In the old days, you couldn’t get a pre-made module that didn’t have at least one random encounter chart, usually several.  In 4^th edition, the trend seems to be heading the opposite direction.

 

I think that a solid understanding of what a random encounter does will help you decide how to include them into your game, if at all.

 

First the Cons

 

• They generally serve no purpose for the story.
• They cause fluctuations in XP and treasure.  Usually the party gets XP but no treasure.  Too much of this sort of thing makes for game imbalances.
• They cause Party Wipe.  All too often the random nature of the encounter produces something too powerful at the wrong time.
• They use up party resources which can lead to either Party Wipe, character death, or game imbalances because the party’s single use resources (potions & scrolls) are used up before their time.
• If used in conjunction with random treasures, you can (and often do) get too much treasure or totally useless treasure.

 Then the Pros

• You don’t have to plan ahead for them, so it can save you time.
• They fill session time when the party decides to go somewhere you hadn’t planned on.
• They can be used to boost XP if the party has more treasure than their level suggests they need.
• They can be used to kill off annoying characters.
• They can be used to boost treasure if the party doesn’t have enough.

 In general I never use truly random encounters.  I ignore the tables.  However I do use pseudo-random encounters all the time.  I make up a few extra encounters when planning for a session.  These are always the same level as the dungeon encounters I expect (or hope) the PC’s will find, and either have equivalent treasure or no treasure. 

 

Here are the situations I use them for.

• The PC’s are heading to the dungeon and will eventually get to the dungeon, but not this session, and they need a combat to get them moving.  In this case I will remove the first dungeon encounter from the campaign.  If there was a treasure with that encounter I will usually leave it in the dungeon to be found next session (though there is nothing to stop you from handing it out now).
• The PC’s will never reach the dungeon and the dungeon encounters I have prepared simply make no sense whatsoever where they are now.  For example, the only dungeon encounter I have left is a gelatinous cube and they are in a forest.  See more on encounter swapping here.
• Somebody pissed me off and I’m in a vindictive mood.  So I hit them with an extra encounter while they are trying to rest and gang up on the jerk who took a bite out of my chocolate cupcake.

You can find more information about this technique on my encounter swapping article.

 Hope these ideas help, and as always have fun!

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Ok, here’s a tough one for more experienced players. So many times you get set to start a new campaign, and it turns out to be the most boring session ever.

DM: Your all in a tavern in a village in the hills, and you hear a rumor about a treasure in a dungeon.

It’s the cliché of all clichés. And as a player, I got bored of it pretty quick. One of the first things I learned to do (as a player) was to ignore whatever background glop the DM tried to feed me and proceed with my own antics in the inn and/or village, thence forcing the DM to come up with all sorts of nonsense on the fly. Now would be a good time to mention that many DM’s don’t like me as a player.

The point is I got bored. Bored players are dangerous players. They are dangerous to themselves, each other, and the DM, and they can wreck a session fast. Worse, they can wreck an entire campaign.

So, start things off with something original.

I generally run a weekly game, and when starting with a new party, or even with just a new character, I give my players a deadline, usually a few days before their first session to provide me a bit of background for the character they will play.

Guess what, 99% of the time they do absolutely nothing.

Which is why I proceed to give them a background. This is usually only a paragraph or two of information, and I try to keep the character specific stuff to a minimum.

Now, if you happen to have oodles of time, you can do a little pre-role-playing with your players. This is generally done individually, and is something I like to handle through instant messenger or email. It allows the player to ask some generic questions about the opening setting, and gets rid of much of that boring opening monologue.

Now, when you actually start the session, remember it is ok to start the party separately. If one character is in the town guard and some of them are just passing adventurers, then one or the other won’t have much to do for the first bit, that’s ok. Tell them to sit tight and you’ll get to them. A word of caution. DO NOT do this with a new player (either new to the game or new to you). Get them involved immediately. But if your group has played together before, you know who you can put on hold and who you can’t ignore.

Here are some alternatives to starting at the inn and overloading with monologue.

• Start them in the dungeon. (Was the party captured? Are they in the king’s fortress that is being assaulted?) There is nothing like a captive audience.
• Start them out in combat. No, they don’t necessarily have to be on the same team. Keep on the Shadowfell calls for an opening kobold ambush. What happens if that ambush is the start of the game, and the party is approaching the ambush from different sides and the players don’t know each other to begin with? Nothing grabs your players’ attention faster than opening the first session with the two simple words “roll initiative.” Then place their minis for them and off you go.
• If you don’t want to be so forceful, you can try grouping the party together in a way that makes sense. Two of them are town guards, one of them is the village priestess, another runs an apothecary, and the last was just attacked by orcs on the way to town. Together they join up to help this poor soul out.

The point is to be as imaginative as possible. Do your best to avoid that slow time during the first session where nobody really has anything to do.

And as always, have fun!

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