From:	Marc Renouf renouf@********.com
Subject:	Bug City Question
Date:	Fri, 26 Feb 1999 13:58:31 -0500 (EST)

On Fri, 26 Feb 1999, Ryan W. Bolduan wrote:

> > Frankly, I've always hated the idea of Random Encounters.
>
> I agree, random encounters are not my cup of tea either.

I tend to disagree, simply because random encounters can provide
an unexpected starting point or hook for a whole new direction of the
campaign. Further, getting a random encounter and somehow tying it into
an existing plot can add a lot of depth to a campaign. Alternately,
having an encounter that is *not* tied to the plot keeps the players from
thinking that every little thing is of monumental significance. If they
meet random NPC's who have no vital information, can't help them, aren't
enemies, and aren't actively trying to kill them, they'll soon stop
reading so much meaning into encounters with other important NPC's, and
will ultimately go on fewer wild goose chases.
That said, however, Ryan is absolutely correct in that you
shouldn't have a random encounter every block. Keep them more uncommon
(especially in a place like Bug City, where most of the denizens are lying
low to try to avoid attracting the attention of the bugs, and thus
unlikely to be anywhere where they might be "encountered"). You can
easily overdo it with random encounters, and sometimes you just need to
let the campaign run its course without them.

Marc