One-Shot: What to Run?

[Nellisir]

OK, have downloaded Old School Hack and Dungeon World. LOVE them both. (Also downloaded Warrior, Mage, & Rogue, which is a bit longer and I haven't had a chance to read yet).

 

[Ariosto]

Specifically, I would recommend Castles & Crusades. It has the heart and soul of classic D&D, but without a heap of complicated mechanics.

Without * what *, for instance? One complicated mechanism wouldn't be a "heap", but it might be a clue as to how in the world you figure.

I don't have C&C handy, but I can tell you from memory that the reason the text -- the Players Handbook alone, I think -- is so much longer than the original three Little Brown Books is not because the game is simpler! Actually, I think it manages to cover significantly *less* with so much wordage because the "basics" are so relatively baroque.

Are you actually acquainted with Swords & Wizardry?

At any rate, the mechanisms -- "complicated" or not -- are largely not the concern of the players. The one bit someone may really need to know is what spells do in general terms, and how many he can cast. For fighters (and thieves, if you've got 'em) that number is zero.

That, above all, makes the classic easier to start playing immediately. Just answer the question, "What will you do now?", in plain English (or whatever language the participants speak).

I'd actually lean towards a non-D&D game. Simple mechanics, fast fun play.

Meaning what? No monsters or magic?

For crying out loud, RISUS consists mainly of several pages of ways to make dice-rolling more complicated. It's essentially nothing but combat rules -- and those are longer than the basic combat rules in OD&D.

Seriously. The OD&D combat system (including saves and turning) *and* the spell lists fit (in the original booklets' not-tiny type) on both sides of one letter-sized sheet -- with more than a quarter page left over!

Most of that space is taken up with tables that give you basically whole universes of possible numbers, such as rolls to hit, so there's **no need to perform calculations** except in special cases. Only a fraction of the set is likely to be used at any one time -- for instance, 1st-3rd level fighters but not 13th-15th level. It's like 4e's DMG Page 42 plus Page Whatever (for monsters), except that (a) it's simpler and (b) you don't need another 30+ pp. of rules just for fighting.

Toss a d20, and if the roll is high enough then toss a d6 for damage -- easy peasy.

From what I have seen (which is quite a lot), this is pretty par for the course for the supposedly "simpler than D&D" games. For another instance, I dig Greg Stafford's Prince Valiant -- but it has whole layers of added complexity.

 

[Ariosto]

Anyway, whatever floats *your* boat is the thing. It is up to you, to how you run, to make "a quick, simple, fun game that doesn't get bogged down." Your mastery of the tools is what counts.

It's fair to say that some rules sets (e.g., 4e) tend to have long fight scenes, but that's not "bogged down" if it's what you want.

So, I think what really calls most for attention is the scenario. If you have just one shot, then there's extra pressure to hit the mark. It's got to engage your players, and it ought to come to a satisfying conclusion within the time you have. Whether you design it yourself or get a "canned" deal, you probably should know it even better than the rules set.

 

[ArghMark]

World of Darkness. Play humans. Tick boxes. Play themselves. Kill a vampire.

Play at night. With candles. Say its like a murder mystery dinner. DONE!

 

[Orius]

One shot? I say 1e, Tomb of Horrors. It will likely not last more than 1 session.

 

[Ariosto]

Rather than S1, I would go for the richly atmospheric C1 The Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan. It uses the conceit of a real-time limit (2 hours for tournament play) as well as accumulating damage due to poison gas. Part of the deadliness is the allure of all there is to investigate, despite the pressure to escape. Also, the place is more lively than the Tomb; there's opportunity for conversation as well as MacGuyver-style exploits.

Realistically, though, these are both challenges for experienced players.

 

[Gilladian]

Go dig up Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh and convert it to whatever system you like (I'd suggest Microlite 20 if you want a dnd flavor that is quick to learn and easy to shift to 3e dnd if you move into a campaign later).

 

[Mark Hope]

Castle Ravenloft is another good choice for a one-shot. I've used that with folks who have no gaming experience whatsoever to good effect in the past. I'd agree that running it with one of the simpler editions of the D&D rules is a good idea (0e, B/X, S&W or the like). Everyone can understand the tropes used in the adventure and it allows for a variety of playstyles as well.

 

[CleverNickName]

Without * what *, for instance? One complicated mechanism wouldn't be a "heap", but it might be a clue as to how in the world you figure.

I don't have C&C handy, but I can tell you from memory that the reason the text -- the Players Handbook alone, I think -- is so much longer than the original three Little Brown Books is not because the game is simpler! Actually, I think it manages to cover significantly *less* with so much wordage because the "basics" are so relatively baroque.

Sorry, I didn't mean any offense to S&W, D&D, Pathfinder, or any other system. I didn't think this was a "which game is better" thread. Above all, I was suggesting that the OP download the primer and take a look because it costs nothing and it's a lot of fun.

Are you actually acquainted with Swords & Wizardry?

I read the book, but I've never played it. From what I remember, it looks like a pretty solid system.

I was just lauding one of my favorite games.

 

[Ariosto]

Sorry, I didn't mean any offense to S&W, D&D, Pathfinder, or any other system. I didn't think this was a "which game is better" thread.

"I didn't think this was moose-hunting season" is not a remotely sensible response to a complaint that you have been shooting at a moose badly.

However, the really practically important thing now is that you have put down the gun and nobody lost an eye. Whee!