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<blockquote data-quote="GlassJaw" data-source="post: 3010486" data-attributes="member: 22103">&lt;yoda voice&gt;Awesome this thread is .&lt;/yoda&gt;I've played in a couple of PCat's games and he pretty much has the one-shot mastered.Couple of other things I think about with regards to the one-shot:&nbsp;- Depending on the game you are running, you may get some players that are playing in your game because they want to check out the rules and the system itself.&nbsp; If you are running system that isn't as widely known, you may have to consider the mechanics of the system moreso than you would otherwise.&nbsp; In this case, make the characters simple and iconic.&nbsp; List any special rules or abilities on the character sheets so there is no need for rulebooks.&nbsp; Also, allow for some time at the start of the session to go over the basics of the rules.&nbsp;- Design your one-shot around cool locations or events.&nbsp; If you want to run something with pirates, think of some cool pirate encounters - maybe a ship-to-ship battle, an escape from a prison (complete with dungeon), or a race through the jungle to be the first to get to the buried treasure.&nbsp; Bottom line - give the players what they want!&nbsp;- The illusion of choice.&nbsp; Some rail-roading is inevitable in a one-shot.&nbsp; Some may disagree with me but a one-shot isn't open-ended.&nbsp; It can't be.&nbsp; It has to have a fairly well-defined resolution.&nbsp; How the players get there, however, can be open (as PCat described).&nbsp; The players may end up at the final encounter no matter what they do but you should present the players with a few paths that can take to get there.&nbsp; An even better method is to present choices that may conflict with some of the characters' beliefs or personalities.&nbsp; This is a good way to encourage role-playing.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="GlassJaw, post: 3010486, member: 22103"] <yoda voice>Awesome this thread is .</yoda> I've played in a couple of PCat's games and he pretty much has the one-shot mastered. Couple of other things I think about with regards to the one-shot: - Depending on the game you are running, you may get some players that are playing in your game because they want to check out the rules and the system itself. If you are running system that isn't as widely known, you may have to consider the mechanics of the system moreso than you would otherwise. In this case, make the characters simple and iconic. List any special rules or abilities on the character sheets so there is no need for rulebooks. Also, allow for some time at the start of the session to go over the basics of the rules. - Design your one-shot around cool locations or events. If you want to run something with pirates, think of some cool pirate encounters - maybe a ship-to-ship battle, an escape from a prison (complete with dungeon), or a race through the jungle to be the first to get to the buried treasure. Bottom line - give the players what they want! - The illusion of choice. Some rail-roading is inevitable in a one-shot. Some may disagree with me but a one-shot isn't open-ended. It can't be. It has to have a fairly well-defined resolution. How the players get there, however, can be open (as PCat described). The players may end up at the final encounter no matter what they do but you should present the players with a few paths that can take to get there. An even better method is to present choices that may conflict with some of the characters' beliefs or personalities. This is a good way to encourage role-playing. [/QUOTE]

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