Running one-shot games of masks, do you do anything differently compared to the first session guidelines in the book?
Things that seem to have worked well for me in the past include:
Starting with a social situation that brings older heroes and the influence moves into play early. But then try to get the older heroes out of the way so they don’t get all the spotlight.
Building up to a fight, especially as in a one-shot I try to use important villains from the hero’s backstory / extras etc. “They just show up and attack” seems a bit anti-climactic if they’re a big deal.
Lean hard on things like the beacon’s drives when looking for things to introduce into the fiction. If it’s something the player picked they want to see it do, since we’re only playing once, why not include it.
Do you have other ideas about this?
I write down the Playbook moves people have picked and try to play towards them. Since you may only get one session with this playbook, let’s make it count! Similarly, I draw heavily from the GM moves associated with each playbook to cause the playbook choice to really inform the scenario.