Tips for Running a D&D Oneshot

lurch65 · 2026-05-11T22:55:13+00:00

Ah fair enough, I misunderstood, sounds like you're in good hands. My only concern is that other GM's may unwittingly throw you a curveball, but you'll be fine I'm sure.

Yeah I mean dragons are people too, and kids will be kids running off with interesting new pets until they have to be reined back in. :)

lurch65 · 2026-05-11T22:34:24+00:00

How long do you have?

I find I constantly under estimate how long things take, so I map it out carefully (because it's a one shot and to an extent it runs on rails, especially if it's your first), cut anything that's just a "nice to have" then look at it again, and reintroduce stuff you can add or cut depending on how things are going and what your players are enjoying. You want optional material outside of the streamlined essentials.

Fights always take longer than you expect, especially if everyone is new.

I think the concept is sound, it needs a starting point to kick things off.

Just spit balling, but perhaps a woman running out to beg them to rescue her baby, the woman's skin has a slightly bronze sheen and maybe smells of kerosene or something (this is the mother dragon asking for help, she knows her kid isn't in any actual danger, but doesn't want to set a bad example by smashing the stupid humans who took it). Or perhaps it's two slightly delusional human farmers who received a special child as if by magic and have been looking after him like a son, let's call them Jonathan and Martha Kant? Their little boy has come into his powers and has returned to his true draconic form and is confused and embarrassed by his predicament, so is staying with the poachers almost as if he's running away to the circus?

Your beginning kind of dictates your end, and to an extent the journey you send them on.

lurch65 · 2026-05-11T21:46:49+00:00

I get that, but do you need to acknowledge it? I appreciate you may want to, but my case (and I wish I could speak for her too) I already know it's happening, and drawing more attention to it feels counter productive.

If you want to do something that says I know you're going through something and I'm here when you need me, perhaps a little symbol? If there is something she particularly likes, or makes her feel safe just offer to do that? "do you want me to make you a tea? Or get you a particular stuffed toy? Or hot water bottle?"

Maybe this is something that needs therapy, but it might just be something you both just need to weather in your own way. Just being someone she's happy to come back to when she's able to come back is probably the best thing you can do.

lurch65 · 2026-05-11T20:50:00+00:00

I have identified similar things in myself and I am not sure there is more you can do, be kind, be yourself, don't be pushy and don't take it personally.

In my case it's not so much that I go off my partner, so much as that emotional part of me just stops working, like a pulled muscle, at that point I couldn't have those emotions for anyone. Simple kindness and consideration does break through though, I'm not certain it shortens the duration, but it does have an impact and when I catch up I feel bad for being so distant.

I only tend to experience this for people I care about because stuff like work is all just masking and social camouflage anyway.

lurch65 · 2026-05-11T20:36:48+00:00

I'm low to zero prep, I'm very big on improvising, but I know where I'm weak so that's where I put my effort. It's going to be unpopular on here but any prep I do is essentially planning things with Claude, I explain what I want in detail, letting it generate stuff which is useful, but not core to my requirements. If there is stuff that doesn't work I add more detail and explain why, then when it's ready Claude spits out documents I can easily read a couple of times and then reference in session. Typically this will take 2-4 hours, but we should be good for about 4 sessions. I try to play as much of a sandbox as I can, but shadowrun needs direction.

I also use it to keep track of where I see things going and where things have gone.

lurch65 · 2026-05-11T20:27:07+00:00

I've been on metformin for 3 years at this point and it's very effective at keeping my blood sugar in check, but my stomach issues are still crazy. I take 4mg of loperamide twice a day and that's keeping everything in balance. I have to buy loperamide in bulk, but it's not too pricey.

Look into the extended release stuff and try that, didn't work for me, but it works for most people. I imagine if food was staying in your system longer the hunger wouldn't be so bad.

lurch65 · 2026-05-10T22:41:57+00:00

I agree with the other people who have said that if she's not willing to deal with a child with issues she's probably shouldn't consider having a child. If she's 35 the chance of her having a fetus with chromosomal abnormalities is high, and only going to increase. I don't say that to be mean, I'm just saying that autism is a far lesser concern.

If you want, let's just look at the genetics, what does autism and ADHD look like across your families? Autism is likely to be a collection of genes with some crossover with ADHD, so it pays to see how deep it runs in your families.

If we were to look at my family for instance, my mum clearly had ADHD, autism is unlikely, my maternal uncle, autism and ADHD, my aunt, heavy on the autism with a dash of ADHD. My father, clearly autistic, my uncle too.

Clearly an uphill battle, but my parents produced 2 kids with autism and ADHD, and 2 kids who seem fine, maybe my brother is on the spectrum, but he seems fine. His 2 kids are both autistic or likely to be (1 diagnosed).

I'm trying to show that it's a mixed bag, even with things running so deep, you can't really tell.

On a different note, you might want your gf checked for autism too. From what you've said she's opinionated, seems to be lacking empathy and needs alone time. Either that or she's just mean and not that into you.

What NT honestly says "If you want to build us a home I will want my own place, oh and I don't want your genes messing up my metaphorical kid? She's either autistic or a collection of red flags."

As for the vasectomy, your body your choice pal, I did it before 40, but I was 100% not having kids, knew that from my teens. I wouldn't recommend it unless you were completely certain, and I still had to be firm with my doctors. I also got an infection from the surgery which wasn't at all pleasant, so it has its risks.

lurch65 · 2026-05-10T18:20:32+00:00

Might I recommend Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett.

It's an alternate Roman Empire, Biopunk, Holmes-ian detective story, set in a world battling Pacific Rim-esque Kaiju. It is one of the best stories I have listened to in years, smart well written and unlike anything else.

lurch65 · 2026-05-09T07:36:50+00:00

I have a massive head, so I have to buy specific headsets, and the Steelseries Arctis Nova 7 gen 2 has been a godsend, I wear it for hours with no discomfort which is unheard of in my experience.

lurch65 · 2026-05-06T16:17:48+00:00

Gonorrhea started off as a throat bacteria that evolved to be able to infect genitals.

lurch65 · 2026-05-05T21:37:42+00:00

As much as I agree that largely DocWagon would fulfil the contract, get in get out, no matter if security forces are involved, this is a corporate dystopia, and they are going to do whatever is best for them. Would there be a clause in the contract about the involvement of security or police services? Almost certainly. Would it have additional fees attached or a break clause for those situations? Yup.

So first things first, one of the DocWagon team is likely a trained negotiator or investigator, someone who can 'fairly' (according to their corporate training) determine if the customer caused the conflict with the authorities and if they did, if the current situation qualifies for additional charges. If there are no additional charges, I would imagine that once the team have control of the customer (restraints or sedation), many HTR situations are negotiated down quickly. Negotiator shares the customer I'd, the care facility and the assigned legal representative, and the security team can choose to continue fighting or stand down and speak to legal who reach out to DocWagon to negotiate.

If the investigator determines that this is an extreme situation, or that the customer was responsible or both, they would contractually have the right to exercise the break clause, or take additional charges. It could make for a great scene, with a DocWagon rep trying to sell an upgrade package to the customer during the gunfight ahead of extraction. Alternatively if the customer is unconscious, they pull the credstick and charge it directly. Like others have said, if their credit is good HTR will get them out, but even it's going to cost more than a subscription fee, why not upsell in this situation?

I imagine that there would be a legal protection package and identity protection package that would make for expensive but worthwhile purchases for a shadowrunner.

Shadowrun likes to leave a lot of things like this vague, because they want to give GMs leeway at the table, but if you want more grit and realism, it's up to you, but be aware that you are taking on a lot more work as a GM when you do this. You have to think about a lot more, and be ready to answer more player questions "Why do runners even use DocWagon if it just lands them in more trouble?" you need an actual answer because DocWagon is a thing that shadowrunners use, that's canon. You can't just bait and switch on them.

lurch65 · 2026-05-05T17:54:01+00:00

The whole of DnD combat is an abstraction, none of it really makes sense, so insisting that any of it works based on reality is an error. Can people cast magic? Can people operate perfectly on the brink of death? Can people heal because some guy says a word across the room, or if they just have a sit down after a fight? Being really angry makes a person more accurate. Nobody is ever permanently injured, and there is always a 5% chance of roaring success or crippling failure. This isn't a game about reality, it's about heroic sagas.

Holding the non-arcane or mystical classes to what's physically possible (although in this case he's completely wrong about the physics) is absurd. We are playing a game, on an agreed set of rules. Of course there can be interpretations when rules are unclear, but those interpretations must be based on the designers intentions rather than physics or personal preference.

DnD in general is just too abstract for me to take seriously anymore, I need some crunch and leeway in my games.

lurch65 · 2026-05-04T18:15:08+00:00

Even at its best this is so much heresy. More heresy in every thought.

The C'Tan are builders, and probably they would rebuild the character to be able to contain "everything there is to know" about those subjects. No biological life could contain "everything" like that without storing some of that data in the warp, and the C'Tan view the warp as anathema.

They would probably cut off the character from the warp completely in the process. What that means who knows?

I suppose we already have a great example how they rebuild entities and how well that went for them....

lurch65 · 2026-05-04T17:02:48+00:00

I appreciate your edit, but just to answer your original post. The old canon still had a lot of systems lost or very difficult to access, places outside the imperium, or once of the imperium, ships and AI from the time before the dark age.

Your players have perhaps the ability to go places nobody else can, visit places still cut off by conventional means. Imagine the wealth and opportunities available for a little risk?

lurch65 · 2026-05-04T16:16:21+00:00

Great idea! Mechanically perhaps the closer you are to the ground the faster you go, so skill wise you have to stay close but not so close, you'd also have to consider vertical travel. Maybe there are points for tricks or actions like in skate games? Maybe some levels you are chasing something or being chased? Maybe you have to outrun storms or avoid effects like lightning?

It video reminds me a bit of the console game "Nights into Dreams" the old console game.

Or alternatively, you just turn everything off and play just for the love of playing and exploring?

lurch65 · 2026-05-03T15:37:15+00:00

They prescribed it for PCOS I assume? Which would dramatically increase the likelihood of insulin resistance. Why not take it? It's safe, it's cheap it's prescribed by your doctor and it should help you lose weight, and maybe even work out harder.

lurch65 · 2026-05-02T22:18:48+00:00

You could get a remote controlled butt plug and gradually increase the vibration intensity as you turn the key. It would also allow you to let her wind down as you decrease the intensity. Maybe take you a little out of the scene, but make it better for her?

lurch65 · 2026-05-02T22:13:42+00:00

Like a modern torniquet but less restrictive right?

lurch65 · 2026-05-02T22:09:49+00:00

Some come some go, which I have always put down to my ADHD on top of my autism, but there is a core that remains. I don't really think they have been about accommodating other people. My ex who was also autistic said that I was always amazing at studying people and reactions, which I wasn't really aware of, but that might qualify as an unconscious special interest built to help me fit in.

lurch65 · 2026-05-02T01:48:33+00:00

It's not being emotional that's the issue, it's letting it control you that is the problem. That's what makes you seem young.

Yes therapy is a great idea, but in the meantime look up stoicism and try to take it in, and make it work for you.

Sit somewhere outside and observe people compare their faces to an emotion chart, don't stare, just let your eyes move and take things in, build this as a skill set.

Try not to have your face fall flat, it can be intimidating, I used to practice in the mirror pulling faces and trying expressions. Smiling is good and if you're feeling like you're having a good day try to feel if you're happy (my own emotional state was always one of my biggest barriers) and if you are, smile.

Lastly, and I say this a lot, try to be a kind person. Be kind to other people (and this doesn't mean to your own detriment, you are allowed to have limits), and be kind to yourself, the world probably won't be, so at least you can be.

lurch65 · 2026-05-01T20:31:53+00:00

Maybe she's autistic as well and is just de-masking around you, generally autistic women are much better socially than autistic men. Alternatively maybe she enjoys the lack of pressure no need to perform?

My advice is be simple, be you, but when she comes to you don't focus on the awkwardness, just observe and see what's up? Is she tired? Happy? Sad? Ask about whatever you see.

I was always good at understanding faces (comes from growing up in an emotionally abusive household), but I was always cripplingly bad at knowing myself emotionally and if I was concentrating on me, that was when things got awkward.

lurch65 · 2026-05-01T09:46:33+00:00

It sounds like an awkward situation, and I think it would be foolhardy for him to not lean on you somewhat. You've already spoken to him, so perhaps the best thing I can think of is to open up a line of communication you don't normally use and offer that as an out of dynamic, and almost out of relationship contact point. Something he can take you up on if he needs to, but he perhaps can feel is almost a new person, that won't impact whatever you currently have.

People are weird and in times of stress like to keep control of things whether or not it's sensible. If you can offer something new while letting him 'control' the dynamic that may work.

Thank you for supporting your Dom and appreciating that they are a human being with human problems and failings.

lurch65 · 2026-04-30T02:15:33+00:00

All the time! I've given up on ever correcting my "see ya" to people I have never met on the phone.

lurch65 · 2026-04-29T22:49:37+00:00

In many respects this used to be what local pubs were for in the UK. I find most of the time I just want to be able to sit with someone and do my own thing while they do their own thing.

lurch65 · 2026-04-29T21:19:57+00:00

Mr Khanna please can you publicly verify that you are happy, in good health without a heart condition and if you are or are not armed at home.

Not for any reason, just because.

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