Oneshot Incarnate

Who?

Oneshot Incarnate is being created by Sawblades, LLC, a (so far) individual person within Montgomery County, Maryland. My name is Jason, I'm a seasoned software developer and Table Top Role Playing Game (TTRPG) game master and player.

Find me on Bluesky.

What?

Oneshot Incarnate is a web app currently in development where you, a player or game master, can find like-minded counterparts to play TTRPGs as one-shot events at venues in or around Montgomery County, Maryland. Venues will be places like Friendly Local Game Stores and local breweries, among others. A player OR game master (if applicable) will choose a game and venue, then accept applicants who dedicate to attending and having a good experience.

I mean what is a 'oneshot'?

To me, a oneshot is a TTRPG played in a single session with no expectation of the characters, settings, lore, or anything having any 'life' outside of this one instance.

Isn't that kind of a waste? I don't want to invest in a character for one session.

Not at all! I've played tons of oneshots and gained an appreciation of them in-and-of themselves. As a game master, running a oneshot gives you the opportunity to replay the same game and see in what ways it plays out differently each time. As an adventure author you get to really dial in a game to produce a polished experience. As a player, you get to try characters you might never otherwise experience. There are plenty of other reasons and if you like the cut of this jib I think you'll find something to appreciate about oneshots.

When?

Sometime Q2+ (likely +) 2025!

Where?

In person! I've played plenty of TTRPGs virtually but Oneshot Incarnate will be focusing on games in person for these reasons:

• I like playing in person more than playing virtually. I think in person is a 'richer' experience.
• It's easier to get games virtually, I can't provide much value helping with it.

I mean explain more about where the games will be

You find yourself at a table surrounded by strangers. In your left hand, a character sheet; dice in your right. This isn't alarming: after all, you set this up. You chose this table, at this game store, then approved each person at the table yourself. You chose the game, set a few criteria, and each of these people saw that and said this sounds like a good time to them. Your right hand flings out the dice as you roll for initiative!

This isn't just any place, you're in your happy place.

More practically, Oneshot Incarnate is focusing on players and venues around Montgomery County, Maryland. I've seen projects somewhat similar to this that don't focus on a specific area, and they get more people but they're all spread out so it becomes impractical to get a game.

How?

Oneshot Incarnate is being (somewhat) consistently implemented. I'm working to get the app up and running and multiple venues on board.

How will it be monetized?

The initial plan is a token model where each participant buys a token from Oneshot Incarnate for $20. You spend the token when you dedicate to a game, either by finalizing a game you organized or by being an accepted applicant when a game is finalized. This will help further development of Oneshot Incarnate and fund enhancements going forward as well as deter any non-serious sign ups. Later on I'm considering providing an opportunity to add-on game resources like adventure plans, single page TTRPGS, dice, miniatures, etc, and possibly things like snacks or meals that you would choose during sign up.

What's your stance on data privacy?

I'm a data privacy advocate, I won't be participating in any kind of general in-app advertising or sales of user data. For that matter, I won't ask for any more information than necessary. I am open to small scale advertising for businesses that participate as venues, similar to what you'd see in a classified ad section or neighborhood publication.

How do you have any hope of accomplishing this?

This project is a cross section of things I'm already experienced in. This isn't my first entrepreneurial venture and I used to run a Oneshot meetup group in Silver Spring, MD where I hosted games for strangers out of my apartment. Though I won't be hosting from where I live going forward I do have an idea of what to expect in local venues.

How do I contact you to discuss...?

I can be reached by email: <my first name mentioned toward the start of page>(the symbol that points to things)oneshot-incarnate.com.

Why?

I love TTRPGS. I've played a lot of Dungeons and Dragons and a smattering of other games. I want to prioritize other games going forward, and I find oneshots to be a great way to experience them.

Why?

I keep buying manuals for games I'm interested in but have no opportunity to play!

Why?

I became a parent just before the pandemic and haven't been prioritizing games in person, I miss them.

Why?

I want to meet people! I know there are a lot of you in a similar spot as me where there are specific games you want to play but have a hard time getting your normal group to do it, or you're a recent parent that dropped TTRPGs when you had a kid.

Why?

I'm an entrepreneur at heart and this is a particularly interesting cross section of my skills. I feel this drive to work on my own project and won't stop until I get a good one. This could be it!

But

Your site is pretty basic

I like it. You can expect the rest of the site to be more or less like this. I think it hits the spot.