I believe this would depend on your DM. I've been playing since the mid-90s (not sure if that's far back enough for you! :) ), and we rarely rolled for random e

I believe this would depend on your DM. I've been playing since the mid-90s (not sure if that's far back enough for you! :) ), and we rarely rolled for random encounters like that. In general the DM has a lot of say over the rules and their interpretation. A good DM will make a huge difference.