Random Encounters and the Imagination

     There are those who object to the use of Random Encounter tables. Usually their objection is something like: "I don't want to roll a result of 275 orcs here." This sort of objection may be divided into two kinds:
    i) "I don't want there to be 275 orcs in this part of the world."
    ii) "275 orcs in this part of the world would be an obstacle to my creativity."
The first is a misunderstanding of the use of random tables, the second is a misunderstanding of the nature of imagination.

    i) "I don't want there to be 275 orcs in this part of the world."
    Uncle Gary is quite clear here, though he is often misunderstood. Decide how you want it to be, and then make it just that way. If you know what is there, that is what is there; if you don't, roll on a random table. If you know that there are no orcs in such-and-such a place, you have either compiled your own random table, or noted on the existing table: "in such-and-such a place, if a result of 'orcs' is returned, roll again." Uncle Gary's Ghost won't knock the dice out of your hand for that.
    
    ii) "275 orcs in this part of the world would be an obstacle to my creativity."
    This is a strong objection, except it isn't true. To see why this is so, we must examine the imagination and what it does.
    
    One of the faculties of the imagination combines elements to create new ideas. The unicorn demonstrates this. The unicorn is a product of the imagination, formed from the elements of a horn, a horses head, a lion's tail, a hart's feet, and so on (of course a unicorn is more than this, but it is not less). And once someone has done the imagining of a unicorn for me it becomes itself fodder for the imagination. Given unicorns, I am quite free to imagine the unicorns of Ganymede who are hunted by the elves of Jupiter.
    
    It follows that we can develop this faculty of the imagination in 2 ways:
    a) Providing the the imagination with elements to combine
    b) by using the imagination to combine disparate elements.
The random tables provide us with both sorts of exercise The tables furnish you with elements, and the dice force you to combine them with the circumstances. For instance, first you must discover what a lamia is, then you must imagine what one is doing here, and why.
Proper and frequent use of random tables is not only necessary for correct play. It strengthens you imagination, and allows you to achieve correct play.
    QED

Coda on Modules
    It matters very much what you fodder you give your imagination. Just as there is food better and worse for the stomach, there is fodder better and worse for the imagination. By and large, the modules and supplements published for RPGs are worse. If you read 500 pages of source-books on "Vikinglandia," you will get a lot of cruft and perhaps 5 good ideas. If you simply read the "Saga of the People of Vatnsdal" (about 90 pages) You'd have 50 good ideas and more.* If you read the whole Penguin collection of "Sagas of the Icelanders," and Howard's "Tigers of the Sea," you'd be able to imagine and run a campaign in "Víkingstaðr" indefinitely with no prep. Provided you have good random tables.


*I refuse to defend this point. One only has to do the reading to see that it is so.