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In my role as a DM, I historically avoided significant use of chance during my Dungeons & Dragons games. I preferred was for narrative flow and what happened in a game to be determined by character actions as opposed to pure luck. Recently, I chose to try something different, and I'm very glad I did.

The Inspiration: Watching an Improvised Tool

An influential actual-play show features a DM who regularly asks for "chance rolls" from the players. The process entails selecting a specific dice and assigning possible results based on the number. It's at its core no different from using a random table, these are created in the moment when a course of events doesn't have a obvious conclusion.

I chose to experiment with this technique at my own table, primarily because it looked novel and provided a departure from my usual habits. The experience were eye-opening, prompting me to think deeply about the often-debated balance between planning and spontaneity in a roleplaying game.

A Powerful Story Beat

In a recent session, my party had just emerged from a massive conflict. Afterwards, a player asked about two key NPCs—a sibling duo—had made it. In place of choosing an outcome, I asked for a roll. I instructed the player to make a twenty-sided die roll. The possible results were: a low roll, both were killed; on a 5-9, only one succumbed; on a 10+, they survived.

The die came up a 4. This triggered a incredibly emotional scene where the characters discovered the remains of their allies, forever holding hands in their final moments. The party held a ceremony, which was especially powerful due to prior story developments. As a parting gesture, I chose that the forms were strangely restored, containing a spell-storing object. I rolled for, the item's magical effect was exactly what the group required to solve another major story problem. It's impossible to orchestrate this type of serendipitous coincidences.

Improving DM Agility

This event caused me to question if chance and spontaneity are in fact the core of tabletop RPGs. Although you are a detail-oriented DM, your skill to pivot may atrophy. Adventurers reliably excel at derailing the most carefully laid plans. Therefore, a good DM must be able to think quickly and fabricate content in real-time.

Using on-the-spot randomization is a great way to practice these skills without going completely outside your usual style. The strategy is to deploy them for small-scale decisions that don't fundamentally change the overarching story. For instance, I would not employ it to establish if the main villain is a secret enemy. Instead, I might use it to figure out whether the party reach a location right after a major incident unfolds.

Empowering Player Agency

This technique also helps keep players engaged and foster the sensation that the game world is responsive, shaping based on their decisions in real-time. It prevents the sense that they are merely pawns in a rigidly planned story, thereby bolstering the cooperative nature of storytelling.

Randomization has always been integral to the core of D&D. Early editions were filled with charts, which made sense for a game focused on dungeon crawling. Although current D&D tends to prioritizes narrative and role-play, leading many DMs to feel they must prep extensively, it's not necessarily the best approach.

Achieving the Sweet Spot

It is perfectly no issue with thorough preparation. Yet, it's also fine no issue with relinquishing control and permitting the rolls to decide some things rather than you. Authority is a significant factor in a DM's role. We need it to facilitate play, yet we frequently find it hard to cede it, in situations where doing so can lead to great moments.

A piece of recommendation is this: Don't be afraid of temporarily losing the reins. Try a little improvisation for inconsequential details. You might just discover that the organic story beat is infinitely more memorable than anything you might have planned in advance.