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When I am a DM, I historically shied away from extensive use of chance during my Dungeons & Dragons adventures. I tended was for the plot and what happened in a game to be guided by character actions instead of pure luck. Recently, I decided to alter my method, and I'm incredibly glad I did.

The Spark: Seeing 'Luck Rolls'

A popular podcast utilizes a DM who often asks for "fate rolls" from the adventurers. He does this by choosing a specific dice and outlining consequences based on the number. This is at its core no distinct from rolling on a random table, these get invented on the spot when a course of events doesn't have a predetermined conclusion.

I opted to test this technique at my own table, mainly because it seemed novel and provided a departure from my usual habits. The experience were eye-opening, prompting me to reconsider the perennial balance between preparation and randomization in a tabletop session.

An Emotional In-Game Example

At a session, my group had just emerged from a massive battle. Afterwards, a player asked about two key NPCs—a sibling duo—had survived. Instead of deciding myself, I asked for a roll. I told the player to make a twenty-sided die roll. I defined the outcomes as: a low roll, both died; on a 5-9, a single one succumbed; a high roll, they survived.

The player rolled a 4. This triggered a incredibly poignant moment where the adventurers came upon the corpses of their friends, forever clasped together in their final moments. The cleric held a ceremony, which was especially meaningful due to prior character interactions. In a concluding reward, I chose that the forms were miraculously transformed, containing a magical Prayer Bead. I randomized, the bead's magical effect was exactly what the party lacked to address another critical situation. It's impossible to plan this type of perfect coincidences.

Honing On-the-Spot Skills

This incident caused me to question if randomization and spontaneity are truly the essence of tabletop RPGs. Although you are a meticulously planning DM, your skill to pivot may atrophy. Groups reliably find joy in derailing the best constructed narratives. Therefore, a skilled DM needs to be able to adapt swiftly and fabricate details on the fly.

Utilizing on-the-spot randomization is a great way to develop these abilities without going completely outside your usual style. The trick is to use them for minor situations that won't drastically alter the session's primary direction. As an example, I wouldn't use it to determine if the central plot figure is a secret enemy. But, I might use it to figure out whether the party enter a room just in time to see a critical event takes place.

Empowering Collaborative Storytelling

Spontaneous randomization also helps maintain tension and create the feeling that the adventure is alive, evolving in reaction to their decisions in real-time. It combats the perception that they are merely actors in a rigidly planned story, thereby strengthening the cooperative foundation of the game.

Randomization has always been embedded in the core of D&D. The game's roots were filled with encounter generators, which made sense for a game focused on dungeon crawling. Although current D&D frequently prioritizes plot-driven play, leading many DMs to feel they require detailed plans, it's not necessarily the best approach.

Achieving the Healthy Equilibrium

Absolutely nothing wrong with thorough preparation. However, equally valid nothing wrong with letting go and allowing the whim of chance to decide some things in place of you. Control is a big factor in a DM's responsibilities. We require it to run the game, yet we often struggle to cede it, at times when doing so could be beneficial.

The core recommendation is this: Have no fear of letting go of control. Try a little randomness for smaller story elements. You might just find that the unexpected outcome is significantly more memorable than anything you could have scripted by yourself.