One Shot "The Final Bid" (Beginner Friendly) Gameplay revolution

Creating your character

🛠️ Character Creation for This One-Shot - The Final Bid 📅 When Should I Have My Character Ready? Before the session starts. This is a one-shot, so we’ll be diving straight into the action from the moment we join the voice chat. No time for preamble, we're goin’ full tilt from the get-go! 🧙 Character Level & Stats Starting Level: Level 3 Stat Generation: Any official method is fine, Standard Array, Point Buy, or even rolling. Want to roll 4d6 and drop the lowest? Go for it. Want to use an array to save time? Totally fine. Just don’t completely homebrew the system. Goal: Build something fun and flavorful. Optimize or go full weird, whatever makes you happy. 📘 Allowed Materials Use anything from official D&D books (yes, even wild subclasses and expansions from things like Tasha’s, Xanathar’s, or Spelljammer). No homebrew classes or subclasses, nothing completely made up from scratch. Official Unearthed Arcana is okay if it's published by Wizards of the Coast, but nothing that's “my dagger deals 1000 psychic damage per round because I said so.” 😅 💻 How & Where to Build Your Character Create your character however you like. D&D Beyond is recommended because it's easily integrated with Discord via the Beyond20 Chrome extension. But pen-and-paper is totally fine too! Want to play with physical dice and a printed character sheet? Awesome. That’s how we’d do it at a real table, and it works just as well here. If you're using Beyond20, make sure to: Use Chrome or Firefox. Install the Beyond20 browser extension. https://youtu.be/z0NM0hnb6LE?si=qG3sjcc8LCLaQuHl Join our Discord voice chat. https://discord.gg/fPVSVfBAxe Type “/secret” in chat (Main Voice Chat) to activate the bot key. Link your D&D Beyond sheet and start rolling directly in chat! https://beyond20.here-for-more.info/discord You can also run your character sheet on a second screen, like your phone or tablet, while Discord is full screen on your main monitor. Or just tab back and forth. Whatever works for you. 🎮 Where Will We Be Playing? All gameplay happens in Discord. The game will be run via voice chat, and you'll see images and visual aids via screen share. There’s a dedicated chat area for rolls, Beyond20 setup, and general shenanigans. This area is called “Main Voice Chat” and it’s the only “Voice Channel” so you can’t miss it. It’s all theater of the mind, brought to life with visuals and sound via Discord. 💬 Content Sensitivities My games are light-hearted, goofy, and focused on puzzles, teamwork, and humor, not heavy political drama or edgy content. That said, if there’s anything you’d rather not see or talk about in the session, just let me know in advance, the earlier the better. I want to make sure you’re comfortable and having a great time. 🚀 Final Word This one-shot is about fun, energy, and momentum. Come with your character ready to go, your dice (digital or physical) in hand, and be prepared to dive headfirst into a zany, puzzle-filled romp.

Preparing for the session

🎒 How to Prepare for the Game Get ready to dive into a wild, creative, and fast-paced one-shot adventure! This isn’t your average chill session; it’s a ride packed with puzzles, laughs, and chaotic brilliance. To make sure you're fully geared up and ready to roll, here’s what you need to do: ✅ Must-Haves Before the Game: 💬 Discord Account – Required This is non-negotiable. The entire game takes place in Discord voice chat, with visuals streamed directly through the app. Make sure you have a Discord account and can join the server link I’ll send you. IMPORTANT: Let me know what your StartPlaying username is, your Discord username and Character name. I need to match you up so I know who's who and who is ready to go! 🎧 A Good Mic Crystal-clear communication is key. Please have a mic that doesn’t sound like it’s underwater or broadcasting from a dungeon in Avernus. If we can’t hear you, we can’t play with you. 🎥 Camera Strongly Encouraged We’re here to have fun and vibe together, and being on camera really helps with that connection. Plus, we’ll flip back to seeing each other once we’re done with the interactive parts. While it’s not 100% required, plan to have your camera on. 🖥️ Tech Tips for the Best Experience 💻 Use a Desktop or Laptop. Phones are not supported. iPads? Also not ideal. You’ll need to see detailed visuals I’m screen-sharing, like puzzle interfaces, app-style minigames, and cinematic clips. These simply won’t display correctly on a tiny screen. 📶 Have a Stable Internet Connection. I’m going to be streaming high-quality visuals, sometimes large files or animations, plus running voice chat. If your connection is spotty or slow, you’ll miss out on key moments or get dropped from the game. Test your connection beforehand! 🖼️ Prepare for Fullscreen Mode. At times, I’ll share my screen with full-on interactive interfaces. You’ll want to: Maximize the Discord stream window. Hide the chat sidebar (click the arrow at the top right). Focus fully on the game UI I’m showing you. After the minigame ends, we’ll return to normal view with everyone on screen. 🧙 Optional, But Recommended Tools 🧰 D&D Beyond (Recommended) You can make your character any way you like, but D&D Beyond integrates nicely with Discord using the Beyond20 browser extension (for Chrome/Firefox). If you use this setup: Install the Beyond20 extension. Connect your character to Discord. Type /secret in the game chat (Main Voice Chat) to activate the integration. This lets you roll right into chat and makes everything smoother, but it’s not required. Pen and paper is cool, too! 🚫 Avoid These ❌ No playing on phones or tablets. ❌ No Chromebook or ultra-low-end devices (unless you’re sure they can handle Discord and streaming). 🎉 That's it! If you check off everything above, you’re going to have an amazing time.

What Jon brings to the table

🎲 What I Provide (and What You Should Expect) Looking for a D&D game that breaks the mold? You've found it. I don’t run traditional D&D. My games are fast, experimental, and puzzle-packed, designed for players who love gameplay-first experiences built around mechanics, not long monologues or tactical battle maps. https://youtu.be/xRCoeHd8GJ4 🧩 What You’ll Experience Custom-Built Digital Minigames: I design and screen-share over 30 HTML-based apps and mechanics that replace traditional combat, exploration, and skill challenges. Think Escape the Temple, Five Minute Dungeon, Spirit Island, and Codenames, but adapted to a D&D framework. Lightning-Fast Combat: Combat is not turn-based. It’s not tactical. It’s simultaneous. Players take on combat puzzles individually and resolve entire fights in 6 minutes flat, no grid maps, no initiative, no waiting around. Rapid-Fire Momentum: Roleplay is snappy. We skip the fluff and keep the adventure moving. I often jump forward in time to get to the good stuff. I won't linger in towns, draw out shopping scenes, or spend 10 minutes describing a door. Theater of the Mind, Digitally Enhanced: No VTT. No tokens. No maps. You’ll play entirely in Discord through voice chat and my shared screen. I use AI art, animations, and custom-built visuals to bring scenes to life. Dice Your Way: Use Beyond20, physical dice, or type rolls into chat. I'm flexible,as long as we’re playing fast and fair. 🤖 My GM Style Rule of Cool + Speed Over Precision: I lean into player creativity and narrative momentum. If a rule is unclear, we’ll make a call and move on. I’m not a rule lawyer. No Character Voices. No Deep Lore. NPCs don’t have accents. The villain might be named Pam. We’re here to play, not perform Shakespeare. I forget names. A lot. No Initiative, No Battle Grids, No Foundry. If you're coming for classic D&D tactics, you’ll be disappointed. Puzzle-Heavy Gameplay: Expect logic puzzles, quick math challenges, bluffing games, and more. These are core mechanics, not side content. https://youtu.be/_A97rlJ0In4 ⚠️ This Game Is Not For Everyone Read this part carefully. You may not enjoy this game if: You want traditional, grid-based combat and turn-by-turn tactics. You prefer deep improv scenes or cinematic, emotional storytelling. You need precise rules calls and optimized builds to function as intended. You’re quiet, passive, or expect the DM to pull you into scenes. You dislike swearing, custom mechanics, or fast pacing. You want a deeply immersive world with lore-rich backstories. https://youtu.be/aNa9x6sphUc https://youtu.be/To07NzTuMzc https://youtu.be/B5169pd-DSE 🎉 But If This Sounds Fun… If you’re curious about a D&D one-shot that feels more like an arcade of wild ideas, full of strange puzzles, goofy fun, quickfire encounters, and bold, experimental energy, then you might be exactly the kind of player I’m looking for.

Homebrew rules

🧪 Homebrew Rules I don’t use traditional homebrew rules like modified crits or potion timing. Instead, the homebrew is the entire system. In my games, many classic mechanics, especially combat, exploration, and skill challenges, are replaced with custom-built digital minigames and interactive puzzles. These are screen-shared in Discord and run by me in real time. Players describe their actions, and I input them into the app. Each puzzle or game is handcrafted, fast-paced, and often unique to the session. Think of it like this: D&D 5e is the foundation, but the gameplay is remixed with mechanics inspired by modern board games and real-time strategy elements. This format is intentionally experimental and designed for one-shots. If you're looking for something different from grid maps, initiative, or static rolls, this might be your new favorite way to play

How Jon creates a safe table

🛡️ Safety This is a lighthearted, goofy, fast-paced one-shot, not a deep, emotional, or high-stakes narrative. There’s no Session 0, no safety forms, no Lines and Veils document. But here’s the deal: If there’s something you’d prefer we don’t talk about? Just let me know. Seriously. Before the session, send me a quick message. Or even during the game, say “Hey, can we not?” and I’ll pivot instantly. No fuss. No drama. That said, I’m not the kind of DM who’s going to carefully tiptoe around sensitive topics in advance. I don’t run heavy content anyway, no trauma, no politics, no horror. It’s jokes, puzzles, weird minigames, and wild stuff happening fast. If you're worried I’ll say something intense: I won’t. That’s just not the kind of game I run. But here’s a heads-up: I swear. A lot. Not in an edgy or offensive way, it’s just part of my regular speech. If hearing frequent F-bombs makes you uncomfortable, this is probably not the game for you. I’m not filtering myself like I’m in a job interview. I’m just here to have fun. There’s no aftercare. No check-in circle. We play, we have a blast, we log off. That’s it. So if you’re cool with fast, silly energy, lots of laughter, a few cuss words, and just enough structure to keep the chaos moving, you’ll fit right in.