Some of us, (me) have an issue of making our world feel like a real place. It helps by adding books, adding random businesses, local people etc.

But what about the places between? The random travel coming across huts, and other adventuring parties. I think if we come together we'll be able to come up with at least a few hundred encounters whether they be combat or not that will spice up and make the world we're building feel real.

Here's 10 to get us started.

1. The players come across another party of adventurers, they are carrying what looks like meat and have some cool items from the local area. If the party is friendly they share camp for the night the party is well fed, shared drink and the other party leaves in the morning.
2. The party comes across a small tower, if the players knock a local (of that area) wizard answers and berates them for interrupting his important research, there is a small explosion and he curses, slamming the door, they can hear him rushing around. If the players break in the wizard screams at them to get out as an explosion takes place from a table. After he comes out furious telling them off.
3. This one is shamelessly taken from somewhere else on Reddit (I've used it): the party find a dozen dead bandits there is a cat cleaning his claws atop a corpse, it appears this would have been an ambush. The cat says "you saw nothing" in a Scottish accent giving one of them a satchel of silver (enough for 2 SP each), and vanishes.
4. The party comes across an orc stronghold. The orc patrol catches them, is friendly but asks them to steer clear of the area.
5. The party finds a small clearing where it looks like druids practiced some sort of spell.
6. The party sees a large bear up ahead, if they let it pass, the bear continues on without incident. Otherwise it protects itself while trying to run.
7. The party finds an adventurers kit, there are some expired rations, a short sword, a handful of coins, some arrows and a scroll of fireball. There's a scorch mark nearby.
8. The party sees two giants of different type (I used frost and hill when my party was in the mountains) fighting off in the distance. They are far enough off that the party has no issue avoiding them.
9. The party finds an active bandit raid in progress on a trading cart. If the party assists the traders they are paid a fair sum, and asked to assist in fixing the cart and accompany the merchant to the next town.
10. The party comes across a pair of elves hunting wildlife for their tribe. They usher the party along their merry way. (I used this in an arctic setting using it to introduce snow elves).

Edit 2: Let's try to make this edition neutral so we can all use it for any format.

Edit3: Google Doc by u/pmjohnst