Remember That One Time?

Today, we’re highlighting an idea for a game session that isn’t terribly Zelda specific, but could be used in any tabletop system for a unique, irreverent, and enjoyable time: “Remember That One Time?”

“Remember That One Time” is a way to set up and play through some fun, light-hearted, comedic scenes, without worrying about exactly how the Heroes got themselves into that particular mess. It’s a great way to take a breather between epic quests, or to play a session while you’re missing important players.

This idea originally comes from a Reddit post by boomerxl, which we found while researching “beach episode” RPG sessions. It was so cool, though, we wanted to highlight it in its own post! Check out below for more details about how to use this idea in your own game.

To start, have your Heroes in a place where they can spend some quality time together, reminiscing and telling stories about their adventures so far. They could be doing this in a tavern, around a campfire, or just sitting around a dinner table (be it some host’s, or their own). The important thing is to be in a relaxed, safe place, where Heroes are free to tell hilarious or crazy stories to pass the time.

Then, have one Hero start things off by saying “Hey, remember that one time…” and then follow it up with the set-up for some incredible story. This sets up the scenario that the Gm and the Heroes will then act out, as if it were happening right there, right then.

While this sounds like the set-up for a clip show – and the idea is definitely similar! – there are two rules to this game that keep things interesting:

• First, the thing you’re remembering must be an event that hasn’t been seen in-game, but could have occurred ‘between sessions’ or ‘off-camera’. This is not an excuse to play some reruns!
• Second, the player saying “Remember that one time…” can only state the set-up for the thing you’re all remembering. The actual conclusion will instead be played out by the Heroes ‘back then’.

For instance, one Hero might begin with, “Remember when that Cucco took a nap on your Pack, Harald?” The Heroes would then flash back to when that Cucco took a nap on Harald’s pack, with the GM helping set the scene – perhaps with some input by the other Players, to determine when it would’ve been best for this to occur.

With the scene set, the Heroes and GM would then play out the scenario, describing all of the increasingly-desperate ways that they tried to dislodge a stubborn, sleepy Cucco from their friend’s rucksack.

(Don’t worry too much about what the Heroes’ Traits or Equipment “should have been” back then – first and foremost, this is meant to be a light and breezy activity!)

Playing a round of ‘Remember That One Time’ is a great way to round out a day at the beach, sitting around a campfire and laughing with your mates. If your players are having fun, you could even spend a whole session of play just doing this!