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As a game master, I historically avoided heavy use of chance during my Dungeons & Dragons games. My preference was for narrative flow and session development to be guided by deliberate decisions rather than pure luck. Recently, I chose to change my approach, and I'm very happy with the result.

The Inspiration: Watching an Improvised Tool

An influential actual-play show showcases a DM who often asks for "fate rolls" from the adventurers. He does this by selecting a polyhedral and defining possible results based on the number. This is essentially no unlike rolling on a pre-generated chart, these are created in the moment when a character's decision has no clear outcome.

I chose to experiment with this technique at my own session, mostly because it seemed interesting and offered a change from my normal practice. The experience were eye-opening, prompting me to reflect on the perennial balance between pre-determination and improvisation in a roleplaying game.

A Powerful In-Game Example

At a session, my players had concluded a city-wide conflict. Afterwards, a player wondered if two friendly NPCs—a brother and sister—had lived. Instead of choosing an outcome, I asked for a roll. I instructed the player to make a twenty-sided die roll. The stakes were: a low roll, both were killed; a middling roll, a single one would die; a high roll, they both lived.

The player rolled a 4. This led to a incredibly emotional moment where the party found the remains of their companions, still holding hands in death. The party conducted funeral rites, which was uniquely powerful due to previous roleplaying. In a concluding touch, I decided that the forms were suddenly restored, showing a enchanted item. I randomized, the bead's contained spell was perfectly what the group needed to solve another critical quest obstacle. You simply script such serendipitous moments.

Sharpening On-the-Spot Skills

This event made me wonder if improvisation and spontaneity are in fact the essence of D&D. Even if you are a meticulously planning DM, your improvisation muscles may atrophy. Adventurers reliably excel at upending the best constructed plots. Therefore, a skilled DM has to be able to think quickly and invent scenarios in real-time.

Using similar mechanics is a great way to train these skills without venturing too far outside your comfort zone. The strategy is to apply them for minor circumstances that won't drastically alter the campaign's main plot. To illustrate, I wouldn't use it to determine if the main villain is a secret enemy. However, I might use it to decide if the PCs enter a room moments before a critical event unfolds.

Empowering Shared Narrative

Spontaneous randomization also serves to make players feel invested and create the impression that the adventure is responsive, evolving in reaction to their choices immediately. It prevents the feeling that they are merely pawns in a rigidly planned script, thereby bolstering the cooperative foundation of roleplaying.

This approach has always been part of the game's DNA. Original D&D were filled with random tables, which fit a playstyle focused on exploration. While current D&D tends to emphasizes plot-driven play, leading many DMs to feel they require detailed plans, it's not necessarily the best approach.

Finding the Right Balance

There is absolutely nothing wrong with being prepared. But, there is also nothing wrong with relinquishing control and allowing the rolls to determine certain outcomes instead of you. Control is a big part of a DM's role. We require it to facilitate play, yet we frequently find it hard to cede it, at times when doing so can lead to great moments.

A piece of advice is this: Do not fear of temporarily losing your plan. Embrace a little improvisation for smaller outcomes. The result could find that the organic story beat is infinitely more rewarding than anything you would have scripted in advance.