Can you recommend: one-shot, Inspectres-esque game?

[hix]

Hi (and I hope this is the right forum).

Our group's had a gaming slot open up for next week. Does anybody know any games that are being (or have been) cooked in Indie Design that could play complete in one session and don't require extensive/any prep?

[Trevis Martin]

Universalis is the first thing that comes to mind, besides Inspectres.  Zak Arneston's Shadows is also good (at least I've had good experiences with it on short notice.)  SOAP by Ferry Bezelmans (?) is also a lot of fun and no prep.

Trevis

[Jack Aidley]

Our group's had a gaming slot open up for next week. Does anybody know any games that are being (or have been) cooked in Indie Design that could play complete in one session and don't require extensive/any prep?

My own Great Ork Gods is designed to be played as a one shot and comes with a pre-written scenario. It's not awfully like InSpectres, though.

[timfire]

You can check out my own "the Mountain Witch." Though it may feel a bit rushed, it can be played in a single session.

You play ronin samurai, who - desperately seeking a chance to regain their former lives - have accepted a contract to assault the Mountain Witch of Mt. Fuji. But each samurai carries with them a dark fate or secret, that threatens the success of the mission and tests the trust of the company.

The game focuses alot on the intra-party interaction between the characters. The main feature of the game is a Trust mechanic, where players award each other points that can be used to influence each other's characters, for either good or ill.

(Can you tell I'm trying to get more people to playtest my game?)

[Michael S. Miller]

My Life with Master runs really well in one session, particularly if you set Fear and Reason low (2 to 3).

If you run InSpectres in a single-session, I highly suggest starting them off with dirt-poor Franchise Dice (maybe 3) and then run them through multiple missions in a single session. Since so much of the game is about building the Franchise, it deserves to be played.

[xiombarg]

I think you'd be able to run an interesting game of Children of the North as a one-shot...

[Zak Arntson]

Almost all of my games, really. The two I'm most proud of:

Shadows
Metal Opera

[hix]

Thanks everyone, we're playing tonight - and it looks like it will come down to a choice between 'Shadows' and 'Metal Opera'.

[Zak Arntson]

Awesome! I'm looking forward (hint hint) to the Actual Play post ...