not fear of relinquishing a bit of control. Experiment with a little chance for minor details. The result could create that the surprising result is infinitely more powerful than anything you would have pre-written by yourself.