I think one shots are a fantastic opportunity to experiment with different aspects of tabletop RPGs. Because they only last for a single session, there’s minimal risk in trying out unconventional or weirder ideas. If something doesn’t work, no big deal since you’re only committed for a few hours. This philosophy is what led me to the dumb idea of Anything But a Dice Night, a one-shot where players must use anything except a traditional d20 to determine their rolls.

The Rules

The premise is simple: instead of rolling a 20-sided die, each player must bring their own method of generating a random number between 1 and 20. The goal is to get creative while still maintaining a mostly random result.

Alternative Rolling Methods

Here are some fun ideas for ways to “roll” without dice

• The Deck: Shuffle a deck of 20 cards each representing a number 1-20 and draw
• Spin the Wheel: Utilize a spinner from Life or make your own
• The Bag: Fill a bag with slips of paper, shake it, and pull one out
• The Dartboard: Number sections of your dartboard 1-20 and throw without looking (Dont use actual darts)

Embrace the Chaos

As a DM I would also experiment in this case since things are already a bit chaotic. Maybe you want to build a gingerbread house as the map and use candy as the monsters. Maybe one of the monsters has their attacks determined by tarot drawings. This is your chance to get weird and try something new.

If you have any other experimental ideas for one shots, I’d love to hear them!