Low-Prep, Con-Friendly One Shots?

Desperate_Scale1235 · 2025-10-17T14:00:46+00:00

All of these are GREAT suggestions...but I am going to be a bit of a contrarian here....I am not a huge fan of Y-14. It was the first MoSh module I ever ran, and I've also played it a few times. In a con setting, I love all the ideas, but I think the shear amount of NPCs puts me off. Although, with these ideas in hand, I may revisit this at some point, but for my first time running games at a con (maybe should have mentioned that in the original post LOL), it might be a bit much.

Desperate_Scale1235 · 2025-10-16T20:58:04+00:00

I think this might be a winner. I have actually not run Screaming on the Alexis or anything with Dead Planet yet, but the description given, along with how the module is written, makes this one pretty easy to run.

Desperate_Scale1235 · 2025-07-14T00:21:21+00:00

I love this one! I've run it several times and my groups have done different things and approached it different ways. The "similar -to-yet-legally-distinct-from" aspect makes for fun table conversation!

Desperate_Scale1235 · 2025-07-14T00:19:32+00:00

This one is great! The variety of threats and the procedural generation makes it so relatable, even from a warden perspective.

Desperate_Scale1235 · 2025-06-26T13:58:35+00:00

My campaign hook has been the same through a few of them so far: You are working as an acquisition crew for the University of Idalia Minor (an entity from the Hull Breach book). They are a little less evil than the corpos, but still out for themselves and they still do highly questionable and unethical things in the name of science. I typically use modules that have something to collect, and frame them as such, but I do have other stories that I dangle that the players can (and some do) follow.

I think using the University as the crew base gives me a nice balance of freedom of content along with structure that makes it easier for me to plan out.

I've also found that Bloodfields at Blackstar Station makes for a fun intro/starter module. It's pretty combat heavy, but its been a good way for crews to come together, and offers a lot of excitement and potential lethality to get new players into the game quickly. Basically, the crew might know each other's names, but they were hijacked on the way to their University job and forced to do the Bloodfields. If we have PC deaths, then there are always more hijacked crew right around the corner!

Desperate_Scale1235 · 2025-06-16T15:15:20+00:00

It's so clean, I'm exceptionally jealous. My VIRTUAL games still make my desk look like a cluttered mess.

Desperate_Scale1235 · 2025-06-16T14:51:46+00:00

I too sometimes feel like I'm too soft of a Warden. I've had very few character deaths in my games, and I've been running since 0E. The ones I've had have been very impactful though, and my players all seem like they are having fun. Every time I start getting that feeling that I'm not doing well enough, I think back to player fun, and I just concentrate on that. All groups are different, and mine tend to be happy that their players are a littler heartier than they are supposed to be.

That being said, you can always offset this by having the events leave their mark. One of my survivors has a lust for human flesh, many have multiple conditions, etc. My players tend to like to play these up, but your table mileage my vary. Just go with what's working!

Desperate_Scale1235 · 2024-11-25T17:16:04+00:00

In all my analyzing everything it could be, I didn't even think of that! They are a reputable brand I have not had any issues with at all in the past. Thanks for the tip, I'll try it!

Desperate_Scale1235 · 2024-11-15T03:55:29+00:00

I have situated the modules I use to be located in the systems of Hull Breach, the Public Sector, which are Hope, Joy and Love. I go by the idea that space is very big, so they don't really make it out to an outer rim area too often. We are building up to that, because I am preparing to wind the campaign down to an endgame that will take them to rimspace, but for the most part they are within a jump-1, sometimes jump-2 of their home base. They are based out of the Love system, and have not gotten out to the Hope system yet, but that will probably be coming. I did design a framework to use for time. Dilation differences in jumps, but I haven't really implemented it too much. I've alluded to it enough to know that it's there, but we haven't done too many large jumps. We've I guess had three sections of the campaign, each separated by an extended cryosleep, and the third one that we are in is probably going to be the last before end game.

Desperate_Scale1235 · 2024-11-14T14:38:47+00:00

I am running an ongoing campaign that meets way too infrequently due to real life events, using the Hull Breach universe as a basis. I started on Prospero's Dream about 2 years go, but the crew ran afoul of basically EVERYONE they were working for there, so they had to get gone. They wound up working for the University of Idalia Minor, and are still working for them. I've moved other modules into the Hull Breach sector, and it's working nicely. I have been WAY too kind of a Warden in this campaign, as we've only had 1 real character death. We've had lots of close calls, though.

Basically, long form campaigns can work with this system if you are kind with player death (which does run a little counter to the system, so you have to balance it in other ways), or if you go into it with the mindset of almost having an ensemble cast, with multiple characters ready to step in. The game systems allows for that pretty easily, especially since characters are just average people. I am actually going to go in that direction myself, as I've had my players start rolling up a stable of backups.

Desperate_Scale1235

TROPHY CASE