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In my role as a Dungeon Master, I usually steered clear of heavy use of chance during my tabletop roleplaying games. I tended was for story direction and what happened in a game to be guided by deliberate decisions rather than random chance. However, I decided to change my approach, and I'm truly glad I did.

The Catalyst: Observing a Custom Mechanic

A well-known podcast features a DM who regularly requests "fate rolls" from the adventurers. This involves picking a polyhedral and assigning possible results tied to the number. It's fundamentally no distinct from using a pre-generated chart, these are devised spontaneously when a character's decision has no predetermined outcome.

I decided to try this approach at my own session, mostly because it seemed novel and provided a departure from my normal practice. The outcome were remarkable, prompting me to reconsider the ongoing dynamic between preparation and randomization in a roleplaying game.

A Powerful Story Beat

During one session, my players had survived a large-scale fight. Afterwards, a cleric character asked about two key NPCs—a pair—had lived. Instead of choosing an outcome, I let the dice decide. I told the player to make a twenty-sided die roll. The stakes were: a low roll, both died; a middling roll, a single one would die; a high roll, they survived.

The player rolled a 4. This led to a incredibly poignant scene where the party discovered the corpses of their companions, still holding hands in their final moments. The cleric conducted last rites, which was especially meaningful due to previous character interactions. In a concluding gesture, I decided that the NPCs' bodies were miraculously restored, revealing a spell-storing object. I rolled for, the item's magical effect was precisely what the party lacked to solve another pressing situation. One just plan these kinds of magical coincidences.

Improving On-the-Spot Skills

This incident led me to ponder if randomization and thinking on your feet are actually the essence of this game. Although you are a meticulously planning DM, your improvisation muscles can rust. Players frequently excel at derailing the best constructed plans. Therefore, a effective DM must be able to adapt swiftly and fabricate content in the moment.

Employing similar mechanics is a great way to practice these talents without straying too much outside your comfort zone. The trick is to apply them for small-scale situations that don't fundamentally change the overarching story. As an example, I would not employ it to determine if the main villain is a secret enemy. However, I could use it to decide whether the characters enter a room moments before a major incident occurs.

Strengthening Collaborative Storytelling

Luck rolls also helps maintain tension and create the feeling that the adventure is dynamic, evolving in reaction to their actions in real-time. It prevents the sense that they are merely characters in a rigidly planned story, thereby strengthening the collaborative foundation of storytelling.

This philosophy has always been integral to the original design. The game's roots were enamored with encounter generators, which suited a playstyle focused on exploration. While contemporary D&D tends to emphasizes narrative and role-play, leading many DMs to feel they need exhaustive notes, that may not be the best approach.

Striking the Sweet Spot

There is absolutely nothing wrong with thorough preparation. But, there is also nothing wrong with relinquishing control and letting the rolls to decide some things in place of you. Control is a significant aspect of a DM's job. We use it to run the game, yet we frequently find it hard to cede it, in situations where doing so could be beneficial.

The core suggestion is this: Don't be afraid of temporarily losing the reins. Try a little chance for inconsequential story elements. You might just create that the unexpected outcome is far more powerful than anything you might have pre-written in advance.