🔗 Share this article

As a game master, I traditionally steered clear of significant use of luck during my tabletop roleplaying sessions. My preference was for the plot and session development to be determined by deliberate decisions instead of the roll of a die. However, I opted to change my approach, and I'm truly happy with the result.

The Spark: Watching a Custom Mechanic

An influential streamed game utilizes a DM who frequently asks for "chance rolls" from the adventurers. He does this by selecting a polyhedral and outlining possible results tied to the number. It's fundamentally no different from using a pre-generated chart, these are devised in the moment when a course of events has no clear resolution.

I decided to try this approach at my own session, mostly because it looked engaging and presented a break from my standard routine. The experience were fantastic, prompting me to reflect on the ongoing tension between planning and improvisation in a tabletop session.

An Emotional Session Moment

At a session, my players had concluded a massive conflict. Later, a player asked about two friendly NPCs—a sibling duo—had made it. In place of deciding myself, I asked for a roll. I told the player to make a twenty-sided die roll. The stakes were: a low roll, both would perish; on a 5-9, a single one would die; on a 10+, they made it.

Fate decreed a 4. This triggered a profoundly moving sequence where the adventurers discovered the corpses of their allies, forever clasped together in their final moments. The group performed funeral rites, which was particularly significant due to prior story developments. As a final reward, I decided that the forms were suddenly transformed, containing a enchanted item. I rolled for, the bead's contained spell was exactly what the group lacked to resolve another major story problem. You simply plan this type of perfect moments.

Sharpening On-the-Spot Skills

This experience caused me to question if chance and thinking on your feet are truly the beating heart of this game. Although you are a detail-oriented DM, your improvisation muscles need exercise. Adventurers reliably take delight in derailing the most detailed narratives. Therefore, a skilled DM needs to be able to think quickly and invent details in the moment.

Utilizing on-the-spot randomization is a excellent way to develop these skills without straying too much outside your usual style. The key is to use them for small-scale decisions that have a limited impact on the campaign's main plot. To illustrate, I would not employ it to decide if the central plot figure is a secret enemy. But, I would consider using it to decide whether the PCs enter a room moments before a major incident unfolds.

Strengthening Player Agency

Luck rolls also serves to make players feel invested and cultivate the feeling that the game world is alive, evolving based on their choices in real-time. It prevents the perception that they are merely actors in a pre-written script, thereby enhancing the collaborative nature of storytelling.

This philosophy has historically been embedded in the core of D&D. Original D&D were reliant on charts, which fit a playstyle focused on treasure hunting. Even though current D&D frequently focuses on narrative and role-play, leading many DMs to feel they need exhaustive notes, it's not necessarily the best approach.

Finding the Sweet Spot

Absolutely nothing wrong with thorough preparation. But, equally valid no problem with letting go and letting the rolls to determine certain outcomes instead of you. Authority is a big aspect of a DM's job. We require it to facilitate play, yet we can be reluctant to release it, at times when doing so might improve the game.

A piece of recommendation is this: Don't be afraid of relinquishing a bit of the reins. Experiment with a little randomness for inconsequential outcomes. It may discover that the organic story beat is far more rewarding than anything you would have planned by yourself.