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In my role as a game master, I traditionally avoided significant use of chance during my tabletop roleplaying games. My preference was for story direction and session development to be determined by player choice rather than pure luck. However, I chose to change my approach, and I'm truly glad I did.

The Spark: Seeing an Improvised Tool

A popular podcast showcases a DM who regularly calls for "chance rolls" from the adventurers. The process entails choosing a type of die and defining consequences tied to the result. This is essentially no different from consulting a pre-generated chart, these get invented in the moment when a player's action doesn't have a clear conclusion.

I opted to test this method at my own table, mostly because it seemed engaging and provided a change from my usual habits. The outcome were fantastic, prompting me to reconsider the often-debated tension between pre-determination and randomization in a roleplaying game.

An Emotional Story Beat

In a recent session, my group had just emerged from a city-wide battle. Afterwards, a player asked about two key NPCs—a brother and sister—had lived. In place of deciding myself, I let the dice decide. I instructed the player to roll a d20. The stakes were: on a 1-4, both died; on a 5-9, only one would die; on a 10+, they both lived.

The player rolled a 4. This led to a incredibly emotional moment where the characters came upon the corpses of their friends, forever clasped together in death. The group performed funeral rites, which was uniquely significant due to earlier roleplaying. In a concluding touch, I improvised that the remains were suddenly restored, containing a enchanted item. I rolled for, the bead's contained spell was perfectly what the party lacked to address another critical quest obstacle. It's impossible to plan these kinds of serendipitous moments.

Honing DM Agility

This experience led me to ponder if improvisation and thinking on your feet are in fact the beating heart of this game. Even if you are a meticulously planning DM, your improvisation muscles may atrophy. Players reliably take delight in upending the most carefully laid plans. Therefore, a good DM needs to be able to think quickly and fabricate scenarios in the moment.

Utilizing similar mechanics is a fantastic way to train these skills without venturing too far outside your comfort zone. The key is to apply them for small-scale circumstances that have a limited impact on the overarching story. As an example, I would not employ it to establish if the main villain is a traitor. But, I could use it to determine whether the characters arrive moments before a major incident unfolds.

Enhancing Player Agency

Luck rolls also works to maintain tension and foster the feeling that the story is dynamic, shaping according to their decisions immediately. It reduces the feeling that they are merely pawns in a pre-written script, thereby enhancing the collaborative foundation of storytelling.

This philosophy has long been embedded in the game's DNA. Early editions were reliant on charts, which suited a game focused on treasure hunting. Although modern D&D tends to emphasizes plot-driven play, leading many DMs to feel they must prep extensively, that may not be the best approach.

Achieving the Right Balance

Absolutely no problem with being prepared. Yet, there is also no issue with letting go and letting the whim of chance to determine certain outcomes rather than you. Direction is a major part of a DM's job. We require it to manage the world, yet we frequently find it hard to give some up, even when doing so can lead to great moments.

A piece of advice is this: Do not fear of relinquishing a bit of your plan. Experiment with a little randomness for smaller details. You might just find that the organic story beat is far more powerful than anything you might have pre-written in advance.