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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mark" data-source="post: 2310284" data-attributes="member: 5">I run a ton of one-shot games for events and just because it is sometimes easier to schedule.  Mostly they fall under the four or five hour timeframe.  I try to be sure that encounters have many solutions and that pre-gens are well-rounded.  Specialist characters tend to be less fun to play as pre-gens than generalists.  Don't underestimate how many other ways the players can come up with for using skills or gear.  Don't try to lock each PC into having a specific item or ability that makes them essential to specific encounters.Otherwise, I approach it much in the same way I would when a new group gets together for a campaign game.  If we're starting off at low levels I use a more traditional setting for the beginning of the game but no matter the level I try to jump right into the action.  Sure, I'll give the players a little bit of time to look over their character sheets but unless they are completely new to the game we jump right in.I try to keep the first encounter easy to overcome but somewhat resilient.  This gives the players time to get their sea legs without too much threat of major losses.  Like throwing a heavily armored, AC buffed fighter at them, armed only with a stick with a nail through it.  Somehow this first encounter should also set the stage for the adventure, it is either the hook or leads to the hook.  It should also include a clue to the second encounter.The second encounter should include enough information to lead to the second-to-last potential encounter/surrogate final enounter.Now I'll be going out of order but it will make sense later...I make sure that the potential climax/final encounter is very tough to outright win and more likely to be won by driving off the enemy (always leave them wanting more, i.e. "We won but perhaps only for today...").  So-called "falling action" can usually be best handled during clean up, so I really like the game to end as the final encounter ends, for good or ill.  As the books and the minis are being stowed you can recount how they searched and found this treasure or that final piece of the puzzle.  You can let them know that they carried the important thing back just in time to help the king and save the kingdom.  Hang the medals of honor on Han, Luke and Chewy as your cleaning off the battlemat.  It's all good narative and saves table time for the things where the players are more involved.The potential second-to-last encounter I try to set up as a surrogate final encounter, just in case that's all the further the group gets in the allotted time (A way out that doesn't leave things too unsatisfying for me or the players).I usually plan for about six or seven potential encounters for such a timeframe.  The potential third encounter is one that I set up as optional.  It lies in the path between the second and the second-to-last only if I haven't passed the midway point on the clock.  It fits in the theme and there is something available as treasure that will help the party with the final encounter that I can transfer to the treasure of the second-to-last enouter if I drop the potential third encounter entirely. That's five planned encounters and you'll note that one, two and the second-to-last are set up as a full-enough adventure should the players devote the full amount of given time to them or should they wish to devote a large amount of time to interaction and roleplaying between encounters (which isn't to say that the actual planned encounters cannot be roleplaying encounters as opposed to combat encounters).  Nothing wrong with that and you're prepared.  The third you can drop on the fly and the potential finale is always there should you have extra time at the end or if they are keeping a brisk pace through the scenario.But just in case...Two additional encounters should be prepared that are completely unneeded but thematically tied in.  If everything else takes place in Orc territory, one encounter might be with a random group of Orc hunters (perhaps out of their league and now being hunted themselves) and the other might be some sort of random creature that likely subsists on Orc meat (a lone but alpha pedator)  These should be designed in such a way that you can toss them in any time after the third.  Note that one allows you to interact and give more information to the players while the other is set up as purely a muscle flexer.Also, I keep a whole pile of PCs available.  I encourage players to choose the more mainstream ones at the start of the game but if someone dies early I allow them to pick another from the pile and "catch up to the group from behind" as if they are just late to the party.  Unless it is some sort of tournament with advancing rounds, it hurts noone and is easier to design since all of your encounters take a full party into consideration.Anyway, that's a quick version of a design process for a one-shot that I find works very well.  (YMMV) Hope it helps! <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /></blockquote>

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