What's in your one-shot kit?

#1

I always have a long-term campaign running, but on nights when we don’t have a full complement I open up our weekly game night to all comers and run RPG one-shots (or pull out some board games when I need a break). I’m looking for recommendations to expand my repertoire—specifically, RPGs with quick set up and tight rules. I’m trying to build a set of 7-10 games of varied genres that I can always have on hand, ready to go at a moment’s notice.

Our most-played one-shot is Fiasco, which I have run many, many times. I love it, but I also enjoy mixing things up mechanically. I’ve also run Psi-Run a fair amount.

Other one-shots we’ve tried that hit the trifecta of a low-prep+tight rules+satisfaction within a 2-4 hour time frame:

  • Soth
  • Lovecraftesque
  • The King Machine
  • Carolina Death Crawl
  • Bootleggers
  • Fall of Magic
  • Durance
  • Dread

One-shots we’ve tried that hit one or two of those marks, but not all three:

  • Battle Between the Worlds
  • Spirit of '77
  • In a Wicked Age
  • The Quiet Year
  • Cheat Your Own Adventure
  • Ghost Lines
  • Microscope
  • Into the Odd
  • Tales from the Loop
  • Night Witches
  • The Warren
  • Funnel World
  • Freebooters on the Frontier

Please share what’s in your portmanteau!

9 Likes
#2

I built EXUVIAE to work precisely in this situation — it uses a single pack of playing cards to run a horror noir investigation with no prep, procedurally generating both the knotting conspiracy and the Chandleresque interruptions.

It’s the forties. You live in a bayside city that’s secretly under the control of an insect cult, and tonight you’re going to prove it.

If I want dice instead of a pack of cards, I’ll usually carry 3D6 to run either Cthulhu Dark or Quarrel and Fable if I want horror or fantasy respectively. I’ve a couple of PDFs of tight oneshots for each system.

I feel that it’ll be possible to gen up some interesting pregens and a cool opening scene, and iterate out a oneshot of Heart or Spire, but we’re a few steps off that as yet

2 Likes
#3

Some games that I’ve had success playing and running as one-shots and which might meet your criteria are:

  • Final Girl
  • Psi*Run
  • Knave + prepared scenario
  • Troika + prepared scenario
  • Dungeon Crawl Classics (generated level 0 PCs) + prepared scenario
  • Monster of the Week + prepared scenario

Three of those (Knave, Troika, and DCC) have robust rules for generating random PCs, which I find to be a huge help in getting a one-shot moving quickly. I will usually do a small ad-hoc exercise to create bonds between the PCs and then jump right in to the scenario.

(I’m not sure if “prepared scenario” is against the rules. I have a fair number of old scenarios I created or other people’s modules lying around, so for me this is fairly low-prep at this point.)

4 Likes
#4

I would play Lady Blackbird as one-shot (first scenario), standalone one-shots over multiple sessions, or continuous campaign. Other than that I’ve tried Magic & Mischief, Reflections, which I feel can become my go-to one-shots if I know the people in the group will enjoy the themes.

5 Likes
#5

Somehow the go-to for my group is still Lasers & Feelings, but lately we’ve been playing a fair amount of Follow as well. Follow is either slightly less or slightly more “pick up and play anywhere” than other games depending on whether you think having dice is more or less likely than having a cup/bag and some tokens to draw out of it.

2 Likes
#6

This is a little hypothetical, since I don’t have a gaming group right now, but here is my one shot grab bag (Based on your criteria.)

A thousand years under the sun.
House of reeds.
The witch is dead.
Ghost Lines.
Ghost/Echo.
Danger patrol (pocket edition),

3 Likes
#7

Zombie World is probably the thing I would reach to now. The set up for the game is quick, you can totally play something good in a few hours, and the box and the rules for the game are tiny. One of my favourite things from this year.

9 Likes
#8

That’s good to hear! I have Zombie World sitting on my shelf, unplayed.

#9

I used to tour conventions and run drop-in games. I had a binder with 10 or so games and either had the drop-in players choose one of those, or if I was in the mood for a particular game I’d push that.

Off the top of my head I can remember packing the games below, mostly old and forgotten games by now. :slight_smile: Perhaps they are classics, as I can remember them?

The Daughters of Verona (mine)
Itras By
Lady Blackbird
Love in the Time of Seid
Montsegur 1244
Until Dawn (mine)
While the world ends (mine)
Witch Quest
Zombie Cinema

4 Likes
#10

I’ve run a lot of one shots with a whole slew of systems. Into The Odd is great, Dread, The Quiet Year, Dungeon World, Troika, Fiasco, Maze Rats, etc. I love random tables, adventure seeds and dungeon starters.

I most frequently use One Shot World (200+ playtests), a hack of Dungeon World I made for doing one shots. I typically go with this method for quick (45 minute) worldbuilding. It’s free, so have at it.

11 Likes
#11

Swords Without Master easy. Just throw in a deck of Magic cards or other fantastical images and you’re golden.

7 Likes
#12

Besides Dread, right now my go to one-shot is Mothership: Dead Planet or Marvel Heroic Cortex Plus.

I would really like to try Conspire, Karma, Blackout, Maze Rats, Durance with a stronger Microscope structure.

I know a guy that swears by Dust Devils as well

1 Like
#13

I’m curious about Funnel World. You have it listed as one of the ones that didn’t hit all three marks. Why? I’m working on a zine that will pay homage to your game and run with some principles from it. I’d like to hear your thoughts on where you feel it doesn’t work in that situation because you may have some insights that would effect my design.

2 Likes
#14

Hey @Logan_Howard – happy to hear you’ve enjoyed Funnel World! I have run it many times as a one-shot, and it works just fine, everyone always has a good time, but for a fall-out-of-bed one-shot I
would want it to be even lower prep than it already is. Like, for instance, if each player just drew card with their occupation and starting gear on it, another card with their personality, maybe another card that prompts them to provide a setting detail; then maybe everyone participates in a three-card draw that defines the funnel itself. That’s the level of quick-prep I’m talking about.

(Hmm…)

5 Likes
#15

Very cool! I’m trying to build a couple short starters that kick off with nothing and have the players building their zero-level characters on the fly. I’m borrowing from some well-known DW, Funnel World, and WoD mechanics. I thought I might need to have the players prep a few things but your comment gave me the idea of having a stack of playbooks in the center of the table that they’ll pick from after the game is introduced. I want the whole experience to feel like playing the game.

3 Likes
#16

My one shot picks depend on whether it’s a pick up random game or if it’s something prepared where I have time to print my pregens.

Pick up games:
Zombie World -having a lot of fun with this despite a slight hip cup with the resolution mechanic.
Cartel -just simply love this game but I’m biased since I can pull a lot of background knowledge.
One Shot World - my favorite Dungeon World hack. I can’t sing enough praises about this pretty cool game.

If it’s something prepared ahead of time so I can print my pregens and adventure:
Dresden Files Accelerated- love the book series so I’m very biased.
The Secrets of Cats - everyone plays as cats in our society who protect humans (known as burdens) from the supernatural. Always a lot of fun.
Monster of the Week - great game despite some mechanics that I’ve grown tired off.
Legend of the Elements - same as MotW.
Firefly RPG - always a lot of fun with the right group. Lot of fun to play iconic characters.
Marvel Heroic Roleplaying - probably the best superhero rpg I’ve played so far. Lot of fun to play iconic characters.

4 Likes
#17

The one-shot I played most is SPI*RUN. I really love it’s pick up and play character. Besides reading the rules there isn’t much to do.
Others I played and enjoyed are:
Lady Blackbird
Final Girl
Game of Love
10 Candles
Cheat your own adventure
For the Queen

5 Likes
#18

This is a great thread! I help run a night which is exclusively one-offs, so lists like this are super useful to me.

In addition to the games others have already mentioned here, many of which I love, here some satisfying low-prep one-shots from my arsenal:

  • Archipelago by Matthis Holter
  • A Penny for My Thoughts by Paul Tevis
  • Best Friends by Gregor Hutton
  • InSpectres by Jared Sorensen
  • Kingdom by Ben Robbins
  • Svart av Kval Vit av Lust by Simon Pettersson
  • Trollbabe by Ron Edwards
5 Likes
#19

I echo the recommendation for Lady Blackbird. Not only is it ideal for a one shot, it is the best game bar none for introducing players new to the hobby to roleplaying.

Keys mean players are mechanically rewarded for roleplaying in ways specific to each character.

I’ve run Lady Blackbird at Games on Demand at Gen Con and for my parents so they understand my hobby. Each character sheet has the rules at the bottom. Everything is self-contained.

It’s a marvel of doing a lot with a little.

3 Likes
#20

I always have a deck of Archipelago cards on hand and am thus prepared for a good time with zero notice.

4 Likes