In two weeks my group is starting up a Burning Wheel game. This week, I was thinking of running a demo scenario. However, my explicit goal with our upcoming game is to learn the rules slowly, pretty much just using the Hub + Spokes for a short campaign (6ish sessions). Which is problematic for a demo scenario, as they all seem to be predicated on the idea of using at least one of the subsystems (I can’t see how you’d do Hochen without either a Fight!, a Duel of Wits, or both).
Is it possible to approach The Sword or Trouble in Hochen with the subsystems explicitly off the table?
I think The Library is pretty cool, though it might need a couple of tweaks for first-time players. It’s still possible you’ll get a DoW at the end.
Really it’s because most BW one-shots will have the tendency towards a DoW at the end, I think: oftentimes the thing that sets it apart from just being a D&D-style adventure is that the characters have somewhat diverging goals that come to a head once the struggle is over and it’s time for the big moral decision to be made.