Achtung! Cthulhu swaps to 2d20 for Lovecraft-and-Nazis RPG’s standalone second edition

Achtung! Cthulhu, the roleplaying game of World War II Lovecraftian horror, is going it alone in its second edition.

The RPG began life as a setting for the Call of Cthulhu and Savage Worlds systems, launching with a Kickstarter in 2013 for the game’s Investigator’s Guide and Keeper’s Guide.

Its upcoming second edition will be instead based on publisher Modiphius’ – which made its debut with Achtung! Cthulhu – in-house 2d20 system, which powers the studio’s Star Trek Adventures, Mutant Chronicles and Conan games, among others.

As the name suggests, the system involves rolling a pair of 20-sided dice, with lower results yielding more successful outcomes to tests and events. Characters can also choose to try their luck by adding extra dice to increase their chance of succeeding, but every additional die comes at the cost of resources or more abstract risks.

Achtung! Cthulhu: 2d20 Edition will also expand on the setting’s lore, with expanded information on the opposing human sides of the Secret War, as well as the eldritch horrors involved in the battle.

Behind the gameplay is designer Nathan Dowdell, while original writer John Houlihan heads up the team building on the world.

Although the 2d20 Edition will be a standalone game, a version of Achtung! Cthulhu updated for Call of Cthulhu’s seventh edition ruleset will be released later this year.

Achtung! Cthulhu: 2d20 Edition is due for a release in spring 2019, with a free quickstart guide confirmed.