When playingDungeons & Dragons, sometimes you want to experience something fresh. While this is a game with potentially endless hours of fun as you and your friends explore a world pre-designed or crafted by your Dungeon Master, occasionally, you may want a spin on the classic formula.
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This is where a one-shot comes in, a condensed playground for a DM and their players to experiment with unique ideas in a shot but sweet adventure. One idea could be combining your favorite tabletop board game with your favorite video games. FromResident EviltoPokemon, several gaming worlds would make perfect locations for a Dungeons & Dragons one-shot.
10Fallout
The post-apocalyptic setting of theFalloutseries would serve as a sandbox for players to explore. The radiated wastelands give rise to several nuclear monsters, new types of technology and equipment for the party to use, and the threat of danger around every corner as friendly NPCs are much rarer come together to create a unique scenario.
The story of this one-shot could position the party in a morally grey area, having choices be made with their survival in mind. In a nuclear apocalypse, heroes are often hard to come by.
9Skyrim
One of the most popular RPGs in gaming,The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, is already fit to serve as the setting for any Dungeons & Dragons game. Everything a Dungeon & Dragons one-shot could need, Skyrim offers you in spades.
A vast open world to explore,several unique racesto build your perfect characters, complex lore to use as the basis for quests, and exhilarating boss encounters to test your might. As a bonus for the Dungeon Masters, the many iconic maps of Skyrim could be used to ease up on original map creation.
8Kingdom Hearts
For any Disney lovers who enjoy a game of Dungeons & Dragons, why not combine the tabletop RPG withKingdom Hearts? Every player would wield their unique keyblade as they explorethe various Disney worldsthroughout the multiverse. Encounters could consist of duals with the heartless, providing plenty of enemy variety on their own.
The mobile game Kingdom Hearts X would work well as the party is new keyblade warriors heading out on missions to Disney Worlds to protect the Realm of Light.
7Five Nights At Freddy’s
For a Dungeon Master looking for a horror one-shot, theFive Nights At Freddy’sseries has you covered. Set in one of the series' many haunted pizza restaurants, the party would be a team of security guards left alone in this restaurant for the night and must work together to survive the many animatronics hunting the group down.
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With a heavy focus on exploration and puzzle-solving to survive, the party would need to out-think their opponents due to a lack of martial skill, magic, or weaponry in this one-shot.
6Destiny 2
While your standard Dungeon & Dragons campaign tends to be set in a high fantasy setting not too different fromLord of the Rings, the sci-fi third-person shooterDestiny 2could help to spice things up. With a massive, ever-expanding galaxy to play around with, the sky is the limit for potential quests and locations your party could travel to.
The space setting would go beyond exploration as combat now involves battles between the many raid bosses of Destiny 2, and your supercharged party consists of Hunters, Titans, and Warlocks.
5The Legend Of Zelda
The Legend of Zeldais a world filled with many memorable locations from across the years. From the Lost Woods to Death Mountain, the land of Hyrule has plenty of iconic places to offer a Dungeons & Dragons one-shot. You also shouldn’t forget the variety of races a player could control.
The Rito who soar through the skies, Zora that swim in the seas, or Goron who inhabit the land would all make for enjoyable new experiences for a Dungeons & Dragons player. The one-shot could be set when the hero hasn’t come yet, and a team of heroes must rise to save Hyrule. The 100-year blank period ofBreath of the Wildwould work well in this case.
4Dark Souls/Bloodborne
If you’re looking for a one-shot with a heavy focus on exploration and combat, then bothDark SoulsorBloodborneas inspirations. Any number of the tough bosses these games are known for can create some truly tough encounters. In Bloodborne’s case, the Gothic, Victorian-era aesthetic adds a new setting for your one-shots.
Many of Dark Souls' spells could inspire the creation of original magic for this one-shot should your Dungeon Master approve it. Combine all of this with the expansive worlds of this series, and you have plenty of material for your next game.
3Pokemon
Who wouldn’t want to be a Pokemon trainer? Well, a Dungeon & Dragons one-shot could be the perfect opportunity. Combat would take on a new life as you’d control a creature rather than your player character. Capturing Pokemon to add to your squad, taking on Gym Leaders, and encountering Legendaries would create an exciting experience for any Pokemon or Dungeons & Dragons fans.
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Feats in the base game could take on new life as trainer backgrounds to assist you in chosen skills, depending on if you wanted to specialize your trainer in catching, battling, breeding, etc.
2Resident Evil
Take control of a Raccoon City police member in a Resident Evil-inspired one-shot. This concept could be taken in one of two ways, depending on if you want the one-shot to focus on combat or story. This could operate like a tower-defense game as the party must fortify themselves within the police station and survive the waves of attacks from the infected.
Alternatively, a story-focused one-shot could see the party attempting to track down the source of the virus as they explore the town crawling with zombies.
1Persona
Role-play is a large part of Dungeon & Dragons. Players converse in character, bond with NPCs, and fall in love with a world through engaging with it.Personais a game series that operates in the same way. Set in the modern day, a Persona one-shot would follow the party as either high school or college students as they live in any city of your choosing, all while the combat encounters against the shadows play out.
Whether you area group of Phantom Thievesin the metaverse or kids investigating the world inside a TV, the unique Personas you and your fellow players can create would make for a memorable game.
