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I pride myself on my ability to run convention one-shots. I've also written several one shots. I'm going to post a few tips. https://twitter.com/_hex8/status/1345426179289796609
It takes anywhere from 15-30 minutes for characters/rules/safety/etc. to be established. Also save about 15-30 minutes for after-play wrap up. Factor this in to your time. If you have a 4-hour slot, you're really looking at just 3-3 1/2 hours of play.
Give your players an immediate way to be introduced to the world and the story at once. For example, I wrote a Baker Street one-shot where I gathered them all in a White House banquet room. I let the players talk for ~15 minutes wondering what's going on after the initial hook
But not every group wants that full 15. Jump in when they are ready and get them hooked in with a quest/fight/goal right then. But don't let them just ramble on for longer than that or you won't get to your content.
You will know when they're ready by the "popcorn rule." You know how you should take your popcorn out of the microwave when the pops have a longer pause between?
Same thing with the in-character talk.
Same thing with the in-character talk.
Don't let the first encounter drag. Fighting in particular takes a long time to get through. This is a one-shot, so you should expect all characters to survive that first encounter if you're doing combat at all. So don't be afraid to make it easy on them or have a deus ex machina
I say anywhere from 15-30 for that first scene/act. After the first scene, your players will get their first lead--where should they go next? This doesn't require railroading: you can guess in your writing or converge streams. They don't need to see everything you planned...
Think of those Choose Your Own Adventure books. You don't read all the pages.
The second scene/act should be a little longer. At this point, you're probably a full hour into your session. The next hour and a half can be for this second session. They're probably going to make a plan of some kind and execute it. If they take longer than 10 minutes to plan--
--drop an event to push them forward. Or include some sort of natural clock/timeline in the game itself. Baker Street was great for this because there's a mechanic that increases the threat when the detectives purse false leads.
At the end of this act, your players should have "solved" what's going on in the one-shot, but haven't actually resolved the plot. That is, at around the 2 1/2 hour mark, they should have all the info they need to make the final push.
It is the point of no return.
Then you get into the final act, which involves the players finishing up loose ends. This is where your hardest fight should be. This is where you can have PCs die if you want!
Then you get into the final act, which involves the players finishing up loose ends. This is where your hardest fight should be. This is where you can have PCs die if you want!
Now it might not sound exciting when I put it like that, but "finishing loose ends" is where you set a trap to nab the suspect, slay the dragon, confront the evil CEO, escape the crumbling tower, etc.
And finally, this is important: ask your players what they think happens next. Give them the ability to take control of the story in the last 15-30 minutes where you ask them what happens to their players? What do you think happens? What would you do next if we were playing more?
If you aren't writing a one-shot and you're just running one, look for that natural 3-act structure and time it in a similar way.
