I've been playing D&D for around two years now and I wanna give a one-shot a try. I'm going to try to do a cyberpunk setting. All I got for the actual campaign is someone is distributing microchips that go inside a persons' head and when they chips are activated the person(s) will attack anything they see. And because it's just a one-shot I'm going to try to have the players to find and kill the person in charge of the illegal chips. One idea I have is one of the players to get kidnapped and have a chip inserted in him?
I'm looking for more story elements, make the session longer and to keep the players in the moment
It's smart of you to do a one-shot. When first beginning to DM, you want to keep it small and/or preconstructed (like the adventure modules already released for 5E. DMing can be a daunting task, especially if it's your first time. You'll make mistakes, and forget certain elements, but if you have a forgiving attitude (and so do your players), then it's a blast.
A good one-shot mission has several elements to it: action, role-play, surprises, and detail. Encounters play to characters and players who love battles. Role-play plays to characters and players who invested in Charisma skills and love to play to their characters strengths and weaknesses. Everyone loves surprises, as well as details. A 30x30 room could be empty and dark. An odd odor fills the air. When the light switch is turned on, the players see blood spattered across the walls and floor in large sweeping motions, hinting to the large experimental aberration breaking free from its genesis chamber. Seeing the blood, they recognize the distinct tang of iron in the air. Corpses of space mercenaries riddle the floor: chunks of armor and body parts scattered across the ground, making it difficult terrain.
Where is the microchip distributor? Are they apart of a criminal faction hellbent on overthrowing the local government? Or are they much smaller, choosing to stick to the underbelly of the large city? Why are they distributing the microchips? Is it an act of terrorism? Mind-control? And how are they getting the microchips into people's heads? Why are people buying them? Perhaps the microchips themselves are apart of an organization who sells them to provide the buyers the ability to link their thoughts to the interweb, enhancing their knowledge. And this rebel faction has found a fatal error code in the microchips and is using it to bring down the corporation/sew chaos in the populace.
Who is the microchip distributor? What do they gain from doing what they do? What are their motivations? Aspirations? Flaws?
Hopefully, these questions help inspire you as you create your setting and "one-shot" encounter! I would leave little plot hooks once they finish it. Some players like to continue these "one-shot" missions, so having something to build from is always useful if you decide later on you wish to return to that mission.
Well I was thinking that the chips were made to turn criminals into citizens and were stolen by the villain, whose name nor intentions i haven't thought of yet
Maybe you could discreetly contact one or two players before the game, and ask them if they'd like to be the one who has the chip implanted.
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Admin on MeWe's Conservative D&D Players group, but I believe that no matter what our differences are, our love of D&D is something that should bring us together. So, if you don't start something I won't either. Fair enough?
Method Actor, Storyteller, Tactician type who plays peacemaker at the table. This fall will be my 39th year playing D&D, Gamma World, Car Wars, Talisman, Serenity and Traveller.
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I've been playing D&D for around two years now and I wanna give a one-shot a try. I'm going to try to do a cyberpunk setting. All I got for the actual campaign is someone is distributing microchips that go inside a persons' head and when they chips are activated the person(s) will attack anything they see. And because it's just a one-shot I'm going to try to have the players to find and kill the person in charge of the illegal chips. One idea I have is one of the players to get kidnapped and have a chip inserted in him?
I'm looking for more story elements, make the session longer and to keep the players in the moment
It's smart of you to do a one-shot. When first beginning to DM, you want to keep it small and/or preconstructed (like the adventure modules already released for 5E. DMing can be a daunting task, especially if it's your first time. You'll make mistakes, and forget certain elements, but if you have a forgiving attitude (and so do your players), then it's a blast.
A good one-shot mission has several elements to it: action, role-play, surprises, and detail. Encounters play to characters and players who love battles. Role-play plays to characters and players who invested in Charisma skills and love to play to their characters strengths and weaknesses. Everyone loves surprises, as well as details. A 30x30 room could be empty and dark. An odd odor fills the air. When the light switch is turned on, the players see blood spattered across the walls and floor in large sweeping motions, hinting to the large experimental aberration breaking free from its genesis chamber. Seeing the blood, they recognize the distinct tang of iron in the air. Corpses of space mercenaries riddle the floor: chunks of armor and body parts scattered across the ground, making it difficult terrain.
Where is the microchip distributor? Are they apart of a criminal faction hellbent on overthrowing the local government? Or are they much smaller, choosing to stick to the underbelly of the large city? Why are they distributing the microchips? Is it an act of terrorism? Mind-control? And how are they getting the microchips into people's heads? Why are people buying them? Perhaps the microchips themselves are apart of an organization who sells them to provide the buyers the ability to link their thoughts to the interweb, enhancing their knowledge. And this rebel faction has found a fatal error code in the microchips and is using it to bring down the corporation/sew chaos in the populace.
Who is the microchip distributor? What do they gain from doing what they do? What are their motivations? Aspirations? Flaws?
Hopefully, these questions help inspire you as you create your setting and "one-shot" encounter! I would leave little plot hooks once they finish it. Some players like to continue these "one-shot" missions, so having something to build from is always useful if you decide later on you wish to return to that mission.
Well I was thinking that the chips were made to turn criminals into citizens and were stolen by the villain, whose name nor intentions i haven't thought of yet
Maybe you could discreetly contact one or two players before the game, and ask them if they'd like to be the one who has the chip implanted.
Admin on MeWe's Conservative D&D Players group, but I believe that no matter what our differences are, our love of D&D is something that should bring us together. So, if you don't start something I won't either. Fair enough?
Method Actor, Storyteller, Tactician type who plays peacemaker at the table. This fall will be my 39th year playing D&D, Gamma World, Car Wars, Talisman, Serenity and Traveller.