Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Dungeons & Dragonsis design around the theme of a campaign , a long - running game made up of legion play sessions over the class of months ( or years ) where the character reference grow and often an epic story blossom . One - shot game have great value inD&Das well , but they ask a different approach to planning and construction . A single - seance biz might allow a raw player to take the role of Dungeon Master , offering the mathematical group ’s common DM an chance to play , while giving along - runningDungeons & Dragonscampaignsome breathing room . They might be ideal for a mathematical group that does not dally tabletop RPGs regularly , a replacement for a seance where the DM is unavailable to run their campaign , or a good way to inclose fresh player toD&Dbefore they pull to playing in a recollective - term plot .
The most important thing for a DM to keep in mind when planning a one - shotD&Dgame is telescope , as , realistically , there is only so much ground they can cover in a single session . Some one - dead reckoning might be better structured as mini - campaigns extending over the grade of two to four gambling sessions . The one - shotD&Dadventure modulesused in Wizards of the Coast ’s prescribed organised turn programme allow for a good idea of what can be accomplished in a one session , as these are designed to be discharge within three to five hour . They start with the assumption that the players are all adventurers or mercenaries who have agreed to execute a task for a specific patron , provide some brief context of use , and by the session ’s end , the contract has been meet . Modules of this eccentric unremarkably including two to three conflict encounters , at most , with attainment - based exploration , investigation , or societal elements in between .
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This is a fine general structure for a one - shotD&Dsession , but DMs should palpate liberal to take vantage of the data formatting to tell more unique story well suited to the “ one and done ” formatting than a long - terminus campaign . pic can provide excellentinspiration for one - shotD&Dgames , as a two - hour movie can easy translate into a four - to - five 60 minutes gaming school term . Classic celluloid tropes influence well , like a deceased , flush , Non - Player Character leaving a will which requires that the Player Characters to expend a nighttime in their haunted mansion house to lay title to a share of the inheritance .
D&D One-Shots Require A Different Scope Than Campaigns
Unlike a long - persist campaign , where microcomputer typically need to work together to overcome challenges , one - shots can be structured as more private-enterprise games . Some tweaks to the premise of theBaldur ’s Gatevideo gamescould reconstitute it into something more akin toBattle RoyaleorThe Hunger Games . Cultists of the slain God of Murder could gather all of those who carry the dead god ’s divine profligate on an island or other isolated location and force them to conflict to the death to determine who inherits the tycoon of the hang deity .
As sentence is limited for a one - shotD&Dgame , DMs will usually need to work with player in advance to ensure that have appropriate characters for the academic term , both mechanically and in damage of work with the story , as there is little time to waste attempt to give a PC reason to participate in a plot their character has no stake in . DMs may want to pop the question the option of pre - generated characters , peculiarly if some of the one - shot players are unfamiliar with therules ofDungeons & Dragons .
Many one - shot conception could inspire be up single academic term sequel games . AD&Dheist game , burglarizing a casino house in one of the Eberron setting ’s airship , could be a stand - alone experience , or the DM could revisit it after with a new higher - stakes job , robbing a worthful book of prophecy from the dragons of Argonnessen , or steal a Karrnath lich ’s tefillin so as to blackmail them . One - shot countenance for story that might not suit an ongoingD&Dcampaign , and the DM can freely offer a challenge , as a one - guesswork conclusion in the company ’s death makes for an interesting experience without derailing a military campaign . Becoming skilled at incline one - shots is worthful experience for anyDungeons & DragonsDungeon Master , as they can improve pacing and construction , ensuring that any games they operate flow briskly and maintain participant inflammation , and making every session feel meaningful .
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