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As a Dungeon Master, I usually shied away from heavy use of chance during my tabletop roleplaying games. I preferred was for the plot and what happened in a game to be shaped by deliberate decisions instead of random chance. Recently, I decided to alter my method, and I'm very pleased with the outcome.

The Inspiration: Seeing 'Luck Rolls'

A well-known streamed game utilizes a DM who frequently asks for "luck rolls" from the participants. He does this by choosing a type of die and outlining potential outcomes contingent on the roll. While it's at its core no unlike rolling on a pre-generated chart, these are created on the spot when a player's action doesn't have a predetermined outcome.

I chose to experiment with this method at my own table, primarily because it looked engaging and provided a departure from my usual habits. The results were remarkable, prompting me to reconsider the ongoing tension between planning and randomization in a D&D campaign.

A Powerful Session Moment

During one session, my party had survived a large-scale fight. Afterwards, a player inquired after two beloved NPCs—a pair—had made it. Instead of deciding myself, I let the dice decide. I told the player to make a twenty-sided die roll. The stakes were: on a 1-4, both were killed; on a 5-9, only one succumbed; a high roll, they made it.

The die came up a 4. This resulted in a incredibly moving sequence where the characters discovered the bodies of their companions, still holding hands in death. The cleric held funeral rites, which was uniquely powerful due to prior character interactions. In a concluding reward, I improvised that the forms were miraculously transformed, showing a magical Prayer Bead. By chance, the item's contained spell was precisely what the group required to solve another major quest obstacle. One just orchestrate these kinds of serendipitous coincidences.

Sharpening DM Agility

This incident caused me to question if chance and thinking on your feet are actually the beating heart of this game. Although you are a detail-oriented DM, your skill to pivot may atrophy. Groups reliably take delight in derailing the most carefully laid plots. Therefore, a skilled DM must be able to pivot effectively and create scenarios in real-time.

Utilizing luck rolls is a great way to train these talents without venturing too far outside your comfort zone. The strategy is to use them for small-scale situations that have a limited impact on the campaign's main plot. To illustrate, I wouldn't use it to establish if the king's advisor is a traitor. However, I might use it to determine whether the characters reach a location just in time to see a key action takes place.

Strengthening Collaborative Storytelling

Luck rolls also works to keep players engaged and foster the impression that the adventure is dynamic, progressing according to their decisions as they play. It reduces the sense that they are merely characters in a pre-written story, thereby strengthening the shared foundation of roleplaying.

This philosophy has always been embedded in the core of D&D. The game's roots were enamored with encounter generators, which suited a playstyle focused on exploration. While current D&D often focuses on plot-driven play, leading many DMs to feel they must prep extensively, that may not be the only path.

Finding the Right Balance

There is absolutely no issue with being prepared. But, there is also no problem with letting go and letting the whim of chance to guide minor details in place of you. Authority is a big part of a DM's role. We require it to manage the world, yet we can be reluctant to give some up, at times when doing so might improve the game.

My final recommendation is this: Have no fear of relinquishing a bit of control. Try a little improvisation for minor story elements. It may discover that the unexpected outcome is far more memorable than anything you would have pre-written by yourself.