When I set out to create a list of the best SCPs of all time, I read a lot of SCPs. During that time, I also read many of the Series I SCPs.
Series I was the very first series of SCPs. This is where it all started. The first thing one can say about Series I SCPs is that they were written during simpler times.
Many Series I SCPs are considered classics and are widely popular. They are, however, criticized today for being too simple and too poorly written. Their popularity is more a result of age and of being around since the beginning than actual quality. One only has to look at the now archived heritage collection. It’s a collection of some of the most popular SCPs of all time, but almost all of them wouldn’t hold up today.
Still, Series I SCPs might be criticized, but they can still be quite effective. In comparisons to more modern articles, they are simple, short and to the point. They are often reminiscent of creepypasta.
Series I SCPs are less grand and less imposing than modern SCPs. And yet, for this reason, they have a certain charm to them.
While I agree that quite a few are weaker and more poorly written, there are some that are truly great and still hold up today. In this article, I want to share with you the best Series I SCPs.
Notice: All articles cited here are licensed under CC-BY-SA.
Table of Contents
- SCP-002 – The “Living” Room
- SCP-055 – Anti-Meme by qntm and CptBellman
- SCP-093 – Red Sea Object by NekoChris
- SCP-140 – An Incomplete Chronicle by AssertiveRoland
- SCP-179 – Sauelsuesor by Dr Reach
- SCP-184 – The Architect by Dr Gears
- SCP-231 – Special Personnel Requirements by DrClef
- SCP-342 – A Ticket to Ride by name
- SCP-400 – Beautiful Babies by HammerMaiden
- SCP-407 – The Song of Genesis by Pair Of Ducks
- SCP-439 – Bone Hive by Multimoog
- SCP-453 – Scripted Nightclub by Erku
- SCP-610 – The Flesh that Hates by NekoChris
- SCP-701 – The Hanged King’s Tragedy by tinwatchman
- SCP-748 – Industrial Dissolution by Metaphysician
- SCP-804 – World Without Man by Sorts
- SCP-882 – A Machine by Dr Gears
SCP-002 – The “Living” Room
The “Living” Room is a great early SCP. It’s one of the most bizarre Series I SCPs I came upon, but also one that’s strangely scary. While an organic entity taking on the form of a room is scary enough, but that’s not all this SCP’s about. No, there’s something much scarier about this entity. It’s a fantastic, creepy and quite disturbing Series I SCP.
SCP-055 – Anti-Meme by qntm and CptBellman
The Anti-Meme is one of my absolute favorite Series I SCP. It’s also one of the strangest SCPs on the entire SCP-Wiki. It’s an object you can’t describe, one you can’t even remember. Because of this, no one really knows what it is, and the object remains a mystery. The Anti-Meme also proved vastly popular and has been included in a variety of other, later SCPs.
SCP-093 – Red Sea Object by NekoChris
The Red Sea Object is one of the best Series I SCPs and a favorite amongst many people. While the anomalous object itself might not be too interesting, it’s the story that slowly unfolds in the color tests that makes it truly great. It’s a long read, however, a very long read. While I felt some parts dragged on a bit too much and weren’t too interesting, the payoff and the ending are truly fantastic and worth the effort of reading it.
SCP-140 – An Incomplete Chronicle by AssertiveRoland
An Incomplete Chronicle is an outstanding Series I SCP. I absolutely loved the idea of a book that continues writing itself, outlining the history of a civilization. Yet, there’s more to this little book, something that makes this a truly fantastic SCP. It’s also the first time the Daevite Empire was mentioned, which should prove vastly popular.
SCP-179 – Sauelsuesor by Dr Reach
Sauelsuesor was the first Thaumiel class SCP I read and one of the best Series I SCPs out there. At first I wasn’t sure how much I’d enjoy this SCP, but I soon came to love it. The idea of an entity out in space, helping to protect humanity and the planet itself, is extremely intriguing. It’s ending, however, the interview with Sauelsuesor itself and the many implications it contains is what makes this a truly great read.
SCP-184 – The Architect by Dr Gears
The Architect might be my favorite Series I SCP. The object is interesting all on its own, but the exploration log set in Kowloon Walled City made it one of the best Series I SCPs. Traveling through ever-expanding labyrinthine and distorting rooms is as fantastic as it is creative. The exploration logs are full of fantastic imagery and serve as an absolutely outstanding read.
SCP-231 – Special Personnel Requirements by DrClef
Special Personnel Requirements is one of the most iconic, fucked-up, but also best Series I SCPs. The reason it’s so well-known is for one reason alone, procedure 110-Montauk. It shows just how far the Foundation will go to keep the world safe. And yet, we never truly find out what the procedure truly entails. The article is full of omissions, of missing details. While it’s a controversial element, that’s frowned upon, it works very well here. It’s not what’s said about procedure 110-Montauk, but what we imagine it might be.
SCP-342 – A Ticket to Ride by name
How dangerous can a single mass transit ticket be? If you believe this Series I SCP, it can be quite dangerous, deadly even. A Ticket to Ride is one of the longest but also best Series I SCPs out there. I absolutely loved the many details, the exploration logs and, of course, the ending. It’s truly among the best and most well-written Series I SCPs out there.
SCP-400 – Beautiful Babies by HammerMaiden
The SCP-Wiki features a variety of SCPs and a variety of genres. Series I, however, is most known for its horror roots and Beautiful Babies is one of the best and most disturbing SCPs out there. Everything described in this SCP is truly horrifying and disturbing, but what truly drives the point home is the interview at the end.
SCP-407 – The Song of Genesis by Pair Of Ducks
The Song of Genesis is one of the most interesting Series I SCPs out there. The song in question is a piece of music. If you listen to it, various things happen to you. At first, it revitalizes you, but the longer you listen, the more things will happen. What makes this SCP so great are the experimentation logs, the imagery and the sheer creativity at work here. It’s truly a fantastic Series I SCP.
SCP-439 – Bone Hive by Multimoog
I’m a big fan of body horror and Bone Hive is one of the best body horror SCPs and one of the most horrifying SCPs in general. The descriptions are fantastic, terrifying and disgusting. Yet, what makes it so great is the ending, a single line that makes everything depicted so, so much worse. Truly one of the best Series I SCPs.
SCP-453 – Scripted Nightclub by Erku
I absolutely loved reading Scripted Nightclub. It’s truly one of the best Series I SCPs out there. The overall description of the club is good enough, but what makes it so great are the different scripts. In the article itself, we learn the details of three of them, but they are all outstanding. Scripted Nightclub is one of my favorite Series I SCPs and also one of my favorite SCPs in general.
SCP-610 – The Flesh that Hates by NekoChris
The Flesh that Hates is a classic and one of the most iconic SCPs out there. It has prove vastly popular throughout the SCP-Wiki and has been featured many times in other articles. The imagery itself is powerful and I love the various flesh-organisms described in it. What makes it truly great, however, are the exploration logs. As we read them, more and more horrors and details are revealed to us. It’s truly the stuff of nightmares, and the SCP is very deserving of its popularity.
SCP-701 – The Hanged King’s Tragedy by tinwatchman
The Hanged King’s Tragedy is another fantastic Series I SCP. I loved the idea of the play itself, but the strange incidents happening during performances make it so much better. These are presented to us in the form of detailed incidents reports. There’s also the ominous figure of the Ambassador of Alagadda which will come up again in one of my favorite SCPs of all time, SCP-2264. Even on its own, however, The Hanged King’s Tragedy holds up as a classic and as one of the best Series I SCPs.
SCP-748 – Industrial Dissolution by Metaphysician
Industrial resolution is another take on Admin Bright’s SCP-001 proposal, The Factory. While Bright’s proposal describes The Factory as an origin of the Foundation, this SCP presents us with a different take on The Factory. Overall, though, I enjoyed this SCP more than Bright’s original. All parts of this Series I SCP are great, but it’s again the ending that makes it truly fantastic.
SCP-804 – World Without Man by Sorts
World Without Man is another one of the best Series I SCPs out there. What I love about it so much is not the object itself or the danger it holds. While it’s a great SCP by itself, it’s again the ending that makes it truly fantastic. I love it goes much further than just being about a dangerous object. No, it talks about the human condition in general. Truly a fantastic Series I SCP.
SCP-882 – A Machine by Dr Gears
A Machine is one of those simple Series I SCPs I was talking about at the beginning of this article. It’s not grand and doesn’t hold deeper meaning. Instead, it merely details a mysterious and dangerous object. What really makes it great, however, is the interview which I truly came to enjoy. As simple as it is, however, this Series I SCP does everything right, and I believe it still holds up, even today.