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Old Nov 6th, 2018, 01:01 PM
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Tips for writing/running a one-shot

I've been playing D&D at a couple of in-person games at my local game store for about a year now, and I'm thinking I'd like to try my hand at DMing. My main problem is that I have some huge social anxiety problems and I KNOW I'd have difficulty running a long-term campaign. (I have a tendency to go deer-in-headlights and stutter like crazy whenever I feel like I'm being put on the spot, which doesn't seem particularly conducive to game mastering.)

As a result, I'm toying with the idea of running a one-shot adventure. No long-term planning to fuss over and no obligation to continue should I crash and burn in a pyre of awkward stuttering misery, as is my specialty.

So I wanted to ask the RPG Crossing community for some advice.

1) Does anyone have any tips for writing and running a one-shot, specifically for a group that has a lot of experience with the game? The only other time I've attempted this was with a group of newcomers-- for them I was able to do a very basic dungeon crawl, and since I was the only one who knew how the game worked there wasn't a whole lot of pressure on me to get everything right. This time, though, I want to make sure it's something experienced players can enjoy.

2) If anyone has any handy tricks for managing social anxiety while DMing, I'm all ears! My group is generally very nice and accepting, and I've found that fiddling with my dice or pencils or whatever helps me lose some of the nervous energy while playing, but other tips are welcome.
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Old Nov 6th, 2018, 04:18 PM
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1. Keep the descriptive texts for rooms short if you know you have players with tendencies to interrupt the DM. But have plenty of notes to answer likely questions.

Have a list of names with no assigned characters. If the party wants to go to a shop you didn't anticipate, you have names at the ready.

Oh, and have maps. Even simple sketches with just exits marked and dimensions noted.

2. Have you considered creating an NPC with a habit of drawing or gambling? Any extra dice rolling or pencil fiddling could be attributed to you portraying the character.

Make sure you come up with a different treasure tailor made for each character. And as it is a one shot, have fun with them.
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Old Nov 6th, 2018, 11:56 PM
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Don't be afraid to call a "time out" if you need time to look stuff up, etc..

Just call a break. Say 'guys, I need 5 minutes to get the next room/get that answer researched, etc.", and tell them to go to the bathroom, get some air, refresh the chip bowl, etc..

Be upfront about your needs. People will do a lot for you, if they know it will help them have a better game. THey just need to know what they can do.
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Old Nov 7th, 2018, 11:15 AM
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Thank you! That's all really helpful advice!
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Old Nov 11th, 2018, 08:02 AM
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Looks like I'm a little late to the party, but some general advice:

1. Don't think of it as a one-shot. Think of it as a location with it's own story. It's surprising just how much easier it is to run an area when you understand it. The minions aren't just minions, they're creatures with their own instincts and values. Tactics will flow naturally and it gives you a valid reason to adjust difficulty on the fly if necessary.

2. Tying in to the previous point, have an idea what will happen if the players do nothing. No place is static in real life, so the places in your games shouldn't be. In addition to it feeling more real, it gives you a way to advance the scene if the players get stuck.

3. Flash Cards with only mechanics on them. Not only will you feel more prepared, but it's a lot easier to reference a flash card you need than to try and remember what page the thing you need is on.

4. Best rule when you slip up: continue to run the scene as if it's intended, but be ready to admit it was a mistake. Trying to retcon things in scene slows things to a crawl. You are the DM, so you are always right in the moment. After the scene has passed, that's when things can get fixed up and extra bonuses given.

5. As far as anxiety goes, look right above people's eyes (or right below depending on your height). It's helped me when doing things in front of a group and most people don't seem to notice a difference.
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Old Nov 12th, 2018, 12:59 AM
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Thanks! I like the flash card idea!
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Old Dec 17th, 2018, 10:38 AM
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Have you tried your one shot yet? How did it go?

If you look up posts and advice on the web for creating convention games, you'll get some great advice as well!
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Old Dec 18th, 2018, 12:43 PM
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Nope, not yet. I have some basic ideas but nothing concrete enough yet. I have, however, asked my game group if they'd be willing to let me run a one-shot sometime and they were all very supportive of the idea, which is encouraging!
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Old Dec 20th, 2018, 12:00 PM
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I think I have the same problem as you. I dislike being caught out by a question that asks for something that is not already prepared. Here are a couple of suggestions I am trying right now.

1. Make up some appropriate wandering monsters and have them written down on a card you can keep handy. Have all the stats right there on the card, including pre-generated hit points for each one;
2. Have the room encounter monsters also written out on cards and ready to go, with perhaps highlighted notes on what they are doing and their reaction to the party;
3. Have the dungeon all written out, with the descriptions you are going to read highlighted in some way. Keep the information that they won't know/realize at a glance separate from the description. Type it out and print it in big print so it's easy to read quickly;
4. Play or walk thru the dungeon solo yourself. It will help you get familiar with it. At least read thru it beforehand;
5. Be organized. Having to pause and hunt for things can be embarrassing.

I personally like shorter dungeons, especially to DM. The long dungeons can go on for several sessions and you often forget why you/the party came here in the first place.

However shorter dungeons are harder to do, in my opinion. To me, the hardest thing is to come up with a plot and/or reason for the dungeon's existence. This is just as hard for a short dungeon as a long one.

A lot of the commercial dungeons I have gone thru seem to me like they have been padded. There are a hundred rooms in there, half without encounters, when the story would have been moved along nicely with - say - only 10 rooms. (I guess they want you to feel like you got your money's worth.) What I like to do is redraw the map more simply with fewer rooms and find the encounters in the dungeon that advance the story - but don't forget a few empty rooms too. Give them a break now and then.
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Old Dec 20th, 2018, 05:37 PM
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Thanks! I like the idea of making cards with the enemy stats and HP on them for easy reference.
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Old Dec 21st, 2018, 05:23 PM
Gerry Attrick Gerry Attrick is offline
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I'm not sure if I'm allowed to put this here, but I found some nice short dungeon modules produced by Roving Band of Misfits Press. They are called Two Page Mini Delves. Some are available free on Drivethrurpg. I tried the free ones, liked them, and purchased the rest.
  #12  
Old Dec 23rd, 2018, 12:48 PM
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Nice! Thanks for the tip!
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Old Feb 6th, 2019, 03:31 PM
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If you can search on Youtube for Matthew Colville canal. His "Your First Adventure, Running the Game #1" is showing how to prepare easy short adbventure for players: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTD2RZz6mlo
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Old Feb 17th, 2019, 04:11 AM
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Have you run your adventure yet? How'd it go?

If not, how well do you know the group of players you will be DMing?

Perhaps contact them via email and hold a session zero via email so you can get an idea of their expectations and you can share yours. This allows you to tailor it to their expectations which will help avoid possible frustrations if they come to the table with one set of expectations and due to how you developed the scenario, they remain unrealized. Vice versa as that applies to you, if you were planning a combat run and they are wanting to RP each encounter and resolve it in some non-combat manner.
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Old Mar 2nd, 2019, 04:58 PM
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I've always drawn ideas from reading fantasy novels when I would come up with adventures for a group I would dm for
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