An Idea for a Cthulhu Campaign

[Renshai]

I was thinking about what sort of Cthulu campaign I wanted to run today... and came up with what I think is a neat idea.

The setting is Nazi Germany just before the beginning of WWII. Hitler has formed a circle of secretive professors and scientists that are experts in the occult and unnatural phenomenon. Hitler allows this circle of experts (I haven't thought of a name for them yet) to use an ancient castle as their base of operations. They have a small runway an airplane, a small cache of weapons, a large library, and a unit of soldiers. (As well as a Gestapo agent).

When the campaign begins, the circle is in place and already studying the occult. They are expecting four new experts that are sympathetic to the Nazi cause to arrive at any time. (By train in the nearby town).

The player characters are American and British spies (german speaking) that are to eliminate the four experts at a scheduled stop. They are to assume the identity of the experts and infiltrate the castle. Once in place they are to be castles primary field agents of the castle. The agent's primary missions is to mislead and cause misdirection so that Hitler does not gain access to the powers best left undiscovered. From time to time the agents will have to rendevous with other agents for counter missions and material drop-offs.

What do you think? Sound like a good campaign?

Thanks,
Ren

 

[gfunk]

Hmmm . . . interesting . . .

Nazis + Occult + American Spy = Return to Castle Wolfenstein!!

I think the game would have ended better if BJ ended up getting hosed by Cthulu!

 

[Neowolf]

Sounds like a good idea, but here's my advice: research, research, research, research!!!

When running any historical setting, that's the most important thing you can possibly do. I know that in movies, books, games, etc., an obvious lack of knowledge on the author's part is the first thing that can kill my suspension of disbelief.

In fact, if at all possible one cool idea would be to put together a "dossier" of sorts to give the players at the first session. You could use old photos of people, places, even the castle, and include it with a typed up briefing in a manilla folder. If done well, it could provide an extra bit of that feel of "being there." I know that's certainly something I plan on doing when/if I ever run a campaign like this (in a historical setting, where the players are military/government types).

Good luck!

 

[ColonelHardisson]

There is something like this in Delta Green. That book may be good to look at for such a campaign.

 

[Renshai]

Great idea Neowulf! Thanks for the tips. I have never run a game that was not D&D based... so this will be a big first for me. I ran a horror session at Halloween and was very successful at scaring the bejesus out of the players...

I'll be doing ALOT of research on the areas and time periods to present an accurate campaign. CoC has got me putting my D&D books on the shelf for the moment... I'm sort of in disbelief at that...

Ren

 

[Renshai]

Thanks Colonel. Do you know what company makes Delta Green?

Thanks again everyone,
Ren

 

[ColonelHardisson]

Pagan publishes Delta Green. Note, though, that DG is set in the modern day. Perhaps your campaign could show how those Nazis in DG got started. Also, I think there is more info about them in the other DG book, the title of which is Delta Green Countdown. That would be the one to look at. Someone more well-read on DG will likely be along soon to correct anything I've gotten wrong.

 

[trancejeremy]

Sounds not unlike Weird Wars: Blood on the Rhine from Pinnacle.

 

[Aaron L]

I haven't got DG: Countdown or DG: Project Rainbow yet (I can never find them!), but there is fan work being done on WWII and WWI Delta Green. Go to www.delta-green.com and join the mailing list. Ask for info, and you'll get deluged. There are several websites detailing WWII DG material, I'll look around and post some urls.

The scenario you described is almost an exact description of the Karotechia from DG, in the main book. The Karotechia were a division of the SS Anenerbe [sp?] (Anscestral Research Division) that looked throughout Europe for occult and Mythos tomes and magical artifacts. They were a well funded and a large organization. They developed several programs, including a "rescusitated casuality" initiative in which the bodies of dead soldiers (nazi and enemy alike) were reanimated using techniques based on the research of Dr. Herbert West, and sent out to fight. These zombies ended up killing men on both sides and the program was ended. Eventually the Karotechia blew up a castle it was stationed in while trying to inact an ancient rite (summoning Azathoth) that resuted in a small scale nuclear explosion. At the end of the war, Delta Green and the Karotechia fought a covert war across Europe that was very bloody and Mythos soaked, and many people were killed. The karotechia surived into the 2000's, and the survivors are either immortal, powerful wizards, undead refrigerator zombies, or "rescusitated" that are forced into service at the pain of being returned to "ye liveliest awefulness". VERY good stuff!!

 

[Renshai]

Thanks alot you guys!