Mythos and war in the Pacific - a Mephisto review

Operation Talisman leaves the theater of war in Europe behind and leads agents of Majestic into the war into the Pacific in 1942. In the Philippines, the Americans are retreating from the Japanese invasion. However, rumors of unnatural attacks and supernatural shockwaves make it necessary to infiltrate enemy territory with a small team during the ongoing retreat in order to gather information and — if possible — recover artifacts. The agents for this mission are available as ready-made player characters who are well integrated into the setting and have to get behind enemy lines and gather information on their own. In addition to the dangers posed by the jungle and enemy patrols, it soon becomes clear that sinister forces are indeed at work…

Operation Talisman shifts the setting of Achtung! Cthulhu to the Pacific and places Majestic agents in the foreground, so that the ready-made characters can be helpful here. The characters face a tough expedition that confronts them with the dangers and horrors of war until they uncover the cthulhoid conspiracy. The challenge for the players is to decide when it is better to just gather information and when they should intervene, as the enemy forces outnumber them.

Operation Talisman offers an action-packed adventure that also addresses critical issues such as war crimes against the civilian population, bringing real war atrocities to the gaming table. Players also have to decide when to observe and when to intervene, which can change the adventure considerably. Apart from that, Operation Talisman revolves around a classic, tough operation against the forces of the Mythos in World War 2.

(Björn Lippold)