How to make random encounters not suck

★ Edited by Bia

► INDEX
0:00 Intro
1:20 Why they suck
3:05 What they're good for
5:15 Many Worlds Tavern
6:25 3 rules for random encounters
10:15 Why random?
14:00 Outro

Music from Epidemic Sound

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[matthewknobel]

I use random encounters, but not at the table. They are rolled up before hand and then integrated into the main story or if they don't fit, just get tossed out or saved for later.

[rosecityandbeyond]

I love this! Interesting Random Encounter table use case:

I had a group of level 1 characters that were about to go on a trek to the nearby magical cave, but they were worried about dying before getting there so they asked around in the tavern what they could expect along that road!

So i just pulled out the random encounter chart and rolled a few times. Some wolves, some spiders, and a troll. Quickly whipped up a rumor about wolves on the road, and dream spiders in the forest that are hunted for their venom, and the troll guarding a bridge.

It let them prepare in advance for the encounters! Albeit they prepared by buying four goats (one for the wolves and three for the troll). I cant wait to start posting those sessions.

[misskaterinat]

One other benefit to rolling vs picking one encounter to prep is it forces the DM to work on their improv skills. I’m a chronic over-prepper, and random encounters force me to think on the fly, which can save time and help build confidence. Not everyone’s cup of tea but it’s helped me with my DMing goals! Great video ❤

[jordanw]

You really got to the heart of why I don't like random encounters as they are run. I've always struggled with throwing them out without them feeling like filler. This definitely helps breathe life into them. Thanks Ginny (and thanks for showing some appreciation for books... Seems like she's really craving attention)

[cephyn]

My favorite tip comes from Sly Flourish - roll twice. Those results are now interacting in some way. Immediately you have a random encounter that is occurring outside the PC's view. It decenters them and makes the world seem more real.

And furthermore - pre-roll 2 or 3 of these random encounters.

[Dadaph]

Fell in love with the random encounters when I ran Curse of Strahd. The ones in that book are brilliant.
Not even a fight, but finding a random grave in the woods became a very tense moment as the PCs were travelling from Vallaki to the Windmill once.
And in another random encounter, two PCs got bitten by a werewolf. One got their curse cured, but the other decided to keep the curse as a secret to the other players, ultimately having huge effect on the character and story later on.
After running that campaign, this has become the way I do it in homebrews too. I love random encounters now.

[laurelrhinehardt]

This might have just saved my campaign, no joke. First time DM who’s never liked random encounters, but am running into an issue with pacing my players. This might just be my panacea! Thank you!

[CrispysTavern]

Loving this Rosie the Riveter aesthetic.

Anyway, yeah random encounters. I actually believe random encounters should almost NEVER be combats. I think little world-building moments are way more interesting than some throw-away fight. Finding a forgotten sending stone on the ground that emits some eldritch song or a chest with a random lute that summons a dancing mummy. Little things like this will engage the players and make your world feel far more alive.

[denisehamstra]

I was firmly in the 'encounter tables suck'-camp before I started customizing them to fit the campaign story & themes too!! Another great thing about it is that you can ask your players to roll for the encounters. It gives them a chance to yell 'WHY DID YOU ROLL A MAMMOTH' at another player and that can be very cathartic.

(jokes aside, random encounters make for super fun improv and many unexpected side things to later connect back to the main storyline if you wanted!)

[tsifirakiehl]

Make Books a friendship bracelet, Ginny. She deserves it.

[TemporaryHeroJayLaw]

As a GM, I've been deeply anti-random encounters for better than a decade. Your point-- three simple rules, really, though, is... erm... on point.

[JohnHall-pots]

Awww, poor insecure Books. I love her. I feel like she's under-appreciated for how useful she is.

Thanks for joining the ranks of the "I actually read the DMG" fold! I can't wait to see what cool content like this video you can pull from it not-intended-to-be-secret secrets.

You never fail to make the sponsor clips entertaining and thematic. I am continually impressed by them.

Don't forget that a random encounter can be really fun for the DM by making unplanned things happen. We deserve to be surprised occasionally. It's wild to see an event unfold that you didn't prepare ahead of time!

[euansmith]

The delivery of the line, "When will you make me a friendship bracelet?", was so funny.

[alexg]

A good question - when *are* you making Books a friendship bracelet?

[M_Alexander]

A fun encounter suggestion: A Mimic table.

Hear me out!

Every few sessions I'll toss in a mimic. The first time it was the chest at the end of the room in the dungeon. The second time it was the book on the table _and_ the chest in the corner of the abandoned shack. The third time it was the ceiling of the room with the chest midway through the dungeon. The fourth time it was one of three chests _but_ it was frozen solid in the ice dungeon.

The point is, it's never the same encounter even if it's the same stat block. Bonus that my players are always paranoid but they're still determined to open every chest because it's usually not a mimic and the cursed items are never actually harmful.

The frozen mimic got a good laugh. Of course, they started discussing carrying it out of the dungeon and that's how I found out the average mimic is _500 lbs_

[AlexLawngtv]

The books sure do get excited when we spend time with them! LOL

[Everythingwillsurelybealright]

I am now unnaturally invested in whether Books will get a friendship bracelet

[StinkerTheFirst]

The “Random Encounters as prep tool” is spot-on and I love the take-out food analogy. I do this when I need details or direction in a novel. It’s like asking RNG for a story prompt.
Using them as foreshadowing or to reinforce a theme is also useful advice. I hadn’t considered the Nazgul encounters in Fellowship of the Ring to be like this but, yeah, I can see that now.

[riuphane]

You've done a ton of ad reads I like, but this is a special kind of favorite one for me.

Also, this whole video really changed my perspective and I appreciate the insights and ideas. Thank you!

[servietsky]

I always prepare encounters in advance. I look at the random tables and I pick what I want to run. That way I can fit links to the story or set the vibe I want.