One-Shot. One Hero.

[Kirby]

Hey guys,

 

I'm hoping to start a long-term thread here with ideas for One-Shot scenarios (lasting maybe 4-6 hours) or mini-series type events for single heroes.

 

One of the reasons for this is that my gaming group every once in a while (four to five times a year) will end up being where only one (out of the four) players are able to show up. Anyone have any tried and true scenarios, or one(s) that you're hoping to run?

[AmadanNaBriona]

Re: One-Shot. One Hero.

 

I love disaster style horror themes for games like this... Zombies, Alien invasions and the like. One I've always wanted to do is a one off ghame loosely based on the Stephen King novella The Mist. If you haven't read it, it goes a little like this...

Something goes wrong at a secret research base, due to a natural disaster (tornado in the book... I was going with earthquake because I was going to set it in the Bay Area). During the susequent post disaster fallout (downed trees, poweroutages etc) a thick mist rolls over the land. Vaguely lovecraftian monsters live in the mist. Merryment ensues.

 

I like the Horror Genre for short games for a number of reasons...

You can kill characters without feeling guilty.

If there's time, you can rotate in new characters, for both plot reasons and to replace dead characters.

You have to keep a fast pace.

the foreknowledge that they can actually die helps set the proper fear and loathing mood for the genre.

[Kirby]

Re: One-Shot. One Hero.

 

I love disaster style horror themes for games like this... Zombies, Alien invasions and the like. One I've always wanted to do is a one off ghame loosely based on the Stephen King novella The Mist. If you haven't read it, it goes a little like this...

 

I like the Horror Genre for short games for a number of reasons...

You can kill characters without feeling guilty.

While I like the zombe & mist ideas, I don't think an alien invasion would be a good one-shot (unless it's a vanguard unit coming to see if Earth is beatable). Plus, there aren't any aliens in my campaign. For the "you can kill characters without feeling guilty" comment, did you mean PCs or NPCs? Because I'd feel bad killing off PCs. I'd want something that one person could do on his own.

 

In the Mist, were the monsters dead once you beat them down, or was there something special that had to be done?

[AmadanNaBriona]

Re: One-Shot. One Hero.

 

While I like the zombe & mist ideas, I don't think an alien invasion would be a good one-shot (unless it's a vanguard unit coming to see if Earth is beatable). Plus, there aren't any aliens in my campaign. For the "you can kill characters without feeling guilty" comment, did you mean PCs or NPCs? Because I'd feel bad killing off PCs. I'd want something that one person could do on his own.

 

In the Mist, were the monsters dead once you beat them down, or was there something special that had to be done?

For some reason I totally spaced on the "One Hero" half of this post

In that case, yeah, I'd waste NPC's like kleenex

In the original story "The Mist" the eventual plan was to try and make an overland run through the monster infested wilderness to try and see if they could escape the area of effect of the disaster. The story left it open. When I planned a campaign, I had several possible options, including trying to reach the research facility and to see if the disaster could be reversed.

The critters weren't anything all that special, or hard to kill (in some cases anyway.. the various little bug like monsters were fully capable of killing a normal human pretty quickly, but were quite fragile. The big things out wandering the landscape, however, were closer to plot devices than actual beatable threats). Generally just a nasty alien ecosystem suddenly dropped on top of the landscape.

Alien Invasions could still work... some like the Invasion of the Bodysnatchers or They Live actually could work better with a single player, as it allows for the proper level of paranoia to fit the genre... in group play, you can always kinda expect that the rest of the players aren''t likely to wind up replaced, but if there is only one player then ANY npc could potentially turn.

[J. Chamberlin]

Re: One-Shot. One Hero.

 

This is a good idea for a thread and I just gotta give it a bump.

Okay, I admit it, I just can't think of any good one-shots and I want you guys to do it for me.

 

What?

 

j

[Lanith]

Re: One-Shot. One Hero.

 

I agree with AmadanNaBriona, if I'm running a one shot game Horror and Survival are the ways I prefer to go. It gives the GM a bit of a chance to take out a bit of aggression on the player. In a one shot game the player isn't going to have an attachment, unlike their normal game, so you can feel free to harass, beat, intimdate and even kill off the player. (From experience I've always found it's best to make sure the player "bites it" in a spectacular disgusting way.)

 

Some other on-shot games ideas I've played in are Martial Arts tournaments, a Looney Tunes-Hero game, and a Hero's in a Super-Hero world game. Examples of each are; Martial Arts tournament ie: Mortal Kombat or most Bruce Lee movies.

Looney-Tunes Hero was a friends idea that we played Buggs and Daffy trying to out-wit, the GM, Elmer Fudd. (Lots of slapstick and word-games)

The Hero's in a Super-Hero world game was we were the "new guys" on the block of Hero's. (Lots of trying to make it to crimes, but getting there and finding Captain Fabulous had just betten us there. Quite a bit like the opening to Mystery Men. Big Laughs from just blowing off steam.)

[Corven_Ren]

Re: One-Shot. One Hero.

 

Well for a one shot how about a Murder World Type scenario. I know you were a bid DC reader Kirby so Im not sure if you know about Arcade & Murder World. So I will elaborate. The heroes have crossed someone rich once two many times. He hire's and assassin to kill the heroes. The assassin then one by one kidnaps the various heroes. They each awaken in a different part of"Murderworld" or whatever you choose to call it an amusment park filled with fatal attractions...ie bumper care equiped with spinning razor blades and that pursur the hero, a shooting gallery that shoots back etc.

[Kirby]

Re: One-Shot. One Hero.

 

Cool. Though, Corven_Ren, I couldn't do the 'kindap each PC' for one Hero, but as a one shot, that could work. Actually, maybe I could do a few NPC heroes along with one PC hero. This could work if I could link the PC & NPCs (which, in my San Angelo FtF game, could work, since the PCs are part of a pre-established team).

[Corven_Ren]

Re: One-Shot. One Hero.

 

Cool. Though' date=' Corven_Ren, I couldn't do the 'kindap each PC' for one Hero, but as a one shot, that could work. Actually, maybe I could do a few NPC heroes along with one PC hero. This could work if I could link the PC & NPCs (which, in my San Angelo FtF game, could work, since the PCs are part of a pre-established team).[/quote']

 

Arcade did it once to the X-Men (The team was Cyke, Storm, Wolvie, Colossus, Nightcrawler and Banshee sans powers)and Once to Spider Man & Captain Britain.

[ShinDangaioh]

Re: One-Shot. One Hero.

 

Looney Tunes? For a moment I though you were talking about Douglas Q. Sangnoir aka Looney Toons.

 

Which gives a good idea of a single idea. Have a hero thrust into a world and figure a way back.