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In my role as a game master, I traditionally steered clear of significant use of luck during my tabletop roleplaying sessions. I preferred was for the plot and session development to be determined by character actions rather than the roll of a die. Recently, I opted to change my approach, and I'm incredibly glad I did.

The Catalyst: Watching 'Luck Rolls'

A popular podcast showcases a DM who frequently requests "luck rolls" from the participants. This involves choosing a type of die and assigning consequences based on the result. While it's fundamentally no distinct from using a pre-generated chart, these are created in the moment when a character's decision doesn't have a obvious resolution.

I decided to try this method at my own session, mainly because it looked interesting and offered a departure from my normal practice. The results were eye-opening, prompting me to reflect on the perennial tension between preparation and randomization in a tabletop session.

A Powerful Session Moment

During one session, my players had survived a city-wide conflict. Later, a player asked about two beloved NPCs—a brother and sister—had made it. Instead of picking a fate, I let the dice decide. I asked the player to make a twenty-sided die roll. The possible results were: a low roll, both died; a middling roll, a single one succumbed; on a 10+, they made it.

The player rolled a 4. This resulted in a deeply emotional moment where the party came upon the bodies of their allies, forever clasped together in death. The party conducted funeral rites, which was especially powerful due to prior story developments. As a parting gesture, I chose that the forms were suddenly transformed, containing a magical Prayer Bead. By chance, the bead's magical effect was perfectly what the party lacked to solve another pressing situation. You simply script this type of serendipitous moments.

Sharpening Your Improvisation

This event caused me to question if randomization and making it up are truly the beating heart of this game. Even if you are a meticulously planning DM, your ability to adapt can rust. Groups reliably find joy in ignoring the most carefully laid plots. Therefore, a good DM has to be able to pivot effectively and invent scenarios in the moment.

Using on-the-spot randomization is a fantastic way to train these skills without straying too much outside your comfort zone. The trick is to deploy them for small-scale situations that won't drastically alter the campaign's main plot. As an example, I wouldn't use it to determine if the main villain is a secret enemy. But, I could use it to decide whether the party arrive right after a key action occurs.

Enhancing Shared Narrative

This technique also helps make players feel invested and cultivate the impression that the story is alive, shaping based on their decisions in real-time. It prevents the perception that they are merely pawns in a DM's sole story, thereby enhancing the cooperative nature of storytelling.

This approach has long been part of the core of D&D. The game's roots were enamored with encounter generators, which fit a playstyle focused on dungeon crawling. Although current D&D often emphasizes plot-driven play, leading many DMs to feel they must prep extensively, this isn't always the only path.

Achieving the Sweet Spot

Absolutely no issue with being prepared. But, it's also fine nothing wrong with stepping back and permitting the whim of chance to decide some things in place of you. Direction is a significant aspect of a DM's responsibilities. We require it to run the game, yet we often struggle to give some up, even when doing so might improve the game.

My final advice is this: Do not fear of temporarily losing the reins. Try a little chance for smaller details. You might just create that the unexpected outcome is infinitely more rewarding than anything you would have scripted by yourself.