The Best Premade Campaigns

Hello there! I’m a voracious reader of whatever I can get my hands on, and for the last couple
years I have been on an absolute kick of reading rpg campaigns. After consuming so many, I
wanted to share what I view as the absolute top rung of the ladder.

13th Age- Eyes of the Stone Thief: The conceit here is absolutely brilliant; What if the dungeons
the PCs explore wasn’t just malevolent, but the main antagonist. What emerges is a
megadungeon that actually feels alive and active that the players will alternately react to and
against. It builds upon all of the strengths of the semi-improvisational nature of the system, and
really lets the players loose.

Savage Worlds- 50 Fathoms/ Sundered Skies: This is how you do a sandbox (more like wet/sky
box, am I right?) Jam Packed with content, be a pirate.

Call of Cthulhu-Beyond the Mountains of Madness: If CoC can be counted upon for doing one
thing, it is turning out amazing adventure after amazing adventure. While the weakest of the
mega-campaigns of the system with a agonizingly slow pace in the first half, the second is so
exceedingly strong that it is well worth the ride.

Call of Cthulhu- Horror On The Orient Express: Plenty of campaigns struggle with making sure
that the players will willingly go along with the adventure. Some will make a sandbox, expecting
the GM to make up the rest. Others will simply disguise their nature and move along with
modular design. This adventure says “Fuck that” and puts the game on a literal railroad. It is
glorious.

Call of Cthulhu- Masks of Nyarlathotep: What can be said about this that hasn’t already been
written? Each edition’s rendition of the masterwork improves upon it even more, without ever
making it feel bloated or dated. Not only is it a contender for the greatest premade adventure of
all time, it is one of the greatest pulp adventure works ever written. A masterpiece in every sense
of the word.
Call of Cthulhu- The Things We Leave Behind: Look, this one is a bit of a cheat. There isn’t a
clear way to string these together, and they weren’t really meant to be. However, as a released
compendium this contains some of the finest modules I have encountered. Forget Me Not alone
is worth the price of admission.

Chuubo’s Marvelous Wish Granting Engine- The Glass-Maker’s Dragon: The system itself
might be overly complicated and frustrating to play, but this supplement is staggering in its
imagination in regards to the product’s ambition.

Deadlands Reloaded- The Flood/ Last Sons: Weird West fiction at its finest, these are unique
with their willingness to allow homebrew. I haven’t read the other campaigns in the line, but if
they reach the quality of these two then I’ll be plenty impressed. Yee-haw.

Delta Green- A Night At The Opera: Look, another flagrant violation of the undisclosed rules.
This scenario book contains hands-down the best scenario writing I have ever read with each
module presenting a distinctly themed joint of horror. The best horror system around always
strive to be even better.

Degenesis Rebirth- Jehammed’s Will (In Thy Blood, The Killing Game, Black Atlantic): The epic
saga of possibly the finest post-apocalyptic system ever released. Gorgeously detailed and
meticulous written this takes second place of my favorite premise campaign. Come for the
production values, stay for the brutality.

Dungeons & Dragons- Night Below: TSR’s swansong, this epic campaign demonstrates just how
good the cornerstone of rpgs can be when in the right hands and why it has stayed around for so
long. Also has the best representation of the Underdark, period.

Dungeons & Dragons- Curse of Strahd: Ravenloft is often held up as the best D&D module, yet
this 5E campaign takes its place as the pinnacle of what the venerated system’s lineage can do.

Heroquest- Sartyr Kingdom of Heroes: This is what sword and sorcery campaigns should strive
to be, what they can be if they are unashamed of their roots. If you love games that are willing to
just be fun, then you owe it to yourself to read this.
King Arthur Pendragon- The Pendragon Campaign: Some say that this is the best that prewritten
material has ever been, and it is hard to disagree. With a vision so far above most other works,
the magnum opus of Greg Strafford is a venerable classic.

Kult- The Black Madonna/ Judas Grail: These right here are the peak of what horror rpgs can be.
Dark, disturbing, sick, and sacrilegious they all cross several lines, yet never feel gratuitous Read
these if you wish to experience a world where reality itself has gone wrong. With the advent of
Divinity Lost, The Black Madonna has become even better.

Lamentations of the Flame Princess- The Red and Pleasant Land/ Better Than Any Man/ Deep
Carbon Observatory: There is much to be said about LotFP. Criticisms about its edginess and
lack of subtly have been risen. Yet there is no way to deny that each of these are so superbly
written it is hard to to notice those complaints.

Legend of Five Rings- City Of Lies: This is, hands down, the best location ever created in the
history of rpgs. Every part of the city is detailed, and the campaign itself matches that quality.
Required reading.

Mekton- Operation Rimfire: Anime as hell, it still packs plenty of heart. If you enjoy all the
excesses of classic sci-fi and 90’s anime, then at least give this a cursory glance.

Night’s Black Agents- The Zalozhniy Quartet: Another day, another compilation book that can be
strung into an excellent campaign. Features the best heist ever in rpgs, and a fantastic villain.
Would be the best improv campaign if not for...

Night’s Black Agents- The Dracula Dossier: Look, this thing, this magnificent thing, is a titan. A
veritable behemoth of writing, there is just so much here to unpack. Every page bursts with ideas
that could fuel an entire campaign, that could serve as something sessions of fun on their own.
The only downside is just how much of a niche styled GM you have to be to run it. If you do the
ability though there is nothing else quite like it.
The One Ring- The Darkening of Mirkwood: A smaller, more intimate version of Greg
Strafford’s classic, this campaign captures just what is so magical and visionary about the words
of J.R.R. Tolkien. Combine with Heart of the Wild and Tales From the Wilderland for a beast of
a work.

Orpheus- The Orpheus Campaign: The forgotten child of WoD, this line of six books deserves
more recognition as the fantastically realized world that it creates. A pseudo-sequel to the best
WoD material, Orpheus is lovely in every way. The most underrated campaign in the entirety of
rpgs.

OSR- Maze of the Blue Medusa/ Hot Springs Island/ Stonehell: Another cheat to lump all of
these together, but I could not find out any other way to speak of the importance of these three.
The apex of the OSR philosophies, these crawlers are packed with puzzles and difficult
encounters.

Paranoia- Yellow Clearance box Blues: There is plenty of great modules written for this system,
but this stands as the “obvious” best. Melding Paranoia’s classic writing with modern design
sensibilities and the power of rock, this scenario is a beating blast.

Pathfinder- Kingmaker/ Age of Worms/ Curse of the Crimson Throne: It is hard not to respect
Paizo for their efforts in keeping the structured premise campaigns alive when they were near
abandoned in the late 00’s. These are their best efforts, the adventures that deserve to stand
alongside the classics.

Pathfinder- Way of the Wicked: The second best fan campaign ever made for an rpg, this evil
adventure has several issues, but the concept alone is worth checking out. It really captures what
it means to be an overlord fighting against the forces of good.

Pathfinder/ D&D 4E/ D&D 5E- Zeitgeist: One of my favorite videos games ever created in an
rpg called Arcanum. A steampunk fantasy meld it is about the dawning of a new age, the struggle
of hierarchies, and the nature of faith. Zeitgeist here is the only equivalent I have been able to
find. An absolute unit of a campaign, it stands as the greatest fan made campaign ever.
Runequest- Griffin Mountain: An essential ancient campaign that many modern adventures draw
their inspiration from. Holds up remarkably well, and still has some surprises hidden inside.

Star Wars (WEG)- Operation Elrood: “Let’s board a star destroyer, and blow it up!”
Demonstrates why this franchise has stuck around for forty-odd years.

Trail of Cthulhu- Eternal Lies: The modern rival to Mister Gnarly’s Masks, this campaign is
explosively impressive. A fine mystery, a pulp adventure, and plenty of twists. The best
campaign of the last decade.

Trail of Cthulhu- Cthulhu City: Much like the campaign books of Degenesis, this work is part
source book and part adventure. A love letter to the Weird, with more hooks than Lake
Champlain in the summer.

Traveller- Pirates of Drinax: This here is the finest, largest, mindboggingly detailed sandbox I
have ever encountered. Could supply a decade of content easily.

Unknown Armies 2E- TO GO: My favorite setting, my favorite system, my favorite campaign. A
fantastic (road/head/ road head) trip across the American gestalt.

WFRP- The Enemy Within: The fans say this is the finest adventure ever written, and the
detractors will grudgingly admit that it is certainly impressive. A wondrous achievement in
adventure writing, the promise of it being modernized and bettered looms on the horizon.