I’ve reviewed a number of of the Achtung! Cthulhu adventures which have come out to this point. Most of them have been shorter one-shot merchandise with pre-generated characters, with a few of them popping out earlier than the complete system and referencing the Fast Begin guidelines. These have been PDF solely releases that skip round within the timeline of World Conflict II. Whereas earlier iterations of Achtung! Cthulhu have featured bigger campaigns, the 2d20 implementation presently solely has the Shadow of Atlantis hardcover journey obtainable for pre-order.
This journey, nonetheless, references the Forest of Concern marketing campaign. This timeline of occasions has been talked about within the total timeline of the alternate model of World Conflict II introduced within the core rulebooks, however it isn’t up on the market but. This marketing campaign was obtainable for among the earlier recreation methods for which Achtung! Cthulhu merchandise had been produced prior to now. This journey can be somewhat completely different in that it’s a bit longer than among the PDF solely adventures, and can be obtainable as a bodily softcover journey.
Disclaimer
Whereas I’ve acquired Achtung! Cthulhu merchandise for evaluate from Modiphius prior to now, I bought this product alone for this evaluate. Whereas I’ve not run Achtung! Cthulhu, I’ve run and performed a number of different 2d20 video games, like Star Trek Adventures and Dishonored, and am acquainted with the bottom system. I’ve not checked out any of the Forest of Concern merchandise that existed as merchandise for different recreation traces.
Whereas it is a World Conflict II state of affairs, it’s value mentioning that this explicit journey describes Nazi paraphenalia and uniforms, and offers with components that particular contact on the potential presence of Hitler, so if there are some traces about precisely what sort of WWII content material you wish to embody, that is one thing to bear in mind.
Mission Recordsdata
This evaluate is predicated on the PDF model of the journey. It is a 52 web page e-book, in full shade. This features a credit web page, a desk of contents, seven pages of handouts, and 5 pre-generated participant characters to be used with this journey. If in case you have seen any of the earlier merchandise, the pages are formatted as worn file pages with blue borders, with varied headers, sidebars, and stat blocks, in a two column format.
The Mission Itself (Spoilers Start)
The journey is ready up with an introduction, an method, and the primary assault on the prepare. Earlier than beginning the journey, there’s GM going through materials that explains the aim of this journey. In what might need been an unintentional cross-promotional second, the sidebar mentions that that is considerably of a Kobayashi Maru state of affairs, that means that it could be setting the PCs as much as fail.
This journey assumes that the characters are a part of a neighborhood, however profitable, resistance cell, unaffiliated with the bigger intelligence companies which are countering the German supernatural efforts. It’s set in 1944, publish D-Day, and earlier than the Battle of the Bulge. That is meant to arrange The Forest of Concern marketing campaign, which I can solely assume goes to be obtainable quickly.
The journey factors out that the prepare that’s the focus of this journey is a fictionalized model of an precise armored prepare that existed to move Hitler. On this case, the prepare has fewer automobiles than the true world model, however can be tricked out with the bizarre super-science developed by Nachtwolfe.
The set-up (in a number of methods) is {that a} member of the resistance cell was captured, and managed to flee. He brings info to the cell that the Hitler could also be touring on his particular armored prepare by way of the area, and if the cell acts rapidly, they can seize or kill him if they’ll get onboard the prepare on this secluded area. Sadly, Phillippe has had his reminiscence modified to overlook that his escape was staged, and the prepare is definitely a entice set by the Black Solar chief (for anybody that hasn’t checked out earlier Achtung! Cthulhu merchandise, Black Solar is the group that offers with sorcery and different planar entities, whereas Nachtwolfe offers with superscience reverse engineered from Mythos primarily based experiments).
Usually, I’m not a fan of “set the PCs as much as fail, however make them play by way of it with out letting them comprehend it’s a setup” state of affairs. We’ll go into why that bothers me much less on this state of affairs than some others the place I’ve seen this method employed.
The Strategy
Characters must journey by way of the forest to succeed in the weak level the place the prepare might be boarded. The prepare will likely be touring by way of a hill, and will likely be transferring slowly because it prepares to climb a comparatively steep portion of the tracks. This explicit junction, with out too many assist troops round, is a tempting spot to strike.
That doesn’t imply there aren’t patrols and checkpoints between the PCs house base and the ambush spot. By default, the PCs are primarily simply apprehensive concerning the checkpoint, organising the ambush, and figuring out how they will board the prepare. Nevertheless, There’s a sidebar with 5 or so extra components of the forest journey {that a} GM can slot into the journey to flesh this part out additional. A few of these make the most of one of many recreation’s mechanics to good impact, as characters that fail a few of their stealth checks don’t cope with penalties instantly, however reasonably generate extra Menace for the GM to spend later within the journey.
The prepare is clearly not only a bolstered transport. It has attachments that flip it into extra of a grav prepare, hovering above the tracks. Additionally it is geared up with a brilliant science power beam anti-aircraft cannon. The hovertrain side of the automobile is a pleasant contact, however it exists primarily to counter the PCs making an attempt to derail the prepare by destroying the tracks or setting off explosives beneath the prepare, because the magazine carry side of the prepare lets it climate temporary “hiccups” over cabooms or lacking items of monitor.
The Practice
I’m not going to lie, I just like the trope of infiltrating a prepare and transferring from automobile to automobile, working ahead. The idea is that the PCs are going to board the anti-aircraft automobile in the back of the prepare and work ahead from there. They notice that the anti-aircraft gun is shut down, to allow them to’t use it to fireplace on the prepare itself (however I really need the PCs to have the ability to strive it).
There are seven automobiles on the prepare. Because the participant characters work their manner ahead, they transfer from the artillery automobile, to barracks, a kitchen automobile, a communication automobile, visitor quarters, a strategic battle room automobile, and Hitler’s personal carriage for when he’s aboard.
Whereas this prepare is ready up as a entice, there are some enjoyable storytelling components that the PCs can encounter. There’s a part the place troops from Nachtwolfe and Black Solar are arguing about their leaders, and if the PCs keep hidden lengthy sufficient, it gives you an excellent alternative to not solely summarize the 2 organizations for brand spanking new gamers, but additionally to offer them a take a look at the higher echelons of energy.
There’s an alternate encounter within the kitchen automobile which will let the PCs work together with characters which are civilian contractors, which supplies them one among their first clues that Hitler might not be aboard. There’s additionally a possible short-term ally in a German officer that disapproves of the bizarre science and sorcery of the particular organizations, and is prepared to behave in opposition to the Black Solar chief current on the prepare.
Clues within the varied automobiles additionally give hints of what’s actually happening, why the prepare is on this explicit route, and a pronounced lack of Hitler to kill. It’s these clues, in addition to the GM’s skill to direct how they spend their menace, that provides me some confidence that you can adapt this to a one-shot. For instance, some sections name out spending menace for reinforcements, and among the stat blocks have Escalation choices. On this system, that signifies that by paying menace, they could have extra harmful gear or skills obtainable to them.
The GM can spend menace in ways in which make the journey really feel like an rising menace has appeared as a consequence of their actions or inactions, with out pulling in additional troops or making these troops harder to defeat, but when the PCs are plowing by way of the opposition, that’s all the time an possibility that’s on the desk.
Over the Prime
I actually just like the pulpy, motion oriented really feel of this product line. Whereas it’s primarily based in cosmic horror, and a very horrific interval of historical past, the motion is commonly much less about people studying greater than they need to know, and extra about people studying what they should blow up. I discussed this earlier, however I’m a simple mark for “work your manner up a prepare” model tales, though I feel this journey appeals to me most when including in the entire optionally available NPCs which are detailed within the sidebars to offer some extra roleplaying hooks.
Uphill Battle
I like this journey rather more as a possible one shot than as one thing which may appear actually cool to play by way of till you pull the rug out from beneath your gamers and also you hit them with the “no, you had been really imagined to get captured” encounter on the finish, to arrange one other journey. Additionally, it’s laborious for me to guage how excited I’d be to run that journey till I see it.
Moreover, I like that you are able to do issues like modifying your Menace spends to control the problem degree of the sport, however there are a number of encounters that don’t have notes on how one can change issues up, leaving the GM on their very own a bit extra on the subject of ensuring the PCs don’t get overwhelmed. A lot of the prepare has extra notes, however the last encounter particularly feels prefer it may do with a number of extra notes on “one-shot” versus “prequel” situations.
Certified Suggestion–A product with a lot of constructive points, however patrons could wish to perceive the context of the product and what it comprises earlier than transferring it forward of different purchases.
I actually like this as an introductory journey. I simply want there was somewhat extra steerage to point out how one can use it solely in that capability, reasonably than as an introductory journey that can be organising an extended marketing campaign arc.
Any recreation state of affairs that veers too laborious into reminding the gamers that they solely had the “phantasm” of alternative goes to be a possible bombshell to drop on them, and I’d have felt higher if this journey had supplied a number of extra bomb shelters for these cases once you don’t wish to hit them fairly so laborious.
