On Suspense And Random Encounters

This is an alternative way to handle rolling for encounters that focuses on building suspense. 

Throughout most of my GMing career I have used the tried and true 1-in-6 per 10 minute turn. It's simple, it works - but I have a few issues with it:

• You can go long stretches without any encounter. There are many published dungeons out there that, when you run them, you realize how much the encounters breathe life into the whole thing.
• While simple, the procedure does not provide the necessary build-up/release of anxiety needed for a more tense dungeoncrawl. I like to keep my players chewing their nails and weighing their risks, the flat 1-in-6 chance is too random for this.
• There is a lot of rolling if an encounter occurs. Need to roll for the contents of the encounter, their reaction to the party, their distance from the party, etc. 

I think most of these issues could be fixed quite simply while still maintaining similar probabilities.

 

THE SUSPENSE SYSTEM 
Art by Sergio Toppi

At the start of each turn, roll a pool of d6's to determine if an encounter occurs. The pool begins with 1 die. Keep the pool in a place that is visible to everybody and easy to reach. For maximum suspense, call out a random player to roll the pool each time.

At the end of each turn, add 1 die to the pool.

On doubles or triples, an encounter occurs. The dungeon will have two encounter tables - one for doubles and another for triples, consult the rolled result with the appropriate table. Triples are deadlier or more bizarre encounters that are more heavily stacked against the players.

After an encounter, reset the pool back to 1 die. Do not add a die at the end of this turn.

When the party takes a time-consuming action, add one die to the pool. If one player undertakes a time-consuming action, ask the rest of the party what they do while they're waiting for the first player to finish their action. The other player's time-consuming actions do not add more dice to the pool this turn.

When the party takes a reckless action, add one die and roll the pool. These could include busting down doors, lighting large fires, destroying a part of the dungeon - generally throwing caution to the wind to do something fast or easily. Warn the players that they are about to undertake a reckless action before they do so.

 

EXAMPLE RANDOM ENCOUNTER TABLE
Art by Sergio Toppi

 This example table is set in The Crypt of Eg - the resting place of the titular sorcerer-king. He was buried with his pets and experiments, which still lurk the haunted halls deep beneath the earth. You may have come here for his treasures, to settle an ancestral blood feud (of which he had many) and destroy his corpse, or to capture the fabled unicorn which is rumored to live here.

Doubles:

1. The click-clacking of bones on metal - 1d6 skeletal warriors shamble out of the shadows in a shield wall.
   
   
2. Snorting, grunting and squealing followed by an awful smell - an undead boar the size of a van comes stomping down the hall. Its eyes are clouded blind, but its sense of smell is impeccable and it still remembers hunger.
   
   
3. A relieved sigh and a sword being sheathed - a lone vengeance-seeker who desperately wants to get out of here, even if it means shame.
   
   
4. The sounds of crossbows being loaded - 1d8+1 malnourished unicorn-hunters point their weapons at you with shaky aim. "You best turn around - you're not getting a cut."
   
   
5. A wet sloshing sound - a giant ball of tongues rolls aimlessly down the halls, large enough to block a hallway. It is repelled by bitter taste and attracted to sweets.
   
   
6. Distant meowing - 3d6 pairs of cat eyes glow in the darkness. They will hiss and scratch at any Chaos-aligned characters.

Triples:

1. The sounds of a heated battle - 3d6 skeletal warriors fight 2d6+2 vengeance-seekers over a wooden chest. They haven't noticed you yet.
   
   
2. The sound of heavy breathing and boots running - 1d6 vengeance-seekers flee and shout for you to run. In 10 seconds, 2d4 undead boars will trample down the halls to give chase.
   
   
3. The sounds of angry shouting - a large clan of 1d12+3 vengeance-seekers argue over whether or not they should turn back or continue onward. They speak of seeing Eg on a horrible chariot carried by vicious creatures.
   
   
4. Trampling and screaming - a wounded unicorn is fighting 1d20+2 unicorn-hunters, who appear to also be fighting each other for a chance to land the final blow and escape with the slain unicorn.
   
   
5. The sound of running water that shakes the stones beneath your feet - a flood of saliva will come pouring down this hallway in 10 seconds.
   
   
6.  Growling and wheels on stone - a gilded chariot carrying the corpse of Eg himself, led by 4 undead lions who are fiercely loyal to their master.

 

DESIGN NOTES
Art by Sergio Toppi

Okay, talking more casually now - you may have noticed that encounters only occur on doubles and triples yet you will find yourself rolling 1d6 on occasion. This is intentional. I think a good dungeon crawl is comparable to a good horror movie. You build up suspense in the audience, then give them a moment of release afterwards before continuing to build up more suspense. I think the rhythm of the how the pool is rolled mimics that well, and the 1d6 roll when the pool is reset is that breather.

I think it's very important that the pool is not kept secret behind the GM screen and that players are made well aware when they're going to undertake a risky or time-consuming action that will contribute to the pool. The players cannot make an informed decision about what they are doing without information like this. It is fine that the players can gauge when an encounter is more likely to come, let them fret and sweat about it.

I enjoy making my encounter tables more specific. With a d6 encounter table size, you're bound to roll duplicates sometimes. During the session I cross out encounters which have already been seen and replace them with new encounters after the session. If I roll a duplicate during a session, I simply move to the next available table entry.

This system is largely inspired by Angry GM's Tension Pool with a few critical tweaks. I love the concept although it still doesn't quite get the rhythm I'm looking for and doesn't combine the roll for encounter and its contents like mine does. This is additionally inspired by Goblin Punch's Underclock. I think he has the rhythm right but I am a lazy GM and do not like tracking more things than I need to on paper like the clock values. Plus the mounting pool of dice adds a nice physical, tactile element the clock does not. Check out both of those posts, they're very good.

If you made it this far, it's too late to save you! I challenge you, dear reader, to make an encounter table like the one I made above. Hopefully you can see how you don't even need a fully fleshed out dungeon to make such a thing - and how an encounter table alone can serve as a springboard to making the rest of a flavorful dungeon.