Snakes on a Plane One-Shot

Some movie strive to play on your heartstrings. Others try to impress you with big ideas. Some want to make you laugh or be afraid or feel alone. And some movies just want spectacle. Snakes on a Plane is this last kind of movie. The title tells you everything you need to know: there's a plane, and there are snakes on it. And while some games also vary in aim--some emotional, some intellectual, some instinctual--spectacle is not a bad thing to base a game on. In this one-shot, the players will have to survive a deadly plane ride, inspired by a movie so bad it's almost good. 

I normally aim to create one-shots that are pretty family-friendly so that anyone can play them. But for this one-shot, I allowed a bit of profanity but generally kept the rest of it clean. To play this one-shot, just follow the narration and directions below, and you can give your players the plane ride of their lives. 

Napoleon Dynamite One-Shot

When Napoleon Dynamite came out in 2004, it was wildly popular. It was impossible to escape people quoting the movie, the iconic dance sequence at the end was parodied and recreated everywhere, and "Vote for Pedro" shirts could be found anywhere. Today, that fervor is largely dissipated, and Napoleon Dynamite is now a relic of a strange and bizarrely innocent world. Personally, my love of the movie never abated, and I wanted to create a one-shot for this movie that was and remains one of my favorite movie worlds. Read on for the full one-shot. 

The Rules

Players must create a character to begin the adventure. They must select a name (I recommend unconventional names in the style of "Napoleon Dynamite") and two abilities from the list below. Characters are high school students at Idago High, and they replace Napoleon in this one-shot. The possible abilities are:

1. Sick Threads - Your totally fresh style is so impressive that people will listen to you more closely. Roll a d6, and any result of 4 or higher will allow you to change the mind of one person of your choosing. 
2. Moon Boots - You have anti-gravity moves that blow peoples' minds with a dance routine. Roll a d6, and any result of 5 or higher can convince a gathered group of people to think like you. 
3. Fine Artist - Your ability to draw the most incredible fantastical beasts moves people. Roll a d6, and any result of 4 or higher will inspire people to get the message of your art. 
4. Bowstaff Skills - Your reflexes are so fast that no one can get past your defenses. When bullies try to give you a hard time, you can evade their attacks with a d6 roll of 4 or higher. 
5. Future Farmer of America - Your time on farms has taught you to be an expert in agricultural matters. With a d6 roll of 4 or higher, you can access any piece of information about farming from your memory. 
6. Friends in Low Rider - Thanks to your friendship with Pedro, his intimidating cousins are willing to help you. With a d6 roll of 4 or higher, they will give you a ride or stare down someone. 
7. Pocket of Tots - You craftily stored some extra tater tots in a pocket on your pants. There are enough tots for three snacks; each snack adds a +1 to any roll. You can use more than one serving of tots at once. You may decide to consume the tots and accept the bonus(es) after the roll has been made. 
8. "Whatever I Wanna Do, Gosh!" - Your commitment to being wholly yourself makes you the master of your own fate. With a d6 roll of 5 or higher, you can change one detail about the scene you are currently in. This ability can only be used twice per game per character (if more than one character chooses this ability, each person can use the ability twice). This ability can only be attempted once per scene per person. 

For any other action a player wants to take that wouldn't be assumed as a success, have the player roll a d6, with 5 or higher counting as a success.

The One-Shot

[narration in italics]

Day One: A booming voice comes over the school intercom. "Welcome, students, to another year at Idago High. We hope you've enjoyed your summer vacation and that you're ready to come back and learn. Remember that there is a student body election in three days, so if you want to run for office, you had better get going. Best of luck to all of you, and a special welcome to our new students."

A mustachioed boy who you don't recognize is standing next to you in a crowd of students outside the school. He smiles faintly as the loudspeaker continues, saying to himself, "Hey, I'm a new student. That's me!" He looks over to you and sees that you noticed him speaking. "Hi," he says with that faint smile again. "I'm Pedro." 

The players should now introduce themselves to Pedro. Pedro is looking for friends and is grateful for someone speaking to him. After the players have introduced themselves:

"You know," says Pedro, "I think I might run for class president. I know that I'm new, but I already have a lot of ideas. In my old school, we had a class pet. It was a hamster. But another class had a class pet too, and their class pet was a snake. And of course nature took its course. That hamster ate that poor snake. So my rule will be that you can't have class pets that want to eat each other." 

The players can respond to Pedro however they want in terms of this, but lead the narration to this:

"I know we just met, but I really like your style and I think you would be a good Secretary for the Student Body or whatever. Would you help me get elected?" 

The party will probably agree to help. If they don't, you can have Pedro offer a reward, like a new pair of num-chuks or martial arts lessons. Once the party is on-board with electing Pedro:

The first day back to school is a flash. Announcements, introductions, assignments, and lots of milling through crowded hallways. Your stomach churns as you near your locker and notice Randy. Randy has been stealing your lunch money and putting you in a headlock since you started at this school. It's danged messed up. He notices you and smiles a depraved smile.

"Hey there, I know you've got something for me," Randy says. He cocks a fist as though to punch you, swings it and stops short of hitting you, and pulls his fist back. He does this again, and again, and on the fourth time, he actually tries to hit you. 

The players can deal with Randy as they see fit. If they avoid his attacks, he will get frustrated and leave. If they change his mind, he will leave them alone until the following day. If they use Pedro's cousins to intimidate Randy, he will leave the party along until the following day. If the party accepts Randy's abuse:

Pedro approaches after Randy finishes with you. "That's not cool," he says. "If I become president, I will make a rule about bullying: no more of it. That's a good rule." He smiles faintly but earnestly. 

However the party chooses to deal with Randy:

On the bus ride home, you start to think about how full the next two days are. The election is in two days, which means tomorrow will be very busy. You'll need to complete a total of five goals in whatever order you can manage. You must (1) work a shift at the egg farm, (2) campaign for Pedro, (3) compete at the Future Farmers of America event, (4) perform to support Pedro, and (5) feed Tina, the family llama. It's such a daunting list that you spend much of the evening mulling it over and end up passing out on the couch. You awaken to Uncle Rico shaking you awake. "C'mon, dummy!" he says. "Don't you know you're gonna be late for school if you don't get your behind in gear." It's not the best way to start a day, but it's what you're working with. As you rise and don today's totally rad outfit, you can hear Uncle Rico on the phone in the other room: "I could pull a football apart into tiny pieces, throw all those pieces in the air, and the pieces would reform into a football before it hit the ground. I've done it before, and not even in '82. Football's middle name is 'Uncle Rico.' I could eat an entire cow in fifteen minutes if I had enough steak sauce." He prattles on like this well past when you leave to catch the bus to school.

The party now must decide how to proceed with the day. When the party decides on an action, scroll down to the section on that event; the players can complete these tasks in any order. Some stages are easier if they've completed other stages before, so let players back out of a task if they want to go get an advantage in another task. When they are all complete, jump to the "Election" section at the end. 

The Egg Farm

Making money isn't easy. Uncle Rico is always hassling you about contributing to the family, so you picked up this job at a chicken facility. The manager doesn't seem to remember you no matter how many times you show up, but he can tell the difference between two identical eggs every time. He looks at you with a faraway gaze as though something is brewing, but a moment later, he spits on the ground and says, "Shift's starting," and shuffles off towards the coop. 

The party must complete a shift at the egg farm. They are responsible for handling the chickens, collecting the eggs, and depositing the eggs at the edge of the coop. In order to complete the shift, the players may try to handle the chickens with the "Future Farmer of America" skill; a success allows the chickens to be moved and the eggs harvested without issue. Failures on either of these rolls results in a combination of chicken scratches on the players, unhappy chickens, and broken eggs. Players may also use "Bowstaff Skills" to outmaneuver the chickens and grab their eggs. If the party completely fails the egg harvesting, the manager fires the party without paying them. If the party completes more than half of the egg harvesting, they are paid and sent on to the next task. If the party completes the job perfectly, they are rewarded with both pay and an FFA token, which can be used to increase odds of success at the FFA event.

The party must complete three tasks at the egg farm. First, they must safely remove the chickens from their roosts--again, "Future Farmer of America" and "Bowstaff Skills" can be helpful here. If a player has "Pocket of Tots," they can coax the chickens from their roosts. Second, they must remove the eggs--again, "Future Farmer of America" and "Bowstaff Skills" will help. Third, the players must safely carry the eggs. Halfway across the coop, have the players trip. "Moon Boots" and "Bowstaff Skills" grant you the grace to safely recover without dropping the eggs. Otherwise, roll a d6. On a 1-2, no eggs are lost. On a 3, one quarter of the eggs are lost. On a 4, one half the eggs are lost. On a 5, three quarters of the eggs are lost. On a 6, all the eggs are lost. If less than half the total eggs remain after this step, the party will not be paid, but they will receive the FFA token. If more than three-quarters of the party's total eggs are safe, the pay is boosted. Standard pay is $6; boosted pay is $10. 

The long shift done, you managed to survive the dark, damp chicken coop and the large talons. Even Uncle Rico can't complain--you did your best, and that's all anyone can ask for, okay, jeez. 

Campaign for Pedro

You need to spread the good word about Pedro and about how if you vote for him, all of your dreams will come true. If you really want to make in impact, though, you'll need to give people something. "We should definitely talk to people and tell them to vote for me. But if we had, like, little bracelets that said 'Vote for Pedro,' or, like, little flags that said 'Vote for Pedro,' or, like, little coffee mugs that said 'Vote for Pedro,' I think people would remember it better. Or, you know, like anything that said 'Vote for Pedro' on it. That's the important part. Do you think we can make something like that?" 

Let the players brainstorm their strategies. If they have money, they can spend it at a small crafts fair happening on school grounds. $6 will buy enough small items to give to 20 people. $10 will be enough to buy items for 40 people. A player can use "Fine Artist" to create their own flyers or other handouts. 

The players must speak to three people as a representative of their time campaigning. For all of these interactions, the skill "Sick Threads" will allow the players to sway peoples' opinions. They can also use "Friends in Low Rider" to intimidate stubborn voters. First, they must speak to someone who is neutral in the race--Paul. When told about Pedro: 

"That's cool, I guess. Are you gonna get the AV Club's projector fixed?" 

If the players can convince Paul that Pedro will help the AV Club, he will agree to vote for Pedro and even spread the word. Next, the players must speak to someone who has a preference for Summer--Beatrice. When told about Pedro: 

"Yeah, I dunno. Summer is my friend and I don't really know anything about Peh-dro."

The players can convince Beatrice to vote for Pedro with "Sick Threads" or "Friends in Low Rider." No matter how well it goes, she will not spread the word about Pedro. If the players can get on Beatrice's good side: 

"Don't do a dance for your talent portion of your speech. Summer's really insecure about her new dance number and she doesn't want people comparing the performances." 

Finally, the players must speak to Trisha, Summer's best friend. When told about Pedro:

"Ew. No. I will be onstage with Summer to show my support." 

The party can once again try "Sick Threads" or "Low Rider," but it will raise the threshold for success from 4 to 5 for both skills. If Trisha is convinced to vote for Pedro: 

"Okay fine. I'll vote for Pedro. Summer really only cares about winning a popularity contest anyway. But don't tell anyone!" 

Once the three people have been spoken to, the school grounds start to thin out and there are no longer enough people to campaign to. If no people were convinced to vote for Pedro, the few people on school grounds are wearing "Vote for Summer" t-shirts. If one person was convinced to vote for Pedro, the remaining people are wearing a mixture of "Vote for Pedro" and "Vote for Summer" shirts. If two people were convinced to vote for Pedro, most of the remaining people are wearing "Vote for Pedro" shirts. If all three people were convinced to vote for Pedro, there is a small crowd of people wearing "Vote for Pedro" shirts, and there are "Vote for Pedro" signs and posters everywhere. If the players distributed items from the crafts fair or distributed their own flyers, the effects are multiplied: twice as many people for the $6 investment and three times as many for the $10 investment. 

Future Farmers of America Event

Today is the big day. The day to prove that you've learned what your forefathers did to support their families, that your family still does today. It's time to prove to the FFA that you know your stuff. You enter a grand blue tent outside the Old Rudolph Farm, and inside are booths set up with various challenges. You see people tying knots, shearing sheep, and identifying different grasses by smell. A short woman in overalls comes over to your with a clipboard. "I see you're signed up for milk tasting, farm plotting, and dirt licking. Let's get you to your events--you're a little late." 

She leads you to a booth with a series of glasses of milk before you. You are ushered to a seat before the glasses. "Okay, taste each milk and tell us what's wrong with it." 

The players must now identify the defects in three glasses of milk. Any player can taste and try to identify the milks with a d6 roll--a 5 or higher will grant them the correct answer. A player can use "Future Farmer of America" to make this roll with 4 or higher being a success. Any player who earned their FFA token by working at the egg farm can lower the threshold of success for these rolls by 1 (5 or higher becomes 4 or higher, for instance).  

If the players roll a failure, tell them the wrong answer for the milk's defect, as indicated below. I suggest ad-libbing another possibility if more than one player fails. If they succeed, tell them the right answer. If they roll a 6, let them know they are certain of their answer. For extra drama, don't let the players know whether their roll is a success or failure. The milk defects are as follows: 

1. Cow had a fever (Correct)
1. Cow drank lemon juice (Incorrect)
2. Milk has pesticides in it (Correct)
1. Milk has urine in it (Incorrect)
3. Milk is expired (Correct)
1. Cow is too old to bear milk (Incorrect)

Scoring 2 out of 3 milks or better is considered a success, and 1 or fewer a failure. Any player who succeeds passes to the next round with a chance to win it all. Any player who failed is allowed to continue, but will not be considered a contender. 

"Okay then, off to the next event. If you'll just follow me this way to the farm plotting booth." You follow the overalled woman to another booth, this one with architect's tables and large sheets of paper. "Use the supplies to draw a farm plot that could sustain a family of four." 

The players must now prepare their plots. You may have them each draw separately, or have them work together on one plot. To draw a plot, players may roll a d6--a roll of 5 or higher will result in a successful drawing. A player may use "Fine Artist" to complete this task with a 4 or higher, as can a player using "Future Farmer of America." Any player who earned an FFA token at the egg farm can make this roll with the difficulty threshold lowered by 1 (5 or higher becomes 4 or higher, for example). 

If the players succeed in their drawings, they may proceed to the next round. If they failed, they can continue, but cannot win it all. 

"Alright, last round: dirt licking. You have to be able to identify which crop was grown in each soil sample. This one's for all the marbles." You are seated at a small table with three cups of dirt. 

The players must now detect the crop signatures of the dirt. A player can identify the dirt with a d6 roll--5 or higher means a success. A player with "Future Farmer of America" can make this roll with 4 or higher counted as a success. Any player with the FFA token from the egg farm can lower the difficulty threshold by 1 (5 or higher becomes 4 or higher, for instance). A player who fails at this roll is given the incorrect answer. 

1. Sweet Corn (Correct)
1. Barley (Incorrect)
2. Parsnips (Correct)
1. Radishes (Incorrect)
3. Blueberries (Correct)
1. Raspberries (Incorrect)

If a player gets 2 out of 3 or more correct, they are successful. 1 correct or less is a failure, and the player is eliminated. If all the players failed along the way:

A voice booms over a loudspeaker: "Congratulations Gloria Westerfield, this year's FFA champion! She sheared a sheep one-handed and had a perfect record identifying animal feces by texture. She wins this year's prize: a full-page spot in the FFA newsletter to say whatever she wants. Thanks to everyone for competing." 

If any of the players manage to succeed throughout the three events: 

A voice booms over a loudspeaker: "Congratulations to [player names], this year's FFA champion(s)! They identified milk defects like a champ, drew an impressive farm plot, and licked dirt like you wouldn't believe. They win this year's prize: a full-page spot in the FFA newsletter to say whatever they want. Thanks to everyone for competing." 

The players can do whatever they choose with the adspace, but if they use it to promote Pedro in the school election, it will double his support (doubled after completing all five areas).

Perform to Support Pedro

The stage is set: Summer is finishing her speech, some ramble about not wanting "chiminey-changas" in the cafeteria next year. Standing next to you, Pedro flinches at her butchering of the word. He turns to you, defiance in his eyes. "I was told life would be better here in America. But it seems like some people don't want it to be. It makes me sad, but I don't want to leave. We have to make it better." Summer has finished her speech now, and the auditorium is rocked by applause. She takes the stage again with her friends, and they perform a dance number for the crowd. Pedro turns to you again, more subdued now. "I don't think I have a talent that will make these people happy. Can you do something? You have so many skills." 

The party has a moment to talk things over. No matter how the players coax, Pedro will not perform himself--he seems defeated and is barely up to giving his speech. The responsibility falls to the players. When they're nearing a strategy:

Summer's dance is over. Pedro takes the stage at the tail end of even heartier applause than before. He stands silently for a moment, regarding the crowd thoughtfully. "I know that everybody loves Summer. I don't want to stop that. But I think this school could be a better place. I see people get beat up for lunch money, and ignored by their teachers, and no one has a place to go to fix it. That's why I will be that person--I'll help you fix it. And if you vote for me, all your dreams will come true." 

If the players have already campaigned for Pedro or put an ad in the FFA newsletter for him, have a pretty hearty response to Pedro's speech, though still more subdued that the response to Summer's dance.

Pedro leaves the podium. A stage hand ushers you onto the stage. The lights focus on you. It's your time to shine. What do you do? 

The players must now do something to entertain the crowd. With "Moon Boots," a player can roll to influence the crowd with some sweet moves--this can be improved to success at 3 or higher if someone else in the party deploys "Sick Threads" successfully at the same time. A player may draw something live before the crowd using "Fine Artist." A player may entertain the crowd with a weapon drill using "Bowstaff Skills." The party may also improvise any other kind of entertainment--simply use a d6 roll and count 5 or higher as a success. You may grant them a bonus (such as +1 to a roll) if they deploy other skills or if their idea is especially clever. 

If the performance is a success: 

Your performance ends. There is a moment of uncertain silence. Then, thunderous applause fills the auditorium. People are screaming and leaping to their feet. They have never seen anything like this, and they love it. The applause continues long after you leave the stage. They begin chanting Pedro's name. 

If the performance is a failure: 

Your performance ends. There is a moment of uncertain silence. It goes on longer than you'd like. "Boo!" comes a cry from the crowd. There are a few other "boo"s from across the auditorium, but they die out quickly as people begin to leave the auditorium, seemingly in a rush. You are left standing in the middle of the stage as everyone turns their back on you. 

If Trisha told the players not to do a dance to spare Summer, and the players did a dance that was more popular than Summer's, Summer bursts into tears and runs out of the auditorium. 

Feed Tina

That monstrous thing. She eats whatever you give her, she spits accurately and angrily, and she's rushed you at the fence more times than you can remember. The neighbors say she's not so bad, and Grandma even says she's a sweet animal, but you know the truth. And it's feeding time. You're at the fridge, and you have to decide: will she get a cheesy potato casserole, a hamsteak, or a plate of leftover scrambled eggs? 

The players must now deliberate over which food to give her. The choice makes no difference--Tina will aggressively try to get the food no matter what. When the players have selected a dish:

You near the fence. Tina can smell the food; she turns and faces you from the far side of the pen, then charges toward you. She doesn't slow until she's only feet from the fence, and comes sliding to a halt with mouth open, teeth gnashing. Her neck is inclined over the fence, and she is chomping violently to get the food. 

The players can now roll to feed Tina. They may roll a d6 and count 5 or higher as a success. A player may use the ability "Future Farmer of America" to feed Tina with 4 or higher being a success. A player may use "Bowstaff Skills" to feed Tina safely with a 4 or higher as a success. If the player has "Pocket of Tots," they can use one serving of tots to distract and safely feed Tina without a roll. Once Tina has been fed: 

She's consumed it all and is stalking around her pen as though she's looking for more. She spits in your direction, and it makes it further than you'd think, though not far enough to reach you. She makes eye contact and poops. 

Facing Uncle Rico and the Election Results

Once the players have completed all five of the tasks, it's time to head home. The results of the election will be announced in the morning, but until then, you must return home. 

"Alright, home late, I see," says Uncle Rico, sprawled across most of the couch. "Did you get out there and make some moolah like I asked?" 

If the players made money at the egg farm and didn't spend it campaigning for Pedro, they can give Uncle Rico the money. Whether the players have money or not: 

"Really? [Nothing?/Six bucks?/Ten bucks?] That's the best you can do? You're useless. Here I am, a perfect specimen of man, I could throw a football so hard it would knock your guts out your butt, and this is the best you can do?" 

You knew then that if you let Uncle Rico treat you like this, you'd never forgive yourself. You knew you had to shut Uncle Rico down. So you let him have it. 

The players now must insult Uncle Rico. A player may use "Sick Threads" via clothing, "Moon Boots" via dance, "Fine Artist" via an insulting drawing, "Bowstaff Skills" or "Friends in Low Rider" via intimidation; all of these require a 4 or higher to succeed. A success on one of these skills also lowers the threshold of success for the other rolls by 1 each. If the players mock Uncle Rico for not being good at football, he takes it especially personally and grants an additional +1 to any player's rolls. The players get three chances to shut down Uncle Rico--if they succeed on any of them, Uncle Rico has a meltdown (there is almost no chance that the players can't defeat Uncle Rico, but if they do, have him melt down because of the stress of arguing):

"I haven't been able to throw a football right in years," Uncle Rico sobs. "You're right, I'm not who I say I am. I'm just a thoroughly broken person who's too afraid to take getting better seriously." He stops crying for a moment and glances into the kitchen. "You think you could cook me up a 'feel better' steak?"

Hours later, you've dealt with Uncle Rico. You're lying down to bed. In the morning, it all plays out. It's hard to get to sleep with so much excitement, but you manage to nod off before too late. In the morning, the house is cleaned up, and Uncle Rico has left you a note: "Went to find a therapist. Good luck with the election. Go Pedro!" 

You make it to the school grounds. Everyone is chattering with the surprising turn of the election. Upstart Pedro giving shoo-in Summer a run for her money? Some people even say Pedro might win. 

All the students pile into the auditorium again. The principal of the school is standing at the podium with a sheet of paper he's studying with a puzzled look. Finally, he clears his throat and speaks. 

"We've gathered here to share the results of the election for student body president. And it was a squeaker. But--"

To finish the principal's sentence, choose the phrases that match what your players did (if they failed at everything, jump ahead to the narration below for Summer winning):

"But thanks to the campaign team's [hard work at local farms], [promotion of their candidate], [dedication to the craft of farming], [and/or] [incredible performance,] they managed to surprise everyone. Thanks to their hard work, our new student body president is Pedro Sanchez." Cheers go up from across the auditorium. Hats sail through the air. Pedro rises to his feet and makes his way to the stage.

"I'm so grateful. I promise, I will do everything I can to make Idago High the best school it can be. And like I said, now all your wildest dreams will come true." 

As he finishes speaking those words, a rumbling rocks the auditorium. Everyone recoils in shock as the floorboards of the stage rip open and a giant sword-wielding cyclops riding a liger emerges. It opens its mouth in a roar, but is crushed by an enormous snake which falls from the ceiling before it can make a sound. Nightmare creatures of all shapes and sizes fill the auditorium, and screams of terror erupt from every living soul trapped inside. 

On stage, Pedro smiles faintly. Blazing fires gleam in his eyes. He laughs to himself, and says, "Yes, and now all of my dreams have come true." 

THE END

The Warriors One-Shot

In 2005, Rockstar Games (who you probably know as the folks who make Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption) made a video game version of the 1979 film The Warriors. Although I had never seen the movie, I loved the game's story and aesthetics, and my brother and I played the game over and over again. Later, my love of the game would lead me to watch the cult classic movie, and though it certainly isn't perfect, it is a memorable film with a story that really lends itself to gaming. So I thought I would try my hand at making a tabletop game version of The Warriors that uses those same draws from the video game and the film. Read on for the full one-shot. 

The Rules

This game revolves around getting from the Bronx to Coney Island without being arrested or wasted. In combat, a character can sustain five successful attacks from enemies; on the sixth, they are either killed by gang members or arrested by police. In combat, a player rolls a d6, and a roll of 4 or higher results in a successful attack. In general, players can choose to employ one of three approaches: diplomacy, combat, and running away. Each of these three approaches has associated abilities. A player in this one-shot selects a total of two abilities from any of the available options and can use those two abilities throughout the one-shot. The abilities are as follows: 

Diplomacy

1. Cool Head: When other gang members lose their tempers, you remain focused and calm. Roll a d6 to likewise calm the number of people that matches the result of your roll.
2. Smooth Talker: When a gang member is threatening you, you can flatter them about the power and reputation of their gang and convince them not to attack with a d6 roll of 4 or higher. 
3. Speak Truth to Power: When addressing a police officer, you can intimidate them into waiting for backup before attacking you with a d6 roll of 4 or higher. 

Combat

1. Brawler: Whereas a character normally rolls a d6 to attack and regards a 4 or higher as a success, a character with this ability can roll a d6 and regard a 3 or higher as a success. 
2. Knockout: Once per encounter, a character with this ability can deal two successful attacks with a single roll; a successful attack roll means that the attacked person takes double damage from the attack.
3. Stack of Bruises: Once per encounter, a character with this ability may roll to ignore a successful attack; they can roll a d6 and count 5 or higher as a success and ignore the incoming attack. 

Running Away

1. Conditioning: As a regular runner, you are able to stay one step ahead of pursuers. With a d6 roll of 4 or higher, a character with this ability can lose their pursuers.
2. Expert Hiding: You are an expert at taking cover; with a d6 roll of 5 or higher, you can disappear from a scene until the coast is clear--this roll is successful with a 4 or higher if there is a distraction. 
3. Distraction: You can cause people to become distracted from pursuing your gang. With a d6 roll of 4 or higher, you can cause a commotion and allow your gang a full turn to get the upper hand or escape. 

The Big Lebowski One-Shot

One of the most iconic movies by some of the most iconic filmmakers is the Coen brothers' The Big Lebowski. It is eminently quotable, full of memorable characters, and marked by surprises. The movie itself follows a loose plot about a mix-up between two men both named Jeffrey Lebowski, and that plot is strayed from again and again to share the strange antics of the Dude and his friends. This one-shot follows a team of players, all named Lebowski, who must navigate the bizarre world of the movie and achieve the Dude's goal of getting his rug back (it really tied the room together). Read on for the full one-shot. 

Alice in Wonderland One-Shot

One of the most classic animated films of all time is Disney's 1951 adaptation of Alice in Wonderland. The film's beautiful visuals and imaginative reinterpretation of Lewis Carroll's books Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass are both memorable and inspiring. Why not allow your players a chance to play out an adventure in the world of the movie and books? With this custom one-shot, you can run a game that drops your players directly in a story that gave form to the childhoods of generations. Read on for the full one-shot. 

A note about the composition of this one-shot: Alice in Wonderland poses a lot of distinct issues as source material. For one, much of the film's appeal is in its lush visuals, which cannot be reproduced via a tabletop game. For two, the plot of the movie and the books is simply that Alice wanders from interesting discovery to interesting discovery; there is no narrative force that guides her. And for three, the film is such a classic that reproducing it faithfully would not be satisfying--I could only ever accomplish an imitation of the film, not actually create something in the same vein. For these reasons, this one-shot is not a direct adaptation of the film or the books that the film adapts; it is instead a complete reinterpretation of the source material, just as Disney attempted seventy years ago. 

Monty Python and the Holy Grail One-Shot

Perhaps the greatest medieval tale of all time is the legend of King Arthur. In 1975, legendary comedy group Monty Python parodied that tale in their film Holy Grail. If you're like me, this film is a part of your world, a movie that looms larger than life. I've developed this film into a one-shot, allowing you and your players to experience this movie and all its absurdist energy. Read on for the full one-shot. 

I want to acknowledge something about the writing process for this one-shot. Much of the legacy of this film is in the exact execution of each joke, and I considered writing the one-shot such that each famous joke got its moment in the game. But Holy Grail is not an easily adaptable title. Not only do these jokes not carry over via repetition in the game, but the plot of the film is all over the place. As a result, creating a coherent one-shot meant keeping the content but not the order or style of the film. I am aiming for a one-shot that preserves the spirit of the movie rather than its exact expression. I hope that the result is enjoyable for you and your players. 

How to Design a One-Shot from a Movie

While campaigns are often home to hand-spun adventures created by the GM, one-shots can be practically anything. All it takes is one problem, and you've got a story for your players to solve. One way to create especially memorable one-shots is to base your story on that of a movie or game that your players enjoy. Here on this site, I have already created one-shots based on the movies Cats and Con Air, with plans to create even more as time goes by. Both of these one-shots take the basic framework of the movie's story and develop it into moments that the players can use to be creative (the goal of most any TRPG). Read on for the guide on how to create a one-shot from a movie, using Cats as a foundation. 

Your first step for recreating another media is to watch the movie you're adapting (or play the game in question, but for the sake of this article, we're focusing on movies). Sit down with the movie and a notepad and write down anything that sticks out to you. You should be looking for major plot points, interesting characters, memorable moments, and anything that you think might belong in the one-shot. For the Cats one-shot, I didn't have too much plot to work with, but I did have plenty of other things to track. I recorded that the movie begins with the description of a competition to be the Jellicle Cat; from there, I kept track of the cats that populate the story, including descriptions of how these characters behave in the context of the plot. Because part of the goal with this one-shot was to come together and mock the movie (in a mostly loving way), I also noted really bonkers things like the singing cockroach group and the repetition of the song "Memories." Finally, I made some general notes about the ending of the movie. Once we get there, we're going to be completely rewriting the ending, but it's good to have an understanding of what the movie does and why. 

Now that we have our notes, it's time to work on the big picture. For Cats, I wanted the tone of the one-shot to be funny and weird, so my narration strives to match that tone. If you refer to the beginning of this one-shot, you'll see that the player characters begin in a sack thrown onto a dock, just like the movie's opening. Then a selection of cats approaches the players and describe the Jellicle Ball, again just as in the movie. The early phases of your one-shot should generally align with the movie you're adapting so that you can place your players in the world of the movie. Once you know your tone and general framework of the plot (which you've gotten from the movie), you can move on to the rules system. 

This is one of the more intimidating parts of designing a custom one-shot. You can quite easily adapt systems that already exist for your game--I am currently working on a one-shot based on Monty Python's Holy Grail, and for that, traditional D&D will work quite well. But for Cats, there was no model that worked well as a system for what I wanted to do. And as it turns out, it's not too complicated to create a system from scratch. All it takes is starting with a sense of what you want your players to be able to do and extrapolating from there. In the Cats one-shot, I wanted my players to be able to act with a wide range of abilities, so rather than create specific skills, I just set in place a system where all rolls rely on the player's choice of abilities. Specifically, the game states that the player can favor two out of five abilities which can contain essentially any action the player wants to take. Trying to calm another cat would be a Fostering roll, for instance, and blending in with the shadows requires a Sneak roll. Where skill-based games ask the players to align their actions with a selection of actions in the game, this model lets the players decide on an action organically and fit that action into the rules. 

So if you decide to create your own rules system (and I think you should try it), here's the general gist: what do you want your players to be able to do? If it's a broad roleplaying system, a simple system like the Cats one-shot's will serve you well. A bigger, more statistically dense system can be borrowed from existing games. Somewhere in the between, you can create a system with unique abilities like I did for the Con Air one-shot, where players choose special abilities that help them be more threatening in combat, more able to negotiate, or able to safely land a place. These abilities are all centered around both the skills they'll need to complete the adventure and the sensibility of the movie they come from. A little imbalance is generally fine here, as it's only a single-session game, and you'll really only face issues there is your game is far out-of-balance. 

With a big picture complete and a rules system that is ready for players, it's time to write the actual story of the one-shot. This step will vary pretty widely depending on the movie you have picked. The Cats one-shot is very freeform in shape because the movie itself has only a loose plot which isn't really the point of the movie. As a result, my one-shot keeps certain character traits and ideas in place, but I couldn't exactly adapt a musical into a one-shot by keeping everything. I wrote original songs for the one-shot to honor that, but the basis of the one-shot had to be something else. I decided on having the players face abstract challenges from other Jellicle competitors in order to replicate the sense of competition but still give my players a chance to solve the puzzle of how to deal with each cat. For Cats, I thought that an isolated challenge followed by references to the movie in alternating fashion would recreate the sensibility of the movie but in TRPG form. And sure enough, my players really enjoyed this one-shot because it let them be a part of the movie's universe in a way that still granted them control to act as players. 

But Cats is a unique example. Other movies are more carefully scripted and coherent, and that means that you'll want to adhere more closely to the plot of the movie. That's where Con Air comes in. I was worried while writing this one-shot that my players would not be able to follow the story of the movie well in one-shot form--how can you guarantee that players will deboard and reboard a plane three different times without deciding to do something else entirely? But I pushed my narration a little further than usual, more or less taking some choice away from the players and returning them to the plane each time, and sure enough, the players managed to make it through the entire one-shot without getting derailed. For Con Air, I kept essentially every major scene in it, offering the players opportunities to be involved in each scene in the movie. If you read through the one-shot, you'll see that until the very end, there is almost no deviation from the movie's plot at all. With movie that bank on plot rather than tone, you'll want to preserve most of the story. 

Finally, it's time to write the ending of our one-shot. We want the ending to be different from the movie so that we can surprise our players. If they were to play through Con Air and experience the movie's ending, with the dramatic plane landing on the Vegas strip and the final showdown, they might enjoy the feeling of reenacting the movie themselves. But they will be far more intrigued and motivated if the end of your one-shot goes in a different direction that honors the movie itself. If you've read through either Cats or Con Air, you know the endings get pretty wild. Cats ends with the players emerging in cat heaven for their "new life," and they learn that the deal they have accepted is a dark one that means death for the cats. Con Air, on the other hand, takes Vegas out of the equation as destination and transports the convicts to Area 51, where Cyrus has made a deal with imprisoned aliens. These endings are a little wild, but let me assure you: my players loved these endings. They recreate the movies' insanity and raise the stakes narratively while still adding something new to the stories. So reach for the stars with your endings (literally, if you choose), and watch as your one-shot becomes a far more exciting adaptation of the movie. 

It's actually that simple. Notes, big picture, rules system, script, changed ending: five simple steps to go from a movie to a one-shot. With this guide, you should be able to turn just about any movie into a one-shot, and that means that you can reward your players with games set in their favorite fictional worlds. You can adapt tv shows and video games, books and even songs if you set your mind to it. Soon, you'll be able to create original gaming materials for your players in a personalized way, and I promise that your players will be amazed by how much fun it can be to disappear into their favorite movies. 

That's all for now. Coming soon: how to write player notes on in-game documents, a list of technologies to make available in your world, and an argument against min-maxing. Until next time, happy gaming!

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