That’s the trick for bw one shots I reckon. Looking at the subsystems, I think it’s easy to imagine that they have to be used to get the best out of the game. That’s understandable, as most games have those sort of rules to exclusively handle such conflicts. But the reality is burning wheel absolutely sings with just the hub. And it works particularity well for getting a lot done during one shots. (The subsystems seem to come into their own as focal stress points during campaign play.) Although, I find duel of wits gives a pretty satisfying conclusion to single session games, if the players are up for arguing out a conclusion.