One-shot sessions, any tips?

[Allanon]

Recently my group decided that in between campaign sessions it would be fun to run the odd one-shot session with a rotating DM. Because it was my idea and I'm the current DM I was asked (actually ordered) to bite the bullet and do the first one-shot session.

My current experience was a one-shot session of M&M (which was actually meant as a normal campaign) which although fun was very short and boring at the start because two players declined the use of their pregenerated characters and wanted to build their own... which cost a LOT of time.

My question is, my dear fellow ENWorlders do you have any good tips for succesfull one-shot sessions? Whats your experience with for example pregenerated characters vs. generated at the table characters?

Any help, tips and guidelines would be much appreciated.

 

[ThoughtfulOwl]

If players don't like pregenerated characters, ask them to create the characters beforehand; for example, you could tell them the basic premise of the game and they could e-mail their characters to you several days in advance, so that you have time to tweak the game accordingly.

Alternatively, use a very rules-light game geared toward one-shots. Not long ago, I successfully ran a Wushu one-shot with no preparation whatsoever (including no premade plot) and 5 minutes of character generation, teaching the ruleset to the players during the game.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Check out the DM Advice thread

There is a Dou-DM link in it.

 

[Hand of Evil]

One of the biggest issues is the passing of information from one DM to the other, come up with an outline and agenda to make the transition as smooth as possible.

 

[Stormborn]

I agree about premade characters. Even for one shots, my players prefer to make their own. So set a level and whatever guidelines you want in a one page document and e-mail to the group a week ahead (or give it out in the session before)

Try one of the free adventures on the WotC site, most of those can be done in one.

Or, pick up a new favorite book you have and make your own. (like Sandstorm or soemthing, although many of the new WotC books have mini adventures in them that could work for you too).

Explain to them why the PCs are in location X, no long RPing to get there.

Then Encounters (Book of Madness has this in there somewhere, but I don't have it on me at the moment):

1. Party Level -1
2. Party Level
3. Party Level
4. Party Level +1
5. Party Level +2 or +3.

A monsterous shrine, for example, could have worshipers for 1., Cultists and Minons for 2. and 3., High Priest for 4., and Big Nasty Beast that is the subject of veneration for 5.

That would make a pretty simple plan for a 4-6 hour session.

Edit: If you want continuity in a metaplot way from one DM to the next, simply establish a sponsor for the PCs. Each one shot can be another task given out by the sponsor to the group. Universities and Temples or Nobles can all be great patrons. Describe this in 2-3 sentences and include it in the one page document I mention above.

 

[Chaldfont]

One-shots are a great way to try out a new system. Or do things you wouldn't normally do in your usual campaign. Horror/survival plots (like Alien, Night of the Living Dead, The Thing) are pretty fun. I almost always use pre-generated characters--it takes too long to make characters during the session and its great to be able to tailor the PCs to the adventure.

On rotating DM's: My group did this a while back. We set the games within our ongoing campaign world, but set it up as a story-telling competition sponsored by the king. Each DM was effectively the storyteller who started off the session and popped in from time to time to narrate. At the end, we all voted for our favorite session and that's who won. This allows you to run a game at any level and do anything you want to your campaign world. After all, who is to say the story was true? Its a fun way to introduce new plots and areas to your campaign world too.

 

[diaglo]

aim for the TPK.

these characters are built to be killed.

 

[Henry]

Because I'm a righteous geek, when I do one shots, I like pre-genning the characters for the Players to use, making the tip sheets, making the adventure, and tailoring challenges to the skills I KNOW the pre-gens will have. If someone wants to do their own, I tell them to have it ready before game time so I can skim it over. Otherwise, they have what is available, and can't waste game time making their own at the table. 99% of the time, people are up to the challenge of using what's been given, because it's fun and because it IS a one-shot.

The advantage of making PCs ahead of time is also the ability to showcase really cool things the system can do. Who wants to showcase, say, Spycraft, but not have a SINGLE Faceman or Controller or Wheelman in the group? Who would want to showcase Eberron without a single Artificer or Warforged or Dragonmarked person?

My other advice is to have all the special rules written up ahead of time on cheat sheets. That way, the biggest changes in the setting are able to be skimmed and brought to attention ahead of time. No one wants to go into Black Company without knowing about the surprise round, or wants to play shadowrun without knowing the importance of armor.

 

[Inconsequenti-AL]

Most of my players don't like pregens much either. I do what others have suggested - give them guidelines and they send me their character a few days before the game.

In a 1 shot, if I had pregens ready and someone didn't want to use them, then I'd let them create it... meanwhile I'd start the adventure with the rest of the group. They can join in when they're finished twinking. They'll have to do this in another room so they don't overhear anything useful from the game. Or they could use the pregen.

I'd suggest giving a theme to the group. They are all from organisation X, members of the same tribe, jedi padawans or whatever. Find it gets round the whole introductions phase of the game and lets you get on with the killings.

Write a modular plot. Have it so you can add or remove a few scenes, depending on how time goes. Personally, I nearly always write too much stuff so I make sure I can remove a fair bit of it.

 

[Ry]

If you're halfway through the sessiona and it isn't halfway through the adventure, don't force it. Just let it be two sessions and wrap the second half up at some later date. This was the only problem with my one shots.