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gridloreRandom encounters. Dear Halford, how I loathe random encounters. Shall I go on about this?
Thank you!
To me, one of the goals of any TTRPG is to create a narrative storyline, a plot that has highs and lows, thrilling moments, and times of quiet reflection. This is accomplished by designing adventures in separate scenes that define a few things: why are the characters here, what happens that starts the events of the scene, and possible outcomes.
A scene can be anything from meeting with a border king to negotiate to clearing an orcish camp. But the Gamemaster needs to know what is coming. To keep the flow of the game going, the GM needs to know the layout of the king's hall and who is there, as well as the possible outcomes based on player actions and die rolls. The same goes for the encounter with the orcs. Each scene should have three scripted outcomes: Player success, Neutral, or Player Failure, with further scenes written to handle these possibilities.
And yes, the players will find a way to wander wildly off track, but that's why DMs get to decide what's on the pizza.
But random encounters just seem to stop the game cold. first of all, there's all the rolling on charts, then looking up stats, then setting things up. . . it's a colossal waste of good gaming time, especially for meaningless combats!
If the group is traveling from Point A to Point B, plan a few encounters. If they're on a well-traveled trade road, there might be a patrol from the local lord (who will be most interested in a heavily-armed group in his territory,) or a merchant caravan that will share news and barter for supplies around the campfire. You might meet religious pilgrims who will ask for an escort to the next monastery where they can seek shelter. If the party is coming close to a hobgoblin camp, it would make sense to have them encounter goblin patrols, or villagers fleeing the monsters begging for help.
But plan it out! Know the name of the merchant in charge of the caravan, and give him three features (balding, laughs everytime he speaks, wears an obviously magical amulet). Have the stats for the goblin patrol at hand ready to use. The villagers might need someone rescued, so have that adventure ready.
Keep your game moving. Don't let the dice dictate the events. Reject random encounters and all their works!
Thank you!
To me, one of the goals of any TTRPG is to create a narrative storyline, a plot that has highs and lows, thrilling moments, and times of quiet reflection. This is accomplished by designing adventures in separate scenes that define a few things: why are the characters here, what happens that starts the events of the scene, and possible outcomes.
A scene can be anything from meeting with a border king to negotiate to clearing an orcish camp. But the Gamemaster needs to know what is coming. To keep the flow of the game going, the GM needs to know the layout of the king's hall and who is there, as well as the possible outcomes based on player actions and die rolls. The same goes for the encounter with the orcs. Each scene should have three scripted outcomes: Player success, Neutral, or Player Failure, with further scenes written to handle these possibilities.
And yes, the players will find a way to wander wildly off track, but that's why DMs get to decide what's on the pizza.
But random encounters just seem to stop the game cold. first of all, there's all the rolling on charts, then looking up stats, then setting things up. . . it's a colossal waste of good gaming time, especially for meaningless combats!
If the group is traveling from Point A to Point B, plan a few encounters. If they're on a well-traveled trade road, there might be a patrol from the local lord (who will be most interested in a heavily-armed group in his territory,) or a merchant caravan that will share news and barter for supplies around the campfire. You might meet religious pilgrims who will ask for an escort to the next monastery where they can seek shelter. If the party is coming close to a hobgoblin camp, it would make sense to have them encounter goblin patrols, or villagers fleeing the monsters begging for help.
But plan it out! Know the name of the merchant in charge of the caravan, and give him three features (balding, laughs everytime he speaks, wears an obviously magical amulet). Have the stats for the goblin patrol at hand ready to use. The villagers might need someone rescued, so have that adventure ready.
Keep your game moving. Don't let the dice dictate the events. Reject random encounters and all their works!
I never got into RolePlayingGames
Date: 22 Jun 2021 18:06 (UTC)