Advice for a one-shot game

[Blubbo Baggins]

Hi all,

I'm planning on running a one-shot game in a week, and we'll have maybe 4 hours. I'm planning on using pre-generated characters, and just doing a railroad adventure. All the players have experience with role playing games, but no experience with TOR.

So my question: what pre-made adventure (official or fan-made) would you all recommend, that could be completed in that time frame?
I'm leaning toward Words of the Wise, but, wasn't sure if it could be completed in that time ... and it's also my least favorite pre-written adventure. I'd like it to have an important encounter or two, a journey, a combat, and if I'm really lucky, a big battle (using jamesrbrown's "Mythic Battles"). This last idea isn't required though...

[zedturtle]

Obviously, it's still a work in progress, but have you considered my introductory adventure?

Even if you don't select it, any feedback you have (especially negative) would be highly appreciated!

[Blubbo Baggins]

Yes! I have considered it... I like it.
Is it ready (even a non-fancy version)? I would definitely look at it in depth. I have been following that thread.

[zedturtle]

Yes! I have considered it... I like it.
Is it ready (even a non-fancy version)? I would definitely look at it in depth. I have been following that thread.

I will probably have a non-fancy version of it done-ish by the end of the weekend... the denouement might need to be your best judgement, but I think we'll have the journey and the fight in place. I will say that I'm still a bit uncertain about the composition of the battle scene; I'm thinking about adding an archer to the bad guys to make it a bit more complex, but getting "tough, but fair" worked out is the hard bit.

[nazgul_2000]

I agree that you likely won't finish Words of the Wise in four hours with new players. Why not the original first time adventure, the Marsh Bell? That seems to have everything you are looking for (except for the big battle - unless you want to run it with the endless supply of Mewlips).

[NIÑO]

Hiyas:

I'm sorry to say that one of my groups got overwhelmed by mewlips! Almost 100% TPK.





Ñ

[Hermes Serpent]

I just ran a Return to the Marsh Bell for a 3 player group. They've already been there, fought the Mewlips and rescued the dwarves and saw the treasure. Now after they had some other adventures under their belts they wanted to go back for the loot. They recruited some Lake-town boatmen to transport the treasure and avoid travel fatigue by using boats.

On arriving at the old city they cautiously approached and descended into the underground lair. I had a fight with about a dozen Mewlips at the door to the treasure room and then had the Mewlips run away as a Wood-wight came through into the room. That was a tough fight and when they rummaged through the haul they rolled two Gandalfs and a Eye in three rolls. What was funnier was that prior to the third roll one of the other players said "Go on, roll an Eye" which promptly arrived on cue.

I've run several con games using my Dwarven Hopes scenarios around Moria. You can find them via the link in my sig line.

[Yusei]

I have written a short adventure called "King Under the Mountain", and played it in 3.5 hours, but I can't seem to find the thread I created at the time. Maybe it was in the old forums. If you speak french, there is a fully written version here: http://www.sden.org/IMG/pdf/roi_sous_la_montagne-2.pdf

The plot is simple: the company helps a dwarf who's being attacked by robbers. He then says he just came out of Mirkwood, and has been detained for decades in the geols of Dol Guldur. He's Frerin, son of Thrain, son of Thror, King Under the Mountain, and he came to claim back his kingdom. He also claims he has Thrain's ring to prove it!
(He knows nothing about Thorin's death or the Battle of the Five Armies, and believes Smaug is still there.)

Thorin Oakenshield did have a brother, but he's supposed to have died in the battle of Azanulbizar, so who is this dwarf? If he really is Thorin's brother, then he is the rightful King; how will Dain react?

[Falenthal]

Apart from the adventure you choose, one thing you have to consider for a one-shot is reducing the number of Hope points for the characters. Maybe starting with a maximum of 3 or 4 might show that it's a finite resource. And maybe don't use the Fellowhip Pool Hope.

[Hermes Serpent]

That's true, I always load up my pregens with loss of Hope and maybe some Shadow points so the folks can see all the mechanisms in action. Now with Rivendell out I'd probably slip in the Eye Awareness score and the Treasure rules as well.