Seriously, VW loot system..come on.

[Nightfyre]

But it's not really random is it? Can computers even technically do random?

They can with the proper equipment, but that's more for high-security applications. I'd expect SE to use low-security pseudorandom algorithms instead. The difference is generally academic unless we're actually able to exploit the pseudorandom algorithms (in such a case as GG mentioned, or even out of stronger generators in certain environments).

Anyway yes, random drops can be "balanced". In this case, I would propose that balance corresponds to a reasonable expectation that you will obtain the drop by putting in a certain amount of effort. Obviously a non-100% value means we can't expect to get rewards within a reasonable timeframe every time (this is where considerations for a point system would come in to play), but you can still estimate an effort:reward ratio for an average case and adjust accordingly.