Pre-done Random Encounter Generating Products

[Anthony Terry]

Hi guys,

I am currently going through the work of creating random encounter tables, rough npcs and very non-detailed travel guides for all the major ares of greyhawk but got to wandering do I need to bother? Does anyone know a really good product that already does what i'm looking for? Or simply a great random encounter product? As making random encounters more realistic was the main motivation for begging the project.

 

[MerricB]

The 1983 World of Greyhawk boxed set has a lot of random encounter tables for various regional encounters.

Not sure that realism comes into it, though!

(There are certainly a lack of NPC encounters, mainly due to Greyhawk having very few named NPCs in the early versions).

Cheers!

 

[Anthony Terry]

All the tables I have built so far have pulled from does and just general reading on the different areas. Ive only managed Yeomary, Keoland and Stirus so far as i'm currently preparing a group to run through the GDQ and have really enjoyed the results of having basic encounters and tables ahead of time, something I've never bothered with before.

I found the old tables on their own don't provide enough fluff for me and the newer ones, that i have seen, seem to lose the loose realism of the older ones like in the greyhawk boxset (Obviously I am using the term realism very loosely considering its a fantasy setting but its more about the unrealistic monster making sense in the environment its in.)

 

[GMMichael]

As making random encounters more realistic was the main motivation for begging the project.

I have yet to see a random encounter table that looks reasonable. Mostly because I don't want a dragon, wyvern, or aarackockra on my random encounter tables.

The solution that I've found is to set up your "random encounters" prior to your game session. Since you have a general idea of where your PCs will be traveling in that session (unless they own a starship), you can pick 3-4 types of encounters that they'd come across. Keep it "realistic." Your random encounters will probably sustain you for a few sessions, and you know that your planned encounters will fill up the rest of your game time.

You don't need 19 different encounters on your table: on the D&D 2nd edition tables, 9 different encounters made up 68% of the possibilities. Which tells me that 2 or 3 of the other entries were just TPKs anyway...

 

[the Jester]

The solution that I've found is to set up your "random encounters" prior to your game session.

But then they aren't very random at all, they're planned.

Since you have a general idea of where your PCs will be traveling in that session (unless they own a starship), you can pick 3-4 types of encounters that they'd come across.

Unless they can teleport. Or unless they have an ally who can teleport them. Or they have access to long-distance flying, or a boat, or they're in a location where plains, a forest, hills and a swamp are all relatively close, or... you get the idea.

While there's nothing wrong with doing as you describe, it absolutely defeats the purpose of actual random encounter charts.

You don't need 19 different encounters on your table: on the D&D 2nd edition tables, 9 different encounters made up 68% of the possibilities.

It sounds like you're proposing a world with a very homogenous population. The 2e charts (the 1d8+1d12 type) were specifically designed to handle the effects of monster frequency (Common, Uncommon, etc.) on encounter chances. Those 68% of the possibilities were more common monsters than the rare ones that appeared on a 2 or a 20.

Which tells me that 2 or 3 of the other entries were just TPKs anyway...

I'm totally going to dispute this. Wilderness adventures, in 2e and before, were specifically higher-level adventures because of the fact that you might encounter anything. On the other hand, the random encounter charts for a 1st level dungeon would be dominated by 1st level monsters; it's just that the ones appearing on a 2 or a 20 would be very rare 1st level monsters.

The main purpose (IMHO) of a random encounter chart isn't to throw specific encounter X at the party; it's to flesh out the world. If you know what lives in the Burning Woods, you can make an area-specific chart of those creatures. Then, when pcs are in the area, they get a sense of a living, breathing world that isn't all about them. Then, when they visit the Feywoods, they encounter different things. They get a sense that this place is not the same as the last place, even though some of the creatures within each might overlap.

Simply picking every encounter, while absolutely fine, is not the same approach. It is far less of a worldbuilding activity; it is barely reusable, while a random encounter chart can come out every time the pcs are in the area that it covers.

 

[GMMichael]

Good points Jester, but...

But then they aren't very random at all, they're planned. . .While there's nothing wrong with doing as you describe, it absolutely defeats the purpose of actual random encounter charts.

Which is to flesh out the world. You can do that without a random encounter table, though. A general area description will suffice. Gary's Woods: magical, temperate. The GM can say, "as you stop to enjoy chow, you look up from your Transformers lunchbox to see a friendly, local unicorn poking its head out of the trees to observe you." And...done. Did you really need an encounter table for that?
If you don't plan your random encounters, you're likely to get a really dissatisfying encounter or several really bored players who have to wait while you look up all your details. 10 minutes later..."hang on guys, I just have to roll treasure!" Or you run a 4 cockatrice encounter and forget to use petrification.

It sounds like you're proposing a world with a very homogenous population.

Not in the least. I'm proposing a highly diverse world, with hand-picked encounters for the party.

I'm totally going to dispute this. Wilderness adventures, in 2e and before, were specifically higher-level adventures because of the fact that you might encounter anything. On the other hand, the random encounter charts for a 1st level dungeon would be dominated by 1st level monsters;

That's great. But if I wanna kill off my PCs, I'm going to use a planned encounter.

 

[Anthony Terry]

But then they aren't very random at all, they're planned.


The main purpose (IMHO) of a random encounter chart isn't to throw specific encounter X at the party; it's to flesh out the world. If you know what lives in the Burning Woods, you can make an area-specific chart of those creatures. Then, when pcs are in the area, they get a sense of a living, breathing world that isn't all about them. Then, when they visit the Feywoods, they encounter different things. They get a sense that this place is not the same as the last place, even though some of the creatures within each might overlap.

Simply picking every encounter, while absolutely fine, is not the same approach. It is far less of a worldbuilding activity; it is barely reusable, while a random encounter chart can come out every time the pcs are in the area that it covers.

This has summed up what i am trying to achieve in the English I lack, which is ironic considering i'm English For me personally I am doing this for every single piece of the living greyhawk map but would also love generic swamp woods and mountain charts e.t.c

Mainly because every single product I have found currently does has the issues given against using random encounters above and for me have the added insult of making the whole world feel the same if you use them too much, apart from some of the old 2ed ones, the criticisms of them are exactly what made them brilliant for me and why their still the main basis for my own charts or what I will use when in a hurry.