Achtung! Cthulhu 2d20: Operation Falling Crystal

*Originally posted on The British Fantasy

In strategy, there’s a saying “the enemy of my enemy is my friend…”, but is that true? Operation Falling Crystal for Achtung! Cthulhu 2d20 by Modiphius pushes player characters into a difficult position, forcing them to make tough choices. If that wasn’t tricky enough, this mission features the mysterious Mi-Go, as well the threat posed by the Nazi occult division Nachtwölfe. Alsom, this time, the Second World War comes to the shores of the United Kingdom. Are the players prepared to stave off the threat?

On its surface, this is a very simple mission. The PCs simply need to go to excavation to ensure that a supply of blauer crystal is secured and made available for study, all within Britain. You’d even save money on petrol getting to the action! Almost seems like a vacation compared to the horrors taking place on the continent, right? The reality is much more complicated, and the PCs are going to find themselves facing challenging foes and tougher choices. 

Those choices are what make this an interesting adventure. Rather than force the characters into a combat-intensive scenario, the mission veers off in another direction. What’s more, PCs will reap what they sow, so to speak, and the PCs must choose wisely. 

What might not sit well is that the decisions players make about how their characters proceed in this mission can have a profound effect on it. This isn’t even about the rewards at the end of the mission, although those may be impacted as well. How events play out can become exceptionally difficult based on the choices players make, maybe even killing off PCs. This feels a bit like railroading, although it won’t be obvious until the mission is over. There’s one clear objective, but there are a couple of different paths towards that goal.

All in all, this mission offers a very clearly presented one-shot. It’s definitely playable in a single session and offers a respectable mix of action and ethics. This would be quality material for a variety of players, regardless of their experience. Adding the oft-forgotten Mi-Go to the action gives this mission a slightly different feel from other Lovecraftian stories, even among other content available for A!C. Players will need to carefully weigh the outcomes of their actions, and be prepared to suffer potentially nasty consequences in order to win the day.