Here at oprainfall we don’t typically cover board games, with one exception – we do when they become video games. The game in question today is Modiphius Entertainments’ Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics. The basic premise of the game is “what if the Nazis discovered Cthulhu during World War II?” That theme is taken and run with, and provides fertile ground for a strange and twisted universe for the game to take place in.
In my demo, I controlled two characters from Charlie Company thrust behind enemy lines. Though both looked completely normal at first, I eventually noticed one had a winged creature perched on her shoulder. Not only the Nazis have access to magic in the game, your small ragtag band of heroes does as well. But for the purposes of the demo, I was mostly just learning the basic mechanics and not doing anything too fancy. There is an ever present fog of war called The Shroud which plays a huge tactical role, as well as serving a storytelling purpose. As you might expect, the minions of Cthulhu thrive in the darkness, so they are empowered in The Shroud. Meanwhile, the good guys do better in the light, so part of the strategy is using technology to banish the darkness. You also have a cone of vision that can clarify your surroundings and allow you to use Overwatch skills to shoot enemies when they react.
Most of combat is based off moving along a tactical grid and smart placement behind defensive fortifications. I was able to sneak up behind Nazis and shoot them point blank, and I was also able to shoot them from a distance. Tying it all together are AP or action points, which determine what you can and can’t do each turn. Thankfully, they are only present during combat, and outside of it, you can move about freely. One thing I really liked already about Acthung! Cthulhu Tactics was how every little detail is smartly categorized and clearly described by various menus. I never had to guess what was happening and could make my decisions off concrete detail. Much like in other tactical games, you also have a preview that pops up when you’re about to initiate combat, telling you things like the likelihood of an attack hitting or doing critical damage.
I found the entire demo to be very intuitive and engrossing. I could see myself getting really lost in this strange world, and feel it will find many fans when it releases in Q4 of 2018. Best of all, Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics is releasing for Steam, PS4, Switch and XBox One, so no gamer will be left behind. In the meanwhile, if you want to wishlist the game now, you can do so here.
