One Shot is a weekly actual play podcast that explores different role playing systems with self contained One Shot stories. A rotating cast of improvisers, game designers, and other notable nerds show off the variety and diversity in RPGs bring you a new game every month!
James D’Amato is a comedian, author, and game designer living in Chicago. You might recognize him from ABC’s The Toy Box, or his book The Ultimate RPG Character Backstory Guide, or from an angry political tweet he made that blew up.
James trained in improv for years at The Second City Conservatory and iO Theater before using those lessons to share his love of gaming with the world. In the years since he worked to build the One Shot Network around the idea of making RPGs more accessible and the tabletop community more inclusive.
424. The Price of Coal Part 3
Workers in an Ohio coal mine strike to protest their conditions. This excites the West Virginia workers who are hungry for a movement. However, the companies are attempting to pull scabs amongst the West Virginia miners with promises of extra work and money. It is a critical moment and they need to band together and...
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423. The Price of Coal Part 2
The miners and their families struggle as management tightens their grip on the community, raising prices in the company store. John Bailey tries to win the hearts of new hires as Lester Baird insists they become accustomed to the grim reality. CONTENT WARNING Extreme tragedy, violence, abuse by employers, disease implied sexual harassment, implied racial...
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422. The Price of Coal Part 1
Jennifer Adcock leads James, Beaz, Paulomi Pratap, and Alex Flanigan through character creation for The Price of Coal. They create the residents of a small Appalachian mining town who have some extremely tangled lives and desperately need better treatment at work. CONTENT WARNING Extreme tragedy, violence, abuse by employers, disease implied sexual harassment, implied racial...
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421. Danksgiving Part 2
James, JPC, Brad and Alex struggle to remember the convoluted character histories they created together just moments ago. Alan Rickman confidently advocates that he is capable of using a knife to the only man to ever overdose on marijuana- then the mummy Latharnicock shows up… a reminder, these are some of the best improvisers left...
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420. Danksgiving Part 1
On the fabled haunted site where Kevin Smith wrote Mallrats, “The Dog Cafe” weed shop is preparing to throw a thank you dinner for the people who supported the Kickfunder that helped them open their doors. Grab a generous mug of baked beans from the boiling dumpster, pick your favorite strain, and get ready to...
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419. Heart Beats Part 2
Can heart transplant surgery cure homophobia? Will an underappreciated sibling’s ruse impersonating their more attractive counterpart result in bliss or disaster? Will a daring risk-taker perform a dangerous exploratory surgery to satisfy a medical insurance provider in a dark quid pro quo? Can something terrible please happen to Huckamule Kidcutter who is just THE WORST?...
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418. Heart Beats Part 1
CONTENT NOTE This series draws a lot of comedy from inappropriate conduct in a medical setting. James’ character repeatedly references losing child patients though no children are hurt in the course of the actual story. There is also frequent reference to how broken the US healthcare system and particularly health insurance is. THE ULTIMATE MICRO...
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417. Sentinel Comics Part 5
Our heroes continue their dramatic final confrontation with some of the world’s most dastardly villains. However, each villain they defeat seems to be reduced to harmless inanimate objects just like their previous confrontation. This begs the question: Are any of these fights real? Is it even possible to defeat the person behind this and return...
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416. Sentinel Comics Part 4
Our heroes receive a warning from a giant disembodied eye to “stay out of its affairs.” Strangely, they choose to ignore that warning. The rush to confront the masked figure trying to rewrite reality for San Lasuras— as it appears to be transforming back into San Alonzo. SENTINEL COMICS RPG Buy it now! THE ULTIMATE...
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414. Sentinel Comics Part 3
Our heroes continue their battle against these dark-mirror villians! Not only do they fight to protect civilians diner, they pay the bill for themselves and their enemies, leaving a very generous tip just to prove a point. After the battle realize that this attack was part of a coordinated effort to support the plan of...
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