Let’s Kill Hitler!

Achtung! Cthulhu is the roleplaying game of fast-paced pulp action and Mythos magic published by Modiphius Entertainment. It is pitches the Allied Agents of the Britain’s Section M, the United States’ Majestic, and the brave Resistance into a Secret War against those Nazi Agents and organisations which would command and entreat with the occult and forces beyond the understanding of mankind. They are willing to risk their lives and their sanity against malicious Nazi villains and the unfathomable gods and monsters of the Mythos themselves, each striving for supremacy in mankind’s darkest yet finest hour! Yet even the darkest of drives to take advantage of the Mythos is riven by differing ideologies and approaches pandering to Hitler’s whims. The Black Sun consists of Nazi warrior-sorcerers supreme who use foul magic and summoned creatures from nameless dimensions to dominate the battlefields of men, whilst Nachtwölfe, the Night Wolves, utilise technology, biological enhancements, and wunderwaffen (wonder weapons) to win the war for Germany. Ultimately, both utilise and fall under the malign influence of the Mythos, the forces of which have their own unknowable designs…

Achtung! Cthulhu 2d20: Assault on the Fuhrer Train shifts the action forward by three years. Previous releases for Achtung! Cthulhu 2d20, such as Achtung! Cthulhu: Shadows of Atlantis, are set earlier in the war, even during part of the Phony War, in 1939, 1940, and 1941. This, the fifth release for Achtung! Cthulhu 2d20 takes place in November, 1944 during the Battle of the Bulge and involves an incredible operation against the Nazis. As the title suggests, in Achtung! Cthulhu 2d20: Assault on the Fuhrer Train, the Player Characters—or Agents—will attempt a dramatic attack on the Führersonderzug, Hitler’s personal armoured train, known as ‘Brandenburg’. The Agents are not members of Britain’s Section M or the United States’ Majestic, but of the Resistance that has been operating in Europe ever since it fell under the Nazi yoke. For most of the war, the Ardennes has been a sleepy backwater, noted more for the archaeological digs conducted by the Nazis in their continued search for proof of Ayran purity, but now that has changed. Military activity has increased in the wake of D-Day only five months previously and the Resistance has become aware of the existence of both Nachtwölfe and Black Sun, and the foul means by which both are fighting the war. As the scenario opens, the Resistance members learn of an amazing opportunity. A high-ranking Nazi official is due to arrive on a special armoured train at 4 pm that very day—and even better, their informant believes it could be someone important, maybe even the Nazi Führer himself! Could the Resistance cell be the men and women to strike a blow for freedom, perhaps end the war itself, and become the renowned and revered Resistance fighters who killed Hitler?

Achtung! Cthulhu 2d20: Assault on the Fuhrer Train can be run as an exciting, action-packed one-shot, but is actually intended as a prequel to the campaign, Achtung! Cthulhu 2d20: Forest of Fear, which exposes the desperation of both Nachtwölfe and Black Sun as they actually work together in order to defeat the Allies and win their Secret War. The scenario comes with five pre-generated Resistance members to use as Player Characters. They are a good mix and include a leader, an expert in sabotage and railway engineering, an assassin, a disguise expert, and an academic, who unbeknownst to the other Resistance members is actually a practicing druid and spellcaster, though the sickle on his belt might be a giveaway! All five Resistance members are nicely done and each is accompanied by a rather good illustration.

The scenario is linear, and of course, once the Agents get aboard the train, quite literally so. From the initial briefing, the Agents have to recover an arms cache previously dropped by the SOE and then hidden. This requires that they get past a German guard post, but it does tool them up for the big battle to come. They have two options when to comes to getting aboard the train. One, in true Resistance fashion, is to blow up the tracks and climb aboard, and whilst this stops the train from going anywhere, it alerts everyone aboard! The other, in true action movie fashion, is to leap aboard, which means they retain the element of surprise. From the back of the train, they can then proceed up its length, from car to car to the compartments where Hitler is located.

The cars on the train go from the militaristic to the austere to the really very swanky—that is, if you like your swank with full on Nazi regalia. As the Agents move from the Anti-Aircraft Carriage to the barracks to the Communications Carriage to the War Room and beyond, the cars get more and more opulent, and they will encounter a mix of soldiery and servants, some belonging to Black Sun or Nachtwölfe, others not. Perhaps the most fun encounter is an optional one—a fully staffed kitchen headed by a chef who will complain very, very loudly about the presence of the Agents! Even if the Game Master decides not to use this encounter, not everyone aboard the train is Black Sun or Nachtwölfe, or even members of the military. There are civilians too. Everyone aboard the train is also going about their daily business, which means that not everyone will be on duty. So, there is scope here for the Agents to employ stealth and guile rather than simply go in guns blazing. This would suit two of the pre-generated Agents, as they have silenced pistols. In addition, there is scope to investigate and look for clues to gather more information. The Game Master is provided with some handouts for the Agents to find and not everyone aboard the train is a diehard fanatic, so if questioned, they will talk.

Besides the handouts and the stats for the various NPCs, Achtung! Cthulhu 2d20: Assault on the Fuhrer Train has floorplans for the train itself. In the chapters, these are presented as blueprints, but they are given in plain black and white at the end of the scenario. Given that this is a very action-orientated scenario, what the Game Master could do is copy and enlarge the floor plans ands run the scenario with miniatures, which would enhance its action film style play!

Achtung! Cthulhu 2d20: Assault on the Fuhrer Train is big and it is exciting. However, it does not deliver on its premise, or rather its hook. In other words, the Agents believe they have an opportunity to kill Hitler, this is not going to happen—and for two reasons. The first is that the whole set-up is a lure to get the Agents aboard the train. In other words, it is a trap! The second is that the scenario is written as a prequel to Achtung! Cthulhu 2d20: Forest of Fear, setting up the storyline for that campaign. So as a one shot, Achtung! Cthulhu 2d20: Assault on the Fuhrer Train does not deliver because ultimately, the Agents are set up to fail in readiness for Achtung! Cthulhu 2d20: Forest of Fear. As a one-shot, the scenario could have better supported that option if the Game Master was not planning to run Achtung! Cthulhu 2d20: Forest of Fear. Perhaps put in decoy Hitler to reveal as fake at the end? And if he survives to the end, have the evil, evil Nazis kill him off, just because?

Physically, Achtung! Cthulhu 2d20: Assault on the Fuhrer Train is cleanly and tidily laid out. The illustrations and the maps are excellent.

Ultimately, Achtung! Cthulhu 2d20: Assault on the Fuhrer Train  works better as a grand prequel to Achtung! Cthulhu 2d20: Forest of Fear, than it does as standalone, one-shot, because that is how it is intended to be used. Nevertheless, Achtung! Cthulhu 2d20: Assault on the Fuhrer Train is great fun, embracing its World War 2 action film action and big fight on a Nazi train action (and yes, that is a lot of action) like levels from the video games Call of Duty and Medal of Honour.