Running a One-Shot¶

If you want to run a one-shot—a short adventure that only spans one or two sessions—you can use the following guide to build out a quick collaborative session with your players.

First, read the prologue aloud, and when you reach a blank, have a player fill in the answer using one of the available options. Move around the table, having players make decisions until all of the blanks are filled.

Then read the completed prologue to the table. Feel free to ask additional questions, clarify ideas, and expand upon the information until you all feel comfortable moving forward.

Prologue¶

Our story takes place within the Kingdom of (1) _______.

We are currently traveling through (2) _______.

best known for (3) ___ and the (4) _____ that rule there.

Options:

(2) its massive spires | its sacred wells | the Great Tree (the mysterious powers that keep it afloat) | the shimmer hiding it from view

(3) a dashing dwarf's | dark forces | dense jungles | looming spires | towering seas

After last night's (1) ___ many here have (2) _____.

This morning, we found out that the events of the previous night (3) _______.

To fix this, we'll need to (4) _______.

Our story begins as we prepare to leave for the (5) _______ where we might find what we're looking for.

Options:

(1) catastrophic fire | attack by the Horde | terrifying storm | assassination of the queen

(2) been badly injured | decided to leave | been caught in a terrible curse | started an uprising

(3) let someone we care about here near death | destroyed the town's protection rune | awoke a throng of spirits | angered an ancient beast

(4) search for a powerful moonstone relic | recover Magister Kharai | bring an offering to the Grove of the Gods | catch a Flickerwyrm Fae

(5) Towers of Hyle | Broken Sea | Traveler's End | town of Wildfire kingdom's capital | Highland Peaks

Adventure¶

Next, give your players a fifteen-minute break and answer the prompts in the following section to prep your session. Use the answers as inspiration and build out any necessary details, including any adversaries you think your players might encounter during the session.

GM Prep¶

Once the party leaves town, they find (1) _______.

As the party journeys toward their destination, (2) ___ (3) _____.

As the party reaches their objective, they discover (4) _______.

When the party finally finds what they come for, they learn: (4) _______.

Options:

(1) remnants of last night's events | something wild and dangerous | an ominous warning about their destination | they are being followed

(2) they find something important that they missed before | an unlikely ally joins them | a dangerous obstacle impedes their path | they unwittingly enter the home of a dangerous creature

(3) the target is hidden or well-protected | somebody has come to intercept them | this place is unexpectedly dangerous | someone was expecting them

(4) somebody else is looking for it too | it's not quite what they expected | they need something else to succeed | accomplishing their goal will put others in danger

Next, think about the way the characters' backgrounds might tie into the options you and the players chose. Maybe the wild and dangerous creature they find is the monster a player referenced in their PC's backstory, perhaps the mysterious land they travel through is a PC's childhood home, or perhaps the NPC looking for the target is a character one of the PCs has history with. The more you incorporate the PCs' backstories into the present adventure, the more you empower the members of your table to continue making bold choices. When players have agency in story construction, it lessens the responsibility of GMing and welcomes everyone into a shared adventure.

Flesh out any further details as necessary, but don't feel the need to overprep. Now you're ready to play!