Random encounters/Red Dead Redemption

Random Encounters can be encountered 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 and not considered side-quests but rather random encounters that will gain you fame and honour. Here are some of the types of tasks you can encounter:

Encounters

 * 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. 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.


 * Winded Lawman
 * Encountered in the Wilderness. You may come across a crashed wagon with an officer in front of it. The officer will be winded 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.


 * 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 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.


 * Alms from the Church
 * 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. Obscuridad del Santo Andres can also be obtained. "A blessed symbol from a far-off land. Enemies have less chance to hit you."


 * 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. Follow him and he will lead you to a couple of horses/carriage. There are ~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.


 * Kidnapper
 * While in a city, you will hear a woman screaming for help. A criminal has tied her up and is running away. Shoot him dead or hogtie him and cut her free.


 * 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.


 * Horse Jacking
 * 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.


 * Nice Eyes
 * While in open wilderness you will hear shooting. Its a man near a campfire shooting wild birds. He will challenge you for money to shoot 3 birds in a faster time than him. You will receive cash as your reward.


 * 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 3-4 criminals upholding a treasure hunter. On failure to act fast, he will be shot in the head. Help him by killing the criminals and you will receive a treasure map or cash as reward.


 * It Might Help if you Aim
 * While in the wild, you will hear gun fire. Its 2 lawmen chasing after a criminal. Shoot him in the leg and let the lawmen finish him or just kill him. You will receive a thanks from the lawmen and some fame. This event is not marked with a blue dot on the map.


 * 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 in the wild be running away, screaming for help. There are some type of animals chasing after him. Help him out and receive a reward.


 * The Duel
 * 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 up to 6 spots on your target and then 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's unknown whether it gives you even more Fame.


 * Be the Pimp
 * While traveling through a village, you might encounter a screaming cheap woman and a man with a knife chasing after her. The men will pull her down and kill her with a knife if you don't stop him in time. On success, you will receive Fame and money.


 * Crazy Dude
 * In the open, you can meet a guy with a dog that will try to shoot you and tell you to go away. If you fail to proceed, he will start shooting you 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 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 limbs and heads scattered around his campsite.
 * Captured Bandito


 * A member of the Mexican army near Diez Coronas asks Marston to deliver a hog-tied Bandito to Chuparosa. It is very much like normal bounty hunting as you will be pursued. The pay and honour are much lower however and it counts for +1 travelers escorted. (Needs conformation if it only occurs in Mexico)
 * Dynamite Delivery
 * Two gentlemen with a truck 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 theives 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 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". 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 encounter does not appear on the minimap.
 * The Dragged Man
 * Usually found riding into town. A group of around four men will be riding along one dragging a lassoed man behind him while the others fire their guns into the air. +100 honour for aiding the victim.