DMs: Random Encounters?

[Ahnehnois]

My encounters are never random. I premake most monsters and occcasionally read one out of the book or recycle one to save statwork.

 

[awayfarer]

My encounters fall roughly into two categories.

1: Plot related
2: Encounter made to keep the butt-kickers happy

In neither case are they random.

 

[Keldryn]

I make use of "incidental" encounters that serve the same purpose as random or wandering monsters, but they are never actually randomly determined. Once in a while I'll use a table for inspiration, but I don't roll on it.

 

[Dog Moon]

I've always wanted to use random encounter tables, especially one with beneficial things instead of solely enemies, but I think after playing SCAP and the DM used the provided random encounter tables that I decided that I very much disliked them because we traveled so frequently and it just bogged everything down. We wanted to go from town A to town B because we needed something there and having to fight 3 encounters along the way took away from the enjoyable storyline and made us not want to leave anymore.

 

[3catcircus]

I use random encounters when the PCs do something stupid. Like making a fire and cooking a meal while holed up in a just-cleared room in a dungeon. Yup - the smell of bacon is gonna draw most of the remaining (hungry) denizens of the dungeon...

 

[dren]

I've always wanted to use random encounter tables, especially one with beneficial things instead of solely enemies

This is what I do. Create tables for a given area the PCs are travelling or may be travelling in, most choices are very general (local patrol), usually native animals or beasts but there are specific individuals as well. These npcs play or potentially play a further role in the current story the PCs are on especially depending upon how the players react to the encounter.

Of course the random tables are just that, I have a percentages for where they are to come across something. Outside towns, it's every four hours on the road - 15% chance, in dungeons 25% every four hours. So they may not meet anything at all, or be something so blasse they ignore it. For me these are rarely a chance to kill or disrupt the action but add a little unplanned flavour. ymmv

 

[Woas]

I'd like to use them more, but I can never really grasp how to use them. I mean I know you roll some dice and compare the result to a table to see whether some goblins, a beholder or demigod jumps out from behind a tree to slay the characters.
But the mood or theme never feels right to use such encounters. I am more comfortable pre-planning the encounters I foresee occurring in the next few sessions and having them at the ready.

 

[freyar]

I make my own tables for the wilderness (don't think I've used one from an adventure yet, but I may sometime), and I've usually rolled on them. I'm getting away from that, though, and just using the tables to pick themed encounters when I feel like it. I've noticed that my players generally don't like random encounters, so I think I'm going to stop using them except to create a sense of real danger (say, the PCs are in Myth Drannor or on the Isle of Dread or something).

 

[The Human Target]

My encounters fall roughly into two categories.

1: Plot related
2: Encounter made to keep the butt-kickers happy

In neither case are they random.

Same here.

Though I do use the random tables if I'm having trouble coming up with an idea and need some inspiration.

I actually like the random campaign/adventure hook charts the most.

 

[Glyfair]

Flawed poll. Some of us both use our own tables and published tables,

In my case, yes I use them. However, I almost never use them randomly. I scan through the appropriate table for a good encounter that fits the campaign's needs.