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As a game master, I historically avoided extensive use of luck during my D&D games. I preferred was for the plot and what happened in a game to be shaped by deliberate decisions rather than random chance. However, I decided to change my approach, and I'm very glad I did.

The Catalyst: Watching an Improvised Tool

A popular actual-play show showcases a DM who frequently calls for "chance rolls" from the players. This involves picking a specific dice and outlining potential outcomes contingent on the result. It's essentially no different from consulting a random table, these get invented on the spot when a course of events has no predetermined resolution.

I opted to test this technique at my own session, mainly because it looked engaging and offered a break from my normal practice. The experience were eye-opening, prompting me to reflect on the perennial balance between pre-determination and spontaneity in a D&D campaign.

An Emotional In-Game Example

At a session, my group had concluded a city-wide fight. When the dust settled, a cleric character asked about two beloved NPCs—a pair—had lived. Instead of choosing an outcome, I let the dice decide. I asked the player to roll a d20. The possible results were: on a 1-4, both were killed; a middling roll, a single one would die; on a 10+, they both lived.

Fate decreed a 4. This resulted in a incredibly moving moment where the characters found the corpses of their friends, forever united in death. The party performed last rites, which was particularly powerful due to previous story developments. As a parting reward, I chose that the forms were miraculously restored, revealing a spell-storing object. By chance, the item's contained spell was perfectly what the group required to address another major situation. It's impossible to orchestrate this type of serendipitous moments.

Sharpening Your Improvisation

This incident caused me to question if improvisation and thinking on your feet are in fact the core of tabletop RPGs. Even if you are a meticulously planning DM, your skill to pivot need exercise. Players often excel at derailing the best constructed narratives. Therefore, a skilled DM must be able to pivot effectively and invent content on the fly.

Utilizing similar mechanics is a great way to train these abilities without venturing too far outside your comfort zone. The trick is to use them for minor decisions that won't drastically alter the session's primary direction. For instance, I would avoid using it to decide if the king's advisor is a secret enemy. Instead, I would consider using it to decide if the characters reach a location just in time to see a critical event takes place.

Strengthening Collaborative Storytelling

Spontaneous randomization also serves to maintain tension and foster the impression that the story is dynamic, progressing based on their decisions in real-time. It combats the perception that they are merely actors in a rigidly planned story, thereby bolstering the cooperative nature of storytelling.

Randomization has historically been embedded in the game's DNA. Original D&D were reliant on encounter generators, which fit a playstyle focused on dungeon crawling. While modern D&D often prioritizes plot-driven play, leading many DMs to feel they must prep extensively, that may not be the best approach.

Achieving the Healthy Equilibrium

It is perfectly no problem with being prepared. But, there is also nothing wrong with letting go and letting the dice to guide minor details instead of you. Authority is a major part of a DM's responsibilities. We use it to manage the world, yet we frequently find it hard to cede it, even when doing so could be beneficial.

My final advice is this: Don't be afraid of letting go of the reins. Experiment with a little chance for inconsequential story elements. You might just find that the surprising result is infinitely more rewarding than anything you might have scripted on your own.