Can this game work in a one-shot format? (No doubt better as a full 4 session game but I'd love to try this in a stand alone session)
The full thing (Setting the Stage + Acts 1-3), probably not. My advice would be:
- Skip Acts 1 & 2. Set up as for Act 3, but with more tokens (9 for a shorter oneshot, 12 for a longer one).
- Consider allocating playbooks and making characters in advance, then tweaking choices as needed after you make the Island.
- Open in medias res; all the PCs have already seen omens.
- To flesh out which:
- Everyone draws from the omen deck and consults the Act 1 chart. Matching values mean you encountered it together.
- As above, but consulting the Act 2 chart.
- (This means everyone starts with 2 tokens)
- Frame a public vignette where at least two PCs are present (a community event) and discover the first omen of Act 3.