Question on running a Sorcerer one shot

[Drew Stevens]

So, I've been contemplating running a Sorcerer one shot for mine comrades- part of an ongoing effort to introduce more folks to more varied forms of roleplaying than vanillia immersionism which is the assumed default.

Now, I recognize that the meaning of Humanity and Demons is very important to the resonance of Sorcerer- would ya'll recommend breaking the one-shot into two-shots, where the first one plays the game of definitions and character creation, while the second is a scenerio one shot of the defined?  Or would it be better to simply come to the table with a scenerio and pre-gens in hand?

[Fabrice G.]

Hi Drew,

from my personnal experience of Sorecer games, if you're sure about the one-shot format for your game, I would definitely recommand you to have already worked out definition for Humanity, Demons, Sorcery and a setting.

Then you basically have two choices:
1) make pre-gen characters and start to play right now. That's what I did for a convention scenario that I played with three different groups, and I had a blast every single time ; and that's what Ron's one-shot scenario propose.

+ : all the characters have a strong kicker that fit really well into the game you plan to run ; you don't have to theorize and give explications, intead the players discover the strengh of the game via actual play.
- : the connection between each player and his character and his demon is not as great as if the player created them (so the interest to see what happen can be lessened, and the player can be more prompted to choose actor over author stance) ; the same can be said about the kicker.


2) make a one-sheet out of your prep, present it to the players and let them make their own character. That's what I mostly did, but not for one-shot games.

Reverse the "+" and "-".


So, as each way has its merits and its drawbacks, so you should clearly decide what's your aim and it should help you choose between the two.

But in any case, one of the most important thing : you should bring your vision of the game to the table, and have clear answers if the players want to hear them. It was my great flaws : I wanted the players to co-create almost everything, but in the end they were more hampered than helped by the lack of frame and structure, and the game would no fly.


Take care,

Fabrice

[kwill]

hi drew,

I agree with fabrice's suggestions on running a one-shot

additionally, focus on one aspect of sorcerer you would like to highlight; I know I would have made the mistake of trying to do it all at once (and failing) had ron not advised otherwise

personally I have yet to start a campaign, but running a few one-shots has been very useful in terms of introducing the game to others and getting to grips with it myself

[angelfromanotherpin]

In Sex and Sorcery, there's a fantastic example of a one-shot: In Utero.  

The bonds between the pregenerated characters are strong, because the connection is on a familial level, which everyone can relate to.  So there are ways to get the players emotionally invested even in pregenerated characters, if you're ruthless enough about it.

It also has a good example listing of Humanity loss/gain actions you're likely to see in the scenario, which is a useful tool to have on hand.  

Also, when it comes to focusing on one aspect of the game, consider your goals.  A game focusing on the Humanity mechanics is a very different experience than one focusing on how the system deals with the Sorcery itself or with complex combat resolution.  Figure out precisely what it is about Sorcerer you want to show your group.