First, the game is tomorrow, 28th of March. So after that, no use giving further ideas.

Alright, so I have been called to run a simplified game of DW as a one-shot. 6 players, half of whom have never played an RPG, nor are they particularly savvy of the 40k setting. The other half are at least quite aware of 40k, and have played in a full DW campaign before.

(to be fair, selecting DW was my choice, I was looking for a game where, at least at the low power levels, player success was pretty easy, but against more difficult challenges could lead to a tenser game)

To this end I'm opting to really go with the Final Sanction demo rules, but I don't think I'll have time to squeeze in the entire FS module (also, my original 3 players have run through a modifed Final Sanction scenario (different state of the inquisitor), so I would prefer to not re-use things they've played before).

It likely will be a genestealer infestation, mainly because that allows for mixing both difficult and easy enemies (purestrains and genestealer cultists), as well as having a nice final showdown with a broodlord.

My current train of thought is to have the kill team drop pod onto a planet as part of a scheduled check-up on an inquisitor that has failed to report in (and had a contingency to have a DW ship check up on them just in case). Upon arrival in the system they do detect an emergency beacon going off on planet, and long range auspex scans have picked up fighting on the ground (no intel on who/what though).

Instead of using FS's Lordsholm scenario where you're trying to rescue the planetary government and otherwise stymie the entire rebellion, I'll likely focus on the missing inquisitor/broodlord hunt. I'm consuidering using the tile terrain from my Space Hulk copy and call it the interior of some manufactorium.

Anyway, repeat the same sort of into combat seen in FS, drop pod down to a small settlement for the works of the manufactorum, find a unit of allied forces under attack from genestealer cultists (traitor PDF), and upon victory be informed by a surviving acolyte of the inquisitor (who was left to manage the forces and set off the beacon in case) that the inquisitor was investigating activity in the manufactorum complex.

KT then is predicted to move into the complex, maybe offer a few different options/ideas on how to get inside, and then from there run the facility like a giant maze. Locked doors, occasional encounters (purestrains coming through vents and such), depending on how the party seems to be doing.

Encounter with the broodlord would occur in one of these rooms, and maybe have some sort of environmental issue where if the players are too reckless could cause major damage to the facility (e.g. set off explosions). Either its a running escape as its blowing up or a direct fight with the broodlord. Inquisitor is obviously dead already.

Past that alot of it is planned to run by seat of pants, and having to deal with rules questions from people who are new to RPGs.

Still, seems like I could add a bit more interaction. That or having more detailed possible scenarios for inside the complex (or on the how they get in side of things).

Personally, I'd move the whole thing to a Manufactorum world, with a powerful mechanicus presence. Also, have it building critical war materials for the Jerico Crusade (or something like that).

1) If it's built up like a company town, you get lots of built up terrain very quickly. It also gives you a good reason to have landed in the housing district - it might be the only part accessable from the air, the rest might be built into the mountain, or under an active void shield.

2) High level mechanicus can be trickier to deal with, because they don't have the same fear/awe of Space Marines as the regular population. This makes negotiation and other social encounters more important, because they can't just "Because I'm a Space Marine" their way through.

3) Despite the infestation, the manufactorum is still running at full production. This provides for all kinds of wonderful dangers, as huge mechanical arms swing around, gears turn, fires burn in boilers, molten metal flows down river-like pipes, etc. It also gives them a clear and constant secondary objective - minimize damage to the facility. If the factory doesn't meet quota, guardsmen elsewhere in the crusade are going to die, and a world might be lost. This also gives a reason for people to interact with or protect are all over the facility.

Also, are you having them build characters, or are you giving them characters. I *really* recommend the later for 1 shot intro games. Also means you can discribe the rules on the sheet, and avoid any of the really weird/obscure/specific talents. Also I just wouldn't bring in a librarian for this game.

Is this 'one-shot' as in just 1 game session, or multiple sessions playing a stand-alone scenario?

If it's the former, even a stripped down version of Final Sanction will likely be too ambitious. I would recommend simply playing out a training mission in the Watch Fortress' training arenas: blowing away combat servitors while sweeping a maze looking for a specific target, or some such. That way, you can make the session as short or long as you want ("They just keep coming!").

What I like to do for short sessions is patrol missions with enemys boarding the ship(like some rockz hitting the ship due to unexpected warp travel abortion into an asteroid field and orks start to loot everything they can rip of the ship) or training grounds on the watch fortress - there is a reason they have a bestiarium Training grounds have the advantage that in case you might hurt them pretty bad they can always take time to recover, which is quite nice for playing the first time.

I actually disagree about using a 'training arena' as a one-time-only shot. There's no story in a training arena, all your doing is rolling dice and learning the system. That's great if you're going to be launching into a full game later, but if this one game is all your doing, you want some kind of actual victory at the end, and something on the line. Otherwise you risk your players wondering why we're doing all this. It isn't exactly heroic to take down a dozen training dummies.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. The game went well and all parties seemed to have fun.

I did go with the modified Final Sanction game, and was able to fit it in with the time I had. I did stick with it being a remote facility, but instead designated it as an atmopsheric purification plant, and the small settlement for the workers (essentially sticking with the basics of Aliens , as this was the most relatable material for the party).

Players drop-podded into the middle of a conflict between genestealer cultists and the remnants of an IG platoon, saved the day, went into the facility, navigated it a bit. I had arranged the map such that I intended for the purestrains to attack them from a particular direction, but the party rather intelligently used their krak grenades to demolish that pathway (don't worry, this has reprecussions later). They went on to have some dealings the the tech priest who was responsible for the facility. He had locked himself into a secure area, but was otherwise far more concerned with the proper operation of the facility (and the kill team's apparant wonton destruction of major support sections) than any sort of xenos infestation. Begrudingly, after some coaxing by the kill-team, he agreed to help them so that he could at least properly attend to anything they might damage and properly open doors/shut things down (rather than what the kill team would probably do).

Going forward they actually started moving directly towards where the broodlord was located (and with the main path for the flanking purestrains cut off), this quickly turned into a direct fight with the broodlord (they were actually attempting to get a door open and he clawed through it, surprising the party slightly and getting hits in). Unfortuantely, 80 wounds still doesn't really stand up to the Righteous Fury chances of 6 marines with bolters, so the BL goes down rather quickly. However, as a result of the gunfire in the rather sensitive area of the facility, as well as the damage to the "main support" (as per their krak grenades earlier), this causes the facility to start to have structural issues. To that end the remaining feral genestealers are forced to flee through the only exit they have possible, which at this point, is directly though the party. This turned into the group having to face a large magnitude horde of purestrain genestealers, which rather quickly cut down the assault marine (4d10 + 12 and pen 10 undodgable does that to ya) and continued to chase the players out. They eventually got the devastator too and thats when it got really hairy.

It came down to alot of frag grenades, a couple key misses on my part, and a rather lucky roll by one of the new guys who had up until that point been doing rather poorly on his roles to really save it.

Anyway, the party did eventually find the dead inquisitor, and they at least did drag out the remains/burnt fate pointed characters of the PCs that went down.