DriveThruRPG.com
Browse Categories
$ to $















Back
pixel_trans.gif
Achtung! Cthulhu: Three Kings - Revised Edition

This product is no longer available from DriveThruRPG.com

Average Rating:4.6 / 5
Ratings Reviews Total
8 0
3 3
0 0
0 0
0 0
Achtung! Cthulhu: Three Kings - Revised Edition
Click to view
You must be logged in to rate this
pixel_trans.gif
Achtung! Cthulhu: Three Kings - Revised Edition
Publisher: Modiphius
by Björn L. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/02/2019 13:13:44
Three Kings

Three Kings is an adventure for Achtung! Cthulhu, which is well suited as an introduction to the game. The player characters should find the eponymous Three Kings, who are the heads of the resistance movement against the Nazis in Czechoslovakia and contact a resistance fighter who calls himself Angel. The adventure is therefore initially a "normal" military undercover operation for the player characters, while the mythos component comes out late in the game.

Of course, the Nazis (in this case, not the Black Sun) play around with the Cthulhu mythos, but the development of the story has a few more facets to offer, which deviate from the straightforward black-and-white scheme.

The adventure is essentially two-part: First, the players are allowed to start the investigation work in order to get in contact with the resistance cell. They have to be very careful in this part. The finale with the attack on a castle of the occupying forces offers more action and confronts the - in this case probably still ignorant - investigators with the full horror of the mythos.

The adventure serves as a prelude to a massive campaign and is available in several versions that are designed for the role-playing games Cthulhu, Savage Worlds or Trail of Cthulhu. Accordingly, there are smaller additions to the rules depending on the system. The idea that the conflict here is not entirely black and white is an interesting approach. Otherwise, the basic concept of elite soldiers fighting against Nazis and Cthulhu monsters applies.

(Deutsche Version)

Three Kings

Three Kings ist ein Abenteuer für Achtung! Cthulhu, das sich gut als Einführung in das Spiel eignet. Die Spielercharaktere sollen die namensgebenden Three Kings, die die Köpfe der Widerstandsbewegung in der Tschecheslowakei gegen die Nazis sind, finden und Kontakt mit einem Widerstandskämpfer aufnehmen, der sich Angel nennt. Das Abenteuer ist damit zunächst ein »ganz normaler« militärischer Undercovereinsatz für die Spielercharaktere, während die Mythos-Komponente erst spät im Verlauf herauskommt. Natürlich haben die Nazis (hier mal nicht die Schwarze Sonne) mit dem Cthulhu-Mythos zu tun, doch die Entwicklung der Geschichte hat noch ein paar weitere Facetten zu bieten, die vom ganz einfachen Schwarz-Weiß-Schema abweichen.

Das Abenteuer ist im Wesentlichen zweiteilig: Zunächst dürfen die Spieler die Ermittlungsarbeit aufnehmen, um in Kontakt mit der Widerstandszelle zu treten. Hierbei müssen sie entsprechend vorsichtig vorgehen. Das Finale mit dem Angriff auf eine Burganlage der Besatzer bietet deutlich mehr Action und konfrontiert die – in diesem Fall wahrscheinlich noch unwissenden Ermittler – mit dem vollen Schrecken des Mythos.

Das Abenteuer dient als Auftakt für eine größere Kampagne und gibt es in mehreren Ausführungen, die regeltechnisch auf die Rollenspiel Cthulhu, Savage Worlds oder Trail of Cthulhu ausgelegt sind. Entsprechend gibt es je nach System kleinere Ergänzungen zu dessen Regeln. Die Idee, dass der Konflikt hier nicht komplett schwarz-weiß ausfällt, ist ein interessanter Ansatz, ansonsten lautet auch hier die Formel wieder einmal Elitesoldaten im Kampf gegen Nazis und Cthulhu-Monster.

(Björn Lippold)



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
pixel_trans.gif
Achtung! Cthulhu: Three Kings - Revised Edition
Publisher: Modiphius
by francesco b. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 04/02/2017 00:06:02

WORTH THE PRICE OF THE PDF

This is a good read. I am going to run this beginning next week, so I will update later with how it plays. It seems like an interesting mission.

I do have some gripes. Namely, this game needs a fair number of GM tweaks to make it logical, to move the plot along, and to make it actual horror.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD!

First, there is one character who gains regular access to an area, yet later he provides the players with no help or information on this topic when they need to access this area, even though he goes with them. Gaining access is a major plot point and challenge, and how can that be when this ally has done it numerous times? Why doesn't he help? He knows how to get in! This point isn't even addressed or acknowledged by the authors.

Secondly, the characters have a difficult time meeting up with resistance fighters, who distrust them, having to prove themselves and possibly fighting with them, and then it turns out the resistance fighters have had a radio that can call London the whole time. Why not call and verify their identity? Or better yet, why not let the resistance know an operative team is coming to make contact? Why do the PCs drop blind, with no arranged meet, and have to stumble along to find the resistance, to make contact, and to gain their trust? It's a major plot challenge. It makes no sense.

Third, there is no horror in this game until the climax, when there are some creatures and scary things showing up. Most of this mission is fighting or evading human nazis and searching for the resistance. The horror doesn't show up until the fourth part of five. And the fifth part is simply the escape. So, for mabe 70% of the game there is nothing scary, no build-up, no foreshadowing, no hints, nothing moving menacingly in the dark, nothing. It's a straight commando raid.

Fourth, at the time this game is run (1939), the UK and Germany are technically at peace. The mission violates international laws, and basically the PCs will be guilty of murder if they kill any Germans. Also, as "spies" they are not in alot of danger as, in the absence of war, they will probably not be shot or even tortured. Unless, of course, they murder some Germans first. Then they are in danger as murderers, not as spies.

Fifth, many of the NPCs are either missing skills or lack necessary stats. Some of them are exceptionally good at using their weapons in the Cth version of the rules, much more than a match for the PCs should a firefight erupt.

The basic plot is good, the accompanying materials excellent. It will, however take about a 50% rewrite of events, places, and pivotal points in the plot in order for it to make sense, have a decent amount of horror, and still flow as a believable story.

If you are a good GM, with experience designing your own adventures, and have good plotting skills, you can make this into a very good adventure indeed. As written, it is half-baked. A great kernel, though. And the materials and handouts, together with the seed of a good mission, make it worth the PDF price.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
pixel_trans.gif
Achtung! Cthulhu: Three Kings - Revised Edition
Publisher: Modiphius
by Thomas R. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 06/20/2014 19:19:34

Achtung! Cthulhu is something that had been tempting me fiercely for many months and I jumped at the chance to run it when the opportunity came along. So happy I took the plunge.

I ran 'Three Kings', Call of Cthulhu version, with my regular RPG group over multiple sessions. Our group wanted to make the most of the adventure, to explore the countryside and to interact with the NPC's. While Three Kings can be run in much less time, the module provides enough of a sandbox to allow the sort of leisurely play our group desired... The adventure played to a memorable and exciting finish. One of the highlights amongst decades of Call of Cthulhu game-play.

The plot line is fun and clearly geared towards action. The GM and players are given direction without too much detail so it's easy to tailor the story to suit your group. The adventure is presented in a scene-by-scene format, but it isn't stuck rigidly on a rail. Draw inspiration from your favourite films and the task of linking the different elements of the Three Kings plot-lines together will be exciting and fun.

I had written a review for the first edition of this adventure and wanted to pass on my impressions of the revised material because I had been critical of the first edition. The first edition of Three Kings was a stand-alone adventure. This second edition ensures that material is now consistent with the excellent Achtung! Cthulhu Keeper's and Player's Guides. My concerns were mostly about layout and about stats for some of the pre-generated characters. Modiphius did a great job of also addressing these issues with this new release.

This is a better book, boasting three more pages than the first. The layout is less busy but retains the interesting character of the original. Colours are more saturated, textures are smoother and less distracting. Overall the revised edition is much easier on the eyes.

As before, the .pdf is very well annotated and bookmarked for use on a tablet. Many new bookmarks have been added, improving digital navigation of the document. All the important information you will need when running this adventure will be easy to reference and to find.

There is less repetition of information, in fact some material is gone; the "Karlstein Nightmare" section from page 12 of the first edition has been cut, but this was a section that summarised information provided elsewhere in the adventure.

The pre-generated characters have been tuned-up, but the basic German adversaries (troops & officers) still lack a Spot Hidden skill. The best aspects of the random encounters with patrols call for Spot Hidden rolls so you will want to think about giving these NPC's a modest spot hidden skill to be ready for those exciting cat-&-mouse moments. Easy enough to do.

Recommended. Excellent value value for $9.99.

For Call of Cthulhu GM's with moderate experience. Expect mucho gun-play and daring-do.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
pixel_trans.gif
Displaying 1 to 3 (of 3 reviews) Result Pages:  1 
pixel_trans.gif
pixel_trans.gif Back pixel_trans.gif
0 items
 Gift Certificates