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As a game master, I usually avoided heavy use of luck during my D&D games. I preferred was for story direction and what happened in a game to be shaped by character actions instead of pure luck. Recently, I chose to change my approach, and I'm incredibly pleased with the outcome.

The Inspiration: Seeing an Improvised Tool

An influential actual-play show utilizes a DM who frequently requests "chance rolls" from the players. The process entails choosing a specific dice and assigning possible results contingent on the result. While it's at its core no different from rolling on a random table, these are created on the spot when a course of events doesn't have a obvious conclusion.

I opted to test this approach at my own session, mostly because it looked interesting and provided a change from my normal practice. The experience were eye-opening, prompting me to reflect on the often-debated tension between preparation and randomization in a tabletop session.

An Emotional Session Moment

In a recent session, my party had concluded a massive conflict. When the dust settled, a cleric character asked about two key NPCs—a sibling duo—had survived. In place of deciding myself, I asked for a roll. I told the player to roll a d20. The possible results were: on a 1-4, both died; a middling roll, a single one succumbed; on a 10+, they survived.

The die came up a 4. This resulted in a incredibly poignant scene where the party found the corpses of their allies, forever clasped together in death. The cleric held a ceremony, which was especially powerful due to earlier story developments. In a concluding touch, I decided that the NPCs' bodies were strangely restored, revealing a magical Prayer Bead. I randomized, the bead's magical effect was perfectly what the party required to address another major situation. One just plan such perfect story beats.

Improving DM Agility

This experience led me to ponder if randomization and making it up are truly the essence of tabletop RPGs. Even if you are a meticulously planning DM, your improvisation muscles can rust. Groups reliably excel at derailing the most carefully laid plots. Therefore, a skilled DM has to be able to adapt swiftly and fabricate scenarios in the moment.

Utilizing luck rolls is a fantastic way to develop these abilities without straying too much outside your usual style. The trick is to use them for small-scale circumstances that won't drastically alter the session's primary direction. To illustrate, I would avoid using it to determine if the king's advisor is a secret enemy. Instead, I could use it to figure out whether the characters reach a location just in time to see a key action takes place.

Strengthening Collaborative Storytelling

Spontaneous randomization also works to make players feel invested and cultivate the impression that the adventure is alive, shaping based on their decisions as they play. It combats the sense that they are merely actors in a pre-written narrative, thereby strengthening the collaborative foundation of storytelling.

Randomization has always been integral to the original design. Original D&D were enamored with random tables, which fit a playstyle focused on treasure hunting. Although current D&D often emphasizes story and character, leading many DMs to feel they require detailed plans, this isn't always the required method.

Striking the Healthy Equilibrium

There is absolutely no issue with doing your prep. However, there is also no problem with relinquishing control and permitting the whim of chance to guide minor details instead of you. Direction is a major part of a DM's responsibilities. We use it to manage the world, yet we often struggle to cede it, even when doing so can lead to great moments.

My final recommendation is this: Don't be afraid of letting go of your plan. Experiment with a little improvisation for smaller outcomes. You might just discover that the surprising result is far more powerful than anything you would have scripted in advance.