Go with the flow, one-shot game and expectations
A couple of days ago we played a one-shot game.
Before we started the game I was a little worried, our last Aw game was a long time ago and above all I’ve never played a one-shot of Aw.
I didn’t know how to handle it, nor had time to ask around for advices.
the starting idea
I came to the table with just one idea: it’s a frozen world. I pictured in my mind different hazards, and landscapes covered in dirty grey snow. Mentally taking notes of some potentally loaded questions about it.
….as I sit down to play, my first question was about the landscape..
Me: charlie (the skinner), what do you see from your window? By the way, do you have a window?
Player: I see an urban landscape, covered by a deep vegetation. A jungle.
Me: temperature? (Still hoping for a frozen jungle, at least).
Player: oh, it’s warm.
Me: and your home, what is like?
Player: a tall building.
Mc: like a skyscraper?
Player: yes.
Me: you own it? Who else lives with you?
Player: my family, like an aristocrathic-clan. We were the first to establish here.
After a few more questions, We had the skinner’s family lead by her father, Harridan, to run different business inside the holding, but not in charge. There was no one in charge of the holding.
Character creation and setting things on fire
I wanted to speed things up and avoid players to spend too much time choosing stats, weapon or moves. I wanted them to play (I know how my friends are, the battlebabe guy and his damn custom weapon options!).
So, We started with the Hx to establish relationships and some facts.
And then, when they barely have names I turned to the hocus (with no idea of what was about to happen):
So, obviousely someone is mad at you.
Your head hurts, and you hear an insistent whistle in your ears. Your hands are tight together, and you can’t see shit because you have something on your head. You can’t remember what happened.
You feel you are moving, maybe you are in a van. You hear someone laughing and kick you in the ribs from time to time.
What do you do?…
..and: savvy, you are fixing the battlebabe’s weapon and you see a guy with a bunny mask throwing the hocus in the back of a van and rapidly leave the holding.
What do you do?
Basically, I jumped the follow the characters around thing, (althought I did that part asking more questions) and went straight into the action, and it worked!
Once again, I’d guess that If everyone at the table collaborate to share and create (in this way you can even play against a specific Pc in the game fiction but with that player) the reward is greater than the effort.