I'm a member of a RPGs club where it is easier to run one shots, especially when one wants to introduce players to a new game.
But, at first sight, UA3 doesn't seem like the kind of game best suited to run one shots (particularly with the collective background creation aspect).
So, my questions are :
Do you have recommendations to run one shots in the UA3 universe? Can I simply create characters and skip the collective background?
I intend to buy the One Shots supplement. Is it possible to use the GMCs stats directly, or do I have to convert them? And if yes, is there a guide to it?
Hi there! It's true that UA3 is not designed as well for one-shots because of its first session collaborative character and setting building, as outlined in Book Two: Run. But it's also not impossible, either. As a result of our Kickstarter, we funded seven "campaign starter kits" which are currently in the production queue. These include six pre-gens, a starting objective, a first session breakdown, antagonists, and important locations and GMCs for a broad variety of UA stories. Each is useful for a one-shot session or to, as the name implies, start off a campaign.
This does mean that yes, you can skip collaborative chargen and make them ahead of time. That's the best way to make use of the previous edition's One-Shots book, so long as you do all the work in setting up relationships between the player characters and so forth.
My 20-minute demo of UA3, RATTLESHAKE, is up on the Unknown Armies product page. It's got 3 characters and a brief scenario for you to play around with.