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As a game master, I traditionally steered clear of significant use of chance during my tabletop roleplaying games. I tended was for narrative flow and session development to be determined by player choice rather than random chance. That said, I chose to change my approach, and I'm very pleased with the outcome.

The Spark: Watching an Improvised Tool

A well-known actual-play show utilizes a DM who often requests "fate rolls" from the players. This involves picking a specific dice and assigning consequences based on the number. While it's fundamentally no different from using a random table, these are created spontaneously when a course of events has no obvious resolution.

I decided to try this technique at my own table, primarily because it looked engaging and offered a break from my normal practice. The results were remarkable, prompting me to reflect on the perennial dynamic between preparation and spontaneity in a tabletop session.

A Memorable Story Beat

At a session, my group had concluded a large-scale conflict. Afterwards, a cleric character wondered if two key NPCs—a pair—had survived. In place of choosing an outcome, I let the dice decide. I instructed the player to make a twenty-sided die roll. The stakes were: a low roll, both were killed; a middling roll, a single one succumbed; on a 10+, they made it.

The die came up a 4. This led to a incredibly moving sequence where the party found the corpses of their companions, still clasped together in death. The group performed funeral rites, which was especially meaningful due to prior character interactions. As a parting touch, I decided that the forms were strangely restored, showing a enchanted item. I rolled for, the item's contained spell was perfectly what the party lacked to address another critical story problem. It's impossible to orchestrate such serendipitous moments.

Improving On-the-Spot Skills

This experience caused me to question if chance and spontaneity are in fact the beating heart of D&D. Even if you are a detail-oriented DM, your improvisation muscles can rust. Groups frequently find joy in upending the most carefully laid plots. Therefore, a skilled DM must be able to pivot effectively and fabricate details in the moment.

Using on-the-spot randomization is a fantastic way to train these abilities without going completely outside your comfort zone. The trick is to use them for small-scale situations that have a limited impact on the campaign's main plot. To illustrate, I would not employ it to decide if the king's advisor is a secret enemy. But, I could use it to determine if the PCs enter a room just in time to see a critical event unfolds.

Empowering Shared Narrative

This technique also serves to maintain tension and create the feeling that the story is alive, evolving based on their decisions as they play. It reduces the sense that they are merely actors in a rigidly planned narrative, thereby bolstering the collaborative aspect of the game.

Randomization has always been part of the core of D&D. Early editions were reliant on encounter generators, which suited a playstyle focused on dungeon crawling. Even though contemporary D&D tends to emphasizes plot-driven play, leading many DMs to feel they must prep extensively, it's not necessarily the required method.

Striking the Right Balance

Absolutely no problem with thorough preparation. Yet, there is also no problem with stepping back and permitting the whim of chance to determine certain outcomes rather than you. Control is a significant aspect of a DM's role. We use it to facilitate play, yet we can be reluctant to release it, even when doing so could be beneficial.

My final recommendation is this: Don't be afraid of letting go of your plan. Try a little improvisation for smaller details. You might just discover that the unexpected outcome is infinitely more rewarding than anything you could have scripted in advance.