Random Encounters?

[Fenes 2]

I wondering of DMs hide their roles on random encounters (or wandering monsters), or do they build the tension and make the rolls right in front of the players ('OK let's see if something unexpected comes along...mmmm...Uh oh, I was hoping you wouldn't have to face one of these..."

I just tell the players "Ok, roll 1d6. Anything but a 1 means you pass through the streets without a problem."
Or even "Roll 1d6. A 1 means that the guard took this moment to check back."

 

[Madfox]

When considering the question I realized I have not used a random encounter table in ages. That does not mean that I do not use encounters that are not related to the plot. Either I think of them right at that moment, which mainly happens in cities or I have got a list of several encounters I wanted to use one time or another and decide to use it then and there to bring some life to the game. It is as people have said, random events and encounters bring a world to live because the players get the impression things happen outside their influence.

There is a strong risk though that a random encounter has such a strong pull on the PCs that they ignore the real adventure and chose for the random encounter as their focus. This is all fine and dandy, but in many cases that was not something the DM has prepared for. Secondly, a random encounter could disrupt the mood of a session. When the players have been tensely into roleplaying a fight sometimes can be a good thing but at other times it can be very destructive of the mood.

For this reason I prefer to have full control over when, where and what when it comes to encounter. I used to use the tables in the past to pre-generate encounters. Now a days I just think of a few that sound logical without rolling any dice.

 

[Vaxalon]

I roll them up ahead of time and then tailor them to the situation, so my answer really is "none of the above"

 

[smetzger]

I roll them up ahead of time and then tailor them to the situation, so my answer really is "none of the above"

ditto

 

[bwgwl]

I certainly think random encounters provide an essential element of surprise, unpredictability, and tension in the game. I use then if possible. So I voted the first option.

oh, i think it's possible to have surprise, unpredictability, and tension and still only use "placed" or "planned" encounters.

if the PCs are wandering through the wilderness and encounter a displacer beast, is that because it's a random encounter or because i as DM placed the encounter there? how can they tell the difference? it's just as much a surprise to the players in either case.

randomly rolling it on a table just makes it a surprise for the DM, too.

 

[candidus_cogitens]

Actually, yes, we do! But I voted "no" on the poll just because I liked the phrase "they're the devil." I couldn't resist!

 

[nsruf]

I don't use them and I also don't like them. However, I use planned encounters which are unrelated to the main storyline. So I don't get disruptive, illogical or boring random encounters, but my game world still looks like it is "alive", with lots of events going on that are not part of the story.

 

[Quickbeam]

I use them in a manner similar to Vaxalon and Smetzger, except I don't exactly roll them ahead of time. I have a short list of likely creatures the party might encounter depending on the various locations, etc. Then, I just insert these "random" encounters when and where they seem appropriate...particularly if things bog down or the PC's are making a ton of noise.