One Shot Design Questions

[Giganotosaurus]

I've recently had the opportunity to run a one shot for an up coming Halloween session and I figured I'd just make a thread for any questions I have about the process.
First question, how do I keep the one shot roughly with in an irl time limit?

 

[PolarBlues]

A good method is to prepare two related adventures. If the the players are blasting through the content, as the game progresses you introduce clues to the follow up adventure. If things are going slowly, you just focus on the original task, leaving out the follow up clues. Maybe you even run part II at a later date.

 

[thebigh]

I've found the opposite is usually true- most one-shot adventures I've played and run contain too much stuff to get through in a session. I end up having to trim bits to get it to stay under four hours.

 

[Giganotosaurus]

So here's the layout roughly:
The Tower
The PC's are regular everyday people who each have a major debt rapidly coming due. They each receive a letter that states if they show up to a non-descript apartment building on a specific day their debt will be wiped away.

As soon as the PC's enter the lobby of the building the doors shut and it's revealed that the building is really the lair of a Esoteric Magician and his cabal of 4 apprentices. The magician is immortal, but needs to consume souls of magically gifted individuals to sustain his life force. He's also a massive sadist and likes to play with his food.

So the pc's have to make their way through this Apartment tower turned wizard tower while also dealing with the awakening of their magical powers.
Game-play wise I'm running the Esoterica RPG and am sort of runnning it as a dungeon crawl. Each time the players enter another floor of the tower I randomly roll to see what the next floor will be, and also reward the players with a new magical power or artifact, before reaching the top floor and fighting the Head Magician.

Thinking about it I could just cut out or add floors as needed to expand or contract the play time.

 

[Fenris-77]

A lot depends on what kind of content you foresee those levels having. The more moving parts there are, the more things to encounter, the longer it will take (duh). One way to try and stretch (or contract) play time is to design a level or two more than you need, but only use them if the game has blown by faster than you thought it would. Another consideration is how much impetus you see the narrative having. If you leave space for planning and deliberation you can be sure that the group will spend a lot of time doing that. They'll need to be prodded by circumstance to move more quickly, and the push there will need to be designed in (and played out by you, of course). An example there is trap/puzzle content - both of which can make a group slow way down. If it's all social interaction, combat, and obstacles it'll probably be faster.

Edit: I see you already thought of adding and subtracting floors. Reading is key.

 

[Giganotosaurus]

A lot depends on what kind of content you foresee those levels having. The more moving parts there are, the more things to encounter, the longer it will take (duh). One way to try and stretch (or contract) play time is to design a level or two more than you need, but only use them if the game has blown by faster than you thought it would. Another consideration is how much impetus you see the narrative having. If you leave space for planning and deliberation you can be sure that the group will spend a lot of time doing that. They'll need to be prodded by circumstance to move more quickly, and the push there will need to be designed in (and played out by you, of course). An example there is trap/puzzle content - both of which can make a group slow way down. If it's all social interaction, combat, and obstacles it'll probably be faster.

Edit: I see you already thought of adding and subtracting floors. Reading is key.

I was thinking a mix of timed puzzles and combat with a couple "respite" floors that just have background building stuff. I've been having trouble finding lists of puzzles that I can use however. If anyone has some ideas you're more than welcome to share them.

 

[Fenris-77]

Well, no list of puzzles, but I have suggestions. I would avoid puzzels that have the group sit around in front of a cosole or whatever trying to figure shit out. That always stetches for ever. I'd suggest puzzles that are perhaps easier to solve but require action, perhaps collecting a set of things, or maipulating elements in a hazardous environment. Nothing will ruin a one ahot faster than an hour long argument about how to solve the sliding pieces puzzle.

 

[Fenris-77]

To expand on the above with an idea, hazardous environmemt puzzles that force the players to creatively use their new-found magical powers would be perfect.

 

[Stan]

Unless the rules you're using have chargen rules that can be done in 5 minutes, either use pregens or make people create characters ahead of time.

I've always had trouble with time due to player unpredictability. Players can stretch opening a door to an hour or take down a boss in 5 minutes, you never know.

If things grind to a halt, have an NPC or suddenly discovered clue put them back on the path.

 

[Giganotosaurus]

Unless the rules you're using have chargen rules that can be done in 5 minutes, either use pregens or make people create characters ahead of time.

I've always had trouble with time due to player unpredictability. Players can stretch opening a door to an hour or take down a boss in 5 minutes, you never know.

If things grind to a halt, have an NPC or suddenly discovered clue put them back on the path.

Oh yeah, I'm using pregen's for that reason, plus I want to make sure that the characters fit into the premise.

 

[Giganotosaurus]

Alright, here's the first puzzle room I made for my one-shot. I adapted it from this youtube video:
I figure if we're pressed for time I can remove various chores to shorten the completion time, and if the players struggle with getting the puzzle done on time the timer aspect can be extended.

House Puzzle​

Upon stepping through the door into the parlor the players will effectively de-age into a 10 year old state. Their clothes will conform to fit them, but their items will remain the same size. Stats additionally remain the same.

The Parlor: “It looks nice outside”
Through the door is a sparsely decorated Parlor, to the West is the door you just came through and a cold fireplace. In the center of the room is a thread bare blue couch and chairs with a coffee table and 2 end tables. To the North is a large window looking out onto a sunny meadow with children playing in it. To the south the wall is lined with bookshelves full of books. To the east is a archway leading into a hallway, and across from that, what seems to be a kitchen. Next to the archway is an end table with a Maneki-neko, its paw waving at you mechanically.

In the parlor there is not much to do. The books on the bookshelves are all unlabeled and blank on the inside. The Couch and Chairs are uncomfortable. If the window is smashed the illusion on them is broken and the exterior wasteland is revealed. The only thing of true interest is the Maneki-neko, which is an enchanted item that allows players to speak with mammals, and once per day command any mammal the player chooses.
The Parlor only has one exit into a hallway.

The Hallway: “It's bright, it's sunny, and it's also not the grassy meadow you saw from the windows.”
The Hallway is dusty and barren, save for a solitary grandfather clock, long since stopped at 10 minutes to noon. To the south is a staircase leading up into darkness. To the east is an archway into what appears to be a kitchen. To the north is a large front door with a peephole, flanked by 2 windows looking out onto children playing in a sunny meadow. Beneath one of these windows a cat lounging on a cat bed looks at you, somewhat annoyed that you disturbed his sleep.

The cat's collar says Jasper and once all the players are in the hallway he will get up and insistently try to get their attention before going into the Kitchen. If the players use the Maneki-neko item to talk to Jasper he will simply tell them that he wants his lunch and try and get them in the kitchen.
The Hallway has 4 exits, one archway to the Parlor, one archway to the Kitchen, a staircase to the upstairs and the Front Door. If the front door is opened before finishing all the chores, there will only be a flat barren wasteland inhabited by giant carnivorous worms on the other side. Leaving through the front door runs the risk of getting devoured by a worm.

If the chores are completed then the door will lead to the next randomly rolled floor from the list.
The Clock will remain silent until the cat is fed. Once the chore chart appears in the kitchen, it will begin to tick 10 minutes until it reaches noon, after which the whole house is reset and the players will return to the parlor.
The staircase leads upstairs into pitch darkness before the cat is fed, making it nigh impossible to see or gain access to the bedrooms.
To finish the Hallway chore, a player has to sweep all the dust outside the front door, revealing the wasteland.

The Kitchen: “The Cat waits insistently at the cupboard”
The Kitchen is sparse and dingy. To the south a garbage can overflowing with trash sits next to a standing cupboard and a sturdy door. Along the north wall is a counter top, a pile of filthy dishes stands next to a sink and drying rack. A window looks out onto the same meadow with children playing in it. In the center of the room is a long dinging room table with 10 chairs surrounding it. Next to the Archway you came in is a blank whiteboard.

In the cupboard is a can of cat food, a bowl labeled “Jasper”, a broom, dish soap and sponges, and a box of garbage bags.
The Sink runs normal drinking water.
The Door to the south leads to the Garage.

When the players put down the bowl and feed Jasper, the squeaking sound of a marker on whiteboard and the whiteboard now listing the following:

Chores before you can play outside:
Feed the Cat: (Checked off)
Wash the Dishes:
Take out Trash:
Sweep the Hall:
Clean your Rooms:

Upon seeing the checklist the Grandfather Clock will ding and begin counting down to 10 minutes. If the chores are not done with 10 minutes the house will reset and the players will have to start over from the beginning.
The upstairs hallway will now be lit, allowing access to the bedrooms.
Once done eating Jasper will return to his bed, fall asleep and turn into a stone statue.

Each chore must be completed before the players can leave through the front door.

In the Kitchen the players need to wash the dishes on the counter, there's 50 of them, and set them in the drying rack. The rack will magically hold the dishes, despite not appearing to have enough room for them. Once one player starts washing dishes, they will be stuck doing so at an incredible pace unable to move. They will only be able to stop once they're finished, about 1 minute before noon.

The players must also take the trash from the overflowing trashcan out to the garage, accessible from the kitchen.

The Garage: “Something's scratching at the door”
The concrete garage is cold and dimly lit. To the east is a large garage door. In the southeast corner, next to a flimsy wooden door, is a large green trashcan. Otherwise the garage is empty.

The Flimsy wooden door and Garage door don't budge until the players put the trash in the trash can.
Upon placing the trash from the kitchen into the large trashcan, the players will hear a scratching noise coming from the flimsy wooden door. If the players open it a dark alley with a shadowy creature will be revealed. The creature will chase any players, upon catching them they will disappear. Once all players are caught the house will reset just as if the Grandfather clock finished ticking. The shadow creature can't be harmed and instantly knows where every player is (can't be hidden from). It can be temporarily stopped by shut doors, but will eventually break them down. If the player ignores the scratching at the flimsy wooden door the shadow will not get into the house.
Once the players leave the Garage the door to it will lock and become inaccessible.

The Upstairs: “This is not a comforting place”
You climb the stairs and find a hallway connecting to 5 rooms. 4 color coded but otherwise identical bedrooms, each with a single bed, a nightstand and a toy chest. Worn colored toys litter the floor of each room. The 5th room is a solitary bathroom, with a faded pink tub, standing sink and toilet. The only light comes from the hallway.

The upstairs consists of a hallway connecting 4 identical bedrooms and a single bathroom. To finish the chores, the players must put all the toys in their corresponding toy chest.
The Red Room has Blue toys.
The Blue Room has Yellow Toys.
The Yellow Room has Green Toys.
The Green Room has Red Toys.

The Bathroom is pink and functional, but otherwise empty. There is no toilet paper, soap, towels or plunger.

Final: “A loud click comes from the front door, it seems you can go out to play now”
Once all the chores are done the Grandfather clock will stop counting down and every player will hear a loud click come from the front door. Players will be free to exit into the next floor of the tower, whereupon they will return to normal size and age.

 

[Giganotosaurus]

I made a quick map of The house Puzzle to better visualize it: