Random Encounters

[Chimera]

Similar here.

I don't like rolling some random table and then having to look up a monster or two while everyone sits around and waits.

Instead, when I prepare my materials, I will stat out 2-8 "miscellaneous" encounters, depending on where the party is and what they're doing. More for "we're just exploring the wilderness" sessions and less for specific mission sessions. When appropriate, I will drop one or more of these encounters based on my intent and intuition.

Never random boojums out of the blue, not always of exactly appropriate CR Your 8th level party might encounter 6 Orcs on patrol, or your 2nd level party may sight that Great Wyrm flying overhead. (although I won't ever drop a Great Wyrm on a low level party with an encounter distance of 50' or some nonsense like that!)

Regarding random encounters;

Using them doesn't make a DM good or bad, but a bad DM usually has trouble doing them good.

What he said.

 

[green slime]

I agree

 

[Telperion]

Here's a few questions for you all.
How many of you, as DM's, use random encounters, especially when your PC's are in the wilderness?

I use random encounter tables. However I have never used a random encounter table straight from the books. Don't really care for those, for one reason or another. Probably because whenever a party of PCs goes into an area where a pre-generated random encounter table would be useful they are either too low in level or two high in level. Either way I end up with a useless chart that doesn't add anything into the game.

However, since I know my own players and their characters, I have a tendency to create my own random encounter tables. They are handcrafted for the party level, have just the kind of monsters I like to use, don't have any excess material, are custom designed for the campaign setting I'm using and so forth. With these kinds of tables I can roll out a random encounter and expect it to really add something to the session .

How many of you, as players, know your DM's use random encounters?

As far as I know: I'm the only DM in my area who uses random encounter tables.

Do you enjoy them either way? Or do they bore you and make the game dull?

If they are well crafted and thougth out, then they add to the game in a fairly good way. The party feels there's more randomness in the world, but that randomness doesn't cause totally illogical or stupid results.

Do you, as a DM or player, believe that using random encounters makes you or your DM a "bad" DM?

No. The reasoning can be found above...

I'm just curious about what type of replies I'll get because I just read a thread where someone said that using random encounters makes a DM a "bad" DM and that random encounters and charts shouldn't be used in the game because they are boring and dull.

Not everyone feels the same. If random encounter tables are simply taken out of the books without a moments thought and thrown at the players because the DM can't think of anything else, then: yes, it is poor DMing.

 

[shilsen]

How many of you, as DM's, use random encounters, especially when your PC's are in the wilderness?

I do exactly what Crothian did. Random encounters occur, but they are pre-planned by me, and not rolled on any table.

How many of you, as players, know your DM's use random encounters?

I'm currently not DMing and my group is in two separate campaigns. One DM doesn't use random encounters and does what I do. The other loves random encounters and has prepared reams of charts which he rolls on continuously.

Do you enjoy them either way? Or do they bore you and make the game dull?

I think they can be useful if well done, but am not a big fan. I esp. dislike it when it's done for the sake of it, as by the second DM mentioned above.

Do you, as a DM or player, believe that using random encounters makes you or your DM a "bad" DM?

No, I don't think it makes you a "bad" DM. Using it badly makes you a bad DM

I'll give you an example of bad DMing with random encounters, since that happened last session. The PCs (three 3rd lvl and one 2nd lvl) were on a small ship travelling across a giant lake. We specifically mentioned that we were keeping a careful eye out for danger. However, we were apparently surprised by six seacats, all of which not only snuck up on the ship, but in the surprise round managed to jump straight out of the water, over the rail and landed on the deck (something like a DC 50 jump check, IIRC). The DM informed us not to bring up rules issues since he just wanted it to occur that way

Of course, then the EL 9 encounter beat the heck out of the PCs and NPCs (in this campaign, there are always more NPCs than PCs around), killed two NPCs and 1 PC, and the only reason we survived is because the seacats jumped back in the water with the dead people (2 seacats were killed).

The DM's justification for this little scenario was that he rolled it fair and square, and having overwhelming odds which attack the party without any chance of avoiding it only makes the game more exciting and realistic. Gah!

 

[UniversalMonster]

I do a check for random wilderness encounters every once in a while, but more often than not I have the encounter already in mind or pretty much statted out and ready to go beforehand. I never roll on a random table, but the encounter percentage is randomly rolled sometimes.

For example, I had an adventure planned where the characters were going to pursue some clues in town. The players decided to head to a neighboring town, and a previously visited dungeon. I already had established that there was a hungry troll lurking in the wilderness so I figured there was a percentage chance that they would encounter that.

 

[Nightchilde-2]

Yes and no. I don't roll on a table, but if I decide things are going a bit too slow, I'll throw in a logical creature for the PCs to encounter.

That said, for the most part on my adventures I'll think of a few key "scenes" and improvise everything between those scenes, depending on the actions of the PCs and, of course, my whim.

Granted, treasures are a bit of a problem with that method, so I'll roll up several treasures for the range of ELs the PCs may run up against ahead of time and just choose one when needed.

 

[Henrix]

I'm in the field with prepared random encounters, but I often roll randomly to see when they appear. I find that the randomness itself makes my players a little more edgy, as they are aware that something might happen at any time.
Sometimes I randomize between the encounters I have prepared, at other times I have already decided what order they'll be in.


I would really like to have more random encounters like the ones in the old Runequest supplement Griffin Mountain. Many of those were little adventures on their own, and often tied in with the main adventures.

 

[Shallown]

How many of you, as DM's, use random encounters, especially when your PC's are in the wilderness?

I never use random encounters. If the players are having an encounter it is for a reason. either to illustrate what sort of territory they are in or provide them with a challenge or rewards. Or just cause I think it would be cool. I like to prep my stuff in advance. On occasion I might roll on a random chart to help inspire something different. This mainly serves to keep me out of a rut of running the same sort of encounters. This is more a tool than something I abide by.


How many of you, as players, know your DM's use random encounters?

The Gm I am playing under now rolls for random encounters but I am pretty sure he generates his own tables for certain areas/terrain.

Do you enjoy them either way? Or do they bore you and make the game dull?

I enjoy them either way. I don't worry so much about how the encounter is generated since a good GM will discard encounters that make no to little sense and let the tables inspire not control them.


Do you, as a DM or player, believe that using random encounters makes you or your DM a "bad" DM?

Not in the least bit are they "Bad" Gm's for using a table. There are several reason's to do so - Avoiding falling in a rut of what types of encounters to use; To inspire; To save prep time (some people have lives as well); Becuase that's what you want to do.
I think the only "Bad" gm is one who lets the tables decide without considering game inpact and believability.

Later

 

[diaglo]

How many of you, as DM's, use random encounters, especially when your PC's are in the wilderness?

as a referee i use events and random encounters. for monsters that i have list in area i have a schedule of when and where they are. for monsters coming to or from an area it is purely random if they meet.

How many of you, as players, know your DM's use random encounters?

yes. not necessarily that any particular encounter is a random one. but i know he uses them in general.

Do you enjoy them either way? Or do they bore you and make the game dull?

if i didn't enjoy them i would let him know.

Do you, as a DM or player, believe that using random encounters makes you or your DM a "bad" DM?

no. random encounters don't make bad DMs. actual play is a determining factor. if the DM knows the rules. if he knows his players and why they play. and if he knows his head from a hole in the ground. i've played with some bad DMs. and believe me they can't sit on the toilet right.

 

[just__al]

I don't do "random" encounters. I have planned encounters that happen quazi-randomly.

In my world the "wilderness" is dangerous and overrun by humanoid races and monsters, so the players run into all manner of things as they travel, but I usually have something planned. I have 7 players so I need to have something planned because keeping track of a combat and playing something I haven't read through and prepped will make for opponents that either aren't using all their abilities or it will be something that is just randomly insanely bad for the party and I don't like random deaths that don't further the plot.