So I've never run a game before. I've been working on a campaign for a while now but I kind of want to create/run a one-shot to get some experience. I've been playing D&D for years and know the rules fairly well. I've also been running random characters solo through pre-made dungeons. My one-shot will be designed for 3 players(experienced) and I'm shooting for around 4 hours.
Here's my idea. I want to run the party through a bunch of wacky/dangerous situations in quick succession by transporting them through random planes of existence. They'll fight off a hoard of winged halflings in The Green Fields(halfling heaven), be captured by Githyanki pirates on the Astral Sea and eventually end up on the plane we live on, in a room, looking at 4 humans sitting around a table(us)playing some kind of game. The DM(me) will turn out to be possessed by an evil being performing a ritual by using the players. Their guide through the planes(who appears in different animal forms on each plane) will turn out to be the real me, trapped inside the game. The being who possessed the DM will raise his hands and spectral demonic forms of the players will rise from their bodies and fight the player characters. The animal guide(real me) will take his body back and the final boss will be the one who had me possessed. At the end, the PCs will sit down in the chairs and become one with the players.
Sorry if that was painful to read. I just thought of it today at work and I still need to flesh it out and form it into a cohesive idea. I want to add one more encounter/puzzle/skill challenge on another plane because I feel like three isnt enough. But I'm worried about going over my 4 hour time limit. I also want to include player choices(or illusion of choice). If you have any ideas to improve my one-shot or just tell me it's a dumb idea and dont even attempt it, I'm all ears. Thankyou for any feedback.
With the content you have don't be surprised if you go over 4hrs. Even with experienced players. Role play, tomfoolery, shenanigans and combat will drain that time quick. So wouldn't worry shot it too much. In four hours with a lot of confusion might make it past the prison chapter.
It's not a bad idea, but that all sounds like a very difficult game to run considering it will be your first!
Also, that's quite a few encounters in there, which could well go over four hours even before adding another encounter. Remember that your players will always want to spend some time investigating the world, combat typically takes a long time to resolve (especially with multiple enemies each time).
You'll know them better than we do, but will your players also be comfortable with meta-roleplaying in that way?
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Sir, the possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately 3,720 to 1!
I'm not 100% sure how they'll react to the ending. I just thought it was a unique idea. I'm starting to think this might be a 2 parter. I'm going to try and streamline the encounters as much as possible. Like they'll have to hold off the hoard of halflings for a set amount of time before being saved. They'll be thrown right into the thick of it as soon as the adventure begins.
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So I've never run a game before. I've been working on a campaign for a while now but I kind of want to create/run a one-shot to get some experience. I've been playing D&D for years and know the rules fairly well. I've also been running random characters solo through pre-made dungeons. My one-shot will be designed for 3 players(experienced) and I'm shooting for around 4 hours.
Here's my idea. I want to run the party through a bunch of wacky/dangerous situations in quick succession by transporting them through random planes of existence. They'll fight off a hoard of winged halflings in The Green Fields(halfling heaven), be captured by Githyanki pirates on the Astral Sea and eventually end up on the plane we live on, in a room, looking at 4 humans sitting around a table(us)playing some kind of game. The DM(me) will turn out to be possessed by an evil being performing a ritual by using the players. Their guide through the planes(who appears in different animal forms on each plane) will turn out to be the real me, trapped inside the game. The being who possessed the DM will raise his hands and spectral demonic forms of the players will rise from their bodies and fight the player characters. The animal guide(real me) will take his body back and the final boss will be the one who had me possessed. At the end, the PCs will sit down in the chairs and become one with the players.
Sorry if that was painful to read. I just thought of it today at work and I still need to flesh it out and form it into a cohesive idea. I want to add one more encounter/puzzle/skill challenge on another plane because I feel like three isnt enough. But I'm worried about going over my 4 hour time limit. I also want to include player choices(or illusion of choice). If you have any ideas to improve my one-shot or just tell me it's a dumb idea and dont even attempt it, I'm all ears. Thankyou for any feedback.
With the content you have don't be surprised if you go over 4hrs. Even with experienced players. Role play, tomfoolery, shenanigans and combat will drain that time quick. So wouldn't worry shot it too much. In four hours with a lot of confusion might make it past the prison chapter.
Have fun with it and post how it all went.
It's not a bad idea, but that all sounds like a very difficult game to run considering it will be your first!
Also, that's quite a few encounters in there, which could well go over four hours even before adding another encounter. Remember that your players will always want to spend some time investigating the world, combat typically takes a long time to resolve (especially with multiple enemies each time).
You'll know them better than we do, but will your players also be comfortable with meta-roleplaying in that way?
Sir, the possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately 3,720 to 1!
Never tell me the DC.
I'm not 100% sure how they'll react to the ending. I just thought it was a unique idea. I'm starting to think this might be a 2 parter. I'm going to try and streamline the encounters as much as possible. Like they'll have to hold off the hoard of halflings for a set amount of time before being saved. They'll be thrown right into the thick of it as soon as the adventure begins.