WADY 12: One Shots Part 2: Building the Foundation

Apr 4

Welcome to Episode 12 of We Aren’t Dead Yet, a podcast throwing magic missiles into the ttrpg, gamer and speculative fiction sphere and seeing whether we come out alive at the end.

Every Thursday will be WADY Day, a celebration of something gamer, literature or culture shocking with three friends who found each other online via World Anvil and went “Hey! Let’s talk”. We found out we all have a lot to say and different approaches to the same questions.

We have a veteran Dungeon Master, an award winning World Builder & Media Producer, and a bestselling cyberpunk + mythpunk author, here to snark, speak and speculate on fiction, creative professions and games.

Today’s episode… One Shots Part 2: Building the Foundation!

Ever dreamed of running a thrilling tabletop RPG adventure, but worried about a multi-week campaign commitment? One-shots are the answer! In this episode, we talk essentials of crafting unforgettable one-shot TTRPG experiences for you and your players. We'll lay the groundwork by exploring the core elements of a one-shot, from brainstorming captivating ideas to structuring a satisfying narrative. Feeling uninspired? We'll unlock the secrets of finding genre-based inspiration, helping you conjure fantastical adventures, thrilling mysteries, or gritty post-apocalyptic struggles. We'll guide you through crafting the central tension that will keep your players engaged from start to finish. Mastering the art of pacing is also key! We'll equip you with the knowledge to ensure your one-shot flows seamlessly, leaving your players wanting more. So, grab your dice, gather your party, and prepare to play!

If you want to support We Aren’t Dead Yet, please subscribe to become one of our Not Dead Knights and consider a paid tier, purchase something from our Merch Store, buy Macabre and Monstrous, our first anthology of horror stories and shout out about We Aren’t Dead Yet on social media.

Have a question you want to ask about the episode, the writing sphere or table top role playing games? Hit us up with comments on substack, down in the comments section below, or by throwing a question up on X @usurperkings or @e__armstrong.

Every little bit helps.

Cheers for now,

We’ll see you next week for the third episode of our One Shot series!