Dungeons of Drakkenheim

If as a player you are looking for a darker, more authentic experience along the lines of Fallout or The Last of Us then I would heartily recommend that you give Dungeons of Drakkenheim a try. The word 'Dungeons' may prompt images of a combat romp and whilst you can GM and play it like that, for me at least that is not where the true beauty of this campaign lies. Its true beauty is the pathos it manages to achieve by blending the tropes of a Fantasy world with those more commonly found in games such as Call of Cthulhu, Shadowdark, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, and even Mothership. It represents an examination of the ties that bind and how terribly fragile they can be when stark and dramatic tension is applied externally. It does this whilst at the same time ensuring that there is just enough hope for things not to feel too oppressive and for our heroes to increasingly drive events as explore a Dungeon the size of a capitol city. It is 80% a sandbox game and this gives the players a lot of agency to drive the pace and direction of the game. There is equal scope for our heroes to be the noblest saviours or the coldest villains. What Fell From The Sky doesn't care though...its purpose is immutable and whatever ambitions you might have, you will need to know what plan you have for it; it already has a destiny prepared for you...

Dungeons of Drakkenheim is one of the coolest campaign settings out there. It's a fabulously dark and gritty love letter to cosmic horror. The world is rich with lore, many of the Npcs are genuinely interesting and the story can take so many unique twists and turns. I cant recommend this campaign enough!

Eldritch Horror & Intrigue are two of my favorite things. This campaign leans into both. Conflicting factions unable to unite against a terrifying evil makes for great stories, and a need for even greater heroes. The livestream, with the same name, is just one way to play through this campaign that has a very open ended sandbox feel. Player choices will tell the story, and determine the outcome, not just in a linear beat the BBEG or not, but remake the world based upon which factions they support and oppose.

A cursed city. Cosmic forces beyond all comprehension. A punishing urban wasteland that will take every resource you have available to survive. Rival factions that can help your mission or hinder your every move - and you'll have to pick between them. No two games of Drakkenheim will ever be the same, because your choices as the players deeply matter in the way your story unfolds. This adventure is maybe the best-written module I've ever had the pleasure of running as a GM. It is laid out in a way that is incredibly easy to run, and the setting is rich and evocative. Personal Quests for every player give me as a GM lots of story threads to use and weave into the larger narrative. I used to think I didn't like horror - until I started running Drakkenheim! Play this adventure if you like player-driven stories, sandbox-style worlds, tactical survival and combat mechanics, cosmic horror, and faction intrigue.

Welcome to Dungeons of Drakkenheim, where your party gets to explore a post-apocalyptic fantasy city crawling with horrors, political schemers, and a deadly, reality-warping substance called the Haze. Think Chernobyl meets Lovecraftian horror, but with mutant abominations, crumbling towers, and way too many people trying to “reclaim” a city that actively wants to kill them. Your players aren’t just looting dungeons—they’re navigating the ruins of a once-great capital, now overrun with contaminated creatures, rival factions, and eldritch weirdness caused by a magical meteor strike. The deeper they go, the worse things get, both physically and mentally. Pros: ✔ The setting is fantastic—a ruined, haunted city with a mystery at its core, plus a ton of factions fighting over the scraps. ✔ The Haze makes everything dangerous—the city itself is actively hostile, and exposure to eldritch contamination has long-term consequences. ✔ Factions actually matter—players can’t please everyone and will have to choose allies and make enemies. ✔ Perfect mix of horror, exploration, and political intrigue—this isn’t just hack-and-slash; your choices shape the fate of Drakkenheim. Cons: ✘ This is NOT a casual dungeon crawl—Drakkenheim is lethal, complex, and requires actual planning. ✘ The Haze can be brutal—contamination effects punish reckless exploration, which some players might hate. ✘ The factions will NOT get along—the party will have to pick sides, and some choices can lock them out of certain quests. ✘ If your players just want to kill monsters and collect loot, they will be confused and dead. Final Verdict: If your party loves dark fantasy, faction intrigue, and survival horror with eldritch mutations on top, Dungeons of Drakkenheim is one of the best third-party campaigns out there. If they just wanted a traditional dungeon crawl, they are about to have a VERY bad time. 9.5/10 – The City Hates You.

Dark, gritty, deadly and mysterious. The world of Drakkenheim is super evocative and it has the best written module I had the pleasure of reading Lots of great advice and ideas on how to run a story with multiple competing factions and how to make them living and moving parts of the game It is full of new weird and creepy monsters to get players by surprise I would only recommend against playing it if you prefer a more straightforward campaign, as the complex sandbox here expects you to be paying attention to the details and to take the story in your own hands, instead of just expecting the DM just telling you where to go next