One-Shot RPGs

[Rowan]

With busy schedules, its sometimes hard for the gamers I know out here (including myself) to commit to playing regularly in long-term games.  We've started a game night that includes card games, board games, video games and RPGs where its easily possible to finish a whole adventure in one gaming session, like Toon and Paranoia.

I'm curious what other suggestions you have for RPGs that are good for one-shot games.

[sponng]

So how long is your session? 
2 hour, 4 hour , 6 hour?  Other?

I've written a few articles about the 4 hour game slot mechanics.

I'll root and share if it's appropriate.


dr.nik

[Rowan]

We've got some flexibility as far as time, but more in the 4 or 6 hour range.  I would love to read your articles

[drunken_mage]

At last year's big cons I ran some one-shot D&D games. The thing about it was that the adventure I ran was simply a short section out of a longer campaign I was running at home. I made some pregenerated characters to choose from and it ended up being fairly successful at both Dreamation 2004 and DEXCON 7.

I think my point is that a good place to find one-shots is actually in longer modules and campaigns. Take a dungeon crawl or some such out of a campaign, slap on a different backstory, and there you go. It worked for me last year. Even though now I've taken to writing one-shots just to be one-shots and nothing more.

Just a suggestion.

Walter

[sponng]

Rowan:

I agree with Drunken_Mage.... Taking a specific scenario from a longer campaign or module would be a good thing.

Here's a link to one of the articles and the original yahoo groups thread:

http://www.roleplayingtips.com/readissue.php?number=222


Some of the scenarios I've most recently run for a 4 hour slot:

Talons of Wong Sheng Shung:  Wire Fu Ancient China
Stones of Choga Mish:   Ancient Mesopotamia Assault the Zigguraut *-pulled from my ongoing campaign
Cult of Tiamat:   Ancient Mesopotamia Rescue the Princess  *-pulled from my ongoing campaign
Case of the Haunted Inn:  A "scooby doo" / Call of Cthulhu hybrid where everyone except Daphne & Velma died horribly.

Abduction of Kitey Helmsey - a modern/spycraft adventure where TEAM BANZAI has to find & rescue a kidnapped daughter of a Stanford Professor.
Columbian Confrontation - modern/spycraft merc mission where the group has to go to columbia for a prisoner/spy exchange and ends up facing much stranger encounters.

Hallowed Hill -  a Dungeon crawl adventure of my own design using some obscure monsters and fun.
White Plume Mountain - The classic module updated for 3.5,  This takes 2-4 sessions to complete

More more more more more...
If you are interested in looking at any of these adventures for running on your own, catch me off list.

sponng  at  gmail   dot  com

-dr.nik-

[Frisbeewill226]

You should check out WEGS. Simple system so you can get started quickly. Character creation can be over with in less than a minute. I am helping run a few games at Dexcon. We play 2 hour sessions and can actually get a lot done, so maybe this would be a good system for you.