What Fits Into a Two-Hour Adventure?

[Reynard]

As mentioned, it depends on the system you use.

In 5E you could get through one combat.

In Call of Cthulhu that would be about half of a standard one-shot scenario.

In a rules light game you could storm the beach at Normandy, assassinate Franz Ferdinand, start a revolution, colonize a planet, defend an outpost against alien invasion, summon the hordes of hell, or just about anything you can imagine.

All this ^^^.

Drop the grid, and maybe combat altogether. Use a system that invites interpretation and quick resolution. Play fast and loose with the rules. Run something you know really well. For the love of all that is holy, don't let them start conversations with shop keepers.

Do all that and you can accomplish a lot in 2 hours.

 

[Ovinomancer]

All this ^^^.

Drop the grid, and maybe combat altogether. Use a system that invites interpretation and quick resolution. Play fast and loose with the rules. Run something you know really well. For the love of all that is holy, don't let them start conversations with shop keepers.

Do all that and you can accomplish a lot in 2 hours.

Liked for the shopkeepers.

 

[Grendel_Khan]

What events can you cram into a two-hour game session? And in fairness, assume that at least one PC survives (and can rez the others if necessary)!

I think the less emphasis the system has on traditional, zoomed-in combat, the more you can do in a couple hours. You could run a corker of a Trophy Dark session in that time. But D&D or PF? If a fight breaks out you might as well call the game right there.

 

[Grendel_Khan]

I tried to run a one-shot last night (which is going to have to be a two-shot), and one thing I always forget is how much time is eaten up by descriptions of travel and new environments, as well as quest-giver NPCs. It's such a natural instinct, at least for me, to have travel and discovery as part of that experience, but it's such a bad instinct. I think a truly efficient one-shot is probably one where the environment is contained and relatively familiar—a submarine or large sailing ship, for example—and a clear problem that doesn't involve any conversations with NPCs about backstory or setup. The ship is already sinking, or you've already reached the ruins and realized you need to shelter from a storm.

I have it all figured out, you see? But only ever in hindsight...

 

[Ovinomancer]

I tried to run a one-shot last night (which is going to have to be a two-shot), and one thing I always forget is how much time is eaten up by descriptions of travel and new environments, as well as quest-giver NPCs. It's such a natural instinct, at least for me, to have travel and discovery as part of that experience, but it's such a bad instinct. I think a truly efficient one-shot is probably one where the environment is contained and relatively familiar—a submarine or large sailing ship, for example—and a clear problem that doesn't involve any conversations with NPCs about backstory or setup. The ship is already sinking, or you've already reached the ruins and realized you need to shelter from a storm.

I have it all figured out, you see? But only ever in hindsight...

S'truth!

 

[Retreater]

Here's what I fit in my last 2 hour session of 5e (approximately 2 weeks ago):

1) Completion of a skill challenge of climbing down a shaft surrounded by yellow mold
2) Extended hazard with a smashing statue while engaging in combat with 5 goblins
3) Brief exploration of a mysterious room of gelatinized stone
4) Battle across a chasm with a movable floor while attacking goblins in defensible positions on the other side
5) Fighting a minotaur while repositioning due to a slamming portcullis dividing the party

All of it was with miniatures and 3D terrain (including gridded modular dungeon floors - enforcing tactical movement). At least 2 of the 4 players are mostly new to RPGs.

Meal, drinks, and socialization time is not included in the 2 hours, which was focused gameplay.

 

[pemerton]

Is this D&D-specific?

Not if I can help it.

In two hours, with a small group of players (2 or 3), it should be possible to resolve a whole "story" in a system like Cthulhu Dark, Wuthering Heights or In A Wicked Age: set up the PCs, work with the player to establish a situation, then move through the cycle of act-resolve-consequences. As GM, you will need to keep your eye on the clock and move things towards a climax, but (in my experience) these systems will make that easy to do.

If you allow up to half-an-hour for set up, that's 90 minutes of play. Which is about 6 to 9 scenes of 10 to 15 minutes each, so 4 to 6 scenes per character.

If you and/or your players are new to them, add half-an-hour for system familiarisation.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

My one group only plays in two-hour chunks. Honestly, I kinda prefer it to the standard four-hour game.

In my experience, provided it's running D&D or a similar system which people are familiar with, I find we can get through:

3-4 exploration scenes or 2-3 + some heavy RP
1 medium-to-deadly, long combat encounter or 2-3 easy-to-medium, simple combat encounters

OR

1 single endgame encounter (i.e., a fight with a Tiamat or Acererak). Sometimes they might take more than one session even.

Throwing puzzles and riddles in acts as a wildcard. You never know if they'll spend an hour on it or a five minutes.

 

[GMMichael]

1) Completion of a skill challenge of climbing down a shaft surrounded by yellow mold
2) Extended hazard with a smashing statue while engaging in combat with 5 goblins
3) Brief exploration of a mysterious room of gelatinized stone
4) Battle across a chasm with a movable floor while attacking goblins in defensible positions on the other side
5) Fighting a minotaur while repositioning due to a slamming portcullis dividing the party

All of it was with miniatures and 3D terrain (including gridded modular dungeon floors - enforcing tactical movement). At least 2 of the 4 players are mostly new to RPGs.

Any chance I can get some pointers on how you pulled this off in two hours?

@pemerton has me thinking that a game focused on scenes instead of combat will do a much better job of moving things along. Or I'll try it this way: the less the players worry about dying is the more they can develop their characters and the story.

 

[overgeeked]

Any chance I can get some pointers on how you pulled this off in two hours?

Not the person you asked, but this...

At least 2 of the 4 players are mostly new to RPGs.

likely had a lot to do with it. New players tend not to care at all about mechanics and rules and getting things right. They simply tell the referee what they want to do and trust that the referee will handle things from there. New players also tend to treat their characters like game pieces rather than their personal avatar in a world they're trying to escape into, so are much less cautious about their character taking damage and/or dying.

@pemerton has me thinking that a game focused on scenes instead of combat will do a much better job of moving things along. Or I'll try it this way: the less the players worry about dying is the more they can develop their characters and the story.

Avoiding combat is always a good idea as that usually takes the longest time at the table. Focusing on hard-framed scenes saves a lot of time as you're not wasting time meandering and dithering about what to do next. The more goal-oriented your one-shot is, the quicker you can pace things. "We have two hours to find the idol in this maze of traps" vs "Okay...well...what do you want to do?"