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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Umbran" data-source="post: 323347" data-attributes="member: 177">Re: Re: Re: Episode 0?I agree that there's some fundamental differences, which should be addressed.  If a campaign is a novel, or a series of novels, a one-shot is a short story or novella....A longer work usualy focuses on the characters and their development.  The plot is there mostly to show how the character grows and changes in response to it.  In a shorter work, you won't have the luxury olf much character development.  There's no time. So, the story you tell will be different.  Look at your favorite novels, and your favorite short stories, and how they differ. Don't depend on characters developing over the course of the game.  In fact, characters for one-shots should generally have clear and strong personalities, as subtleties are not likely to get addressed.  While they need not be "archetypal", aiming a little closer to that end of the scale would probably allow your players to get a better handle on them more quickly.The story needs to have a beginning, a middle, and an end, and you must hit them all in one session.  In a campaign game the DM is usually not as concerned with pacing, or how much plot gets developed in any one session.  If you don't plan properly, though, you'll find yourself rushed at the end of a one-shot session, which can often greatly diminish the effect.</blockquote>