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Game Systems Providing the Most Access to Top Adventure Modules
Chris Flood
United States
Oakland
California
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Many traditional RPGs live and die by their adventure modules. Even the most beautifully-crafted, elegant, and rich books of rules will be useless in the hands of a busy GM who can't find decent adventures or the time to create her own. As I built a list of top-rated modules from both GeekDo and RPG.net, I realized that nearly all of them came from just a handful of game systems. This is a list of those systems in descending order by the number of modules they enable you to play.
Rankings & Ratings: By "top-rated," a module must be in the top third of all modules with at least twelve ratings on either site. This meant the rating was at least 6.2 on RPG.net and 6.86 on GeekDo. The seemingly arbitrary cutoff of twelve ratings was the most efficient way to incorporate RPG.net's ratings with GeekDo's, counting reviews on RPG.net as 4 ratings.
Update: Through the incorporation with RPG.net ratings, I had to eliminate some of the game systems. Between them, TORG and Star Wars have fourteen modules that are currently in the top third of ranked modules on GeekDo, but none of them fare very well on RPG.net or get more than twelve ratings here.
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Chris Flood
United States
Oakland
California
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Why play old school D&D when there are so many other, higher-rated RPGs out there? One reason is that early versions of D&D and today's retro-clones give you more access to awesome adventure modules than any other game. It's really no surprise to see the granddaddy of RPGs in the top spot here, and the fact that you can freely download rules compatible with most of these games makes playing the classic even more enticing.
I had originally separated out D&D 3.5e from this list, but reports of d20-based rules-lite games like Microlite20 readily handling classic modules without conversion made me put all of them under one roof. D&D 4 remains a separate story.
For a complete list of the top-rated D&D adventure modules, check out this Geeklist.
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Chris Flood
United States
Oakland
California
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Call of Cthulhu (CoC), another giant from the early days of the industry, made its name on its intricate adventure modules. Say what you will about Basic Roleplaying (BRP), the underlying system of CoC, but the modules it supports stand out not only for their high ranking (more in the top ten on GeekDo than any other system) but also their sheer quantity, taking up a quarter of the top ranked games.
For those who dislike the CoC rules system, numerous adaptations to other systems exist, most of which outline how to play these classics under the new rules. The only downside here is tracking any of them down for affordable prices.
See this Geeklist for a full listing of the top-rated Call of Cthulhu modules.
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Chris Flood
United States
Oakland
California
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Unlike TORG and Star Wars, which have high-ranking modules on GeekDo with little to no love on RPG.net, Deadlands gets just enough appreciation from both sites to merit a spot on this list. Once more ratings come in, the ranking here will probably end up looking something like this:
1. Independence Day
2. The Great Maze
3. City o' Gloom needs just one rating away from being ranked (quite highly) on GeekDo.
4. Adios, A-Mi-Go! needs three more ratings to rank.
5. Night Train
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Chris Flood
United States
Oakland
California
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Over on RPG.net, Warhammer and Ars Magica are side-by-side as top-rated fantasy game systems, outstripping all versions of the venerable D&D by a wide margin. While Ars Magica captivates players with its clever magic rules and other nifty gameplay innovations, Warhammer's strength lies in its rich setting and awe-inspiring adventures. Although its modules don't have the sheer quantity in the upper crust that the previous game systems possess, they take up the top three spots here on GeekDo and do pretty well on RPG.net as well.
Top-Rated Warhammer Adventure Modules
1. Shadows over Bogenhafen (#4 on RPG.net)
2. Death on the Reik (#20 on RPG.net)
3. Power Behind the Throne (#51 on RPG.net)
4. Barony of the Damned (#171 on RPG.net)
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Chris Flood
United States
Oakland
California
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Unknown Armies' modules have yet to pick up many ratings here on GeekDo, but they are the cream of the crop on RPG.net. One Shots and To Go are both in the top ten of all modules across any system, and Weep is just barely outside it.
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Posted Mon Dec 14, 2009 4:18 pm
Crescent City
California