D&D: 10 Marvel Comics That Would Make Great Campaigns | CBR

One of the great things about Dungeons And Dragons is that its system can be used for all kinds of campaigns, not just the stereotypical fantasy ones. If a DM has the imagination and the time to prepare, they can roll up an excellent adventure in just about fictional setting, using familiar abilities and classes in new and interesting ways. The Marvel Universe would provide fertile ground for a campaign setting.

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Marvel has been putting out some of the greatest comics of all time and they can easily be used to create some great campaigns, ones that would challenge players of skill levels.

10 Civil War Would Make The Party Choose Sides

Civil War, by writer Mark Millar and artist Steve McNiven, would make for an excellent place to set a campaign. The ideological battle between Cap and Iron Man means that the party would have to choose a side, much like the heroes of the Marvel Universe had to, and there's no guarantee that the whole party is going to be on the same side.

This can set up an interesting party dynamic, one that will challenge both the players and the DM. It will also pit the group against some of the greatest heroes and villains in the Marvel Universe, which is half the fun.

9 Age Of Ultron Will Take Players Through Different Adventures

Age of Ultron, by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artists Bryan Hitch, Brandon Peterson, and Carlos Pacheco, isn't well-loved by comic fans but it would make an excellent setting for a D&D campaign. The first part of the story takes place in a dystopian future ruled by Ultron and his drones, as the heroes desperately try and save the remnants of humanity and defeat the android menace.

Players can help the Avengers in their battles before a mission to the past changes everything, throwing players into an all-new situation, where they'll have to figure out how to fix things. This would keep the party on its toes and present an interesting challenge.

8 Marvel Zombies Lets Players Choose Whether To Be Heroes Or Monsters

The Marvel Zombie Universe, originally created by zombie writer extraordinaire Robert Kirkman and artist Sean Phillips, made a fertile ground for stories and it would work just as well for a D&D campaign. Full of terror and tragedy, sticking a party in Marvel Zombies' setting would give the players an interesting choice.

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The DM could allow the players to either be still human heroes, fighting against the zombies as they devour the innocent or as zombies themselves, battling against other zombified heroes and villains to keep their precious supply of food safe. There's a lot of role-playing potential there either way.

7 Weapon X Would Be A Great Place To Start A Long Term Superhero Campaign

Writer/artist Barry Windsor-Smith's Weapon X served as a partial origin for Wolverine, explaining where his adamantium skeleton came from. The Weapon X project was responsible for the creation of many super soldiers and this story can be used as the beginning of a long campaign.

The party could all be fellow Weapon X experiments that are able to piggyback onto Wolverine's escape and get out of the facility. From there, they have to learn to master their new skills, survive in the wilderness, and stay off Weapon X's radar. These new heroes can then travel the Marvel Universe, trying to make a positive out of the project's savage experimentation.

6 Avengers Academy Would Allow The Players To Train To Become Avengers

Everyone loves the Avengers and given a choice, many players would love to become a member of the storied group. A great way to do that would be to use the Avengers Academy series, worked on by various writers and artists, to have the players earn their way onto the team.

The book starred the best and brightest of Marvel's teenage heroes and had them learning from older heroes, going on adventures, and basically doing all kinds of young superhero things. Later on, the students are captured by Arcade and put into a Battle Royale-style tournament, which the party would have to work their way through.

5 Spider-Island Would Have The Players Team Up With Spider-Man And Friends To Save Manhattan

Spider-Island, a multi-part storyline that went through multiple books, saw everyone on the island of Manhattan gain powers just like Spider-Man because of the machinations of the Jackal, one of Spider-Man's maddest villains. The party, suddenly powered just like their friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, could help with trying to get to the bottom of things.

Or they could decide that they like their powers too much and either work with the Jackal to stop the heroes or try and figure out a way to both stop the Jackal and keep their new abilities. All of these choices make it the perfect campaign setting.

4 Dawn Of X Would Allow A Party To Create Their Own Mutant Super Team Or Battle Them

Dawn of X, overseen by superstar writer Jonathan Hickman, saw the mutant race gather on the mutant island of Krakoa and start their own nation. The potential there is endless- the party can make their own group of mutants, working with the most important citizens of the new nation to fight for mutant freedom and protect their new homeland.

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Conversely, the party could decide to roll up human characters that could join the Orchis Initiative, an anti-mutant group all about using technology to enhance the human race enough to fight the new mutant threat. Dawn of X presents a lot of intriguing options for any party of players.

3 House Of M Gives The Players A Chance To Live In A Mutant Utopia

House of M, by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Olivier Coipel, is one of Marvel's most important events of the last two decades and a perfect place for a campaign. Taking place in a world created by the reality-altering powers of Scarlet Witch, it gives the party a chance to play as mutants or human heroes in a world where superpowers are the norm.

There are so many options for a party- working for the dominant House of M, fighting with Luke Cage, Hawkeye, and the human resistance, or working with Wolverine and Layla Miller to restore the memories of his friends and undo this world. All of these choices make a great setting for any party.

2 Earth X Puts Players Into A World Where Everyone Has Powers

Earth X, based on an idea by Alex Ross, written by Jim Krueger with art by John Paul Leon, took place in a future where everyone had superpowers because of a mysterious event years before. It's a world full of potential, with old faces and new trying to survive.  It also allows for endless options for players.

Unraveling the secrets of Earth X would make for an exciting campaign, one that would take players all over the Earth as they gather the clues to what really happened to humanity and what comes next. There's no end to the adventures that could be had by setting a campaign here.

1 Age Of Apocalypse Will Challenge Players In New Ways

Age of Apocalypse is one of the most beloved Marvel stories of the '90s, a true classic in every sense of the word. Taking place in an America ruled by Apocalypse after Professor X is killed in the past before he can form the X-Men, it saw Magneto and the X-Men battling En Sabah Nur's genocidal regime and is rife with campaign potential.

The campaign could take place when the story starts or in the past as Apocalypse is consolidating his power. The party can choose between fighting against his rule or helping it along. There's so much potential for a campaign set in this story and players are sure to love it.

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