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Post by EricaOdd on May 5, 2018 6:04:01 GMT -8
Steve (I don't know who he is on these forums, but on the Discord chat he was Steve) and I had a good chat on Discord this morning about the relative merits of random encounters in RPGs. He is for and I am against.
My thought is that they detract from the plot, bog the game down in pointless combats, and delay the progression of the story. I prefer to plan encounters ahead of time.
His counter is that you can work a randomly generated encounter into the story, or otherwise make it seamless so as not to detract from the plot. He prefers to roll encounters randomly and work then into the plot as they arise.
For the record, neither one of us changed the other's opinion, but it was a good chat nonetheless. I think it could make a good discussion point for the show.
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Post by ayslyn on May 5, 2018 14:10:01 GMT -8
I suppose that it means how specific you want to get about "random".
Rolling on a chart? Not a personal fan, but I can absolutely see how they could help some GMs who's strengths aren't in encounter planning. Can they be weaved into the plot? Of course.
Now, if you mean encounters that aren't directly tied to the central plot that add a little verisimilitude to the plot, then I think that they're great. They add flavor to the game, and muddy the waters a little on what is or isn't plot central, which makes the world a little more "real".
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Post by uncommonman on May 5, 2018 14:44:37 GMT -8
I suppose that it means how specific you want to get about "random". Rolling on a chart? Not a personal fan, but I can absolutely see how they could help some GMs who's strengths aren't in encounter planning. Can they be weaved into the plot? Of course. Now, if you mean encounters that aren't directly tied to the central plot that add a little verisimilitude to the plot, then I think that they're great. They add flavor to the game, and muddy the waters a little on what is or isn't plot central, which makes the world a little more "real". I do like lists of random encounters as long as they are themed to the location and politics for the area. Say the campaign had gone on a while and the players have ignored the "stop the bandits side quest" then I think a risk of highway robbery is suitable. I recommend a list where you add and remove interesting encounters you have come up with, some fun, some dependant on what the players have (not) done and some related to your main plot. This is also a great time to come up with fun characters or events to expand your world, maby a trader from a far away land have lost a wagon wheel and need help and they get more information about his hometown (this could be used as foreshadowing for later events or to add a contact for the characters).
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Post by weaselcreature on May 7, 2018 7:11:00 GMT -8
I've stopped doing random encounters, but I do often use random-seaming encounters. Like ayslyn said, even if they're not related to the plot, they can add flavor to the game.
I'll use them if it's a new game or it's been awhile since we've played, or if it's been awhile since there's been a combat and we're building up to one; it helps remind me and the players how the system works and what the characters can do in combat. I'll also use them to help illustrate a dangerous area; if all they've heard about the Thornwood Forest is how dangerous it is, it's not really that creepy if they make it through to the plot point without any hazards.
What I don't do is have each player whose character is taking a turn at watch roll a die to determine if they get attacked by something random. Don't get me wrong: I DO make them roll the die (what's a little die-rolling angst, eh?), but if a 1 comes up, it doesn't mean they're getting ambushed by something on some table I roll on; although I might mess with them in some other way (raccoons made off with your rations!), depending on how I feel.
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bobcatt
Apprentice Douchebag
Patron
An infinite number of monkeys can't be wrong...
Posts: 81
Preferred Game Systems: AD&D 1e, 2e, 5e, Top Secret/S.I., Classic Traveller
Currently Playing: nothing at all :-(
Currently Running: completely stalled doing 5e via Roll20
Favorite Species of Monkey: Barrel of
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Post by bobcatt on Jun 1, 2018 12:42:55 GMT -8
For each campaign, my habit was to create a custom table which contained entries for encounters or events relevant to the area that the players were in (but not necessarily directly tied to their task). The totally random tables provided in the core books were of no specific value to me. The timeline of a world continues largely unabated regardless of what the players are up to until they become powerful enough to influence the flow. Armies attack, people work the fields, volcanoes erupt, dragons soar the sky, monsters stalk the land... For example, if the players were undertaking a dungeon crawl at the edge of a lord's lands, a table would likely include: - one or more instances of foraging parties of creatures from the dungeon,
- a border patrol of the local lord's forces (or an adjoining lord's forces),
- a few instances of seasonally appropriate weather events (rain/hail storm, fog, heat/cold snap, snow, high winds, etc. <- I would have already established 'general' daily weather conditions for weeks or months ahead),
- a small group of either bandits, refugees, or travellers with purpose (depending on local economic & political conditions),
- several rows indicating "nothing at all",
- one or more instances of local (mundane) animals either hunting for food or fleeing predators,
- possibly a low-chance (~2%) for an 'unusual' sighting, strange noise, peculiar odour, or other red-herring,
- a low-chance instance affecting progress (pack animal injury, broken wagon wheel, deadfall blocking trail, etc.),
- a low-chance instance affecting resources (spoiled rations, low water, loss of or damage to PC's equipment, etc.).
Each table entry would have a corresponding paragraph in my notebook detailing the NPC(s), creature(s), or event.
The chance of the encounter would be the random element, but the contents of the encounter would be pre-defined.
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