The Adventurer's Guide

Every adventurer may walk one or more of these paths:

• The Player – Join games, meet new people, experience new systems
• The Game Master – Run games for eager players, share your craft
• The Organizer – Create sessions, build community, bring people together

Many walk multiple paths. An organizer might also GM. A player might step up to organize their first game. All paths are honored equally.

Joining and organizing games on Oneshot Incarnate is free. No fees, no deposits, no currency. Apply to a game, get accepted, show up, play.

What keeps everyone honest is reliability, not money. Your history of successful sessions and failures (no-shows, late cancellations) is visible to organizers when you apply, and yours to see on theirs. Commit to what you sign up for, and the record speaks for itself.

Occasionally a special event carries a token cost ��� you'll see a ��� badge and the cost before you apply. For those sessions only:

What You Do	Token Cost	Token Credit
Play in a premium session	as marked	--
Organize a premium game (not GMing)	as marked	1/2 token back
Organize AND GM	as marked	1 token back
GM someone else's premium game	as marked	1 token back

• Your token is held when you apply, spent when the roster is finalized, and returned if you withdraw, are rejected, or the game is canceled
• GM and organizer credits require 3 or more participants (including organizer) ��� credits reward bringing people together for real games
• Tokens are purchased on the premium session's apply page, or redeemed from a code

If you never touch a premium session, you'll never see a token. Regular games are simply free.

1. Navigate to Browse Games from the main menu
2. You'll see upcoming sessions with:
   • The game being played (M��rk Borg, Mythic Bastionland, etc. – any system goes)
   • Date, time, and location
   • How many spots remain
   • The organizer's name
3. Click on any game to see full details

When you find a game that calls to you:

1. Click Apply to Join
2. If the game needs a GM, choose your role:
   • Player – You want to play a character
   • Game Master – You want to run the game
   • Either – You're happy with whatever the organizer needs
3. Write a brief message introducing yourself (optional but recommended)
4. Submit your application

An application is a commitment. Your reliability history follows you -- apply only to games you intend to attend.

(For premium sessions, applying also holds the marked token cost – see Premium Sessions.)

• Pending – The organizer hasn't reviewed your application yet
• Accepted – You're in! Show up ready to play. If the session has a table channel (a Discord invite, group text, or similar), it appears on the session page once you're accepted – that's where pre-game chatter happens.
• Rejected – This one wasn't meant to be. No harm done.

If you change your mind, you can withdraw your application anytime before the game is finalized, with no penalty.

1. Arrive on time (or a few minutes early)
2. Bring whatever the organizer specified (dice, character sheet, etc.)
3. Check in when you arrive (see below)
4. Be ready to have fun and meet new people
5. After the game, you may leave feedback for the GM, organizer, and venue

Good news: showing up is the whole job. The organizer takes roll at the table and confirms attendance for everyone present ��� you don't need to open the app mid-game.

If you like, you can also self-check-in:

1. Open the session page
2. Click Check In during the check-in window (opens shortly before game time)

Why attendance matters:

• For reliability: actual attendance vs. signups is tracked
• For the community: no-shows are the one thing that breaks tables
• (Premium sessions): GM and organizer credits require check-ins

If you're accepted and don't show, the organizer marks it, and it counts against your reliability history. The table was counting on you.

Life happens. If you can't make it:

• Before finalization: Withdraw your application – no penalty
• After finalization: You're on the roster. Tell the organizer as soon as you can; a no-show counts against your reliability history.

If the game falls apart (GM no-show, venue closed, etc.), the organizer can mark the session as failed so nobody's record takes an unfair hit (and premium participants are refunded). If the organizer is the problem, contact support@oneshot-incarnate.com and we'll sort it out.

The simplest path: apply as GM to a game that needs one.

1. Find a game marked GM Needed
2. Apply with role Game Master or Either
3. If accepted, you'll run the session

GMing is free, like everything else. (On premium sessions, GMs earn 1 full token credit at completion with 3+ participants – GMs are valued.)

If you're also the organizer, see Chapter 3: The Organizer's Domain.

When you select "I will be the GM" while organizing, you:

• Run the game you built, exactly the way you want it
• Review and choose every player at your table
• (On premium sessions: receive the full 1-token GM credit with 3+ participants and check-in)

• Prepare the adventure – Have your materials ready
• Set expectations – Communicate tone, content, and requirements
• Run the session – Facilitate the game fairly and enjoyably
• Respect time – Start and end within the scheduled window

Communicate immediately with the organizer. A no-show GM can ruin everyone's day. If you must cancel:

• Work with the organizer to find a replacement
• Give as much notice as possible
• Understand this affects your reliability rating

1. Navigate to Organize a Game
2. Choose your venue type:
   • Partner Venue – Game stores with reserved tables (��� verified)
   • Community Space – Breweries, food halls, cafes (first-come seating, ��� verified)
   • My Home – Your approved home location
   • Somewhere Else – Any public spot: a brewery we haven't listed, a park pavilion, a library room. Name + city only.

As applications arrive:

1. Navigate to your session's detail page
2. Review each applicant:
   • Their message
   • Their reliability history (successful games vs. failures)
3. Accept or Reject each application
4. For "Either" role applications, choose whether to accept as Player or GM

Before the session starts, you must finalize:

1. Go to your session page
2. Click Finalize Session
3. This confirms the roster and commits everyone

What finalization does:

• Locks in all accepted participants
• You cannot accept more applications after this
• (Premium sessions: everyone's held tokens are spent)

WARNING: If you don't finalize before start time, the session auto-cancels. The game doesn't happen.

During the check-in window (30 minutes either side of start time), take roll on the session page: mark only the no-shows and hit Confirm Attendance ��� everyone else is checked in for you. Ten seconds, one person, and it's honest data.

Once the scheduled time passes and the session completes successfully:

• Participants get a feedback request by email the next morning (not at finalization ��� nobody reviews a game that hasn't happened)
• Participants can leave feedback for the GM, organizer, and venue
• The session appears in everyone's history and reliability record
• (Premium sessions only: credits are distributed with 3+ participants and check-in – GM 1 token, organizer 0.5, organizer-GM 1 token, not both)

On premium sessions, credits are given at completion, not finalization. If the session is canceled or fails after finalization, no credits are given – but participants are refunded.

Sometimes you must cancel. The system handles this fairly:

• Free – No fees for you or your players
• Flexibility – Set your own schedule, no preset venue slots
• Intimacy – Curated guest list, comfortable environment
• Privacy – Your address is shared only with accepted players

1. Navigate to Hosting in the menu
2. Fill out the application:
   • Location name ("Jason's Game Room")
   • Full address (shown only to accepted players)
   • Capacity (how many players can you seat?)
   • Description (parking, amenities, house rules)
   • Your availability for an approval visit
3. Accept the hosting responsibilities
4. Submit

1. We review your application
2. We schedule a brief in-person visit (15-30 minutes)
3. We verify the space works for gaming
4. If approved, you can start organizing home games!

• You must be present – No hosting while away
• You must be the organizer – Only you can create games at your location
• You own the experience – Handle any issues that arise
• Communicate clearly – Parking, entry instructions, house rules

Let's address the elephant in the room: "You expect strangers to come to my house?" and "You expect me to go to a stranger's house?"

Both are valid concerns. Here's how we approach it:

On premium sessions, tokens ensure commitment. When you apply:

1. Hold – Your token is reserved (can't use it elsewhere)
2. Return – If you withdraw or are rejected, token comes back
3. Spend – When the game is finalized, tokens are spent
4. Check-in – Participants check in when they arrive at the game
5. Credit – After successful completion, GMs/organizers get tokens back (requires 3+ participants and check-in)

• Purchase from a premium session's apply page
• Receive credits for GMing or organizing premium sessions
• Redeem promotional codes

To receive GM or organizer credits on a premium session, it must meet these requirements:

1. 3+ participants – At least 3 people total (including organizer)
2. Check-in verified – At least one participant (other than organizer) must check in
3. Session completed – The scheduled time has passed without the session being marked as failed

This ensures credits reward genuine games where people actually showed up and played together.

• Successful games – Sessions you participated in that completed normally
• Failures – Cancellations, no-shows, or sessions you caused to fail

Only the last 90 days count toward your visible reliability. Older history fades away, giving everyone a chance to improve.

• Session cards – Organizer's reliability is visible when browsing
• Application review – Organizers see applicant reliability when reviewing
• Session details – Organizer and GM reliability are shown

• Show up to games you commit to
• Communicate early if you can't make it
• Finalize sessions on time (organizers)
• Be present and engaged

• Show up on time
• Communicate early if you can't make it
• Respect the space – venue or home
• Respect other players – we're all here to have fun
• Leave feedback – help the community improve

• Prepare appropriately
• Set clear expectations about tone and content
• Manage time – start and end as scheduled
• Be fair – to all players equally

• Finalize on time – don't leave participants hanging
• Communicate changes – if anything shifts, let people know
• Curate thoughtfully – accept applicants who'll create a good table
• Take responsibility – you created this gathering

• Provide a safe space – physically and socially
• Be clear about rules – shoes off? Pets present? Where to park?
• Handle issues – it's your space, your responsibility

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Now go forth, adventurer. Tables await. Stories yearn to be told. Your next great game is just a token away.