The PCs are modern day people; gamers going to a convention or similar. A mysterious event/person beckons them through a portal, and they are transported to somewhere else. There is a need that they can help resolve, and they do heroic stuff. At the end of the adventure, they are popped back to where they came from.
Not sure of a game system yet, something fun and maybe swash-buckley like 7th Sea or Flashing Blades. Or a d20 base there where they can get up to 3rd level or so decently quickly. Basically giving them some resistance to easy death.
Key points:
- PCs do not control the coming or going to the "other world".
- PCs can't stock up on machine guns and grenades, "just in case".
- The game is heroic, and uses the smarts and unusual perspective a modern gamer might have.
- Time flow is asymmetric.
Please give me some ways to make this better.