Need inspiration for a light one-shot tonight.

[RangerWickett]

My regular game is canceled for the week, and one player's brother is in town and wants to try out gaming. I thought I'd give the Redbox Hack a try, since it's incredibly fast to pick up on, and requires minimal prep.

But I could use help coming up with an adventure.

I don't want to put too much time into it, because there's a fair chance we'll just end up playing Modern Warfare 2 instead, but I want something in mind that I can run if need be. Something with a quirky plot, but enough standards of adventuring to provide the feel of standard D&D, without the cliches.

Any suggestions?

 

[Henry]

One thought is to take a piece of one of the War of the Burning Sky mods, since you're pretty familiar with them and just convert it on the fly. The important point is to give an exposure to each of the cooler D&D tropes (exploration, combat, roleplay, and LOOT!) and give a taste of what it's like. If he's a newbie then everything you've ever run before in your life is brand-new to him.

 

[RangerWickett]

One thought is to take a piece of one of the War of the Burning Sky mods, since you're pretty familiar with them and just convert it on the fly. The important point is to give an exposure to each of the cooler D&D tropes (exploration, combat, roleplay, and LOOT!) and give a taste of what it's like. If he's a newbie then everything you've ever run before in your life is brand-new to him.

True, but two of the players already played in the original campaign back in aught-five. Still, it's a good idea. A lot of stuff in the modules was brand new.

Thanks! I think I'll run with it.

 

[IronWolf]

This may sound silly, but I am a fan of the free adventure from WotC's site, The Burning Plague. With a few tweaks it can cover the role playing aspect, some exploration and of course combat. It isn't super long so it can fit into an evening and is pretty easy to prepare.

 

[the Jester]

How about:

A group of bandits has made off with a herd of cattle. The pcs must track them through some wilderness, but when they catch up the bandits have already been decimated by a band of orcs led by a bad ass with a couple of visibly magic items (flaming sword, glowing armor, whatever), and the surviving bandits beg the pcs to help them escape back to town. They can move fast, leaving the cattle behind, and rescue the bandits; attack the orcish encampment; finish off the bandits; etc. If the pcs try to herd the cattle back without dealing with the orcs first, they are subjected to constant harassment.

 

[nedjer]

To compete with MW2. Tall order. Call in the cannibals

 

[Doug McCrae]

Attack of the Crab-Men.

Weird crab-men (possibly crauds from MM3) have been attacking coastal villages with aid from their even weirder undersea allies. They are looking for the Crown of Nereus, an object sacred to them, believing it to have been stolen by humans.

In reality, the Crown has been stolen by a hag, who disguised herself as human, hoping to provoke a war and dominate the area.

A helpful NPC can give the PCs water-breathing if they need to go down below. Or the spell could be unavailable, leading to a standoff and forcing negotiation.

 

[nedjer]

Attack of the Crab-Men.

Weird crab-men (possibly crauds from MM3) have been attacking coastal villages with aid from their even weirder undersea allies. They are looking for the Crown of Nereus, an object sacred to them, believing it to have been stolen by humans.

In reality, the Crown has been stolen by a hag, who disguised herself as human, hoping to provoke a war and dominate the area.

A helpful NPC can give the PCs water-breathing if they need to go down below. Or the spell could be unavailable, leading to a standoff and forcing negotiation.

Someone did a brilliant thread about sea monsters and worlds earlier today

http://www.enworld.org/forum/genera...ea-adventures-comments-concerns-concepts.html

Want to play in that game

111 views get over there!

+2 Crab Crackers at the ready