Rolling the Dice: How to Balance Randomness, Story and PC Agency in TTRPGs

3 Wise DMs

The dice never lie, but they don’t tell great stories, either. (We mean, they’re dice, they don’t even talk!) So how much of your game do you want to leave up to the dice? When should you roll them and why? What kind of game are you teaching your players to play? Can rolling the dice even discourage role-playing?

In this episode of 3 Wise DMs, Thorin, Tony and Dave dig into everything you always wanted to know about rolling polyhedral dice but were afraid to ask. From random encounters to fudging rolls, they talk about what’s going on behind the screen when their players are trying to interact with the world.

1:00 When and why do we roll the dice?

6:00 Using random tables (encounters, terrain, weather) to represent the world

10:00 Balancing random encounters vs. planned encounters vs. “plandom encounters”

12:00 Is random treasure a recipe for disappointed players?

14:00 Dice psychosis: Logical cause-and-effect vs. “We love rolling dice!”

17:00 Can dice discourage roleplay?

26:00 Do skill-ability substitutions (i.e. allowing intimidate with strength) encourage roleplaying?

30:00 Don’t let the “need” to roll stop you from rewarding play you want to encourage

35:00 When is it OK to fudge your dice as a DM?

43:00 Hedging your bets: Techniques for creating the tension of rolls without the risk

48:00 When rolls go wrong!

53:00 The Rules of Rolling: How we each decide when and what should get a roll in our games

60:00 Why Tony hates in-game haggling and Dave doesn’t

66:00 How the DM and players accidentally negotiate how the game is going to be played

69:00 When do we not allow a roll?

72:00 Do you want to have truly game-changing dice rolls in your campaign?

74:00 Different kinds of rolls (beyond a simple d20) that can make challenges feel unique

79:00 Final thoughts