Questions about running an AW one shot

Hey,
I plan to run a one shot AW session for some friends while we're at GenCon this month.  I attempted to run a campaign for some of them earlier this year with mild success.  I'm not sure precisely what caused our initial foray to be so... meh.  I was new to the system, so some things, like going aggro and seize by force, were not so clear to me at the time.  Also, we're all long time D&Ders, so most of the players feel uncomfortable without a more... narrative/guided approach.  I've read Hatchet City and Sunken Sydney, got inspiration from forum user octoscott's Iron Road campaign and generally scoured forum posts on the subject of 1 shots or Con games.  I still have some questions, however. 

I keep reading that I shouldn't use pregenerated characters, but what's the reason?  How important is the character generation portion?  I guess what I'm most concerned about is making sure that the HX makes sense, since they're basically starting in session 4 or somewhere like that.  I really like the idea of Love Letters and plan to use them, but can they replace the HX section?  Does anyone have some good advice on writing them?

I realize that I am probably stressing too much over a game with just my friends, but I really want to give them a fun, unique experience that isn't D&Dish. 

From what I've seen so far, the users on this forum are extremely helpful, so I will say thank you in advance.

Not only would I not replace Hx, I would make sure you're spending a good amount of time with it before moving on. I would make sure that you ask all kinds of questions about anything the players say in Hx. Whatever you're planning, double it.

Why? Because that's where the characters are. That's where their past comes alive, that's where their connections to the world and all the other characters are born. That's where you can start to figure out where they're not in control and what they need, as well as who they need it from and what they sacrifice to get it.

I've heard about AW games where the characters didn't care about anybody and didn't need anybody and it wasn't a pretty thing.

Please: don't pregen characters in AW.

I think the main reason one might bring pre-gen to a game is to avoid complex character creation and allow gamers to "jump in" to the feel of the game without worrying about which Feats stack with a Perk bonus etc. AW is not like that at all, in my experience. Character generation is rather simple and actually helps build the feel of the characters. Seeing  that the Brainer might take direct brain whisper and in-brain puppet strings to be a scary mindfucker puppet master, or could instead combine casual brain receptivity with the brain relay gear and be a psychic creeper who likes to snoop on people's shit.

As for Hx, I've never seen it come out as restrictive, myself. Players need a little structure too, and letting the Gunlugger be a part of the Hocus's followers makes for more drama than an escalation as to who can push the other PCs around the most.

'Fraid I can't give you any advice on Love Letters, except to do it, baby! Seriously, just try writing four or five. Even if you end up scrapping them all, it's great exercise for your creative thinking and getting a feel for how you'll run the world. Like, what would threaten the Angel? An epidemic or shortage of meds for sure, but what about a rival healer? What would that be like?

Thanks both of you for your input!  You have swayed me for sure.  We have a few people in the group who haven't had a lot of experience with RP, so maybe I was just unfairly assuming that they wouldn't hack it.  I am going to seriously rethink some things. 

I think my problem is that when you say things like "letting the Gunlugger be a part of the Hocus's followers..." I get all geeked up thinking how cool that would be, and I want to MAKE that the HX instead of letting the player decide.  I need to step back and let things happen organically. 

I have a couple weeks, so I think that will be plenty of time to whip out some Love Letters and really get my apocalyptica going.  Anyone who has experience with what works and what doesn't in regards to Love Letters, please feel free to chime in!

I think my problem is that when you say things like "letting the Gunlugger be a part of the Hocus's followers..." I get all geeked up thinking how cool that would be, and I want to MAKE that the HX instead of letting the player decide.  I need to step back and let things happen organically. 

Ask questions, leading questions! Allow yourself to make offers. Like, "which of you are part of the hocus cult?" If your players are game, they'll yes, and... it. :)

Yup! Questions are your friend.