How to Run the Perfect DnD One-Shot – DM Tips for a Night to Remember!
One-shots are a Dungeon Master’s secret weapon: a compact, focused adventure that doesn’t require the commitment of a full campaign. Whether you’re running a one-shot for new players, a group of experienced adventurers, or just a special event, the goal is the same: pack a night with excitement, intrigue, and a story that feels complete. Here’s how to make your one-shot shine.
What is a One-Shot?
A one-shot is a self-contained Dungeons & Dragons adventure designed to be played in a single session — usually around 3-6 hours.
Why Run a One-Shot?
Introducing New Players: Low commitment, high fun. Players can dip their toes in to collaborative storytelling without the pressure of a long campaign.
Trying Out New Ideas: Maybe you want to try out the role of a dungeon master without the long term responsibility. It's a great chance to try out wild story ideas or character voices that won't stick around in a campaign for months or years.
Special Events: One-shots can be a gift your friends remember for the rest of their lives.
Difficult Schedules: Sometimes the people you want to play with can't commit to the frequency of a campaign. One-shots can be the perfect way to include friends in this creative hobby.
1. Craft a Focused, Engaging Narrative
The backbone of any great one-shot is a tightly crafted narrative. Unlike a sprawling campaign, you don’t have time for lengthy side quests or overly complex subplots. Here are a few different types of objectives you could choose from:
- Acquisition: the party must go and get something; this could be an item or a creature.
- Competition: the party must try to win a challenge, or many challenges.
- Confrontation: a threat needs to be tackled head-on, likely through combat.
- Defence: the party must protect someone, or something, from harm.
- Delivery: the party must take an item or creature somewhere else.
- Escape: the party must get out of a risky situation, and do it quickly.
- Investigation: the party must uncover something that is currently hidden or secret.
- Rescue: the party must save a creature from harm and get them to safety.
For beginner DMs, framing your one-shot around an 'acquisition' objective — like the retrieval of an artifact — can often provide the simplest basis for a compelling beginning, middle, and end.
If you are starting from scratch with your narrative, there are thankfully many resources to assist with this. It doesn't need to be a totally original screenplay. If there's an existing story or vibe you are fond of, take ideas from it and give it your own twist. When I'm looking for ideas, I personally enjoy skimming through "One-Shot Wonders" by Roll and Play Press (not affiliated), and community favourite standalone adventures such as "A Wild Sheep Chase" by Winghorn Press.
Start with the end in mind: The best one-shots have a clear and impactful conclusion, and it's your job to guide the story to that point. Renowned storyteller Brennan Lee Mulligan has described that characters act like water seeking the fastest and most efficient route to their goal, while the players themselves crave the twists and turns of a meaningful story.
The Dungeon Master’s role is to guide the story like shaping the slope: allowing characters to flow naturally towards their goal while creating a winding, satisfying path. By preparing even a small handful of options, you maintain the players' freedom while ensuring the story flows to an impactful conclusion.
2. Prepare Your Players
Your players are the heart of the story. A little preparation can go a long way in ensuring they feel connected to the game.
Set the premise: Start by sharing a short, enticing premise—just two or three sentences that capture the vibe and stakes. For example:
“The remote town of Elderglen is hosting its annual festival when strange shadows appear in the woods. You’ve been hired to investigate before panic sets in.”
Encourage your players to come up with a character idea — or even two — to fit the setting.
Have a conversation: It is very likely that if you are considering a one-shot, you don't have the luxury of a "session zero" for players to form ideas about their character. If you have the chance, have a quick phone call with each player before the game. Ask about their character’s motivations. Above all, be affirming to their ideas and creativity. If they're excited about an idea, try to make it work. If players give you multiple character ideas, your affirmations can steer them in a direction that brings diversity to the party.
Adapt Your Narrative
After learning about your players’ characters, you might tweak your story to better fit their motivations, and present challenge to their personalities.
3. Create a Strong Opening Scene
The opening scene sets the tone and hooks your players. It’s where the adventure truly begins. Whether it’s a bustling city or a remote mountain village, introduce and describe the setting vividly. Use scents and sounds to paint a picture.
Ease players into roleplaying: For new players, roleplaying can feel daunting. Even experienced players can have trouble finding their sea legs as they take on a new character. Create an opening scene where each player can interact in-character one-on-one, ideally with an NPC. If everyone’s meeting in a tavern, stagger their arrivals. This gives them time to get into their role without feeling rushed.
Give immediate choices: Present your players with decisions early. It can be very low stakes - like whether they help out a comically clumsy commoner, or whether they inform law enforcement of a petty theft they witnessed. These small moments pull the players into the world and set the stage for bigger decisions later.
4. Limit the Scope
A focused narrative is essential for a successful one-shot. Avoid branching into unnecessary tangents or introducing too many choices that dilute the story. For this adventure, depth and clarity matters more than complexity. By keeping the scope tight, you ensure a satisfying and well-paced conclusion.
Keep the music simple: Music can be an important element to keep your players engaged, but it shouldn't be your focus in the moment-to-moment. Have a few playlists on hand that each capture a different mood. This could be (1) market/tavern vibes, (2) investigation, (3) combat/tension, and (4) victory/resolution. Youtuber "Blue Turtle" is a favourite of mine.
When to roll: Not every action needs a roll—reserve rolls for moments of uncertainty where the outcome truly matters. If a failed roll would halt the story or block progress, consider making the information or action automatically accessible, with the roll providing additional insights or advantages. For example, instead of requiring a roll to notice the only exit in a collapsing building, let the players see it but prompt a roll to find a faster or safer way out.
Similarly, avoid introducing early opportunities where a player's natural 20 could reveal key insights too soon, undermining the payoff of your finale.
5. Encounters and Structure
Encounters draw a lot of people to the system of D&D, but in a one-shot, you need to be sparing to use them.
Balance combat, exploration and roleplay: Aim for one major combat encounter, one minor combat encounter if needed, one exploration moment or puzzle, and at least one meaningful roleplay opportunity for each player character. This mix keeps the session varied and engaging for all player types.
Embrace simplified mechanics: Stick to simple rulings to avoid slowing down the session. If something isn’t clear, make a quick decision and move on. If you have a player engaged with the roleplay and excited to do something that they normally couldn't, give it a cost for failure and let it come to a roll.
Be ready to adapt: If something super unexpected is thrown your way, you don't need to suddenly improvise an outcome you might regret. Give your players a cheeky, knowing smile and call for a little break. And then you can frantically plan what comes next.
Be ready to cut: If time’s running short, have a plan to trim encounters or skip non-essential content without derailing the story.
6. End on a High Note
The finale is your chance to make the session unforgettable. Ensure the ending feels earned, whether the players accomplish success, or a mixed success. Tie it back to the stakes you introduced at the start.
Celebrate player choices: After the game, take a moment to highlight cool decisions or creative problem-solving. It reinforces the players’ achievements and leaves them feeling great about the session.
The bottom line: One-shots are about finding the right balance between the story you prepare, and the space you leave for players to surprise you. When players feel like their choices matter and that their wild ideas can shift the story, that's when the magic happens. With a clear objective, thoughtful preparation, and a willingness to adapt, you'll craft an adventure that feels not only complete, but also uniquely shaped by the people at your table.
Now go out there, roll some dice, and make a night to remember!
