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As a Dungeon Master, I usually shied away from heavy use of chance during my tabletop roleplaying games. I tended was for the plot and what happened in a game to be shaped by character actions as opposed to pure luck. Recently, I opted to alter my method, and I'm truly happy with the result.

The Catalyst: Watching an Improvised Tool

An influential podcast showcases a DM who frequently requests "fate rolls" from the players. He does this by selecting a polyhedral and outlining possible results contingent on the number. While it's essentially no unlike using a random table, these get invented on the spot when a player's action lacks a predetermined resolution.

I decided to try this technique at my own table, mostly because it looked novel and offered a break from my standard routine. The outcome were fantastic, prompting me to think deeply about the often-debated dynamic between planning and randomization in a tabletop session.

A Powerful Story Beat

During one session, my players had just emerged from a city-wide battle. When the dust settled, a player asked about two beloved NPCs—a pair—had lived. Instead of deciding myself, I let the dice decide. I asked the player to roll a d20. I defined the outcomes as: a low roll, both would perish; on a 5-9, a single one succumbed; on a 10+, they both lived.

Fate decreed a 4. This triggered a deeply moving moment where the party discovered the bodies of their companions, still united in their final moments. The cleric held last rites, which was particularly significant due to prior story developments. As a parting touch, I decided that the NPCs' bodies were suddenly restored, showing a magical Prayer Bead. By chance, the bead's magical effect was precisely what the group needed to solve another major situation. It's impossible to script such perfect moments.

Sharpening DM Agility

This event led me to ponder if chance and thinking on your feet are truly the essence of D&D. While you are a prep-heavy DM, your improvisation muscles need exercise. Groups reliably find joy in ignoring the most detailed plans. Therefore, a effective DM needs to be able to pivot effectively and fabricate content in real-time.

Employing similar mechanics is a excellent way to train these skills without straying too much outside your comfort zone. The trick is to use them for minor situations that have a limited impact on the session's primary direction. To illustrate, I would avoid using it to establish if the main villain is a traitor. But, I might use it to decide whether the characters reach a location right after a major incident unfolds.

Strengthening Player Agency

This technique also serves to keep players engaged and foster the impression that the game world is responsive, evolving according to their choices as they play. It combats the perception that they are merely characters in a rigidly planned story, thereby bolstering the collaborative foundation of the game.

Randomization has always been embedded in the original design. Original D&D were enamored with encounter generators, which suited a game focused on exploration. Although current D&D frequently prioritizes narrative and role-play, leading many DMs to feel they require detailed plans, it's not necessarily the required method.

Finding the Healthy Equilibrium

Absolutely nothing wrong with doing your prep. But, there is also nothing wrong with relinquishing control and letting the dice to decide some things instead of you. Direction is a major factor in a DM's job. We use it to facilitate play, yet we often struggle to cede it, even when doing so might improve the game.

A piece of recommendation is this: Have no fear of temporarily losing your plan. Try a little chance for smaller details. It may find that the unexpected outcome is infinitely more rewarding than anything you could have pre-written by yourself.