Creating a One-Shot Adventure: Part Two

Structure & Scenes

Welcome back to Creating a One-Shot Adventure! This is Part Two, where we’ll dig into the structure of your adventure and how to design compelling scenes.

If you missed Part One – where we covered tone, adventure hooks, and setting – you can check it out here. Now, let’s jump in!

One-Shot Adventure Structure:

Quick Note: Every one-shot is different. What follows is simply my approach to structuring a one-shot (and most of my session planning). Your method may vary, and that’s totally okay.

I like to use the classic three-act structure:

Beginning – Middle – End.

Yep, it’s familiar for a reason – it works.

The Beginning

In the beginning there was fire –

…wait, wrong genre. Let’s skip ahead.

The beginning of your adventure should introduce the key information, tone, and conflict. Let’s continue using the example from Part One.

• Theme: Murder Mystery & Horror

• Setting: The small farming village of Amberfield

• Hook: The players have been hired by the mayor to investigate a series of murders discreetly before the upcoming Harvest Festival.

Here’s how that might break down:

• The players arrive in Amberfield

  • What do they see, smell, hear, feel, or even taste?

  • Do they encounter anyone on the road into town?

• They meet the mayor

  • The mayor already has a reason to trust them (he’s paying them!)

  • What key information does he provide about the murders?

• Details to highlight

  • There have been three murders in three days

  • The Harvest Festival is in two days

  • The town is on edge – superstitions and tension are rising.

GM Tip: Keep your beginning loose. Focus on the key points your players need to engage with the story and let them steer the narrative. You don’t need to plan every second – just the important beats.

The Middle

This is the heart of your adventure – and where most of the player interaction happens. Here, the players explore, investigate, meet NPCs, and uncover the mystery.

Because our theme is murder mystery & horror, we want to build tension and deepen the mystery.

Here's how that might break down:

• The investigation begins

• There have been three murders

• The players explore murder scenes and the town

Scene Types & Questions to ask

• Investigation Scenes

  • What clues can players find?

  • Are there puzzles to solve or riddles to interpret?

  • What deeper mystery is revealed here?

• Social Encounters:

  • Who are they speaking with?

  • What information does the NPC have?

  • Is it truthful, a rumor, or a lie?

• Combat Encounters:

  • What kind of creatures might appear? (ghosts, cultists, etc.)

  • What is learned through the battle?

  • Is someone sending enemies to test or delay the players?

• Puzzle or Trap Encounters:

  • How do the players discover it?

  • What challenge does it present?

  • What new information is revealed on a success?

• Twists & Complications

  •   A suspect disappears

  • The villain changes tactics

  • An NPC betrays them

  • A key clue turns out to be a red herring

GM Tip: Let your players guide what they focus on. If they love investigating and roleplaying, don’t be afraid to skip or replace combat scenes with more social intrigue.

The End

The end should provide a satisfying conclusion – but it doesn't have to be set in stone. Your players’ choices in the beginning and middle should shape the outcome.

Key End Questions:

• What has the party learned?

  • The clues lead to X or Y

  • They uncover relationships, patterns, or rituals

  • They understand the timing or location of the murders

• What is the villain’s goal?

  • Summoning an otherworldy entity at the Harvest Festival?

  • Enacting revenge? Escaping justice?

• How have the players changed the timeline or stakes?

  • Have they accelerated the ritual?

  • Made things worse with wild accusations?

  • Brought hope to a scared village?

Outcomes

• If they succeed:

  • They’re rewarded by the mayor and/or villagers

  • The Harvest Festival happens on schedule

  • No more lives are lost

• If they fail:

  • The entity is summoned

  • More villagers die

  • The party could be blamed – or perish in the attempt

• Final encounter possibilities:

  • Large-scale combat with the villain or summoned horror

  • A tense social showdown where the villain can be talked down

  • A moral dilemma: saving one life versus many.

GM Reminder: Flexibility is crucial. Your ending doesn’t need to be cinematic perfection – it just needs to feel earned and engaging.

Scenes

Let’s talk more about scenes, which are the smaller building blocks of your adventure.

Above, we already included some scene examples – like “murder scenes.” Thees can include:

• Exploration

• Combat

• Social interaction

• Puzzles

• Investigations

The key is to treat each scene as a moment of discovery or decision. Good scenes should give the players something – a clue, a challenge, a revelation, a choice.

Important Note: Your players will miss things. They’ll skip scenes, fail rolls, or ignore clues. That’s okay

Move the important clues somewhere else. You’re the only one who knows what was “supposed” to happen.

Collaboration & Flexibility

Sometimes your players will guess the villain immediately – let that inspire a twist! Maybe they were right… or maybe the person they suspect is a red herring, and the real villain is still plotting.

And sometimes, your players come up with a theory better than what you planned. Use it. It’s a collaborative story, not a script.

Scene Count

For a one-shot, aim for 3- 5 scenes, max. (Or don’t – there’s no scene police. Just know that more scenes – longer session.)

Final Thoughts

Hopefully this helped clarify how to structure your one-shot and how to build scenes that keep your players engaged. As a GM, flexibility is your greatest tool. Your players will go off script – just roll with it or gently guide them back.

And remember:

It’s a game. It should be fun.

Player engagement > perfect plot.

Stay tuned for Part Three, where we’ll talk about pacing and building player characters for your adventure.