One-Shot Games (planning and execution)

[Greybar]

My gaming group has now made a big transition to half of us also being parents, which has meant the end of the "game every other weekend" approach.

Instead, I'm trying out design/running of one-shots that we can scatter around when we have time. By one-shot I mean a game that can be played in one session (call it five hours), much like you might do at a Con or GameDay.

I had pretty good luck with the five-scene baseplan (per Johnn Four's newsletter and Dragon column). Pregenerated characters, pretty limited plot thread, very action oriented.

For my next one I'd like to try a more non-combat oriented one, perhaps infiltration type mission. I expect that the dialogue-centric games might be more unbounded on the time side (not that combats can't get pretty long).

I'm thinking that having a plot-related "ticking clock" would be good to keep the energy and urgency high. In other words "if you're not done by midnight, then the bad guys win".

I'd love to hear about other people's experiences with getting one-shot games off.

john

 

[Henry]

I'd love to hear about other people's experiences with getting one-shot games off.

Most of my experiences come from Gamedays, but overall it's easy enough - as long as you plan as much as possible before anyone ever hits the table - Pregenned PC's, props, etc. My personal suggestion would be to consider the RPGA as a source of material, because quite a few of their adventures have pre-generated characters with them and pre-defined goals. If you are a member, you should be able to get these for free or cheap.

As for a time-limit game, those are neat to set up - try setting up one as a live time game; set it for 4 hours, and have it running real time. If they don't finish in actual four hours' real time, they fail. If should lead to some very creative gaming!

 

[BiggusGeekus]

We do one shots for the same reasons.

In my d20Modern game I make good use of "Department 7". If (when) the guys forget their characters, it doesn't matter. They are always allowed to use knowledge from other characters from past sessions because Department 7 is the kind of organization that knows these things and adds the data to their files.

It seems to work.

 

[Kalendraf]

My weekly group runs one-shots for a change of pace. Weekly isn't the correct word for the group, since we really meet about 3 weeks out of 4 on average. Those off-nights are opportunities to do other things, including playing different games, watching a movie, or playing a one-shot.

When we play a one-shot, we try to do something quite a bit different from our regular game. So the settings are usually much different, and the party composition is also quite a bit different as well. We also try to aim for levels at least +/-4 away from our current party. If you don't have a lot of experience with certain aspects of the game (high level, low-magic, psionics, alternate rules, alternate classes, etc), a one-shot is a great place to test it out.

I'm not familiar with the article you mentioned, but it sounds like it has the right info you need. Pregen characters, action oriented and limited plots are definitely easier to handle for a one-shot. I've run a couple one-shots with more RP-interaction, and these need to be handled a bit more carefully, but they can be done. I recommend having a clock or time visible and restricting interactions to certain maximum lengths of time. Use things like "I'm sorry,but I have a prior engagement" kinds of excuses as NPCs duck out.

Infiltration can work just fine for a 1-shot. If you want, the entire mission could be 1 massive infiltration, requiring the party to reach their destination before the time limit expires, or else the bad guys finish their big bad ritual, etc. On the other hand, if you want just portions to be infiltration-related, I'd enforce a time limit by having regular patrols or something similar which limit the actions to just a few minutes before the next one comes thru.

Another non-combat type is investigation, but it's a bit more problematic for a 1-shot. These usually require more NPC-interaction, and may involve piecing together clues which can take widely varying amounts of time depending on the group. It's still an option, but I'd always estimate on the low-side for how much I think the group can accomplish in a given time. At worst, the game is over more quickly than expected that way.

 

[Greybar]

For those not familiar with Johnn Four's Roleplaying Tips I strongly recommend giving it a try.

I'm definitely going to be using pregen characters. Since all the players are on email there is a chance for a bit of tuning to match their whims if I get my act together.

Henry - I like the simplicity of the real time clock. Perhaps a bit artifical that the in-game midnight might not match up, but it will give a certainty to the end that everyone can be aware of.

john