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When I am a DM, I traditionally shied away from heavy use of randomization during my Dungeons & Dragons sessions. I tended was for the plot and session development to be guided by character actions rather than the roll of a die. Recently, I chose to change my approach, and I'm very glad I did.

The Catalyst: Seeing 'Luck Rolls'

A well-known actual-play show features a DM who often requests "luck rolls" from the adventurers. He does this by picking a polyhedral and defining possible results contingent on the number. While it's essentially no different from rolling on a random table, these are created on the spot when a character's decision doesn't have a predetermined outcome.

I decided to try this technique at my own session, primarily because it looked interesting and offered a break from my normal practice. The results were remarkable, prompting me to think deeply about the perennial balance between planning and improvisation in a roleplaying game.

A Powerful Story Beat

At a session, my group had just emerged from a large-scale battle. Later, a player asked about two beloved NPCs—a pair—had lived. Instead of picking a fate, I let the dice decide. I instructed the player to roll a d20. 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 resulted in a profoundly poignant sequence where the adventurers found the bodies of their allies, forever holding hands in death. The cleric conducted last rites, which was uniquely powerful due to prior roleplaying. As a final reward, I improvised that the forms were strangely transformed, showing a magical Prayer Bead. By chance, the item's magical effect was exactly what the group required to solve another major story problem. It's impossible to orchestrate such serendipitous coincidences.

Honing Your Improvisation

This event led me to ponder if randomization and thinking on your feet are actually the core of this game. Although you are a meticulously planning DM, your ability to adapt may atrophy. Players reliably take delight in upending the most carefully laid narratives. Therefore, a good DM must be able to pivot effectively and create content in the moment.

Using on-the-spot randomization is a fantastic way to develop these skills without going completely outside your preparation. The strategy is to use them for minor 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 traitor. Instead, I might use it to decide if the characters reach a location moments before a critical event takes place.

Strengthening Collaborative Storytelling

Spontaneous randomization also works to maintain tension and cultivate the impression that the game world is responsive, progressing in reaction to their actions immediately. It prevents the sense that they are merely actors in a DM's sole story, thereby enhancing the cooperative aspect of the game.

This philosophy has historically been part of the core of D&D. Original D&D were enamored with charts, which fit a game focused on dungeon crawling. While modern D&D frequently focuses on narrative and role-play, leading many DMs to feel they need exhaustive notes, it's not necessarily the only path.

Finding the Right Balance

It is perfectly nothing wrong with being prepared. But, there is also nothing wrong with letting go and allowing the dice to decide some things instead of you. Authority is a major aspect of a DM's role. We need it to facilitate play, yet we can be reluctant to release it, in situations where doing so might improve the game.

A piece of advice is this: Have no fear of temporarily losing your plan. Embrace a little randomness for inconsequential details. It may discover that the surprising result is infinitely more memorable than anything you could have planned in advance.