As per title, what’s your opinion on the best published scenario for a one-shot? I’ve moved to a new area and am looking to run a one-shot at the local gaming club. My twin objectives are to introduce myself and begin scouting for a local group and introduce Dune (and 2d20) to the broader club (pretty sure no one has played it much).
Hit me up with your recommendations and your opinions on why they’re great for a one-shot!
If you don’t know the group you will be running for I would suggest Desertfall as a safe bet.
The way it is set it is fairly open to people who know Dune as well as those that have little to no knowledge of the setting.
It also introduces the intrigue heavy feel of Dune, which means any players will know what they are getting into while still having the option for a few good fights.
My main concern is that it can stretch on for a one-off, so you may need to watch your time management.
Harvestors is another good one, and actually my preferred one-off, but I’d run it as a follow on to Desertfall purely as it helps if your players know a bit about Dune.
I hear all your points there. Desertfall does really cover all the bases - an early skirmish, investigation, intrigue, betrayal - but given the way I run my games it’s probably likely to go a bit longer than one snappy session. Time management is not my forte; I tend to let my players explore perhaps more than I should, even when it’s not necessary to the overall plot.
What do you see as the strengths of Harvesters? I mean, obviously it’s got iconic scenes built into it, what with sandworms and all. From a new player perspective, what do you think it does well?
I prefer Harvesters as, like you, I have time management issues in my games. My players want to chase down a random lead in a casino that is supposed to be 1 roll? Fine. In the Desertfall playtest my players literally turned over one of gambling dens and made it a part of the Caladan Mafia…
Harvesters main strength to me is that it is fairly well contained. You have the carryall, the desert and then the harvester. Those are your 3 scenes, it is hard to get side tracked too much, which is good in a one-shot.
You are on Arrakis, the desert planet, the one everyone knows. You meet the Fremen in a way that is similar to the film, players who have seen Dune pt 1 can immediately relate to that.
Then you have the betrayal, but in a way that gives the players multiple options to deal with it. Violence, negotiation (with the crew at least), being sneaky gits. All very Dune.
If you need to you can expand on sections, the storage depot is mentioned, smugglers can be brought in. You could easily add those in before or after Scene II if you wanted to extend it.
Finally, like Desertfall, it can lead to more campaign options. You have the possible Fremen link, the mysterious enemy House, smugglers, an escaped traitor maybe…
It holds it’s own as a stand alone or a campaign starter.