Gauntlet, about one-shots…
My one-shots always seem to turn into short arcs or full campaigns. I usually think of this as a good thing, as an indication that the players like the game and want more. However, I have been reflecting on the nature of a one-shot and am curious about what this community thinks.
What have been your best and worst one-shot experiences?
Should a one-shot aspire to be a campaign “teaser” with a cliff-hanging ending or should it instead have a clean ending with some plot resolution?
How does the community feel about pre-generating characters?
Should a GM feel justified taking a higher level of narrative control during a one-shot?
How do you begin your one-shots to create a sense of urgency?
How many players is the right number for a one-shot?
Have you found any success getting players involved during session prep?
What expectations around rules knowledge and rulings should be carried into a one-shot, especially when the system might be new?
Obviously, as in all things, there is no single “correct” way to run a one-shot. These questions are asked in the effort to learn from our shared experiences and about our shared expectations.
Also, other one-shot threads for reference:
Games tailored for One-Shots
https://plus.google.com/u/0/106205844654546121166/posts/FSwEfsYCuxd
Dungeon World One-shot Guide
https://plus.google.com/u/0/104787679004447304330/posts/STdGmDFteS8
Top 3 Games for one-shots
https://plus.google.com/u/0/+EadwinTomlinson/posts/cK1xFeT2CLN