A great idea. Go to Comment

Nice collection, I love running one night sessions. Everything from "you have been camping and while you were gone the zombie apocalypse happened" to "you are wermacht soldiers alone in a gunner nest, the front just moved past you, make it back". I often use simplified home-brew rules or CoC rules for these short games. One night sessions can also be a lot of fun since they normally are much more dangerous, I boost the chances of dying a lot. 

I loved the emperor scenario.

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I hate being the very first to vote as sometimes the first vote affects others who read and comment. Good or bad it is inevitable.

I like this idea. I really do. While not being super/ uber fresh idea it is non-the-less an easyone to pick up on and enjoy. Having been a victim of leaving my game material at home when I go and run a game I can see where this is a great tool to have, not only in your mind, bookmarked, or printed out and have handy when needed.

I just wish there were more ideas up for me to read through to help with my vote. Should this catch on, which in the days I was a frequent member of here it would, I wil definately revist and rethink my vote. In the meantime grats manfred. This has given me an idea. Go to Comment

School's Out

I have used this idea, but for the start of a campaign not as a single nights game. However it can definately be adapted into a one shot scenario.

The setting:
- It can be one of fantasy, sci-fi, horror, or even Supers. Really any setting can warm up to this.
- The group/ party are students in an academy, school, guild, etc. This learning center surrounds their daily lives for multiple reasons. Possibly their society is run mainly by guilds, military learning, etc. They are placed in small groups to learn how to handle outside stress, how to work together in an abnormal environment, etc.
- The party is given a task that they must complete, given a certain time limit which should encompass the entire night. Failure to do so results in being expelled,etc from the respective association.
- They are outside of their element, nowhere near their local town/ community or usually environment. Best way to handle this is magical transport, technological transport, etc. They should know little of the 'how or why' and just need to know the what, who, where, and when to get the task completed.

Plot Hooks
- The group is sent to a small village, town, outpost to search for missing people. (Children or elderly are usually the best to get emotion.) They must track them down, find them and determine the reasoning behind their capture. In the process capturing the assailants. Possible reason, kidnapping people who know a secret.

- Similar to the previous hook, The group is sent to a small village, town, outpost to search for missing people. Except instead of children a noticable number of adult men are missing. Same as above, find them, the reason why. Possible reason, an outside source needs them for some task. Labor, ritual, or a creature needing food source.

- Escort. The group is sent to escort a highly popular (unpopular) person, a member of nobility, etc. Unknown to them the person they are escorting is a fake and the real escort is ambushed a few days ahead of their caravan. They can choose to abandon their task, as it was a false task to begin with, or follow the true person who was kidnapped. Hopefully retrieving said person. Possible reason, the true person being escorted left a day in advance to throw off possible kidnappers but a traitor tipped off kidnappers to the ruse. Reasons for kidnap, random, vandetta, or the person taken had an item of some importance. Go to Comment

Have you ever read the Enchanted Forest series of books? True they were written for kids, but they put an interesting new aspect on the old fairytales. Go to Comment

Heh, the additions since it was first released has helped it!

An excellent idea deserving of more submissions.... Go to Comment

Definitely a fun idea, sometimes one shots can make for a refreshing experience or just to past the time Go to Comment

Apocalypse Now

It was a normal day like any other, before the air raid sirens echoed across the still afternoon air, and the bustling crowds changed from causal movement to frenzied panic.

The Setting

This is a different spin on a post apocalypse setting (Such as Darwin's, World Dead lands, Rifts, etc..) in that the apocalypse is happening NOW not years ago in the past.

This allows Gm's to present the "ancient history" that most of the players characters have heard about in a dramatic fashion that will leave more of an impact on the group.

-The characters could be virtually any Jane/Joe average working stiff caught up in events beyond their control, or perhaps a soldier on shore leave. Maybe even a child on their way home from school.

The main focus of the game would be to survive the initial riots/panic and immediate effects of which ever brand of Armageddon you prefer, and eventually reach a place of safety. (underground fallout shelter, mountain refuge, remote island etc..)

A enterprising GM could even let players play as their main characters great, great, grandmothers/grandfathers, or relatives of them to add a more personal touch to the adventure.

Plot Hooks

-Where exactly is the closest (or best) "safe area?" and How will the pc's go about getting to it?

-Unless the PC's are orphans with the personalities of dead fish, they'll likely have family and friends they're worried about. Do they try to make contact with and rescue them? Or count on them to find their own way to safety? (Especially if they're dozens or hundreds miles away in another city, or even country.)

-Do the PC's have any powerful enemies who will try to take this opportunity of social chaos to get revenge upon them? (perhaps fatally?)

-While fleeing for their lives the PC's will no doubt run across numerous others who look to them for guidance or rescue. How many will they try to save?

-Some of the people they do wind up traveling with will no doubt be more concerned with their own safety then that of the group as a whole, how will they handle these individuals without resorting to drastic measures?

-The player group is no doubt not the only band of "survivors" how will other bands take to them heading for "their rightful sanctuary," or trying to loot the same store for needed supplies?

-Once they do reach this "Safe zone" it may very well have a limited capacity, (such as a fallout shelter with only enough supplies for X amount of people) what will the PC's do about any extras in their group there simply isn't room for?

-What if this safe zone is already occupied by other (unsavory) types that aren't willing to let the group join them, despite their being enough room/supplies? Go to Comment

To Court A Dragon

Heather had always had a love for dragons bordering on an obsession. Almost everything about them fascinated her, if only she could speak to one first hand. Perhaps now that she had volunteered to be the dragons yearly sacrifice she would at last get her chance.

The Setting

This adventure is better suited for a single player looking for more of an far out interaction/role playing adventure rather than a hack and slash one. (Thanks Cheka man for the inspiration behind this idea.)

They are playing a woman (or possibly man?) that after having been fascinated by dragons for all their life to the extend of dreaming as one for a mate; finally decided to get a closer look or die trying at one by volunteering to be the yearly sacrifice for a small village to placate a dragon in the near by mountains.

Given the dragon is more used to sacrifices screaming and kicking rather than greeting it and asking questions it's interested long enough to post pone its meal out of curiosity.

This dragon is also lonely, have grown tired of prospective mates being more interested in it's treasure, or magical power than in it's personality, perhaps this mere mortal could unwittingly endear the beast into a life long love?

Plot Hooks

-How do you convince a dragon you'd rather talk to it than be eaten? What about all those burning questions everyones had about dragons but never dared ask?

-If the dragon finds the sacrifice more interesting than palatable what next? Are they to remain in the dragons lair forever after? (most dragon lairs aren't suitable for human habitation especially in the winter.)

-If the dragon falls in love with the sacrifice will they turn themselves into human and seek a life among the small folk? (Using it's riches to acquire land and perhaps become a king?) Or perhaps polymorph the sacrifice into a dragon themselves so they may share the lair together?

-What of the valiant knight riding to slay the dragon? Will he listen to the delusional damsel pleas to leave the lair and not attempt to slay the fearsome beast? Go to Comment

There are still more explanations possible. One I came up with just now, are the local spirits/elements/whatever, that are canceling their alliance (or non-attacking treaty) with the locals, by returning the offerings from before. What, you didn't know? Is half a millennium really that hard to remember for humans? Go to Comment

Aand it can get longer if needed. :) Go to Comment

I like the third idea the best. 5/5 Go to Comment

Or it just continues. Each night becoming more and more ubiquitous.

Soon gold is soon covering the street. Everyone has more than they know what to do with.

Money loses all value. Bartering must be done instead. Social collapse is a possibility here, as the entire social hierarchy would be upset.

As time goes on if the source is not stopped it could be a down right curse. What started off as a single statute, could end up being feet of gold coin piling up in the street across the town. Becoming a hassle and in some cases even dangerous to people. People getting trapped indoors. Roofs collapsing, if the gold starts appearing there.

Issues with people from less 'gifted' towns raiding for their piece of the pie.

...
Hopefully the players figure out what is going on before it gets really bad.

Of course this might be game altering, so when the players find the source or cause, the produced treasure should probably disappear. Go to Comment

A nifty short plot! Go to Comment

I have linked this one to the "New Take on Classic Magic Items" codex. There are all sorts of magical widgets, that put a person into stasis to be cured or imprisoned.

The Shroud is more of an Old Take: it freezes literally, and it is bound to very specific conditions. Go to Comment

No, it is not that cold, it is actually very comforting. Just don't fall asleep under it, when it IS cold. Go to Comment

Bear-Lord's Favor... now that sounds good.

There may indeed be such a legend (and who knows, it might have inspired Odolan in the first place!). If there is, it could be the cape of the Winter Lord, or another personification of winter. He or she came upon a village hit hard by the cold season... and showing mercy, he would cover it with the Shroud. And so they were saved for the winter, without even noticing that it has passed.

Nice idea! Go to Comment

Thanks a lot! I wanted to create some 'classical' winter item, and it didn't work until I connected it to the Elves in all their old-fashioned glory. Now, you could detach them from the item and it would stay usable.

So I have to thank the elves (and random scientific articles) for the inspiration. Go to Comment

Very nice, and I must concur with what Muro said, this item really gets the idea of the Winter Quest. Kudos. Go to Comment

*shivers* Go to Comment