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When I am a Dungeon Master, I traditionally avoided significant use of luck during my tabletop roleplaying sessions. My preference was for story direction and what happened in a game to be guided by character actions as opposed to random chance. That said, I decided to alter my method, and I'm incredibly glad I did.

The Spark: Watching an Improvised Tool

A popular podcast features a DM who frequently asks for "chance rolls" from the players. This involves picking a polyhedral and outlining potential outcomes contingent on the result. It's essentially no unlike rolling on a pre-generated chart, these are created spontaneously when a course of events doesn't have a clear conclusion.

I decided to try this technique at my own table, mostly because it seemed novel and provided a break from my usual habits. The outcome were fantastic, prompting me to reconsider the often-debated tension between planning and spontaneity in a tabletop session.

A Memorable Story Beat

In a recent session, my group had concluded a large-scale fight. Later, a player inquired after two friendly NPCs—a sibling duo—had made it. In place of choosing an outcome, I let the dice decide. I instructed the player to roll a d20. The stakes were: a low roll, both were killed; on a 5-9, only one would die; on a 10+, they survived.

The player rolled a 4. This triggered a deeply poignant scene where the party found the corpses of their friends, still clasped together in death. The party held last rites, which was especially significant due to prior character interactions. In a concluding gesture, I chose that the forms were miraculously transformed, showing a magical Prayer Bead. I randomized, the bead's magical effect was exactly what the party needed to address another major situation. One just plan such magical moments.

Sharpening Your Improvisation

This event led me to ponder if improvisation and thinking on your feet are truly the essence of this game. While you are a meticulously planning DM, your skill to pivot need exercise. Adventurers often excel at upending the most detailed plots. Therefore, a effective DM has to be able to adapt swiftly and create content on the fly.

Using on-the-spot randomization is a excellent way to train these abilities without venturing too far outside your usual style. The key is to use them for small-scale situations that have a limited impact on the overarching story. To illustrate, I would avoid using it to decide if the central plot figure is a traitor. But, I could use it to figure out whether the PCs reach a location right after a critical event takes place.

Strengthening Collaborative Storytelling

This technique also helps make players feel invested and create the sensation that the story is alive, shaping in reaction to their actions immediately. It prevents the feeling that they are merely pawns in a DM's sole story, thereby strengthening the collaborative foundation of the game.

Randomization has always been integral to the core of D&D. Original D&D were enamored with random tables, which fit a game focused on exploration. Even though modern D&D tends to prioritizes story and character, leading many DMs to feel they need exhaustive notes, that may not be the only path.

Striking the Sweet Spot

Absolutely no problem with doing your prep. But, it's also fine nothing wrong with letting go and permitting the dice to guide minor details instead of you. Control is a big aspect of a DM's job. We use it to run the game, yet we can be reluctant to cede it, at times when doing so might improve the game.

A piece of advice is this: Don't be afraid of temporarily losing the reins. Experiment with a little chance for inconsequential outcomes. You might just create that the unexpected outcome is significantly more memorable than anything you would have pre-written in advance.