Monsters in weird places are fun

[Tinker Gnome]

I have found that putting monsters in weird plaes without really giving any reason as ro why they are there is fun and my players seemed to like it. For instance, last game I had them attacked by Gray Oozes in a tavern. The Oozes just fell off of the ceiling and attacked them.

Anyone else use completely weird and random encounters like this one?

 

[Intrope]

Well, if your players are having fun it's good!

Having said that, the party I play in would turn insanely paranoid: we've gone completely off the rails before over a mere handful of 'surprise!' type encounters. I'd be concerned in the long run that the party would become overly cautious and burn game time on paranoid preparations ('before we enter the tavern, let's make sure we've cast our buff spells!' etc.)

 

[Tinker Gnome]

Well, if your players are having fun it's good!

Having said that, the party I play in would turn insanely paranoid: we've gone completely off the rails before over a mere handful of 'surprise!' type encounters. I'd be concerned in the long run that the party would become overly cautious and burn game time on paranoid preparations ('before we enter the tavern, let's make sure we've cast our buff spells!' etc.)

Heh, they were attacked by Fihrys(MM2) when they were sleeping later that night.

Also, one of my players said that this is a sentence one should never have to say that I said.

"It manages to get one of its mouths around you to bite you"

 

[EricNoah]

I wouldn't do it all the time, but it is fun occasionally. Especially fun to hear the players try to figure out why it happened. They come up with some really convoluted reasons sometimes!

 

[frankthedm]

"Monsters in weird places are fun" sounds like a saying to avoid with an anime girl avatar.

 

[Oryan77]

Darn...I thought this was going to be a story about a strange girl you woke up next to.

 

[Tinker Gnome]

"Monsters in weird places are fun" sounds like a saying to avoid with an anime girl avatar.

I knew someone was going to make a comment like this eventually.

 

[Tinker Gnome]

I also had some Hell Hounds attack them in a town the game before this last game.

 

[jdrakeh]

Somebody once ran me through a "giant leeches stalk the city streets at night" adventure (based loosely on one in the old d6 System Hercules & Xena box set, I think). In said adventure, giant leeches were breeding like mad in the sewers of the city after they escaped from a wizard's laboratory and sneaking up into the city under the cover of darkness to feed. It was a lot of fun with low CR monsters in unusual places (like hiding under my bed at the local inn).

 

[Dog Moon]

I wouldn't do it all the time, but it is fun occasionally. Especially fun to hear the players try to figure out why it happened. They come up with some really convoluted reasons sometimes!

Agree with this totally. Although sometimes, it's good to have a reason that you know, but the PCs don't. Perhaps they killed the brother of an Oozemaster, which is why Ooze keeps appearing randomly, for example.

But too much randomness IMO can be just as bad as not enough, if not worse.