Who uses Wandering Monsters?

[Dark Eternal]

Now, THAT is priceless.

Quick note - Just wanted to say thanks, W.M.! I've never had the chance to convey my appreciation in person, but you've contributed a lot to my campaigns over the years, and I thought I should let you know that I'm grateful.

 

[Psion]

Like 'em in principle... by assigning random encounters to an area, I am sort of letting the players "experience" the area, even if the encouter has nothing to do with the plot at hand.

In practice, I rarely use them unless I have extra time. Usually, the adventure and planned encounters take up all the time we have to play.

 

[fusangite]

I guess I use wandering monsters in that I keep a few encounters in reserve when characters are travelling but I never roll; they just turn up if the game needs them to appear for xp, tempo or distraction.

 

[Sarellion]

Not much

There are no random wandering monsters or encounters, only planned ones or what seems to be right for the area. Most of them are peaceful.

There are ambushes but most of them are built in the story. Sometimes bandits attack but uh yes, it is more for the players feeling good, so they can see that their characters are more powerful than in the beginning.

 

[Black Omega]

I never use wandering monsters, personally. I'm running a Rokugan game and typically there just isn't the degree of wilderness or wild areas in most places. The group has enough of a rep no one is likely to simply mess with them randomly.

 

[s/LaSH]

Nope, don't use them. My campaign's got a plot and I'd rather be forwarding it than finding a reason for some weird monster to attack our heroes. They may think there have been some random encounters, but they're wrong. (Well, except for that bit in the Efreet Catacombs where they occasionally got hit with nasty fungi or magic shields. But that was a strictly plot-related random roll.)

That said, for another style of game I'd be quite willing to grab a random encounter table and do an entire dungeon that way.

 

[Gunslinger]

One of my DMs has percentile based random encounter charts organized by level blocks. When we travel somewhere, we can usually expect 1-2 random encounters during the day, and 1 at night. It certainly keeps us on our toes...

 

[John Crichton]

Typically, no. If I had to time to make charts based on area I would but for now, planned encounters are working quite well.

 

[Chimera]

Yes, but never by random table.

In doing my session prep, I always include a number of possible "random" encounters based on the area they are in, plus a few at specific locations. I try to include a non-hostile or three (possibles), then pretty much chose one off the list when the time comes for an encounter.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

Yes and no. I never use charts, but at times I will use wandering monsters if I'm DMing in that sort of world, as in the type of world that includes magical beasts/aberrations/etc. as a part of the natural fauna. It makes sense that if they're out there hunting and foraging, an adventuring party is going to come across them on occasion.

In the game I DM now, though, such "monsters" don't exist out in the forest or jungle as a part of the natural habitat. So I don't use them.

Though occasionally they might still encounter an ordinary animal that fits the terrain...like a tiger...or two.