Random encounters/Red Dead Redemption

Random Encounters can occur anywhere on the map during your travels. They will be marked with a blue dot (although not all of them) on your map and will ask you for help. The tasks you can carry out for them are not considered side-quests done for Strangers, but rather random encounters that will gain you fame and honor. Let it be known that these missions can be done either way, in ways that either gain the player honor, or cost him/her it. Here are some of the types of tasks you can encounter.

The Beauty and the Wagon
Encountered outside of cities. A woman standing near a wagon calls you for help, when you come closer 4-5 men pop up from behind the wagon and start shooting you. If you stay still without shooting them, they hold up a ransom for a fee, then let you go. Once you kill them all, you have the choice of sparing the women or killing her for her deception. If you choose to spare her she pleads for forgiveness and offers you money.

Wounded Lawman
Encountered in the wilderness, near major roads or intersections. You may come across a crashed wagon with an officer in front of it. The officer will be wounded and will tell you that two criminals are making an escape and that they killed his companion. He then asks you to go catch them. You can either kill both criminals and receive less fame/money or you can hogtie them and bring them back to the officer which will reward you with more honor and money. Once you kill or capture both criminals, return to the officer and he will pay you a decent sum of money. In most cases, the Lawman will execute the Hogtied criminal(s) most likely in revenge for his fallen partner.

Escort Mission
You will find a stranded party on the side of the road, usually near a broken wagon, asking for assistance. If you agree, you will let the person ride with you to where they want to go. This encounter is easy to confuse with In Need of a Ride and the Beauty and the Wagon. Usually bandits will attack at some point during the mission. You can fight them, or try to outrun them.

In Need of a Ride
Encountered outside of cities. When you are traveling on a horse, a man or a woman calls you over and asks you for a ride. Once you get closer, he/she runs at you and throws you off the horse and starts riding away. Kill him/her or you will lose your horse. Alternatively, if it is your saved horse, you can whistle ("up" on the D-pad) and the offending party will be bucked off. Be warned, killing the thief after your horse bucks him off will cost you some honor.

Alms from the Convent
Encountered in cities/villages. A nun walks up and greets you, and asks you to accept some money from her in form of appreciation for what you are doing. You can accept the money or walk away. Earns 20 Fame. The item Obscuridad del Santo Andres can also be obtained: "A blessed symbol from a far-off land. Enemies have less chance to hit you." According to the nun she and her sisters raised a collection to help "further your cause in this wicked land"

The Gift
Similar to "Alms from the Convent", a random person, outside a city will run up to you and say he has been looking for you everywhere, he will offer you a gift, which is a Pardon Letter (there may be other unconfirmed gifts) for saving his mother. You may choose to accept it or walk away.

You're That Famous Feller
With high enough fame, people in towns or on horses on the roads may say they have heard of your deeds.

Hangman's Noose
Encountered in the wilderness. A man will ride up to you while you are on a horse and ask you to save his wife/brother/friend from being hanged by a group of bandits. Follow him and he will lead you to a couple of horses/carriage. There are 4 to 5 enemies and a hanging man/woman. Shoot the rope quickly before they die, the easiest way to do so is by using Dead-Eye. Then kill all the enemies and you will be rewarded with Fame. A scripted hanging can also occur if you're near the Hanging Rock.

Kidnapper
While in a city (especially Thieves' Landing), you will hear a woman screaming for help. A criminal has hogtied her and is running away with her on his back. Shoot him or Hogtie him and cut her free for a decent amount of fame.

Store Robber
When you are in a city, a store owner might run out and yell that somebody just robbed their store. Catch the robber and bring him back to the store or kill him. You will receive Fame and more cash if you keep him alive, but if you choose to kill him and loot his body you can take all of the money for yourself. Returning the thief to the shopkeeper will cause the shop keeper to repeatedly kick the thief in the head, pausing only to spit on the thief.

Grand Theft Stallion
When you are walking in a city, there is a chance that a random pedestrian will run up to you and desperately ask you to get his horse back who just got hijacked by some rustler. Catch/kill the criminal and return the horse for Fame and cash. It may be easier to catch the horse if you lasso or throw a knife at the thief. This will avoid spooking the horse with a gunshot.

Nice Eyes
Occasionally, while in open wilderness, you will hear shooting coming from a nearby camp. The man at this camp will challenge you for money to shoot a number of birds in a faster time than him (Dead-Eye helps a lot). You will receive cash as your reward.

This is probably the easiest way to earn a lot of money in a relatively short time. Every time you fail to kill the birds in the allotted time, you will be given the option of "double or nothing". If you fail the challenge several times in a row, the wagers will have been raised by quite a fair amount. After failing the challenge several times in a row, you must then complete it successfully (most likely with Dead-Eye). You will earn all your money back, but not a lot extra. If you then kill the stranger and loot his body, you will receive a huge amount of money (although you will also lose Honor if you don't wear a Bandana).

The Herbalist
Encountered in the wilderness, a person at a campsite will wave you over and you to help him find a few herbs. Accepting causes a short challenge to start where the player must gather two herbs and run back to the herbalist's camp before the herbalist. You will receive cash as your reward.

The Trapper
Encountered in the wilderness, a person at a campsite will wave you over and ask you to help him gather some pelts. On accepting the challenge, the hunter will give Marston some bait to use and indicate what type of pelts he needs. The player simply needs to use the bait just outside the camp and skin the animals that come.

Treasure Hunter in Need is a Treasure Indeed
While in the open, you might encounter 2-4 criminals holding up a treasure hunter, usually with them shooting at the treasure hunter who is taking cover behind his wagon. If you fail to act fast, he will be killed. Help him by killing the criminals and you will receive a treasure map. (The first treasure map given starts off the Treasure Hunter Challenges.)

It Might Help if you Aim
While in the wild, you will hear gunfire. It's 2 lawmen chasing after a criminal. Shoot him in the leg and let the lawmen finish him or just kill him. Alternatively, you can shoot the lawmen and let the criminal go free. You will receive a thanks from the lawmen and some fame. This event is not marked with a blue dot on the map, probably because you can help either the lawmen or the criminal.

Bad Hunter
Outside cities, you might encounter a man on a horse chasing after some animal trying to shoot it. Help him out and you will receive thanks from him. This event is not marked with a blue blip.

The Prey
A man or a woman in the wild be running away, screaming for help. There are some type of animals, such as Wolves, Cougars, Bobcats, Bear or Coyotes, chasing after him/her. Help out and receive a reward. (Tip: It helps to use Dead Eye to kill the animals rather then manual/auto targeting could potentially target and kill the victim.)

The Duel "I'm about to make you famous"
Depending on your fame, you have a chance that townsfolk will want to make a name for themselves by killing you in a duel. On encounter they will harass you and challenge you. Once you are dueling, the game goes into Dead Eye mode. You can draw earlier and have less chance of accuracy or draw later but have less time. Mark spots on your target the number is equal to the number of bullets you have in a clip (example: The Mauser will give you 15 shots). Once marked John will automatically shoot him. By killing your opponent you receive 50 Fame. You can also disarm him by shooting his hand which is much harder and receive 100 Fame. It is also possible to shoot his hat off if you choose to disarm him but it does not give you more Fame.

Be the Pimp
While traveling through a village, you might encounter a screaming prostitute and a man with a knife chasing after her. The man will pull her down and kill her with a knife if you don't stop him in time. On success, you will receive both Fame and money. You can either shoot him, or lasso/beat him up.

Aggressive Camper
In the wild and often based at a small camp, you can meet an armed man with a dog. As you approach he will raise his weapon and tell you to go away. If you fail to leave, he will start shooting and his dog will attack you. Kill him and loot the chest he is sometimes guarding or run away. This event is not marked with a blue dot.

Cannibals "A man's got to eat"
A man will ask you if you want to provide him with company; when you get close enough, he will shoot you. If you kill him, you will find a hostage hogtied under the tent and several human bones and heads scattered around his campsite. It has been rumored that with low enough honor, the cannibal will not attack.

Mainly cannibals are around The Hanging Rock where American Appetites was completed though you could find one around the Great Plains or Tall Trees, even in Nuevo Paraiso and Hennigans Stead

Captured Outlaw
A lawmen or soldier in the wilderness will ask Marston to deliver a hog-tied outlaw to a nearby settlement. It is very much like normal bounty hunting as you will be pursued while en-route. The pay and honor are much lower however and it counts for +1 travelers escorted.

Dynamite Delivery
Two gentlemen with a wagon full of dynamite will ask you to deliver the truck to a weaponry shop. You must make sure to avoid bumpy paths, or the dynamite will explode. You will be attacked by thieves who will shoot at you.

One Spark
Out in the wilderness, the player may run across a camp with several crates of Dynamite and two men preparing dynamite bundles from these crates. If the men are approached, they will add some dynamite to your inventory. If the player sticks around for a minute or so, one of the men will say something to the effect of "Careful, one spark and we'll all go up" or "Time for a cigar, got a light?". Right afterward, the dynamite will explode, taking the camp and the two men with it. The men can be looted afterward, however, they do not carry anything special. This can also be encountered in Mexico, but without the explosion scripting; you can of course shoot the dynamite at the cost of honor. This encounter does not appear on the minimap.

Wild Posse
Usually found riding into town. A group of around four men will be riding along one dragging a lassoed person behind him while the others fire their guns into the air. +100 honor for aiding the victim and preventing the men from terrorizing the town. A posse will also at times, ride through town firing their pistols. If Marston kills the posse he will receive honor and a thank you from the townfolk.

The Supply Coach
When near a store a woman will tell you her supply wagon is missing, you then can press B/Circle to accept her job and find out what happened to the stagecoach. When you find the stagecoach it has been attacked by robbers whom you then have to kill. Following this you will have to drive the stagecoach back to the woman for your reward.

Pit Stop
Randomly in the distance, a man may ride up, get off his horse, and walk towards a rock which he will then proceed to urinate upon.

Camp
Occasionally, (most often at night) Marston may wander upon a camp of two to three people. They will offer to let Marston stay with them for awhile and if he does, he can sit and listen to them talk about recent events or tell stories of the past, most often about those relating to John's adventures. One should exercise a certain amount of caution, however, as these campsites will sometimes house hostile gangs or cannibals.

Suicide
Occasionally, you may come across someone grieving over a dead body. If you sit there and watch them for a minute (they will not talk to you) the grieving person will either shoot themselves in the head or drink poison. The situations you come upon will vary slightly, as the couple may be two men, two women, or a man and a woman. In almost every case, it appears the already dead person was shot or possibly knifed (due to the pooling of blood beneath them). You can loot the person who commits suicide once they've died, but not the already-dead body. You may shoot the gun or bottle out the the living man's hands before he commits suicide, which will in turn give you honor. The man will thank you and walk off.

Scavenger
Occasionally you may come across a man standing searching over a persons body before jumping on his horse and riding away. You can search the persons body for a few dollars and you will not be punished even if you shoot the escaping thief for even more loot.

Wanna make some money?
In Mexican towns, a man will sometimes run up to you and ask "Hey you! Wanna make some money!? If Marston follows the man, he will ask him to steal a supply wagon and then drive it out of the city with the law in pursuit. Once Marston ditches the lawmen, he must then take the wagon back to the stranger, which in return the stranger gives Marston some money and says he "might have some more work for you later." The man then leaves and rides back into town in the same wagon that was stolen and then resells items from the stolen wagon at a higher price. Marston can repeat this event, to earn money.

Fate of the Stagecoach
Out in the wilderness, you may see a message pop up on your screen saying that "A stagecoach is under attack" and that you can choose to either side with the defending stagecoach or the bandits attacking.

Public Execution
In Mexican towns, namely Escalera. You'll sometimes see a firing-squad of Mexican soldiers lining up a couple of rebels against a wall for execution. If you try to stop the execution the Mexican army will immediatly open fire on you and you'll get a bounty on your head. But you can always just watch the rebels get executed.

Unlawful Justice
While exploring around in Mexico, you sometimes will cross paths with a firing-squad and a poor man. It's unsure if the man is innocent or not, but he doesn't appear to be a rebel or bandito and looks just like a normal person. If you stand in front of the man the soldiers will attack you. Disarm the soldiers by shooting their weapons out of their hands and you will gain honor. Or you could just stand and watch.

Law or Disorder?
When you're riding/walking about you may see some lawmen and outlaws shooting it out. Just like Fate of the Stagecoach, you can choose to help the lawmen or assist the outlaws. Whichever side you help, the faction will be grateful and commend you on your actions.

You're not welcome here!
When riding into Thieves Landing, you may be shot at. Shooting the ambusher, might cause other townsfolk to start attacking Marston, though this might be because of the player accidentally held an innocent at gunpoint or hit one with a stray bullet during repelling the shooters attack. This is due to having a high honor ranking (usually Hero) and can be bypassed by wearing the bandana

Stick 'em up!
On sides of the roads, you'll sometimes spot a supply wagon being robbed by a gang. If you're just approaching the wagon you can help out the people in the wagon before they're executed, but if you arrive late they'll already be dead and the posse will shoot you.

Put up your dukes
When you travel off course, you'll sometimes catch two guys brawling with their fists. If you stay to spectate the fight, eventually one of the men will knock the other man out and then walk off like nothing ever happened. If you want to see this event, the best place is Tall Trees in West Elizabeth. This encounter happens more often when in the given area.

Who Dunnit?
While on foot you may come across a dead man, woman, or couple of people. You can not steal from them, so this could evidently mean that these were mugged victims who refused to give up their money, and paid the ultimate price for it though this might be the result of another stranger event such as the suicide or scavenger but the player arrived to the scene late.

You can't take it with you
Same as Who Dunnit?, only this time you catch the mugger in the act. If you sneak up behind the mugger.. you can see them standing over the person they just killed, and the mugger (if desperate enough) may resort to biting off the victims finger (Or more probably remove the victims ring with his teeth.) to get their rings. If you run or walk up to the mugger, he will take out his gun and try to kill you as well. If you decide not to do anything the mugger will call for his horse and ride away.

The better man
Out roaming the wild west you will sometimes see two guys randomly shooting it out. This encounter is just like (Put up your dukes) except instead of a fistbrawl, its a gun fight. Once one of the men kills the other, they will claim that the man was trying to kill him, but the two men are not gangster nor criminals, they're just two guys who wanted to settle their diffrences using guns.

Refreshing
Sometimes, for example in Armadillo, you can see a man enter the bathroom, sometimes taking a leak, and other times, freshening up, like shaving, and taking water in his face afterwards.