I am not a fan of random encounters. For me they slow down the pacing too much. I like how fast travel currently works in BG3. I like that BG3 doesn’t waste my time with lots of trash mobs or doubling back.
I also don't like trash mobs or doubling back. By "doing Random Encounters right" I mean peppering encounters into the game to spice it up and make the world seem more alive, and to provide more variety.
Most games don't do it well. They throw trash enemies at you that you fart at and kill. I don't want anything like that. I'm talking real and varied encounters.
Let's take the bog as an example. One playthrough, maybe no random encounters. On playthrough, I encounter some boggles and am given a choice to Persuade them to leave me alone, to attack, or to hide from them. Next playthrough, maybe I'm unlucky and get two random encounters; a giant toad and redcap and the second encounter is a swarm of stirges (enough to provide at least some sort of challenge. First encounter on my way to Ethel's. Second on my way back from the Swamp Dock as I'm fast traveling. The first does not surprise my party and I can attempt to hide to avoid. The second does surprise. Next playthrough, I'm lucky and no random encounters during my time in the bog.
Just enough to make it so that you, the player, know that the world isn't just totally scripted and static.
