You planned for one night. Just one. But now it’s 2 AM, half the table is begging to finish next week, and the goblin prisoner your bard adopted has an entire backstory. Sound familiar? Welcome to the most common trap in tabletop gaming: the one-shot that accidentally becomes a campaign.
Let’s fix that and learn how to keep a one-shot from becoming a campaign!
Set Clear Expectations (Before You Roll Anything)
Your players need to know: This is a one-shot. Not a pilot. Not “let’s see where this goes.” It’s a complete story, with a beginning, middle, and end—in a single session.
Make it clear at the table and in any prep materials. Say something like:
“Tonight’s session is self-contained. We’ll finish it tonight. You can get as attached as you want, but it’s going to have an ending.”
This is your best defence against accidental sprawling.
Start Fast, Skip the Setup
Don’t waste time in a tavern waiting for the quest to walk through the door. Drop your party into the action:
- Infiltrating the villain’s lair
- Mid-caravan chase
- Digging out of a collapsed tomb
Let players backfill character details through play. The faster the plot starts, the harder it is to meander.
Need help crafting that opening moment? We shared five of our favourite one-shot hooks that drop your party straight into the fire.
Limit NPC and Plot Threads
Every new character or side story is a possible hook for a sequel. Keep your NPCs focused: one ally, one antagonist, maybe one wildcard.
Avoid loose ends. You don’t need to tie everything up neatly, but you do need to avoid introducing mysteries you don’t plan to solve.
Use a Ticking Clock
A great way to keep a one-shot short is to put a literal or narrative timer on the session:
- The eclipse ends in 4 hours.
- The prisoner hangs at dawn.
- The ruins start collapsing in 20 minutes.
This drives urgency and helps you and your players naturally reach the end.
Know Your Ending
Your one-shot should aim to reach a climax around the 3-hour mark, even if you have 4 or 5 hours to play.
Pick an ending moment and build toward it:
- A final boss battle
- A dramatic moral choice
- An escape under fire
This gives the session shape and lets you wrap with satisfaction.
Need a structure to help with timing and flow? Our one-shot writing guide walks you through it in five practical steps.
When It Does Become a Campaign…
Sometimes, despite everything, it still happens. The chemistry is too good. The goblin prisoner is too compelling. The story wants more.
That’s okay.
But try ending the one-shot anyway. Let it be complete. Then say:
“If you all want to come back to this world, we can. But we’ll treat that as a new story.”
This keeps your one-shot structure intact and gives the group a clean starting line if you continue.
One-shots are like fireworks—brief, bright, and explosive. You want to end with a bang, not a “to be continued.”
For more tips on managing scope and designing tight adventures, the team at Gnome Stew also offers great advice on one-shot pacing and prep.
