Do you use Random encounters?

[kenobi65]

Sometimes- sometimes generated by chart and table, sometimes by dm fiat.

I used to use DM Fiat a lot, but I got tired of how often it was in the repair shop.

But, seriously...I'll use random encounters sometimes, mostly "en route" to the dungeon / castle / whatever. And, if I'm running a prewritten module that includes a custom random encounter table for that mod, I may use that.

 

[S'mon]

I've used the half xp approach as well. Cutting XP in half helps with the leveling, but it doesn't help me with the issue of bogging down the gaming sometimes due to excessive encounters that aren't plot relevant. But I don't want to "cheapen" the cost of travelling IMC. :\ Anybody else run into this problem?

Yes - 3e combat is so much slower than 1e that I also worry about bogging the game down as I look for the right miniatures, the Initiatives are rolled and the square-counting starts... in practice that doesn't seem a huge problem at low levels with small-group or single-creature encounters; at higher levels anything powerful enough to be at all a threat is likely to take a long time to resolve. Certainly 1e's old "300 bandits" type encounters would be Hell in 3e.

 

[iwatt]

Yes - 3e combat is so much slower than 1e that I also worry about bogging the game down as I look for the right miniatures, the Initiatives are rolled and the square-counting starts... in practice that doesn't seem a huge problem at low levels with small-group or single-creature encounters; at higher levels anything powerful enough to be at all a threat is likely to take a long time to resolve. Certainly 1e's old "300 bandits" type encounters would be Hell in 3e.

Another 3.x "bug" is that my mid level PCs look back at their exploits, and most of it involves slaying whatever new creature shuffled into their camp or crossed their path. And my players are very good at fighting when they have to fight, and hiding/running when they have to. They never just let the orc patrol by :\ They do run like headless chickens whenever I mention kobolds though...

 

[Zappo]

Never. I don't dislike meaningless combat, but I don't see why it needs to be random. If I want some combat to occur because the last three hours have been too quiet, it will. If I don't want combat to occur because we've had four already, it won't. And if it does occur, I will choose the opponents. I don't want PCs to have to roll through a random kobold combat that is obviously too easy to be worth resolving, and neither I want them to be TPKed by an unrelated passing dragon.

 

[phreakphit]

It depends on the campaign. Sometimes my players actually think of good measures to travel in which random encounters wouldn't make sense, and if they have gone through that effort, then I'm not gonna steal their glory.

But often, yea, I do use random encounters, and as I too feel they can end up stealing to much time, or give too many levels, I plan for such. Especially the levels. My players are very good at getting out of tight situations, so if they didn't gain quite as many levels as I thought they would, then this just means they have a greater challenge in the end.

And that trick of using a random encounter to move the game along? Yea.. I've done that... but the encoutner wasn't so.. random... Maybe I should have at least pretended to role my die...

 

[spectre72]

I use the random encounter option presented in FFG's Wildscape which uses the parties survival skill to determine if the party encounters something, avoids it, surprises it, ...etc.

I like it better than a totally random method.

 

[ThirdWizard]

I havn't used random encounters since at least '98, probably longer. I hand pick encounters before the session based on asking the players at the end of last session what their plans are and being ready. And, if they end up somewhere I wasn't expecting, I pick and choose based on my current mood and inspiration what they'll happen upon.

 

[Arnwyn]

Yes, I use them, but the RAW have nothing to do with it (why was that even put in the poll? Weird).

 

[helium3]

I use random encounters, but only when the party is travelling over-land for long distances. I don't use the various tables given in books, but instead have come up with my method that allows me to designate how "dangerous" a given area is. It's sorta how I keep the party out of areas I don't want them going into until a certain level of power is reached. Additionally, I've cut down on the frequency of the stupid things. It makes no sense to me to have encounters occuring multiple times a day. Once every couple of days is more like it.

 

[Jolly Giant]

Nope. Never had a single random encounter.