Random encounters when travelling. Is there a better way? Do you use 'em?

[Li Shenron]

I prefer to choose what the party encounters, so no random encounter tables.

I may consider rolling a % probability that they have an encounter (but not with a random creature) every time frame spent in a location, although I don't usually do that either.

It could be useful for situations such as when the characters refuse to pay for an inn and sleep in the woods, the downside of which may be a chance of being attacked e.g. by a pack of wolves. In this case it may be better to roll a % (and show it!) instead of just choosing to have the attack happen, so that the players have a feeling of "risk" instead of plain "retribution"

 

[Chingerspy]

I'm in the camp of GMs that dont really use random encounters but instead use tailored encounters for the game. I've found that my player likes encounters so I try to choose something fitting to the areas he is likely to explore rather than roll on some random chart. I might have ideas for easy-medium-hard encounters though depending on how well he is doing or how many times he's surprised me

 

[Schmoe]

I like to use random encounters in some circumstances. If I have time to prepare beforehand, I will roll on encounter charts and use the results as inspiration for more interesting encounters. I don't believe that every encounter should be related to the plot, but I also don't have much time to game, and so I don't want to devote most of an evening to dealing with random encounters. I try to strike a balance. For example, the PC's in my campaign recently went on a month and a half journey across an area similar in description to the Mournlands of Eberron. If I had used the method of rolling once every hour, even if I had rolled before the game, it would have taken probably a year or more of real time to get across those lands. Instead, I only made a couple of checks for each day. About 1/4 of the encounters I developed into mini-adventures, 1/4 of the encounters I left as random occurences, and the rest I discarded, addressing them as "you have some minor encounters with <so and so>, but easily prove superior or otherwise overcome the obstacle."

Random encounters "by the book" do come in very handy in some situations, though. If the party is camped for the night or otherwise spending a few hours exploring someplace that I haven't prepared, I will go to the tables. The planar encounter tables from Manual of the Planes are useful, too. I haven't developed the Plane of Shadow very well, so every time they Shadowwalk, I go directly to the table. The twelve shadows they encountered last time helped to reinforce the dark and dangerous nature of the place, that's for sure

 

[Hand of Evil]

Yes, yes I use them but it is more my own and AEG's GM Toolbox, an encounter does not always mean contact or an event takes place, the party could come across the tracks of some creature, telling them it is in the area or see the migration of dragons, or the results of a spell effect, or have it rain on them, or meet a fellow traveller, or a hundred other things.

 

[Ralts Bloodthorne]

I do detail on a setting before my player's ever roll a die for it. In these details, I use my scanner/fax/copier/printer to copy my map, then take colored pencils and shade in "zones" for the map.

I then make my random encounter lists. Now, random encounter checks vary per area. While a well travelled highway might have one check an hour (Rolled on the applicable table) the Effrit's Playground (An area of lava plumes, exploding gases, boiling gysers and clouds of gas and steam) would have MAYBE two checks a day.

My overall would look something like this...

2-Area specific rare encounter
3-Area specific uncommon encounter
4-Area specific common encounter
5-Generic uncommon encounter
6-Generic common encounter
7-Weather shift
8-Observed oddity
9-Portent/Sign/Omen
10-Structural encounter
11-Generic Common Encounter
12-Generic uncommon encounter
13-Weather Shift-Oddity
14-Area specific common event
15-Generic Oddity
16-Area specific uncommon encounter
17-Area specific Oddity
18-Rare structural encounter
19-Area specific rare encounter
20-Special Encounter

Now, each of those has it's own sheet, usually 100 encounters I whipped up and have modified according to region. In the area specific I have encounter distance, warning time, prepardness of intelligent creatures, etc.

I also put the encounters CR level in my figuring for the frequency it would be encountered, as well as where on the chart it goes.

Yes, my PC's have run face first into an Elder Red Wyrm before at second level. While it came up hostile on the attittude check, it wasn't hostile toward the PC's, it gave them a choice: Pull this lance out of my butt where the retarded knight lodged it, or I eat you all.

I have no problems with the random encounters, and my groups like it. Randomness is part of life, and having everything planned out, well, there's no uncertianty in the player's mind that this time, maybe, just maybe, the cocky player of the group will mouth off to the lich that wants an opinion on his new poem he just carved into the cliff face for all of posterity to enjoy. (Special Encounter, Non-Reusable: # 99)

 

[maddman75]

I only use them in exploration plots - if you're traveling from city A to city B along an established trade route, I'm not worried about it.

When the characters are travelling cross-country through unexplored territory or wilderness, I'll prepare several encounters in advance, usually with the creature in question and terrain or other considerations. I'll have one character roll Wilderness Lore to lead the party through the wilds. A successful check means no encounter. A failed check could mean getting turned around, leading the group into a deadfall/box canyon or other obstacle, or into the territory of a dangerous predator.

 

[derelictjay]

I do random encounters. Or at least there's something random about it. When its a set encounter previous made up, I usually roll up randomly in front of the players when it will occur (once I never rolled a random encounter so I never used it). Sometime I decide its just time for a random encounter, so I roll on the random encounter chart, and see what comes up. So I've used several methods of random encounters, but I'm often random in my choosing of random encounters.

 

[azmodean]

It depends on the situation, I'm currently running a group of lvl 11 characters in a civilised area, they just aren't going to run into a random monster that can challenge them. On the other hand, they regularly raid a nearby nation, and I'm building a random encounter chart of military units they can run into the next time they are over there. I won't be spending too much time on it because if they do smash a unit or two, I'll need to redo the chart as the army starts travelling in greater numbers to defend themselves.

At a lower level or in a more danerous area I'd certainly use typical random encounters appropriate for the area, since they would be a challenge to the party.

On the other hand, the party HQ had a random encounter while the party was away! A hunting party of giants became interested in their headquarters (the party has some large members, so the HQ is large-creature-friendly) and currently has it under siege.