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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Blue" data-source="post: 7314255" data-attributes="member: 20564">My normal DMing style is long, sprawling campaigns.  I throw in foreshadowing before I know what it's actually referring to, adapt long term campaign plots towards what the players show the most interest in, run character arcs where everyone has not just spotlight but times to resolve backstory and grow as characters.  I don't mind spending a session with heavy RP around the campfire with no plot advancement, combat or anything else happening.  I write big mythic elements into my settings for the characters to discover, and make it relevant.  And I bring small NPCs to life, and at times make them relevant as well.  I homebrew everything and invite my players into helping define it, especially the parts impacting their characters.I suck at running one shots or even episodic sessions.I just never developed these DMing muscles.  Sure, I can run a workmanlike set of encounters that hang together with some sort of theme, but that's my weakest.  And I don't have a good control over pacing to get a good start, middle and end in a set block of time.  (Something which would definitely help my normal DMing as well, so I could end on more climaxes and cliffhangers.)I've wanted to get better at doing one shots to improve the rest of my game, but now I've got more incentive.  I've had several teen children of my players and friends who have asked me to teach them D&D.With limited schedules and not likely much chance for follow-up games with the same crew.  I really feel like I need to hook them from session one (no chance for a session zero), and each time provide a complete play experience - a complete adventure.And not to put too fine of a point on it, that's all three pillars of D&D.  Primarily combat scenarios won't hold the attention of several of them.I've been pushing this off for months.  I'm not worried about the ages - these are all bright and creative individuals and I've played strategy board games with most of them.  But I'm anxious about being able to provide complete one-shots in an afternoon with a good number of scenes and different types of activities and am looking for your advice about running one-shots.Lay on, Macduff!</blockquote>

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