One Shot Game Night: The Great Escape

One shot game nights, we all have them every once and a while. The gang will call you up and say they want to play some d&d and you have nothing prepared, you can run a LFR game, you can do a delve, or you can do something unique and fun.

The Great Escape is the idea behind a one shot game night idea that you can easily throw together at last minute. Ideally a one shot game nights should include 2-3 combat encounters and 1 skill challenge i will do my best to outline what each should be but let you to actually build it out yourself. The great escape is an adventure scenario for 1st level characters with a twist.

The players can start off as slaves in a drow camp, be in a prison trying to break out, or even have no memory of how they got where they are. The twist here will be a unique rule where players cannot use daily powers at all, the idea is they have been put to work and are using the last of their energy to escape, for experienced players take out half of the healing surges and start them off bloodied. At the start of each encounter they all have to make a saving throw, those who pass get to use encounter powers, those who fail cannot.

It may not seem entirely fair to do something like this, but that's the point of the escape is to be more challenging then normal

Common encounters that work in this scenario

• Sneak away from camp
• Climb the cavern/cliff
• encounter with the guards
• 'random' wilderness encounter

Sneaking away from camp

This can be a simple skill challenge that's heavy RP, include multiple tasks like gathering some makeshift weapons, distracting the guards, and include a chase seen where the guards are chasing them, If they fail the last part knock off two healing surges.

Climb the Cavern/Cliff

This is another easy skill challenge that can be tossed into any game, you can depict that during their escape they have to get past a cavern or cliff. Simple healing surge that should weaken then even more

Encounter with the guards

You don't want to flood your game with these otherwise whats the point right. I would include no more than two, one inside the location and one that is outside. Ranged combatants can slaughter the party, be sure to include at least one or two to give them trouble.

'Random' wilderness encounter

its not so random but its an encounter that's not connected with the core storyline, have a elite spider or something that the players have stumbled into.

Remember

Being a one shot game players have little interest in money or xp rewards, be sure to reward good role playing with successes or action points to help encourage it even more. Instead of XP get some mini chocolate bars or ice cream, something the players like to have anyway and award these at the end of the encounters instead of the xp or gold.

I don't recommend running this in the exact order I've listed here, I've just listed encounter ideas you can use. Stick to whatever order you want, and add more.

The whole experience will be challenging for the players and will be talked about for a while. The group that i play with runs this scenario once every few years its always a fun challenge that is rewarding by itself.

Post any encounter ideas you have that fit with an escape scenario.

Well keep an eye out for more one shot game night ideas, and until next time