Note: My adult sons recently recruited me to run their DnD games because they wanted to start playing. So we have two beginner players and a beginner Dungeon Master. I know this is helpful information for a review.

Yesterday we played Grammy’s Country Apple Pie One Shot By Jennifer Adcock. It’s designed for beginner players and dungeon masters, but it would be so much fun for experienced players as well. In fact, a lot of experienced players have played and loved this one shot already!

Dungeon Master POV

(Do not read if you’re going to be a player in the one shot. Don’t spoil the fun!)

When I bought this one shot, I thought it would be pretty out of the box, and for the most part it was. The beginning, the main storyline, the main setting, and the ending were taken care of. There was a map that was very helpful for the party so that they knew where they could explore, and it was helpful to have it as visual for running the game. I’d hate to know how it would have went without the map.

The characters were premade, so I just printed off the sheets and let my sons pick theirs a couple days before we planned to play. The cantrips/spells are limited in this one shot and noted on player sheets, and we ignored the official DnD rules about spell slots, simplifying this process.

There was a note in the game about telling players there was a nearby town that they could get basic supplies in, but I know my sons and I know we’d have got bogged down there. As an alternative I created a trading post instead that was not far from the Wizard’s tower and on the way. The trader there was a little gruff but not unfriendly, but he dodged any questions my players had of getting information. He also just said he goes by “Trader” when they asked his name. I wanted it to be a quick stop so we could get to our destination.

There was also a note about adding a possible random encounter on the way. Since I’m a new DM I chose a simple planned encounter instead. I used a black bear. It was uneventful, but added a little interest. Adding one of the other suggested creatures as a planned adventure or doing the random encounter would be more exciting.

I also didn’t like the idea of just starting at the created beginning, so I created a parlor area for the players to wait in so they could talk to and interact with each other. I described little magic items like a book opening and closing and a floating candle. My players basically just assumed they knew each other and didn’t interact much other than inspecting the bookshelves, so I moved it along by having the wizard’s imp take them up the stairs sooner than I thought would happen.

A note about combat: Since we only had 2 players and they were both level one, they felt like they were in over their heads a couple times. (And they were.) There’s a note for the DM to let players know they can disengage combat, avoid it, reason with, or trick adversaries, but my players wanted to fight everything and they did not want to run away if it got a little hairy, which it did. We only had two players (both level ones since all premade characters are level 1) and there was a point during combat that one would have died if I hadn’t have gotten creative. A suggestion to new DMs, roll in secret and fudge the rolls a little if you have to, especially in a fun one shot. Or you can come up with some fun unfortunate events for the enemies during combat.

It would be cool to have an apple pie or apple tart or something for the end of the adventure. I had mini little apple pie pastries.

Overall, this was a pretty easy adventure to run once I had all the parts planned and I understood the story. There were some times that I had to be a little creative, but it was fun and I know I’ll get better at that once I’ve been DMing a little while.

As for the time estimation, just so you know what can happen, this one shot is estimated to take about 2 hours but it took us 4 hours. We are just learning and we had to look up some things and we checked to make sure we were right about certain processes. If you’ve even played one adventure before this, it shouldn’t be much of a problem. It’s just something to keep in mind if this is the very first adventure.

Fun For All

Both my sons and I enjoyed the game. They are adults and it was so much fun for all of us. This would be great for kids, adults, and mixed age groups. Both of my sons stayed engaged and enjoyed the story and game play even though it’s a cute story. The most important thing is that we had such a great time, laughing and enjoying each other’s company. It was the perfect one shot to start with (technically it’s our 2nd, but the first was a couple years ago and we didn’t keep going after because life kinda happened.)

If you’re just getting started with Dnd or you’re experienced and just want a fun one shot as a stand alone or a side quest, this is an awesome one! Highly recommend!