Dungeons And Dragons: How To Create The Perfect One Shot
4. Don't Sweat The Backstory
If a D&D campaign is The Lord of the Rings Extended Cut Trilogy, a series of sprawling epics told carefully down to the last minute detail, then a one-shot is John Wick: taut, purposeful, and nary a wasted movement. Chances are, you enjoy both movies for different reasons. The same can be said here.
One of the most satisfying parts of Dungeons and Dragons is taking the time to really dig into a character, discover their pathos, learn who they are, what makes them tick, and seeing them grow and develop as they go about their life of heroism.
Characters in a one-shot do not have such a luxury. Players oftentimes come up with a "build" rather than a character. They're looking to experiment with new class combinations or abilities they've not used before and may, at best, have a brief story of who they are, perhaps a quirk or two that can be introduced in-game.
The fact of the matter is that time is against everyone at the table. Do not feel obligated to really dig into character pathos that are only meant to last a single night. If the players find a particular affinity to the character, they may bring them back around for more adventures. But for a one-shot, the story is the party is king.