Random Encounters: Tips & Tricks for a Better Encounter

Greetings Dungeon Masters!

In this article, we will discuss a rather controversial topic in Dungeons and Dragons… random encounters. It seems like every DM has an opinion on them. While some absolutely love them for the random stories they can tell, others absolutely hate them for being an utter waste of time and taking away from the main story. Today I am going to go over 3 ways to make your random encounters better and more enjoyable!

Supporting Your Campaign

The first way, is to make sure your random encounter either supports your actual campaign plot in a minor way or gives important lore about the world you are building. For example, let’s say your world is a war-torn region where there is suffering and destruction everywhere. It is one thing to say that it is so. It is another thing to show the party through a random encounter where the party comes across a ruined farmstead where a group of refugees have taken residence. They claim that they are being chased by a band of soldiers, but at this point are half-starved, injured, and unable to continue running. If the party decides to stay and help, it turns out, the soldiers are looking for one of the refugees who is a deserter. How the party handles the situation ultimately doesn’t matter. The party can learn several things from this encounter.

The first is that there is a ruined farmstead, which it could be inferred that much of the countryside has been destroyed. The second is that there are refugees trying to escape the war, but are still caught in the crossfire. Third is that there are soldiers that are trying to escape the war as well. This implies that there is low morale among some soldiers or that this is truly a horrible war to behold. All of these make the encounter have an actual meaning, a true purpose.

Opportunities for Roleplay/Character Development

Secondly your random encounters should give your players a chance to roleplay their characters, show what values each character has, and examine how the party dynamics are going to work.

Let’s take the previous example the deserter and several potential angles your players may take. You may have a bard who was a soldier, but escaped the war and has great sympathy for the deserter. A paladin or fighter might have feelings of having a sense of duty, so may be willing to turn the deserter over to face justice. Perhaps a particularly ambitious warlock could offer the deserter a way out by offering their fiendish patron a new soul in exchange for something they desire. Or even a sorcerer who doesn’t take threats lightly could threaten the soldiers to leave or be destroyed even though they are just doing their jobs. This encounter allows may opportunities for roleplaying especially for such a simple situation.

Recurring Characters to Drive a Powerful Narrative

Our last point is the use of recurring characters to drive a powerful narrative. Bringing back characters from previous sessions is a great way to allow the player to really feel immersed in the world. They are particularly useful when the party becomes attached to a random character from the encounter. All DMs have their “Boblin the Goblin” situation where the party gets overly attached to a goblin and brings them on their adventures or something of the like.

While this isn't recommended, it is an example of using encounters to enhance the world and add immersion. For our refugee random encounter prior, there are several characters that may come up and be important. If the party helped the deserter, perhaps he will come up later after rebuilding his life in a new city. Maybe the refugees will eventually settle down and begin building a new town that the party will come across later. The soldier may be guarding a camp and the party may need to talk to someone inside. The soldiers may remember the party’s help with the deserter and let them in. These are all things that give random encounters a touch more meaning!

Conclusion

These are just a few things to keep in mind when building your random encounters. While all of these should help you, always remember that the most important aspect of Dungeons and Dragons is to have fun and make your campaign an enjoyable experience for you to run and your players to experience! If you have any question, comments, or feedback, please reach out to the DM’s Dungeon! Additionally let us know in the comments what a particular memorable random encounter has been for you!