What classic D&D module should I run for Barrows & Borderlands?

 Choosing the right classic module for Barrows & Borderlands depends on whether you want to lean into the "Barrows" (the claustrophobic, ancient crawl) or the "Borderlands" (the gritty, survivalist frontier). Given the system's DNA, you want modules that emphasize resource management, high lethality, and environmental storytelling. I'm looking at running a classic module for this Summer. 

Here are a few classic recommendations that pair perfectly with the B&B mechanical feel:

1. B4: The Lost City (Tom Moldvay)

This is arguably the best fit for the "Barrows" side of the game. It features a tier-layered pyramid buried in the sands, housing a degenerating society and a subterranean cult.

• The Hook: It’s a self-contained ecosystem. The factions inside (the Brotherhood of Gorm, the Magi, etc.) allow for the kind of gritty social maneuvering and "gold-for-XP" grinding that B&B excels at.

• The Vibe: Decadent, eerie, and ancient.

2. N1: Against the Cult of the Reptile God (Douglas Niles)

For a "Borderlands" style campaign, this is the gold standard. It starts in the suspicious, muddy town of Orlane and slowly reveals a creeping, shadowy influence.

• The Hook: It rewards investigation and caution. In a system where combat is risky, the "cold war" feel of Orlane—where you don't know who is mind-controlled and who isn't—adds a layer of tension that fits a low-power party.

• The Vibe: Rural horror and mystery.

3. T1: The Village of Hommlet (Gary Gygax)

If you want a pure "Borderlands" experience, Hommlet provides a detailed base of operations with a nearby "starter" dungeon (the Moathouse).

• The Hook: The Moathouse is a masterclass in dungeon design: it's small, tactical, and incredibly dangerous for low-level characters. It forces players to think about positioning and retreat—core skills in B&B.

• The Vibe: Classic "Points of Light" fantasy.

4. The Caverns of Thracia (Jennell Jaquays)

If you want to move slightly outside the TSR "color" modules, this Judges Guild classic is the definitive "Jaquaysed" dungeon.

• The Hook: It features incredible verticality, multiple entrances, and looping paths. For a system that values procedural exploration, this map is a playground that rewards clever navigation over brute force.

• The Vibe: Mythic underworld and non-linear exploration.

---

Module	Focus	Primary Threat
The Lost City	Dungeon Crawl	Cultists & Weird Science
Reptile God	Mystery/Frontier	Infiltration & Naga
Village of Hommlet	Tactical Skirmish	Bandits & Monstrous Humanoids
Caverns of Thracia	Complex Navigation	Beastmen & Undead

---

A "Wildcard" Suggestion: Death Frost Doom

If you want something that leans more into the "Doom" and horror often found in modern OSR-adjacent games, this module involves an ancient mountain shrine that, if disturbed, fundamentally changes the world state. It’s bleak, atmospheric, and highly lethal.

Urban Hunt - Lamentations of the Flame Princesss & Wretched New Flesh Second Edition Adventure Idea

 So this morning I began to look deeper into a discussion that we had around the table top about Lamentations of the Flame Princess rpg.  And we were talking about the fact that someone once described LoFP as an 'OSR horror rpg disguised as a retroclone'. Now this put me on the trail of using LoFP for a modern horror game. And in various OSR Facebook groups LoFP has become 'the forbidden rpg game' of choice. Mostly because of the controversies surrounding James Raggi IV & his authors. Which has absolutely nothing to do with what we're gonna speak about. Now specifically I want talk about the magic users or wizards in LoFP. 

Wizards at first level get the spell summon. Summon can gate in just about anything literally into an OSR game. We've used this with Castles & Crusades and many other OSR games. 
When the summon spell is cast then we use the Esoteric Creature generator or the handy generator included in the spell's description. 

And while talking about LoFP we sorta fixated on the idea of some high school or college age NPC junior occultist in one of our Wretchedverse rpg campaigns. 
And this is the case with Wretched New Flesh Second edition. 

Wretched New Flesh second edition is available through  the Red Room store,

@biggeekemporium

and

@GiantSlayerRPGs

Imagine if you will that some rebellious teen or college age student gets a hold of an occult or esoteric scroll or book with a summon spell. And opens a door into the supernatural world summoning who knows what into the  mega city of  Avalidad. And here's where the PC's get called into the situation by Zontec. And then the PC's have to pick up the mess and grab this young man or woman before 

he or she unleashes something even worse! 

The Borderlands Campaign - The Sinister Stone of Sakkara- Session One Report

 Go to sit in on a Castles & Crusades game of  "The Sinister Stone of Sakkara" & my Dwarvian Priest PC Mikia Mechanicus  got a chance to meet up with the party outside of the Greco Roman style desert fortress of Türos Tem. The regular  merchant caravans from the nearby town of Siadanos have come under attack! And so after doing a bit of recon and shopping. We laid in for the night and got a feel for the fortress & nearby villages. And we noticed several signs of increased beastmen & Chaos activity. All of this connects up with what I wrote about on the blog here back on August 22. 
 

And it's this connection that conerns us as players & DM's. There's a threat of the Lovecraftian within the "The Sinister Stone of Sakkara" that harkens around the cults of Chaos. These cults have been spreading across the world without mercy or end. There's been little to stop the corruption or the Chaos. 
And much of this connects with the musings of Brian Young's Castles & Crusades Codex Classicum which we used for gods, equipment, etc. in today's game. 

During today's game the party got caught in a sand storm and came faced to face with a party of gnolls just outside of one of the raided villages! Chaos itself is centered on destroying the pseudo-Roman empire keep in an Ancient Egyptian/Mesopotamian culture war. We were able to find this out after questioning one of the gnoll warriors that we managed to capture. 
He turned out to be one of the bodyguards of the local Chaos priests. The gnoll warrior turned on our knight of Horus The Avenger. But took him out before he had a chance to bite his throat out. We went back to the fortress to spend the night and rest up. 
We have yet to come across any sign of the copper rings from  "Stains upon the Green". 

S7 Stains Upon The Green, Adventurer, Conqueror, King Rpg, & the Borderlands Campaign - The Red Tide & Dark Wizard games module number #6 The Moving Maze of the Mad Master!

 

So let's pick up from right back here on the blog. And let's talk about the Red Tide setting for a moment which is for a Labyrinth Lord campaign with a sorta East Asian flavor. And this setting could easily be tied into both  "Stains upon the Green"' & Dark Wizard games module number #6 The Moving Maze of the Mad Master! DW#6 is actually an island encounter with the PC's with mad master's maze infront and red mist at their backs! 

With Red Mist decimating many of the lands & islands surround the mainland. The mad master has taken full advantage of this by stealing into the domains & lands of the Dwarves. And making out with many of thier ancient constructs & constructions. Not only this but the villainous bastard may have in point of fact mastered the highly dangerous copper rings of  "Stains upon the Green". This brings things full circle where the Dwarven nations have lost everything. 

Last blog entry we mentioned X1 The Isle of Dread.  And I said ,'Now imagine for a moment that the Red Mist threatens X1 The Isle of Dread. '

Well imagine it because this ties in with the isle being on the border of the plane of water.The red tide is both a chaos and paraelemental forces of nature. And our mad master has been using his knowledge of the pheneomana and mechanisms to pluck players from across the planes for his maze. And if he's on an island surrounded by the red mist then he's got a captive audience for his maze. 
But there's far more too it then that. The forces of Chaos have no idea what they've unleashed and the Shui from the Red Tide setting are in dire straits. Not only are the humanoids in trouble but they can come under the influence of the red mist itself. Once this happens they are completely lost! Lost to the Chaos influence that the red mist represents.  This corruption goes back to the fact that the forces of Chaos from B2 Keep on the Borderlands By Gary Gygax have no idea of what they've unleashed on the world. 
And this comes down to the mythology not only in Red Tide but also could in point of fact threaten not only this world but Earth or other plane Primes as well!  And only those Dwarves who have come from thier holds and been taught the information in By This Axe: The Cyclopedia of Dwarven Civilization. Some of these Dwarves who are in the Red Tide setting have been broken and represent a huge threat to anyone they run across. 

The mad master represents an external threat to the PC's. But the red tide represents a universal threat to existence. And why complete Dark Wizard games module number #6 The Moving Maze of the Mad Master? Because of the fact that because the mad master took full advantage of the Dwarven magic technology it may have the answers the player's PC's seek to fully stop the red mist or not?! Then there's the fact that if the PC's use the Dwarven gate they might stumble upon the secret that copper gates represent leading them into the backdrop of S4 The Dwarven Glory. 
We'll get into the hows & why's next time and how this module ties into the Borderlands! 

S7 Stains Upon The Green, Adventurer, Conqueror, King Rpg, & the Borderlands Campaign - The Red Tide Comes Rolling In

 "Stains upon the Green"'s copper rings might lead to other places and circumstands. And one of these might well be into dire trouble. Imagine stepping through the rings and landing on an island someplace in the middle of nowhere. 

Back about two years ago I got deeply involved in a Red Tide campaign that DM Steve a friend of mine and fellow DM was running. Now once again I've been thinking about the Latter Earth setting from the  Worlds Without Number rpg and my recent brush with "The Sinister Stone of Sakkara".

Red Tide is a sort of a post apocalpytic island crawl, and it got me thinking about the idea that the campaign setting of Worlds Without Number is actually tied into 'Red Mist'. The 'red mist' has devoured sections of the world and what's left behind is not pretty. Now imagine for a moment that the Red Mist threatens X1 The Isle of Dread. 

Now let's take this island hopping campaign idea further afield for a moment. That only Dwarves of 'noble' linage know what's going on with the Red Mist. And this could in point of fact threaten not only this world but Earth or other plane Primes as well! 

The reed tide could potentially be the 'real threat' and the forces of Chaos know this! And they've been planning on bringing this horror rolling into the campaign world. And we've got the Dwarves who are the only ones who know a. what it is & b.what lurks in the depths of the red mist. 
And this also showcases the fact that Castles & Crusades could be used as the basis OSR system here. And it's here where the DM could turn things on thier ear by doing an island hopping campaign and have the PC's come across Dark Wizard games module number #6 The Moving Maze of the Mad Master! DW#6 is actually an island encounter with the PC's with mad master's maze infront and red mist at their backs! 
More on this one next time when we tie all of this together! 

S7 Stains Upon The Green, Adventurer, Conqueror, King Rpg, & the Borderlands Campaign - Castles & Crusades & Adventurer,Conqueror,King Rpg

 Its been extra busy at my day job and so this blog entry is a bit late today. And add to that I've had to go out as well. And this blog entry is going to pivot on yesterday's here. 

When it comes to Adventurer, Conqueror, King, Rpg the levels are similar to Moldvay/Cook. And this makes it easier to deal with when converting back and forth with Castles & Crusades. Where do I know this from Tim Brannon of the Otherside blog entry from June 12th of course; " Adventurer Conqueror King System also limits characters in terms of levels.  While AS&SH goes to 12, ACKs tops off at 14.  ACKs is also closer to my favorite version of D&D, Moldvay Basic/Cook-Marsh Expert.  In fact all three systems do work pretty well together.  In fact I tend to think of the world used in ACKs as being just a little "south" of the world in AS&SH.  I have not spent as much time with ACKs as the other games, but what I have played I do like." And all three systems work very well with Castles & Crusades. And yes, I do realize that ACKII is going be hiting kickstarer any day according to Autarch's twitter account; "A playtester of ACKS II has written a detailed write-up of his thoughts about the game. It's the sort of review that makes a game designer feel the pain was all worth it. Check it out here:

https://reddit.com/r/Autarch/comments/15xs8qm/1e2emy_experiences_so_far/?share_id=F8i8f6ms7Fa8mwGHPpaZE…" 

Back to the task at hand here, which is the fact that C&C & ACK's can work well together as an OSR combo pack. There are few factors here to consider. The levels of both games top out at about 13 or 14th.  And both games even though are OSR they have totally different end games. 
With this in mind is the fact that C&C has some excellent adventure modules that can be used with ACK's Mesopamian/Roman setting especially 

Castles & Crusades A1 Assault on Blacktooth Ridge

And this goes right into line with ACK's Borderlands campaign setting. And it comes right into play with Gry Gygax's B2 Keep on the Borderlands. A1 could be theoritically be set on the norther part of the Borderlands kingdoms. 

And the forces of A1 could well be linked as another series of agents of Chaos that have been put into play from within to destablize the Borderland kingdoms themselves. 
And this plays back into an idea that was born out  because Choas been setting this up for years now with Chaos monsters and agents endless sewing discord in the smaller hamlets and areas. Case in point is  Mark Taormino's Maximum Mayhem Dungeons #0 Village of the Borderlands. Here is where the humanoids begin to become a real issue. 

Chaos setting itself up for a protracted gorilla war within the Borderland kingdoms could in essence be the start with a huge war with Chaos itelf. Perhaps the 'abandoned'  Dwarven City in Stains on the Green is actualy a trap left by Chaos forces within the Borerlands to keep the PC's guessing or to end them or other adventurers like them. 
This harkens back to Dwarven legends from ACK's

By This Axe: The Cyclopedia of Dwarven Civilization

. 

S7 Stains Upon The Green, Adventurer, Conqueror, King Rpg, & the Borderlands Campaign - The Sinister Stone of Sakkara

 Sometimes one has to come at a campaign ass backwards. And in this case it's with "The Sinister Stone of Sakkara" By  Matthew Skail, & Alexander Macris. And this picks up from here on the blog. Clocking in at eighty pages AX1 The Sinister Stone of Sakkara is an introductory adventure for the Adventurer,Conqueror, King system hearkening back to classic TSR era B/X adventures such as Keep of The Borderlands.

And it's this connection that conerns us as players & DM's. There's a threat of the Lovecraftian within the "The Sinister Stone of Sakkara" that harkens around the cults of Chaos. These cults have been spreading across the world without mercy or end. There's been little to stop the corruption or the Chaos. 
Chaos grows unchecked without pattern or rhyme or so it seems and yet if we look deeper;"For over a century, the stronghold of Türos Tem has guarded the borderlands from the beastmen of the wild lands beyond. Now, despite the ever-watchful eye of Türos Tem’s guards, beastmen raiders have somehow gained a foothold in the Viaspen Forest to the north, from which they have begun striking at the nearby settlements. Local farms and hamlets have been sacked and pillaged, and entire families have gone missing." 
Chaos itself is centered on destroying the pseudo-Roman empire keep in an Ancient Egyptian/Mesopotamian culture that they have yet conquer. And the keep itself in "The Sinister Stone of Sakkara" can serve as a microcosmic reflection of the themes of the decline of the Dwarves within "Stains upon the Green". 

But there's a doorway between the keeps & the power of civilization represented by the PC's through the 'Rings of Brass';" Rings of Brass, magical portals that lead to dwarven roads carved through the planes. It is specifically designed for use in bridging the Lands of Ursal in Aihrde with the Free City of Eskadia in the Haunted Highlands." And it's through the 'Rings of Brass' that the PC's are going to win! How?! 

Stains Upon The Green, Adventurer, Conqueror, King Rpg, & the Borderlands Campaign - Cults of Chaos

 Let's pick it up on the blog right from here. And we've got Europe in tatters Chaos is on the ascendency. Where does this leave the humans?! Well with one group of humanity it leaves them in Chaos's grip in this case with the cults of Chaos. Dark Albion: Cults of Chaos is perfect for this adventure inclusion especially if it's coupled with B2 Keep on the Borderland By Gary Gygax. 

We go back to 'Caves of Chaos' and instead of the usual humanoids we incorporate Chaos monsters right out of Random Esoteric Creature Generator for Classic Fantasy Role-Playing Games and Their Modern Simulacra.
These humanoids are 'charmed' by the magic of the Caves of Chaos. The second that they leave the caverns they are fully under the influence of Chaos. 

This is only the start of it as the agents of Chaos have been sewing discord across Europe. Because items and relics of Chaos have been planted in temples, shrines, etc. across the continent. This ties in with  Mark Taormino's Maximum Mayhem Dungeons #0 Village of the Borderlands. Agents causing mayhem across your campaign using either ACK's, Lamentations, or even Castles & Crusades. Eruope is literally going to be in flames at this point. Or so it seems and here's where the humanoid forces start to raid deep into Europe, France, Spain, Germany, Etc. Why?

Because they've been setting this up for years now with Chaos monsters and agents endless sewing discord in the smaller hamlets and areas. Case in point is  Mark Taormino's Maximum Mayhem Dungeons #0 Village of the Borderlands. Here is where the humanoids begin to become a real issue. 

If there are human agents within the Cults of Chaos then your going to suddenly begin seeing them surging out to help in the humanoid Chaos armies 'divine' cause. In the middle of all of this the Elven warriors, wizards and leaders are preparing the way! 

And the only hope may in point of fact lay within  the lead from Stains upon the Green's abandoned Dwarven city straight into Dark Wizard's #4 Vault of the Dwarven King. The PC's are going to have to parley with the Dwarves and thier knowledge of the rise of Chaos!