How to Turn Random Rolls into Story Arcs

New Book, Frankenstein, GM Tips, New Actual Play Episode, and Much More...

Nov 21, 2025

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Random Rolls Are Awesome

Random rolls in tabletop role-playing games often get criticized. People say the tables lack context and don’t fit the situation at hand. The worst accusation, however, is that using random tables means the session will be bad because the game master is lazy.

Let’s start with the most serious criticism. Does using random tables mean the session will be bad? Of course not. Sessions can be bad for many reasons. I’ve prepped highly detailed sessions and they were awful. I’ve gone in with no prep and they were awful. I’ve used random tables and sessions were bad. I’ve not used random tables and sessions were bad.

Bad sessions are their own beasts. Figuring out what makes them fall flat is a complex undertaking. My point is simply this: using random tables does not inherently mean the session will be bad.

The criticism that random tables lack context is what I want to address, because there is an element of truth to it.

Random tables can’t account for every possible situation at the table. That’s just not possible. So many things can happen during a role-playing session that it’s hard for random tables to align perfectly with the moment at hand.

Sometimes they do. For example, I created Carousing Tables for The Book of Random Tables: Inns and Taverns. Those tables cover almost any moment when the party is cutting loose at an inn.

But in another of my books, I created the table “Items in a Troll’s Cave.” When was the last time your players explored a troll cave? Probably not recently. Yet the table is still useful. Let me explain.

Random Rolls Make the Story Better

The “Items in a Troll’s Cave” can be used when the party is searching a hermit’s cave or a bandit’s cave, or even a hag’s hut. Only slight modifications, if any, would be needed.

However, rolling something out of place, doesn’t have to be bad. Did you roll an item that doesn’t fit? Did you roll a situation that makes no sense?

These aren’t bugs. They are features.

An odd item can instantly become a compelling story point. Why did the hermit keep a chest full of brass buttons? Why was the monk carrying a taxidermied lizard in his backpack? Why does the innkeeper hide a jar of dead bees under the counter?

In an urban thief campaign, maybe a party member steals an item and you roll “Map to an ancient fortress.” Uh-oh. What now?

Don’t worry. This is where players get hooked. The character who stole the map might become obsessed with finding the fortress and convince the others to join in.

And again, don’t worry. This is where tabletop role-playing games get fun. Start improvising. Use more random tables.

But some DMs will say, “That will drag the characters away from my campaign!”

First, no one said the fortress is thousands of miles away. Maybe it’s beneath the city. Maybe it’s a short ride down the coast.

Will this distract from your campaign? Only if you let it. Start brainstorming how the fortress can add a new dimension to the campaign, one you never would have discovered on your own.

Random Tables Serve the Game

Random tables are your servants at the table. Use them however you wish. Ignore rolls, reroll them, or twist them into something new. But remember, odd results are features, not bugs.

You can check out my books of random tables on Amazon, DriveThruRPG, or Dicegeeks.

NEW BOOK - The Book of Random Tables: Science Fiction NPCs

Nearly Endless Sci-Fi Characters at Your Fingertips

Science-fiction role-playing games have always had fewer ready-made resources than their fantasy counterparts. This book helps fix that. The Book of Random Tables: Science Fiction NPCs gives game masters hundreds of options to quickly generate memorable non-player characters for any sci-fi setting.

Use these tables however you like. They’re tools, not rules. Roll during prep, during a session, or let your players roll when they ask, “Who do we run into?” With sections for Bonus Names, Call Signs, Occupations, Appearance, Attitudes, and Items, any GM can create an NPC in seconds by rolling across the tables.

Inside This Book You’ll Find:

• 1,000 Pre-Generated NPCs - Ten D100 tables filled with simple, evocative science-fiction characters ready to drop into your game at a moment’s notice.

• 400 Bonus Name Combinations - Expand your roster with a huge list of human names designed to fit any futuristic world.

• 700 Call Signs - Includes 600 standard call signs plus a special table with 100 humorous options for lighter campaigns.

• 400 Sci-Fi Occupations - From starship crew to shady underworld specialists, quickly assign NPCs meaningful roles in your setting.

• 200 Appearance Descriptors - Instantly craft vivid first impressions that bring your NPCs to life.

• 300 Attitude Descriptors - Give NPCs personality, quirks, or emotional states at a glance.

• 300 Pocket Items - Strange, useful, or mysterious objects your NPCs might carry, perfect for role-play hooks and plot seeds.

NPCs for Various Sci-Fi Sub-Genres

Whether you’re running space opera, cyberpunk, planetary romance, or hard sci-fi, this book ensures you always have a fascinating NPC ready when your players wander off the map.

Adventure among the stars with confidence. Your next unforgettable NPC is just one roll away.

I found an ancient spaceship | Ironsworn: Starforged Campaign | S02 E02

Hawking Duval travels across the ice planet Thule to reach an ancient crashed starship. What greets him will forever change his future.

Frankenstein in D&D?

Frankenstein, once again, has captured the popular imagination with a new film from Guillermo Del Toro.

I’ve long been fascinated with Mary Shelley’s tale (as has most of Western Civilization). I even released a parallel text edition on Amazon in 2020. It contains both the 1818 and the 1831 versions of the novel.

I even began my book The No-Prep Gamemaster 2ed. with a quote from Mary Shelley’ introduction to the 1831 edition.

Does Frankenstein work in D&D? The answer is yes. Not only do we have the Reborn, but the resurrection spell and mad wizards mean the themes of Frankenstein are always just around the corner. Autognomes are also a type of Frankenstein creation.

The threshold between life and death, the rejection of the created by their creator, and the yearning to be accepted can all be woven into D&D campaigns.

I’m not the only person talking about Frankenstein, here’s this from Professor DM below.