Top Five Post-Apocalyptic Modules

In keeping with the totally random theme of my top five list for the past few weeks, I’ve decided to do one totally at random. This one is all about my favorite Post-Apocalyptic Adventure modules that have been produced for various games.

Now, over the years I have played a lot of different games, and have read even more. I will not deny that my favorite game is still the venerable first and second edition Gamma World. No, even though I write for Mutant Future, my love is still the original!

There have been many different games. Some I have touched upon in my previous top five lists, others I have haven’t even mentioned.

Believe it or not, a couple of my favorite non Gamma World games are Twilight 2000, The Morrow Project and Aftermath! I have always liked all three, and during its heyday, both The Morrow Project and Twilight 2000 had a great deal of support.

Strangely enough, only one module from the two systems ended up making my top five favorites.

So, here is my list of favorite modules.

1. Legion of Gold (Gamma World) – This was the first module ever written for the venerable game, and it was written as a sandbox style adventure with plenty of side-quests to play. Written by the Late Garg Gygax and his son Luke, as well as Paul Reiche III. This little gem had everything you could possibly want in a Gamma World setting – mutant bugs, renegade androids and an evil computer with visions of glorious conquest. It has been a favorite of mine and probably will be for the rest of my life. With a little work, the GM could quite easily turn this module into a very long-running game, just by adding a few little tweaks here and there and allowing the players to have fun with all the side-quests.
2. Mind Master’s Series (Darwin’s world) – This is not a standalone module. Instead it is a series of four modules written by Dominc Covey. This is an epic, high level adventure set in the Darwin’s world campaign setting. This series pits the characters against the hated Savant’s, a faction of the world bent on domination. It is an extremely hard series of adventures with tons of places to explore and reveals a great deal about the slavers and monsters possessing powerful mental mutations. I enjoyed the monsters as well as the background information provided in this adventure. If you have not tried this particular game, do so.
3. Journey to Newhome (Darwin’s world) – This is a series of short adventures set in the Darwin’s World campaign setting. It deals with several characters introduced in the novel ‘Burning Lands’ and is sort of a continuation of the book. That is why I chose this particular module out of all those available for the campaign. It takes place approximately 10 years after the events in the novel, and there are tie-ins with the various other modules published for this game. The eight adventures could be played as standalone adventures, but it is far more entertaining to play them as they were meant to be played. The consequences of each module are also far reaching and can have one hell of an impact on the game.
4. Beyond the Red Crater (Mutant Epoch) – A well written and deadly adventure that leads the characters on a path of vengeance with the potential for both a hideous death, or glorious rewards. A well fleshed-out adventure which can easily be injected into an existing game. I like the fact that there is not a single ‘path’ to play the adventure. There are multiple possible outcomes!
5. Prime Base (The Morrow Project) ­– Probably one of the most important adventures in the entire MP series. This has the players finding the location of the lost Prime Base and pits them against the daunting task of recovering it. The module is very long and the base is highly detailed. Can the team finally recover the long-lost base and reactivate it in order to bring the project to life? Only the smartest and most determined characters will be successful. Best thing is this adventure could be incorporated into any game, using the base and its description as an installation.