How to Run a One-Shot Roleplaying Game

Phase One: Introduction
Phase Two: Practice and Advantage/Disadvantage
Take a Break
Phase Three: Boss Fight

Learn how to plan your one-shot game session, what each phase is for, how they work together and what your basic time frames should be.

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#roleplaying #oneshotgameplay #dungeonsanddragons

[mirrorsandstuff]

Phase 4: the group enjoys it so much they ask you to keep playing next week, and you become a forever DM.

[AngelusAnsell]

Hearing it laid out like this, the one-shot can act like a literal tutorial for new players, teaching them a new game.

[PhantomPhoton]

Great episode AJ, really solid advice!

[bannisher]

Excellent topic. I consider one shots, tailored to the players themselves, as my specialty.

[Dack.howaboutyou]

Right-o! I particularly liked that this could be more than just a 'one shot'; among other things it might be sort of a session 0.5, or the "intro and/or 'vetting process' to see if this group will carry on adventuring together beyond this 'one shot'".
Great ideas; very useful, thank you!

[jonathanthomas]

Solid dope, AJ. You didn't say anything I didn't know, but I didn't know I knew it until you said it. That's tightly related to one definition of genius. Rock on, my man.

[reactionaryprinciplegaming]

That's a good formula. It gives a bit of everything.

[HBHaga]

This sort of formula really does work well across genres. We used to use this sort of thing all the time when I was starting out to get short sessions that would fit into an afternoon, maybe two if things ran long. Our local D&D club would do modules for long arcs but short sessions are where I first started to home brew things.

[marshallodom]

For such a high stakes, winner takes all game I'd let the one-shot winner take their pick of treasure from a long list of wondrously crafted objects and prized powerful items. That tends to make them foolhardy enough to try another one-shot game!

[Eisenwulf]

Great advice! I've had problems make one shots actually last one session

[AfroChef]

Even before watching I appreciate this video AJ, most of my players have busy real life schedules so d&d is a 3rd or 4th priority if I'm lucky

[samuelteare]

This will definitely help my time management.

[pops]

It just dawned on me I’ve been running one shots my whole life… just out of circumstance. This means all my players never got over Level 2; everyone who played my games ALWAYS played hardcore mode 🤣 My poor Wizard friend never got that Fireball. Crossing my fingers my first serial adventure happens next week. I think this is good advice on how to pace ANY adventure type. Thanks friend!

[TyLarson]

I like using the ars magica trick of having three pcs. A magus, a conpanion, and grogs for one shots.

[almitrahopkins]

I’m a bit surprised you didn’t mention that the one-shot is the foundation of West Marches campaign games. It’s pretty much the exact same formula, using the same format from week to week over the course of months or years.

It’s a good intro tutorial either way.

[VerityAran]

Nice. This is great practical advice. I often find one shots to be the most challenging, or at least daunting for me personally. I can be great at building tension over longer campaigns but the one shots have always seemed too intimidating. I’m gonna try this. Great breakdown. Thanks AJ

[Damirit]

Great topic, great advise, now desperately need some written illustrational module to this!

[krispalermo]

6min information tips seem like a good chose, or 10minutes depending on YT algorithm feeds.

How to Run One Shots, .. practice, practice, and more practice.
My first game shop back in the late 1990's just before WotC. I came up with pre written PCs on index cards with a random drawn secret background card.
Short mini games of 20 minute Soap Opera being fast pace. Such as a wizard making deals with the thief guild for their place not to get rob. Or other social of combat set ups.
When WotC came out, starting games were 1st to 3rd level rogues working as meat packers having to fight off large river rats trying to get to the salted pork. Or rounding up lost pigs and trying not to start a family feud.

It was the way my 20yo self was trying to build up at the given shop I could run interesting games, and it gives the stander DMs the chance to play short games instead of running them themselves.

2.) AD&D Dragon Magazine, covered a concept of Home Front campaign making use of AD&D class supplement books of " The Complete Guide to ..".
PC class kit, Peasant Hero being of that from any given PC class of low social level. In short village militia members.

a.) Real threats to pre modern societies, ..
i.) pigeon, crows and other birds would settle down on a farmers grain fields and eat everything causing the risk of famine, and tax forfeit of land. So chasing and clubbing rats out of the barn was a fact of life and in AD&D following up with WotC 3e killing rats along with large to giant insect vermin is a way to level up low level N/PC.

ii.) cattle/herd rustling, fun read or YT listen is the USA/Candana Pig War. Bunch of poor bored farm lads crossing state/country lines to sell pigs for sport nearly cause a boarder war.

b.) One shots in villages or small town allows the players to create the locations N/PC to interact with.

3.) Legend of the USA cowboy Billy the Kid.
High action 1980's movies, Young Guns.
Historically, Billy barely killed 21 to 24 men in his crime career.
Kind of reframes action movies, video games, and ttrpgs.

[KingBluebonnet]

Hey AJ, do you think the antagonist in the darkest dungeon game is more along the lines of aberrations from the far realm or demons from the abyss? I'm thinking about a campaign inspired by it.

[lexington]

Okay fine, I just go Leroy jenkins! 😀😄🙂