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Message: <blockquote data-quote="T. Foster" data-source="post: 3413433" data-attributes="member: 16574">Just such an arrangement is implied in the random encounter tables in the 1E DMG -- "civilized/patrolled" areas have encounters least often (1 in 20 per check), a significant portion of those encounters (1 in 5?) are with patrols, and the rest of the encounters tend to be with humans, humanoids, and animals (not that an encounter with a group of bandits or goblins or a family of bears or wild boars can't ruin a low level party's day...), "border" areas have encounters more often (1 in 12) and don't have the chance for a patrol but still use the "more forgiving" encounter chart, and finally the "wilderness" areas have the highest chance of an encounter (1 in 10) and use the most brutal chart, where you've got a decent chance of running across giants, dragons, bulettes, catoblepas, and all manner of other nasty things (I may have some terminology or numbers wrong since I don't have the book in front of me, but the general idea is right). The books don't ever come out and say that low level characters should stick to the first, mid level ones can risk the second, and only high level characters should dare the third, but it doesn't take too big a leap in logic to make the connection. OD&D doesn't have separate sets of encounter charts like 1E, but ISTR a vague/ambiguous (like pretty much everything in OD&D) reference to patrolled areas where normal wandering monster checks aren't made. But then again I might be imagining this...</blockquote>

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