explain why random encounters exist

>>54103293
For fun and whimsical enjoyment and so the players can fight something that doesn't feel so samey because the GM is somewhat unimaginative.

Besides that, they're a relic of OSR gameplay, back when everything was done through a table with the understanding that the GM has the freedom to choose or roll on the table.

Nowadays, modern rpgs have less mechanics focused on the actual game part of it, and are more focused on developing Characters or Story, which makes these RE tables feel somewhat out of place when they aren't used seamlessly with the story. However, the tables are usually included anyway, because they're a classic staple of OSR gaming.

So really, this thread isn't about Random Encounters, it's an introspective look at the Old vs. New philosophy of RPGs and game design.

>>54103293
Can OP please explain why OP is such a colossal faggot?

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>>54103293

>>54103293
>Random encounters always involve combat.

Wrong, try again.

>>54103293

It's a playstyle thing. Personally I don't like them, I prefer every encounter to be handcrafted and meaningful, but the very fact they exist shows that other people enjoy them, and condemning them would make me a badwrongfun asshole.

>>54103293
Because the world is a living being? the world doesn't revolved around quests and PCs. Animals actually roam the land, and so do bandits, merchants, and wanderers.

If you are this mad about having to fight mooks every now and then, locate in-game the source of the mooks, and then convince your players to go and Exterminatus them out of the planet's existence.

Otherwise, you are gonna keep getting attacked.

If the game revolved only about extraordinaries, it would be boring as shit and the world would feel empty.

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>>54103293
To evoke a sense of urgency and timing, and make it clear for the player characters that things happen outside their immediate view and that they don't have an infinite amount of time to fuck around. They need to hurry it up at least a little, lest the goblin horde living down here finds them.

It's an important part of the older games and systems that emphasize exploration, resource management, and cunning. In these systems food runs out or goes bad, torches flicker and die, safe resting places need to be found, scouts have plenty of do - even the treasure at the end is large and cumbersome and has to be gotten out somehow. Randomly encountering something nasty, right when you'd least expect or want it, is an integral part of the experience.

Modern games don't care for any of these things, and just want to keep the game and the story flowing fast. To these games, most of the above things don't work very well, but random encounters still have their place to remind you that you're not alone down here, that even in the dark strange things live.

>>54103293
Sometimes shit just happens and neither you nor the monsters see it coming.

>>54070589

>>54103293
I like using random encounters because they're fun and I enjoy being put in a situation where I have to suddenly bullshit together a new factor for the players to interact with.

What I really like to do is roll TWICE on the random encounter table for that area, and say that both are in the area, and that one might be drawn to the sound of combat, or if one is befriended or killed, the other might still show up too.

Many times I've put in a location that I just made up on the spot to satisfy the question of why X encounter is in the area, and it's always made the setting a little richer.

Besides, "encounter" doesn't mean "JRPG screen flash and switch to combat-mode". It could be that you see a big monster in the distance and hide until it goes by. Or maybe they use it to further their goals by luring it into combat with another monster that they don't want to confront head-on.

>>54103755
>If you are this mad about having to fight mooks every now and then, locate in-game the source of the mooks, and then convince your players to go and Exterminatus them out of the planet's existence.
The idea of a murderhobo party getting mad at random encounters to the point of starting a genocidal campaign against random bandits or bears seems like it has promise.

It's like an accidental campaign setup.

>>54103293
I was under the impression that random encounters didn't necessarily have to involve combat. They could also involve encounters with random NPCs, like coming across a pair of peasants arguing over the answer to a riddle, or a bloody man staggering out of the woods, handing the party members a map, and then dropping dead on the spot. Weird, random events, that give the players something to act on.

At least, that's how I would use REs.

Maybe your DM just handles them poorly.
The DMs I have played with have often times been able to make RE interesting or even related to the overall story.

>>54103760

Yes, this. The point of random encounters was to drain resources. They were something between a penalty for wasting time, and an expected part of a dungeon for players to negotiate before running into the planned stuff. Getting through these encounters and being in fighting shape for the planned stuff was its own reward.

Also, random encounters reflect simple luck. It's realistic to just stumble into something from time to time. If a group of bandits stumbles into an adventuring party fat on loot and low on health, they might opt to chance it.