Achtung! Cthulhu 2D20 Quickstart - RPG Review 

Commenting early in the video bit can we talk for a sec about how customer friendly Modepheus is being? Most companies will get negative reviews and just avoid the reviewers so they look good. But these guys went. "This guy had a lot of criticisms and negatives with our stuff, so let's take the feedback, tune up our rules and see if he likes the update." Always nice when a company almost asks for criticism so they can improve.

“The only guy in the whole war that actually bothered to read the rulebook.” Great line.

One thing I truly appreciate about your reviews is that you will still give a recommendation for a system you're not completely sold on because you feel like it's still worth people's time to look at. I've seen too many people shoot down a good system just because it doesn't fit their particular style.

What a fantastic review of a game that you didn't care for. Fair, engaging, informative, honest - this one is a real winner. Great work man, keep it up.

"Mad" Jack Churchill read the rulebook 😆 The selection and tweaking of the background photos for Jack the NPC's bits were very cool, as ever. Regarding the 2D20 rules, Hankerin Ferinale has decided to use his Index Card RPG system rather than 2D20 for his Hard Suit game that Modiphius is producing. I can see that 2D20 has some elegant ideas, however, having played a bit of Conan 2D20, I feel that Momentum kind of strangles the actual momentum of play in the game. I feel that, anytime that players have got a shopping list of options to chose from, it seems to pull play out of the fiction and in to the rule book.

Well, Mr. Skorkowsky, my group and I went "all in" after you showed us Conan 2d20, criticisms and all, and we love it because we are all Conan fans. Now that we know that system, this Achtung Cthulu would be an easy switch. I am a big WWII nerd as well, yet I'd never heard about this game until I saw this video. Mark my words; my group will be playing this soon. You, sir, are driving an industry and kudos to Modiphius for recognizing that fact. Also, I'm endlessly impressed by the detail you put into your videos. Where the hell did you get a Sten gun?

I'm a big fan of the 2d20 system, Conan in particular, although it did take a few sessions for our group to break out of the restrictive grid-based mind set of the other games we play. I particularly enjoy getting the players to come up with interesting things that may have happened when I as a GM roll a complication and can't immediately think of something.

2d20 really works for pulp, my Conan game is amazing! possibly some of the best games I've played. The system takes 1 session to "get", 2 sessions to get somewhat comoftable, 3 sessions to become fluent, and 4 sessions to work out the very smaller nuanced rules.

The Mothership RPG has a great illustration of ranges/zones for combat. I think it has hard numbers, too, but I think the illustration does a great job of "describing" range and zones. Check it out!

A quick thought on Threat... Having played systems with similar GM complication tokens in the past, I've found that treating the Threat (or eq) points as a mandatory resource that outranks the GM can disincentivise player-driven sideshows and shenanigans - a lively roleplay moment can still be an engine to create Threat for the main objective. For example, my group's first campaign in the detail-light heist system Dusk City Outlaws was railroaded to failure in the last session *because* our party face fumbled rolls with an inkeeper and his daughter in an incidental downtime scene, creating such a pile of Heat tokens that our GM was forced to get creative to dump them. (We later dropped the whole Heat/Threat system and used the rules to play what amounts to low fantasy Sharpe, which was probably our most loved campaign ever) A confident GM probably wouldn't have this problem and would probably find it a good tool to adapt difficulty to the scenario? But a GM picking up the game and trying to play rules-as-written might not have a instinct for what a balanced encounter or puzzle in Achtung! Cthulhu looks like, leading to unnecessary issues.

Hey Seth, 5 squid is pretty good value over here nowadays. Reckon I'd just go with £ as my standard squid symbol! Seriously - review is appreciated. I'm just getting my head around this system 😁👍

Mad Jack Churchill gets a mention! Best of British 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

Me and my players liked the d20 system in conan. It is not our favorite but we had no problem using it.

Possibly my favorite setting for COC ! This review was great ! I have to pick this up ! Thanks Seth

I do like the 2d20 system and have been running it for quite some time now but Seth you are absolutely right with your assessment of the system and while I love it, there is a lot of confusion and lack of examples to clarify. I have found myself while running just ignoring a lot of the rules with every 2d20 game I have run.

So zones and the idea of a "zone map". This reminded me right away of the Marvel Heroes game TSR produced in the 80's. It had the same kind of narrative focus, but always had a map as well.

IMO it really seems like this and Delta Green are games that have really good ideas and adventures to be done with Call of Cthulhu's rules.

I’m happy you decided to review this system. I really enjoy your other Cthulhu reviews and I’ve recently been diving into Modiphius and their 2d20 system myself with the Conan game and was curious about your thoughts on this one. Great vid.

I think you are absolutely spot on about 2d20 trying to be both crunchy and rules-light. The game that sold me and my group on 2d20 was the Dune RPG, which is very stripped down and heavily focused on driving the narrative. We had so much fun with it, and it inspired me to use the system for a game of samurai drama in the Legend of the Five Rings setting. But with reading the A!C and Conan versions of the system, it seems like there are a lot of odd complexities thrown on top of everything that they system just doesn't need - at least not for my group.

Your explanation of this system helped me understand a few hangups I had with their fallout 2d20 system

I’ve been looking forward to this review for quite some time; since I saw your tweets about it awhile back. I picked up the two core rule books because the setting/era aesthetic seems right up my alley and I wanted to compare to Pulp (or even just help idea generation!). Thank you so much for the thoughtful review. They really are probably the most helpful on the Internet. Looking forward to the scenario review!!

Hi Seth. Great video as always. I love that black rulebook; very classy and haunting. Thanks for this video!

Thanks for an honest review. Cool art at the least. We play Star Trek Adventures and the 2d20 systems works for that. But navigating the rule book is a total nightmare, particularly when in mid combat at the game table. If I had one piece of advice for Modiphius it would be K.I.S.S.

Those custom dice with your friend's face, gotta say; Love it. Also, you weird ww2 book sounds great!

I'm just glad Jack's got Seth's back when it comes to book promo!

I've been interested in this game for a while. I have always wanted to run a WW2 era, supernatural explorers game (think Indiana Jones meets CoC, or even a video game few seem to talk about, Strange Brigade).

Seth, I am so grateful for your videos. I wish you could be one of my GMs.

I really enjoyed the original Achtung! Cthulhu using the Call of Cthulhu Rules, but I simply do not care for the 2D20 rules at all. I agree with your opinion it wants to be both crunchy and non, and it just doesn't work for me. Thanks for an honest and open review. I remain glad I passed on this one.

Momentum reinforces a brother in arms reward idea that should exist in a military during wartime genre. That's why it is so appropriate here. Perhaps it can replace luck with the CoC rules when playing as a military unit. They don't rely on luck, they make their own. If a regular success is needed an a player makes a hard, add a momentum taken to the group pool... easy.

I've been running a game of Modepheus' ttrpg Star Trek Adventures now for about 3 years now and can tell y'all that Seth is on the money when he says "mileage may vary". Before STA, I ran D&D 5E for about 6-8 months (group though it was too spread out for stuff you wanted/needed); a Blades in The Dark game for 8-9 months(loved the setting & lore but hated the system itself)and a Call Of Cthulhu/Pulp Cthulhu hybrid game I think I've mentioned in other posts on here(they hated that it was soo stacked against the players). The Adventures of the Starfleet crew of The USS Saladin has been running for around 2 "Seasons"(I'm on the Strange New World's Adventures book now) and my players have adored it. In the end, it all comes down to the question of "what do YOU find Beautiful?"...

Very interesting and useful video !! I discovered 2d20 system with Conan but I did not had the luck to play with it. I use it in Dune where it is a little bit different and where both my players and I found it clear and cool (even if examples were not the clearer possible but there were more thant in Conan or Achtung) So I intrtoduce Achtung Cthulhu and they love the Indy/Hellboy/Cthulhu theme so we are going to jump in. SO many thanks for this video which clears a lot of things

I like some of this system, but I also like CoC, would like to see the CoC edition in print. The setting is awesome.

Well damn. I have been working on a Achtung Cthulhu 2d20 game for my gaming group. Though we haven't played yet, I have put a lot of work on it including miniatures and terrain.

Loved the review! You put a lot of work into it, as usual, and gave a very balanced look on the rules and the advantages and problems with the system. My experience with 2d20 systems has been limited to GM'ing Star Trek Adventures and playing a little bit of Conan, which left me with the impression it's an excellent system for Trek, but not so much for any setting that is really heavy on combat.

Thanks for the review. My experience with 2D20 mirrors yours. From playing Star Trek and Conan, I would say: beautifully made books, and I can see how the rules are laid out to facilitate episodes and seasons of classic Star Trek, or Robert. E. Howard Conan stories, but in actual play, the system is just too cumbersome. I'm currently considering running a Conan game, but only using the vast library of 2D20 books and adventures for inspiration, and run the actual game in Worlds Without Number.

So, after a long time of watching your videos which _very often_ touch on Call of Cthulhu, my gaming group finally played the system (7E). I was just a player since someone else took the opportunity to do it first (I'm still in the midst of running a different system). But that's fine, I was really happy to play. Generally, it went over quite well. One person didn't like the fragility of the characters, but myself and the Keeper see that as a fantastic element of the system, giving it a fairly unique feel. The other person was indifferent. For all of us, the absolute best part of the game was the investigation and roleplaying. Not a big surprise, we tend to gravitate toward that. What we didn't like was the combat. While I'm sure it gets easier as you get a better feel for the system, we've played enough stuff that does combat far more fluidly and with a better focus on the narrative aspect of it so that it doesn't feel like a completely separate game but a natural flow. Also, there was a consensus that there are too many skills. I'm okay with the skill selection, but I would also be fine with a slimmed down selection. Or, in my opinion, a better layout so "social" skills are all near each other and "technical" skills are grouped, and so on... figuring out the arrangement might be tough, but just categorizing them would have helped us out a lot. But since I still want to run some CofC, and especially do some of awesome scenarios that are out there (our first foray was a custom story... which narratively was a perfect fit, but did seem to lean a bit too much in the combat part of things without as much chance to discover things that would have helped us avoid/mitigate combat) I've been thinking of a way to address some of the problems. And partly, I do suspect that published scenarios will likely have a better mix of elements. I'm already trying to think of ways to hack the combat so that it remains deadly but not a chore. Make it lighter. An initial thought is to steal ideas from Powered by the Apocalypse games or Forged in the Dark games: players make rolls to do things, and their success "level" determines not only whether or not they do the thing (hit with a shot, dive for cover, cast a spell, etc), but also if an enemy attacks them or does a successful maneuver, or otherwise things go wrong. I'd need to fiddle for a bit and see how to balance it statistically, but we all generally like this way of running a game as it gets rid of "turns" which effectively makes combat no different from just regular play so there's no hiccup when transitioning from one to the other and it just goes far more smoothly (and there's a knock-on effect of naturally encouraging players to be engaged, since there's no guarantee of a turn... but all actions carry the risk of consequences). I'm wary of altering the skill selection, but may do so if a slimmer list (where some skills cover more ground) would allow for better overall balance with this approach. I don't want to stray too much from core CofC -- that is, I don't want to just wind up making my own FitD/PbtA hack that is essentially incompatible with the scenarios (but it _is_ a tempting idea since those systems do a lot of things so well). On the off chance I go that route, I think I'd detour from the standard approach of creating distinct "playbooks" and instead have a la carte playbooks where choosing your professions gives you access to some abilities (or maybe grants one or two abilities for free) but you can "purchase" from a wide range of common abilities everyone has access to, so that there's more options for customization. OR, profession gives you a special ability and otherwise you just "level up" but buying points in skills. I don't know, I'll have to think about it. Plus, I do love the sanity and luck mechanics of CofC 7E, the slow healing, and even the magic. It's just that combat is _soo_ laborious. That you need a flowchart is a good sign that it needs work.

As always, great video Seth. This is the first video I've had the opportunity to watch with your review of the 2d20 system. It reminds me of White Wolf's system, replacing d10s with d20s. I found that system helps a game flow well to help concentrate on the story rather than having issues with obscure game mechanics. With the Truth thingy, I was told many years ago (way back when I first started role-playing), that PCs aren't just normal scrubs. The fact that they're protagonists makes them "special" , so they are just plain better than NPCs, whether they're 1st level or 20th. A normal scrub wouldn't survive cutting a swathe through the challenges and threats that PCs are expected to. That would be a justification for heroic abilities or mechanics. But, as always, each GM, player, and group has their own preferences and levels of comfort. Thanks for pointing it out as a possible pitfall

I am eager to see your review for the starter adventure.

The bigger trhe core book, the less I like the idea of a starter adventure adding pagecount and weight to the tome, not to mention the difficulty of flicking between pages! Having one exist in a seperate booklet is far better, in my opinion.

I got to GM a few Star Trek Adventures sessions, and yes I agree that the 2d20 system is both Fantastic and frustrating at the same time. But ot really has great potential! 🙂

I really love the 2D20 system for Conan. I mostly use the more narrative elements sparsely, to spice it up from time to time. I think this works best rather than trying to abstract it away too much.

I find that mechanics that allow you too change the scene up are there to help encourage collaborative play between GMs and players. it can help players add more to the scene and help rigid DMs cut loose.

Seth clearly, comprehensively and with proper diction and real English words explained how to do a skill test and I still got nfi.

24:30 Modiphius made the same oversight in the Star Trek quickstart, and I had no idea how to utilize weapon traits in my games. Bummer they made the same mistake again. 🙁

Thanks Seth (and Jack!). After listening quite closely to your assessment and pausing the screen frequently to actually read the topics described, I tend to agree that it seems quite rules heavy. Of course, many may enjoy that but when in the heat of an engagement that this particular game-play seems to focus on (war fighting more so than investigation), I think that it could quickly dampen an exciting turn of events looking up all the rules for each situation in the heat of conflict, at least until one got very proficient with said rules. If a Keeper could satisfyingly trim the rules down, at least to keep momentum, the scenarios/subject material at least, looks to be awesome!

3:19 You really did it. Just for a moment there, my brain thought of Seth and Jack as two completely different human beings. 😳😅

There are some maps with clearly defined "zones" in the Star Trek Adventures starter set. And their "Starfleet Tiles" PDFs also come with the zones clearly delineated. But I think the zones mechanic as a "cinematic" detail might just work with the TV feel of Star Trek better than some other genres.

My, having played almost nothing by 2d20 games over the last three years - completely abandoning Pathfinder and others - I have to say that it's the single greatest mechanical system that I've ever encountered, challenged only by Powered By the Apocalypse and the original Call of Cthulhu based on the needs of the campaign and the type of experience that one wishes to create. It's just so intuitive and facile, one of the simplest systems that I've ever tried to learn. Thank you for the review.

Our group tried Mindjammer using Fate and had the same reaction. Fate wants to be crunch light, but ends us with hidden crunch. The system seemed to fight us. We are a high crunch group.

Haven't played the game yet but have bought their minis for other skirmish games. I really enjoy their minis and as I see you like minis too, they are definitely worth checking out.

I had the same problem with the 2d20 system for Star Trek Adventures. There was a lot of stuff that sounded cool but I never felt like I had a firm enough grasp on the rules that I felt confident in GMing this game for a group.

There are examples of zones. Eg. STA Starter Set Campanig. Also there are tile sets for some 2d20 systems with zones marked.

I'm not sure how a games company could've made a skill test roll more complicated. I can imagine it slows combat to a crawl... and I play MegaTraveller.

I literally just got these an hour ago and was coming on youtube to see if you talked about it.

Man, I really want to run a Return to Castle Wolfenstein themed game, now.

I have played a lot of 2D20, mostly Star Trek Adventures. I really love 2D20 overall, but I think you nail its flaws fairly well. It is a fairly deep system in that it takes a while to learn but is very rewarding in terms of achieving a very narrative feel with an ensemble cast. You're right that it's missing good info on the attribute/skill combinations all throughout. I find this particularly true in the more abstract systems where there are attributes+attributes, such as JCA or Dune. They also don't explain things too well. I really like the weapon qualities as a way to differentiate weapons with otherwise very similar stats. Truths are like Advantages/Disadvantages but they seem to have pushed Traits into them as well. Traits aren't well integrated into the rules sadly, but do represent ways to have a character good at something that might not be otherwise nailed by their stats.

Thanks for the review on this one, I've had limited experience with the 2d20 system playing the Infinity RPG, and my opinions of the system mirror yours. Mophidus lack of examples and zoning system didn't help either. Games designed with existing miniature lines really should have a ranging system that works well with using them on the table.

About Truths. I know other systems have a similar thing, most rules allow the players to give themselves truths at character creation but you can only give yourself like three of them

I first read "Ackhual Cthulu 2D20 Quickstart"

If there is anyone who can make a movie sucky, it's good old J J Abrams. I mean killing Star Wars and Star Trek should be a war crime. Man should be at the Hague, not Warner Bros.

It feels like they didn't use enough outside playtesters. Building a game with crunch and lightweight rules is Possible...I think. but it requires something more then just publishing a game. It's gonna be about iteration and playtesting. It does look like there was some improvement, but they seem to like shooting their progress in the foot. Like the 1d6 icon they use.

A warbow arrow delivered correctly has roughly two thirds the power of a 9mm parabellum round at 30 feet but at several hundreds of feet... the arrow is not subject to tumbling in the same manner as a common bullet and retains its power due to holding (throw weight) within itself unlike a bullet which rapidly decelerates and becomes poor at penetration for both tumbling and the rapid reduction in imparted power. . At the moment of impact maximum range.. the arrow on its downward trajectory strikes the target on clean rotation and the long shaft pushes the armour defeating point into the structure using its considerable weight and momentum ... the bullet (I think an m1 carbine would be more accurate a comparison than an m1 rifle) is tumbling thus not armour penetrating and also has very little energy remaining.... In short guns up close.. powerful... guns long range... little better than an arrow and often worse.... although an m1 rifle is a poor example... I think it would be marginally better.. though not by much per shot... Of historic note.. when britain sent troops to fight napoleon during the peninsula war we considered including archers.. for this very reason..

I played two conan games and We had a ton of fun... but our GM said hated. I decide to master the game, my players had a lot of fun, but I finally understood what our GM had said: the rules are too complex (not the 2d20 in itself: that concept is easy)..

I totally agree about the 2d20 rules being better between sessions than during sessions. They seem so cool in theory but they can get really bogged down in practice, especially during combat. I don't think I've ever ran a single session of a 2d20 game that didn't grind to a halt because some weird situation came up and the solution wasn't immediately obvious in the rulebook. I still love the system though, especially A!C.

This is awesome . An i would love a overview series for 2d20 Achtung Cthulhu.

Half-watching the reivew of a game that I'm disinterested in? Yes! It is still worth it because along comes Jack and tells me about Mad Jack Churchill. Now I'm reading his Wikipedia bio.

I can see how "background truths" can be problematic, as even non-powergamers can easily fall into the mindset of "well, if this sample character can get these benefits just from saying that's a Truth of his background, then I should try to get the most benefit out of my background too". While in a way that does encourage the creation of a properly fleshed out background, the way it's incentivized feels kinda toxic to the point you're not encouraged to make a background that sounds cool to you and the story, you're encouraged to make a background that'll provide the most mechanical benefits you can muster out of it by claiming them as Truths that apply in game. I can agree that there seems to be a lot of interesting and intriguing elements to the system, but as you say, it seems to be mixing detailed rules with loose narrative rules, and that takes a certain mindset to really make it work. Think of it like a river; loose narrative rules flowing around the stones of harder, crunchier rules can make for a sensory experience of gentle kayaking, but if it doesn't mesh, that flow looks more like a rapids that, sure, you might get through and there were moments of enjoyment, but you look back and also recall how stressful it was in the moment.

Fun analysis!

Fully agree with the antagonistic GM bit!!!!!

I love the idea of the setting. Yes, the first thing I thought of was the opening scene of Hellboy. However, it sounds like this system needs and editor who not only knows the game, but how to explain it. Some rules aren't intuitive, so there's always confusion. This carries over in other Modiphius products, as players familiar with V5 will know. (This is a d10 pool system, so different mechanics. Same "lovely product, needs and editor" issue.) The 2d20 system CAN work, but man, does it need clarification.

2d20 system works… but only if you really bring it down to its core and simplify it. Because of that I think the best 2d20 game has to be John Carter of Mars. There the system shines and works perfectly.

The Fortune mechanic is a good way to build tension. Over two or three scenes, the players can't spend Fortune. Obviously this shouldn't be done in scenes that are dangerous to the PCs or to completing the mission, but it can simulate the "sense of wrongness."

Jack the NPC is the Bestest Wingman.

I ran the Star Trek version of 2D20 a few times. I had trouble with it. I liked the ideas when I was reading the book. I thought I understood how everything worked. When I actually started running it, I was floundering. I wound up flipping back and forth through the rule book and constantly wondering if I was running it correctly. I always felt like I was missing something. I spent 10-15 minutes flipping through the rule book trying to find all of the rules that applied to the players launching a spread of quantum torpedoes and I don't know if I actually found them all or did it correctly. Meanwhile, the game ground to a complete halt on the middle of an action scene. I spent so much time flipping around in the rule book trying to find the rules and work out how they interacted with each other while wondering if I was even running this game right that the sessions that I don't think the the game was very much fun. NO matter how much I read the book or how many tutorial videos I watched, the game always fell apart for me at the table.

I'm glad I didn't pick it up but I could still use the adventures from that in Pulp Cthulhu so I'm good.

I kind of hate the Truths system. It sounds like it can produce some real cheese when it comes to characters, while at the same time gamifies something that should be as simple as... Player:"does this room have a chandelier I can swing from?" GM: "Yes." I guess it could be used for stuff more like... Player: "I was in the Evil Army of Doom, I'd like to say I know one of these grunts." GM: "spend a Fortune." But I still feel like that should either be up to the GM (90% the answer should be "yes, but..."), or solved with a quick die roll.

Lol remember my players went into a deep deep part of a cave system... then 4 of them opened up with flame throwers emptying their fuel tanks and anhilating the oposition... then of course died as there was no air left... ahh bless..

I got the Black Sun edition, cuz shiny book. Haven’t got into it yet, tho

Some interesting ideas in the rules, but I fully understand and agree that some of it could be much clearer. One thing that bugged me with my brief delve into Achtung! is that they seemed to dump all the mythos critters as working with the Nazis. I feel this a) underplayed how much more significant some of these monsters were than humans and b) ignored the grudges and rivalries that existed between the monsters.

I think Dune is the best 2d20 system, it feels like a movie and the players are totally invested in the story. It gets rid of the boring d6 and statblocs that others 2d20 have (beside dishonored).

I'm really interested in the momentum/threat system and think I might try to find a way to incorporate the system into call of cthulhu somehow.

Every character is a veteran commando who got a job as a spy pretending to be a diplomat engineer.

I have a feeling that the reason why they went with a Zone concept is because they're trying to set up to be streamer friendly. Not saying that's necessarily a good or bad thing, but I have watched some online gaming and many of them seem to like to fly by the seat of their pants as far as measuring distance all in whatever works good from a narrative standpoint. It also seems similar to what they're using in the Warhammer pen and paper

Luckily that Black Sun Edition didn't bear the Schwarze Sonne on it's cover... for one moment I was worried.

Hey Seth, if you and your group are frustrated with Conan but still want to play a bronze age fantasy game, I recommend Jackals. It's a d100 skill based system with a really great way to play monsters and a really intuitive initiative system as well. It's based on mythology like the epic of gilgamesh, the iliad, and even the old testament.

I think my experience mirrors yours: I love a lot about the Conan game, and the momentum mechanic works great, but the range system and the weird choice of a symbol to represent a d6 is just plain annoying. Of the WWII offerings for Cthulhu, I think I'm likely to go with "World War Cthulhu" when Chaosium comes out with that.

I have watched and appreciated this video. 3¥ up!

This reminds me quite a lot of the Wrath and Glory system, at least with regards to fortune and momentum.

Modiphius' 2D20 system is often clunky but usable. (Dropping CoC license has monetary but not playability benefits.) Not my first choice of system but the bumps can be better smoothed out with experienced Keeper & players.

Good thing I bough this game when it was using Pulp Cthulhu rules with the alternative of Savage Worlds.

Those custom dice are great.

Zones: it sounds to me (from your analysis) like zones are (supposed to be) dynamic. So some actions like "I hide behind the console" is an action I take to increase the difficulty of incoming attacks. It adds a zone for people shooting at me from the direction of the doorway, but not for the guy who moved to flank me. So if that it as a tactical dynamic. GM: "He's a good distance away from you, in the shadows behind the parked cars. That's for zones: near, far, cover, and darkness." P1: "I push the spotlight around and light up the parking lot." GM : "you light him up, dear in the headlights." P2: "I take two steps to clear the line of fire, is risky but life is risk... Perfect. I take the shot." GM: "with no cars between you, he's not too close or too far away, and him all lot up like that he's a duck in a shooting gallery. Make your rolls." Taking this as a way to quantify a situation that is otherwise pretty amorphous, the zone idea could be very powerful because it's very nonspecific. It gives a looser framework to let the players and GM to literally negotiate the train.

Thank you.

Appreciated as always. On the topic of pulpy horror games, I wanted to ask if you've ever given Deadlands a play? I'm thinking of giving it a shot but it's tough finding good quality reviews of it. I really dig the setting, but I haven't looked enough at the rules to make any decisions yet.

I've experienced similar issues with the zone mechanic in Star Wars RPG by Fantasy Flight Games. But playing the SW RPG for years I've learned to define the zones with loose range bands which did require gaining a feel for them over time. It does leave room for interpretation which is a blessing and a curse. But for myself and my group we have made it work for us, so this isn't really any different.

ive always struggled with wanting to run a game actually within a war. Something about professional soldiers for characters really just doesn't do it for me. Still, i love the idea and concept. Stepping my toes into 2d20 as well. Started with Star Trek and I did enjoy that. I may end up getting Alien to run it for my wife.

Have you run Actung! Cthulhu with Pulp CoC? I'm curious as to which ruleset works better for this setting. I have the CoC 6e version, but haven't run A!C yet.

Great video as always but I have a BIG QUESTION: How does the Cthulu Mythos fit into the game system? How do Deep Ones react to U-Boats? How many Dark Young are in the Ardennes Forest? Does Nyarlthotep take Hitler seriously as an evil being? Inquiring minds want to know.

nice backdrop update

I have right now 2 groups of players deep (ones) into campaigns, all of them enjoying it. We had to "tweak" or "straighten up" some of the rules. But not change them.