Before we get into the dynamic encounters, I want to start by explaining what this blog is. I have a lot of ideas about TTRPGS both modern and old school. Rules, ideas, races, peoples, and concepts that never actually make it into a game. So, this blog will be a place to archive and discuss these ideas. Not all will be good, some will be used in future books, but they should at the very least be interesting.









Now, to get on with it. Random encounters are something I LOVE. The chance of stumbling upon a dragon eating a deer or finding a wounded bear in the wild, or coming across a mysterious merchant or traveling bard. Its the core foundation of the emergent gameplay in RPGs. But, an issue with random encounters is they can get a bit stale in the long run. A d10 table can easily get repeats of certain entries. And, I mean, sure, you can write a long 1d100 table of interesting things to encounter. That is what the dynamic encounters really is at its core, but I have an interesting solution to the problem. A dynamic encounter table is one that changes over time. The best way to describe it is to explain how it works. Consider the standard encounter table. Six entries, for simplicity. And at the right of the first collum is another collum and another next to it. When you roll an encounter, then mark off that entry. Scrub it out, sharpie it, write a note, whatever. The next time you roll that number, simply move to the next collum. It should look something like this.

Benefits





The coolest benefit of this encounter table is that it can create an interesting story naturally. The first time the players meet a dragon, it might just fly overhead. The next time, it might blast fire at them, to test their mettle. On a third encounter, considering the beast is alive, it might land and ask who the heroes are to be so brave to travel in its domain.

Another excellent benefit is a steady increase in danger. The first encounter with the goblins might be a few scouts, but their numbers might increase each time.

Though, perhaps my favorite benefit is to show a living world. Each time the players meet an NPC, they have news of a different part of the world. And upon hearing then news, the GM then makes it so. For example, "Did you hear? The city of madeupcity was attacked by orcs!" The next time the players arrive at the city, it was indeed attacked by orcs.





Drawbacks





The biggest issue with this table is what to do when you run out of columns. You could add more, but that's work. Or, they could be designed in such a way that the last column of encounters is reusable, but then its just a standard encounter table. Of course, "finishing" one of these encounter tables might be a sign of cleansing that land of danger and corruption, and it is time to move on.