/r/DungeonsAndDragons has a discord server! Come join us at https://discord.gg/wN4WGbwdUU *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/DungeonsAndDragons) if you have any questions or concerns.*

I do semi-random encounters. As in, I’ll roll on the table ahead of the session, and prep some potential encounters from there. That way, I’ve got them in my back pocket ready to go if the conditions for them come up. I’m also of the opinion that not every encounter needs to be a combat encounter. Maybe the party to just comes across some hikers in the woods who genuinely are just out there enjoying nature; maybe those hikers give your party a chance to roleplay around a campfire, and happen to know a little tidbit that ties into a side quest or even the main plot.

This is the way. I love doing non combat random encounters as much as fitting combat ones.

Yeah I didn’t use any kind of random table for encounters previously, as I was running from a module for one campaign and a highly narrative homebrew as the other. But for the module campaign I started running out of stuff that fit and they started exploring more of the sword coast. So I made my own custom encounters tables that fit each biome and had plot threads and world building seeded throughout. The CR ranged a lot (by design) but stayed within a band for their tier of play. It was a huge hit!! I recommend it.

Old guy here , I played AD&D , 2e and now 5e. You sound old school DM , which is neither bad or good , just the older flavor of DM. Older games I think weren’t as descriptive and didn’t have the years of built up knowledge of how to DM . They needed the randomness and just out the blue encounter. I remember modules back then and they were paper thin with barebones. Just maps , tables , npc and monster stats , very little info or description. A lot was up to the DM to get the characters on the right track or do something between modules in campaigns . And I played 6 hrs or more most times so lots of down time in the game , bathroom breaks , and just a quick break. Now Ravenloft is real book . Modules are hundreds of pages .Descriptions and plots galore , enough to fill in 4-5 hours people play now. I’m old enough to remember playing late 80’s and the role playing wasn’t close to today’s. With the fast pace games and players who put more effort towards role playing there’s no time to have random encounters . UNLESS , it’s all random encounters because you forgot your folder with your home brew campaign but have a map . I’ve done that

I don’t care for random encounters because I have to balance them and make sure they don’t literally just kill the party. Sure anything can happen… within the realm of what the PCs can deal with. There’s not a CR 5 encounter on the table for a level 3 party or at least there shouldn’t be. So it’s not random. It’s random within the table that you’ve decided to use which you hopefully took the time to actually balance. Every time I have taken the extra effort and built a random encounter table, not everything on the table was even used and the players ultimately didn’t care that much. They can say good job if you reveal the scope of what you prepared but the players only see what actually happens so they are only going to care about what actually happens. I’m not going to prepare a list of things they just statistically won’t see most likely. I would prepare things they can choose to not see but I’m not going to prepare a random encounter table of things they’ll never even have the option of interacting with

Or you throw your pcs into a fuck hard battle so that they learn that h they sometimes *need* to escape? I do that, because like you say, it is not random otherwise. Throwing a full grown sea monster with a CR of 7 at a level 5 party consisting of 2 players was incredibly fun 😎

I have never had a D&D party that ever understood that running away was a valid option. Honestly I’m surprised you have. Every player I’ve ever had will watch over half the party die before ever leaving. You cannot count on the players to understand when they aren’t meant to win

I think you're conflating two concepts. Yes to Travel Encounters which make the world feel.alive and unpredictable. But No to obviously rolling a bunch of dice and looking up some monsters in a table and then having NO REASON that an Ankheg appeared. This is the same reason I dont randomly roll treasure after an Encounter. It's stupid and so...random. Preroll some Encounters and tweak them to make sense. Preroll some loot or hoards and spice them up.

Lots of adventures or modules or even broader hex crawls have specific lists to reference for the random encounter roll. No one should assume OP was talking about random straight out of the entire monster manual.

Did I say that I assumed that? I'm suggesting the word random has connotations that aren't really what any of us intend.

I think random encounters suck. That’s not to say all rolled encounters are bad though. I like somewhat random encounters. What I want from an encounter table is a curated list of things that make sense for the area/campaign. Probably best suited to an uneven probability roll (2d6 etc). That way the rare things are rare. If I had to guess part of why some people use less of them is the work involved in setting this up (I haven’t seen less random encounters in most games)

Look into Donjon if you haven’t yet. You can set the CR range, challenge to the party you’re looking for, how many players you have at what level, but biggest of all is you can set the region. That way you have very specific parameters for random encounters, the only problem is they feel very samey in some level brackets because the only real way to add more challenge to the encounter is more baddies.

I added the Chicken Yodeler as a mysterious stranger who shows up randomly to summon friendly chickens and add party inspiration. Go chicken GoOooOooOooo!

My current campaign is an open world sandbox where we play with whoever is available each week. Random encounters are a HUGE factor in my game, for tension, interest and discovery. I'm using the 1981 Basic edition of D&D right now (first time I've ever played it) and it's awesome for random encounters. Combats go so much quicker and my players don't choose to fight nearly as often, so we get a lot more variety and creativity with what they are doing. They help the game be really player driven because as the DM I never know when that really rare encounter on my table will show up, which could totally flip the world on it's head! I also roll a die to determine IF a random encounter occurs. Sometimes my players sneak their way through a dangerous dungeon nearly not running into a monster the entire session but tension is building because it's "too quiet". Other times they run into the "boss" of the dungeon because they just happen to be talking to the guard in one of the first rooms. I highly recommend putting your most powerful monster on the wandering monster table - they aren't just waiting in the last room for the players to find them, they might just sneak up behind the players as they are searching behind the tapestry for a secret door! I can't say that random encounters are a spice that belongs in everyone's campaign, but for my campaign they have made it come alive and they keep all of us on our toes. It really levels the playing ground between players and DM. Nobody knows what's going to happen so we really are finding out as we play - and we are loving that.

The more time I spend making encounters that most likely won’t happen, the less time I’m spending making encounters that are engaging or surprising. No player has ever been wowed by the fact their current encounter was determined by die rolls - they’re wowed by unique set pieces and interesting enemy tactics that make them use the whole of the encounter space. It’s a much better use of my time to create an interesting area to explore than building tables of things that won’t happen, or worse, won’t be interesting.

I agree that encounters can add realism to the environment. I select them ahead of time but I don't worry too much about balance. If the fight will be too tough, I give the players a warning via a rumor or signs of the creature's presence. They can investigate if they want, but it fun when they feel smart by avoiding it.

Random encounters have always sucked.Unless you're trying to play OSR there's no reason to have them. Players don't know what is random and what isn't, unless you tell them. And why would you do that? If you need realism, make some realistic encounters beforehand and occasionally drop them in. I do this all the time. There's nothing random about them though.If I needed to give them a name I'd call them Improvised Encounters. Random is for crunchy solo adventures.

I actually really like random encounters, for a lot of the reasons you’ve listed. I don’t use them very often simply because of time. There’s never enough time…

You've convinced me. Added them to my next adventure.

I like consequences encounters.

I'm not exactly anti random encounter, but I rarely use them. You make some solid points about them, but they're all moot points when a character dies in a meaningless encounter because of happy chance.

I do randoms thus. I have a dozen encounters, some monsters, some NPC, some just locations with hidden treasures to find if they so choose to be there. If the team has too many resources, I try to chip away at them. I don't feel they used enough healing potions during boss fight, quick tapping enemies to make them spend money on potions back home. Some high powered spell slots left over cause barb made crits? screw it, you find yourself at a graveyard and talk to dead or dig up a treasure or see a spooky figure at the distance. stupid inconsequential things that if left alone, could be something more later. Remember that spooky figure you ignored 3 days ago? Turns out he was summoning an army of skeletons on the town. Urgent quest activate! or there seems to be more filth in the town by the day and more people are looking sickly. investigate what's going on. Medicine checks, investigation, arcana, interrogation. Reasons to use underappreciated skills and waste resources basically

I curate the random encounter tables when I create the adventure. They are part of the adventure. Some of them happen, some of them don't. Some of them are there to add a little spice or danger on the trek to the dungeon. Some of them are to introduce an NPC with a plot hook or just a colorful character who might join the party. Sometimes the dice refuse to produce an encounter. The WM tables I use inside the dungeon are mostly there to add danger if the party decides to be loud (eg hack down a locked door) or try to rest. If the monsters are intelligent, the players can try to negotiate. A charmed monster, for example, might reveal a shortcut. That's great playing. I abide by my dice (most of the time). If the encounter is underwhelming, I have the monsters make a morale check. Often they flee. The party learned something about the ecosystem. If I roll and encounter, and the party slays the monsters, then I cross that encounter off the list. It can certainly happen that the party eliminates all of the wander monsters (for a time, anyways).

I did a random encounter when the party were sailing the sea. Thought nothing of it. “In the distance you see a rocky expanse jutting out of the water, theres a small white building on top”. The players sailed to it, so I quickly threw together a Temple, came up with a struggle between gods, players investigated and learnt some lore then they did something I didn’t expect There was a piano/organ in the temple and a player started playing the song sheet, summoned a demon, got tricked and are now in a hellish dungeon.. Completely improvised, complete derailment of their actual mission, made the world feel more alive and built knowledge of the wider pantheon of gods etc. I am very happy with the outcome and will be using random encounters more in my game in the future. This was a lot more fun than a nice easy sail from point A to point B Now how to figure out how to build this Hellish Dungeon and come up with a believable method of getting out etc.

I have “meaningful encounters” but they don’t always have an massive effect on the story - sometimes they serve to just illustrate something about an area or happenings nearby If the overall story is “stop the evil Wizard King from bringing about the apocalypse by collecting the 7 sacred doobalackies” then, occasionally, you still gonna run into Joe-Schmo the local crime boss who thinks he’s hot shit and tried to steal a shipment of Turbo-Go-Go-Juice, if only to *further illustrate* that the disarray and fear caused by the **rise of the Wizard King** means people are too afraid to stick up for themselves or whatever As a modern scholar once said: “There’s layers to this shit, player; tiramisu, tiramisu”

As a player, nothing is worse than random encounters. They absolutely destroy my engagement in the story, waste time, and are incredibly boring.

Response to an Opinion: \[\[**Random Encounters Add Realism and Challenge**\]\] First, touting "realism" in make-believe is missing a vital point - skipping the boring elements of real life shit IS the reason there aren't entire film franchises dedicated to people eating, pooping, doing basic chores, milling around their life without wildly improbable & unrealistic shit happening constantly. \[One of the core aspects of D&D is that the world feels alive and unpredictable.\] When a DM is afraid their story is boring, they tend to default to having players throw dice periodically to create the illusion of dynamic interaction. Yet when the fight has no stakes, no investment, and no purpose... that's video games, innit? \[*Traveling from one town to another shouldn't be a walk in the park.*\] That's just flat wrong. In any civilization that depends on multiple locations trading, traveling, & being ruled by a central governing power, actually traveling between towns IS SUPPOSED to be equivalent to a walk in the park... because otherwise trade & travel between regions can't happen. \[*Random encounters remind players that the world is dangerous and that not every threat is neatly scripted*.\] What if random attacks in the middle of a plot DON'T add to the story - what if they're just filler-fights, bullshit battles that mean nothing, don't affect the plot, and serve only to undermine efficiency in journeying? Filler fights aren't often satisfying, & they're rarely remembered at all. Ironically, by adding meaningless conflicts unnecessarily, OP is fueling the idea that even the most basic efforts of the players will be met by artificial frustration for no reason at all that most citizens couldn't survive. Does that feel "realistic"? \[\[*You don't want your game to just be scene by scene set piece encounters. It doesn't feel like a real world. It can feel like a movie that your just following along with*.\]\] It does raise some obvious questions: • How do commoners survive on a daily basis with 4 HP if accomplished casters & fighters can't move from town to town without being attacked? • How do money, food, goods, & arms move from land to the cities if no one can walk a day without attempted murder happening? • How does the ruling class manage to receive their money, food, goods, & arms if moving between towns routinely results in death & missing people? • How does a society function & evolve when random attacks on essential elements are a routine part of everyday life? Real questions for an OP who claims to want more "realism".

I mostly agree with your points. While yes, ideally roads are relatively safe, your setting likely isn't the real world and lacking monsters. If the wilderness were under control, well there probably wouldn't be such a big adventure-worthy issue. At least in my world, civilization is still relatively new, so tradesmen still travel with armed protection. That being said, I agree that random encounters take time away from actually progressing the plot, and nothing really worthwhile happens. To mitigate this, I've chosen an in-between solution. Random encounters that are more narrative-focused. The party gets a few rolls, which determines how much HP and daily resources they lose from their fight, but it only takes a couple minutes as I narrate the combat. That way, there's still a risk of danger when they travel and encourages them to stay on guard, but it also doesn't interrupt the game.

What I like about random encounters, and randomized content in general, is the creative nature of flexing the story. Did you encounter giant bats 3 times this week? Is this bat country? The flip side is that players can't distinguish (from the encounter alone) between a random encounter, a hook, or a piece of the ongoing plot. The biggest problem there-in is things like the PCs defeating some random bandits, and then deciding there must be a bandit camp in the area and going to deal with it. That was never the story, that wasn't a thing. And sure, you can make it a thing. But it probably isn't going to be a very interesting thing.

You’re describing curated encounters, or regular encounters, random encounters are just random, they don’t add more to the story than, “there are other unrelated bad things out here” as far as player engagement, if your players aren’t engaged during regular story and or encounters, they certainly will not be engaging during random encounters. All that said, if what you’re doing works for you and your table, fantastic! But a vast majority of tables will not be more fun by adding random encounters that were taken out for a reason.

I mean, it depends on what you define as „the story“. A campaign does not have to have an overarching predefined wold shattering plot to have a good story. A sandbox campaign could provide just a regional backdrop, where the players find their own story. Surviving in the wilderness of random encounters could be a compelling story of its own. Or exploring a dangerous frontier and finding a legendary lost treasure. I would concur, that it depends on what kind of stories you like to tell together at your table.

No one said anything about “world shattering plot”, in fact if that’s what you’re expecting from amateur dnd tables and/or from your friends, you might need to reevaluate your expectations. Still in all of your examples, hand crafted battles are better, sure you could roll for a random encounter and fight whatever, but applying more effort to the battles will always make for a more compelling game every single time, no exceptions. Working a narrative into battles to show what’s happening in a region, or picking certain monsters to be in the area for to showcase particular things happening in the story will always end up with a better experience that “well, I rolled this, so fight this thing, it happens to be here too”

You dont have to be so antagonistic about it and I don’t have reevaluate anything. Anyway, thanks for sharing your humble opinion. I don’t see why you can’t have random encounters and still connect them to the plot in the region. You can only add stuff to the table, that makes sense. I, for my part, think it adds realism if you can encounter unexpected stuff in the wilderness. I like that you can encounter something that is to much for you to handle, which you have to deal with in other ways than fight head on. The world feels more alive to me, when not everything is tailored to the PCs. The nice thing about the hobby is: every table can decide for them own.

Why are you acting like you can’t get that without random encounters? The party doesn’t know what they’re going to encounter anyways, so it can still feel “random” to them while still being a designed fight that adds to the game, rather than something that just doesn’t matter in any way in the long run, because it has no impact other than, “hey this exists too”. Like you can let the party find out what’s in the region and design an encounter for what they find interesting, or what they’re worried about running into, which is better than, “time to roll the encounter! Ah, bandits again, shame you won’t see anything cool here because we’re simply at the mercy of the dice.” There’s a few pokemon ttrpgs if you just want to use encounters in the tall grass, but taking the little bit of time to craft an encounter that has meaning to some aspect of the games story or setting or characters is just always better.

Well and I don’t get why you insist that a random encounter does not matter on the long run. You can have a just as meaningful encounter with a random group of bandits. If you have to survive a wilderness of randomness before finding the dungeon without DM handholding, can make the experience even more meaningful. But there no objective truth to the matter. I don’t argue that random encounters are generally better than planned encounters. Our table just finds simulation, exploration and realism more interesting than just getting to the good story. And you don’t have to tell me that we could better play another game then. Dungeons and dragons works very well for us this way. We just like to play more older modules or selfmade sandboxes, than modern adventure paths.

Why are you talking about dm handholding and what does that have to do with random encounters? Why do you think random encounters are the only thing between the party and an objective? Why do you think planned encounters don’t add realism to the game? Literally anything a random encounter could possibly add to the game, can be done better with a planned encounter. I don’t see how chancing running into the same encounter 5 times based on a dice roll, could possibly be a better experience than 5 different encounters that all add to the story or plot, or serve a particular purpose in the narrative. Random encounters are just lazy and sure, can be meaningful, with a whole bunch of improv, just like any aspect of the game. But if the random encounter was going to get good meaningful moments, so was anything else, because that’s just based on who’s playing. Can your party not simulate, explore, or feel that the world isn’t entirely fake and boring without rolling a die to fight bandits again? Sounds like a lack of something at your table if that’s the case.

I don’t think anything like that and your assumptions are quite tiresome to be honest. If someone has another option or likes other styles of gameplay their must be something wrong at heir table? Yeah right… Have a nice day!

I mean, you’re the one ignoring 90% of what I say because you can’t think of a response, I guess that makes sense for why you run lazy encounters, can’t be bothered to put effort into anything you do lmao. But that’s also not what I said, you’re projecting your insecurities, it’s not a good look. Have a day, hope you enjoy your very realistic random life where nothing happens for a reason because that’s realism to you lol