Call of Cthulhu
It’s the defacto investigative rpg and the most popular non-fantasy rpg in the world!
Play as investigators in a world where ancient and otherworldly gods lie dormant and threaten to awaken through the machinations of cultists and lesser beings consuming the fringes of human sanity.
While the most popular setting for this game tends to be the 1920s, Call of Cthulhu can be played in pretty much any time period in human history! Check out our Romance section for Call of Cthulhu games set in Regency England!
The game is mostly about mystery and investigating strange phenomenon. While there is some combat involved, it is not the main focus and can be quite deadly.
If you wanna live in this game, RUN!
1-3 sessions
Almost 20 years ago in college you and your friends joined an occult society. While there was some strange avant garde stuff happening, it was really an excuse for you all to get together somewhere on campus to drink, play some music and party. Decades have passed and with the rise of social media, you’ve all begun to reconnect it was not long before an old friend from your group – Sarah Moore decided to initiate a meetup although her tone alluded to a state of desperation and panic rather than one of and old friend looking to catch up. Concerned, you decide to make your way back to your college town. Meeting old friends, shooting the shit and recalling stories of your youth sounds fun! What could go wrong?
The Moon Child is a modern-day Call of Cthulhu scenario with a more serious tone perfect for those looking for a short but intense and adult adventure lasting 2-3 sessions. Please not the following content warnings: this scenario addresses several themes, including the abuse of a child (that child actually being a Mythos entity), and certain pre-generated investigators’ backstories include accusations of sexual misconduct, self harm, and drug abuse, while one has been diagnosed with cancer.
10-12 sessions
5 strangers are brought together under mysterious circumstances through strange visions to the sleepy town of Ikagura where the residents are plagued by nightmares and insomnia.
As weirder events unfold, the strangers uncover their bonds of fate and discover that their grand mission is more than it would seem.
This campaign is set in 1980s Japan and will bring investigators across Japan in pursuit of strange events occurring in the country. Experience a very different vibe of Call of Cthulhu!
15+ sessions
When a accomplished socialite charges you to discover the truth about her father’s mysterious death, you’re dragged into a web of conspiracy, madness and the end of the world as you know it!
This widely celebrated campaign will take you from the deep south of Georgia to the far corners of the world as you discover the truth and fight for the future of the human race.
It’s an epic campaign that will likely last roughly 20 sessions or so, so take note!
Delta Green
This is by far my favourite ttrpg. If you like TV shows like True Detective or X-files this is the one for you.
In Delta Green, you play as federal agents in a illegal and covert organization bent on containing the unnatural.
This isn’t SCP. There’s no support, no “pokedex” of information, no monster weaknesses to exploit. You’ll never have perfect information. You’ll never know what you’re truly getting into and every violent encounter is going to feel like it could be your last.
But if you like it when your characters face impossible odds and thing never ever get better and your characters spiral into madness, or if you wanna try something really different, this game is the one for you.
1 session
When a fellow Delta Green agent passes away from seemingly mundane causes, you and your team are sent to his residence to clean up any evidence of Delta Green. But what seems like a simple job has a few surprises waiting for you in the darkness and you will learn what it truly means to be a Delta Green agent.
4-8 sessions
When a pattern of children going missing is discovered in the wealth suburb of Druid’s Hill, Delta Green is sent to investigate… It’s always difficult to talk about Delta Green adventures without spoiling it too much but i’ll try!
This scenario is extremely flexible and sand boxy with multiple avenues of investigation, with some really cool revelations waiting for you. There are no easy decisions here and every choice you make will have some opportunity cost and consequences that are far-reaching.
It’s a great intro campaign to Delta Green as it will train you as players on the possibilities on what you can do as authorities and more importantly teach you to recognise the limits of executive power and the consequences of wielding it too carelessly.
Players who love planning, playing cops and indulging in conspiracy theories will have some fun here, but do note that this adventure does dwell on some pretty dark themes, notably racism.
15+ sessions
In the early years of the 21st century, a handful of Delta Green Agents are drawn into an operation so disturbing it leaves permanent scars—on their careers, their relationships, and their sense of self. What begins as a single night of violence becomes a shadow that follows them for decades.
This is a long-form Delta Green campaign that unfolds across years of in-game time, tracking Agents as they grow older, more experienced, and more compromised. Threats don’t end cleanly. Choices echo forward. Consequences resurface long after you thought they were buried.
Please note that this campaign has particularly disturbing themes. If you require a content checklist, this might not be a campaign for you.
Kult Divinity Lost
The world has ended, humans and the heavens have lost. Angels and humans alike have been enslaved, lost in an illusion we call the real world while our conquerors drain us of our divinity.
But some of us are beginning to wake up, cracks have started to appear in our reality and the monsters that lie in the shadows now await.
In Kult, you play an ordinary human being stuck in a matrix constructed by demons. It’s about awakening to the truth and while what you learn will utterly horrify you, it will also set you free.
2-3 sessions
Five weeks ago, a local student by the name of Patrick Wilson entered a highschool in the quiet town of Devonsport and opened fire at the students and teachers. Dozens were killed before he was shot dead by the police. And while the FBI have done their due dilligence to close the case, one question still remains…. Why did he do it? You will be playing as a member of a local taskforce trying to understand the truth. Was he just a deranged killer or was someone else pulling the strings?
2-3 sessions
It’s Febuary 1945 in Berlin. In the final days of World War 2 Berlin is a mess. Food shortages, death on every corner and a sense of dread hangs over the city about the upcoming invasion. As the war rages, the veil between Elysium and Inferno in Berlin weakens as agents of Inferno pour onto the streets.
In the midst of this turmoil, a former MI6 spy goes missing and you and your team have been sent into the heart of enemy territory to retrieve or eliminate the spy holding precious intel on the allies before the Soviets can get their hands on him.
CAIN
Hey do you like Chainsaw Man? What about Jujutsu Kaisen? Persona 5? Investigative horror? Anime battles with crazy powers? Put that all in a blender and you have CAIN!
In CAIN you play as secret agents with special psychic powers combating SIN, psychic manifestations of human trauma. To do that you’ll have to discover the truth about how the sin was created before tracking down it’s palace and destroying it.
2 sessions
Following several weeks of unannounced absence, Srikar Mahandra’s employers at SerSoft have finally issued a missing person’s report, with even his boss, Contoso Jakobs, getting no answer when attempting to visit his apartment. Meanwhile, some witnessed roaming beast people around the city, particularly nearby the Firehose Nightclub, where two witnesses have been held for custody.
SEER readings indicate the presence of a CAT I Centipede in this area, with a fresh squad of exorcists assigned to the case.
10+ sessions
Look alive recruit! Welcome to CAIN.
SIN events have increased in frequency of late and growing more savage. As new recruits you ‘ll be on the frontlines saving humanity and uncovering the mystery of this phenomenon.
This campaign will take your Agent from CAT 1 to CAT 7 in an epic adventure!