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How to Run a One Shot
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<blockquote data-quote="Rel" data-source="post: 1745692" data-attributes="member: 99"><p>The following is a cut and paste from a post that I made in our NC Game Day thread regarding playtesting one-shot games:</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>I think that most of that is applicable to your overall issue. If there are other specific questions that you've got, I'll be glad to address those too. I do think that one-shot games work best when there is a "twist", particularly if you're running them for your regular group. After all, if you've run several full-length campaigns for these people then trotting out what would be an average session in one of those, only without all the backstory leading up to it, it's bound to seem rather mediocre. I try and have the setting or premise for the game be something out of the ordinary. Thus far I've used:</p><p></p><p>- In the Dungeons of the Slave Lords Revisited - The twist here is that the PC's have almost no equipment, weapons, armor, etc. They've got to escape from a volcanic island before it blows.</p><p></p><p>- Orcz! - The twist here is that the PC's are Orcs engaging in the nasty and brutal sorts of things Orcs do, including running up against an iconic party of adventurers. I'm now running the sequal to this game, Orcz Reducz!, with a similar twist (including the classic Paladin dilemma, "do we slay the Orc women and children").</p><p></p><p>- Sky Galleons of Mars - Using d20 modern, I replicated the Space: 1889 setting from GW. The PC's are various earthlings from a Victorian Era earth that has discovered intelligent life on mars and colonized the area. Epic ship-to-ship battles on floating sky-ships above the martian deserts, ancient martian pyramids and pirates with gatling guns abound.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Anytime I think up a cool and unusual idea for a campaign and then think "that might be fun for a few sessions, but it could get old after a while", I file it away for "one-shot fodder". It has worked well so far.</p><p></p><p>Good luck!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Rel, post: 1745692, member: 99"] The following is a cut and paste from a post that I made in our NC Game Day thread regarding playtesting one-shot games: I think that most of that is applicable to your overall issue. If there are other specific questions that you've got, I'll be glad to address those too. I do think that one-shot games work best when there is a "twist", particularly if you're running them for your regular group. After all, if you've run several full-length campaigns for these people then trotting out what would be an average session in one of those, only without all the backstory leading up to it, it's bound to seem rather mediocre. I try and have the setting or premise for the game be something out of the ordinary. Thus far I've used: - In the Dungeons of the Slave Lords Revisited - The twist here is that the PC's have almost no equipment, weapons, armor, etc. They've got to escape from a volcanic island before it blows. - Orcz! - The twist here is that the PC's are Orcs engaging in the nasty and brutal sorts of things Orcs do, including running up against an iconic party of adventurers. I'm now running the sequal to this game, Orcz Reducz!, with a similar twist (including the classic Paladin dilemma, "do we slay the Orc women and children"). - Sky Galleons of Mars - Using d20 modern, I replicated the Space: 1889 setting from GW. The PC's are various earthlings from a Victorian Era earth that has discovered intelligent life on mars and colonized the area. Epic ship-to-ship battles on floating sky-ships above the martian deserts, ancient martian pyramids and pirates with gatling guns abound. Anytime I think up a cool and unusual idea for a campaign and then think "that might be fun for a few sessions, but it could get old after a while", I file it away for "one-shot fodder". It has worked well so far. Good luck! [/QUOTE]
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