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In my role as a DM, I traditionally avoided significant use of chance during my Dungeons & Dragons adventures. My preference was for the plot and session development to be determined by character actions as opposed to pure luck. Recently, I opted to alter my method, and I'm very glad I did.

The Inspiration: Seeing 'Luck Rolls'

A popular podcast features a DM who often calls for "chance rolls" from the adventurers. He does this by choosing a polyhedral and outlining consequences contingent on the number. This is essentially no unlike rolling on a pre-generated chart, these get invented on the spot when a character's decision doesn't have a obvious outcome.

I decided to try this approach at my own table, mostly because it appeared engaging and offered a break from my normal practice. The experience were fantastic, prompting me to reconsider the ongoing dynamic between planning and spontaneity in a roleplaying game.

A Powerful Story Beat

At a session, my players had survived a city-wide battle. When the dust settled, a cleric character asked about two friendly NPCs—a pair—had lived. Rather than picking a fate, I handed it over to chance. I told the player to roll a d20. I defined the outcomes as: on a 1-4, both were killed; a middling roll, a single one would die; a high roll, they made it.

Fate decreed a 4. This led to a incredibly moving sequence where the characters discovered the bodies of their allies, still united in their final moments. The party held last rites, which was especially powerful due to previous character interactions. As a final gesture, I chose that the forms were miraculously restored, revealing a spell-storing object. I randomized, the bead's contained spell was perfectly what the party needed to resolve another major quest obstacle. It's impossible to script these kinds of serendipitous story beats.

Improving On-the-Spot Skills

This experience caused me to question if randomization and spontaneity are truly the essence of tabletop RPGs. Although you are a prep-heavy DM, your skill to pivot need exercise. Players frequently excel at upending the most detailed plans. Therefore, a good DM needs to be able to adapt swiftly and invent scenarios in real-time.

Utilizing on-the-spot randomization is a fantastic way to practice these skills without straying too much outside your comfort zone. The strategy is to apply them for minor situations that don't fundamentally change the campaign's main plot. To illustrate, I wouldn't use it to decide if the main villain is a traitor. However, I would consider using it to decide if the characters reach a location just in time to see a critical event takes place.

Enhancing Player Agency

This technique also helps keep players engaged and create the impression that the game world is alive, evolving in reaction to their choices as they play. It combats the feeling that they are merely pawns in a pre-written story, thereby enhancing the shared foundation of the game.

This philosophy has historically been part of the game's DNA. Early editions were enamored with random tables, which fit a game focused on dungeon crawling. Even though current D&D often emphasizes plot-driven play, leading many DMs to feel they require detailed plans, it's not necessarily the only path.

Finding the Sweet Spot

It is perfectly no problem with being prepared. But, equally valid nothing wrong with stepping back and allowing the dice to decide some things instead of you. Control is a significant factor in a DM's job. We need it to run the game, yet we frequently find it hard to cede it, at times when doing so could be beneficial.

The core suggestion is this: Do not fear of relinquishing a bit of control. Experiment with a little randomness for inconsequential details. You might just find that the organic story beat is significantly more rewarding than anything you could have scripted on your own.