Review of Berlin - The Wicked City - RPGnet RPG Game Index

8/24/2021 Review of Berlin: The Wicked City - RPGnet RPG Game Index
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REVIEW OF BERLIN: THE WICKED CITY PRODUCT SUMMARY

Name: Berlin: The Wicked City
Review Summary: Sex, Publisher: Chaosium
drugs and cabaret, or System: Call of Cthulhu (7e)
probably the best Setting: 1920s
sourcebook/adventure book Author: David Larkins, Graham
combo that I have ever Mason, Lynne Hardy
read. Category: RPG

Extended blurb from the Cost: EUR 17,80 / USD 19,99 / GBP
publisher: 'Unveiling the 15,96 (pdf), EUR 40,06 / USD 44,99 /
Mythos in Weimar Germany GBP 35,93 (hardcover plus pdf), EUR
84,58 / USD 94,99 / GBP 75,86
In the aftermath of the Great Goto [ Index ] (leatherette hardcover plus pdf)
War, Berlin has a reputation Pages: 272
for licentiousness. A place where anything may be Year: 2019
had for the right price. It is both a city of hedonism
and a city of business; its streets overflow with SKU: 23161

disabled veterans, prostitutes, destitute ISBN: 978-1-56882-417-8
immigrants, and political agitators—all rubbing
shoulders with buttoned-down businessmen, Conspiracy, Historical, Horror, Occult

scholars, and artists. The gutters run with the
blood of political assassinations, where View [ Printable Review ]

Communists and völkisch Nationalists clash with
each other, as well as with the police. Long into the REVIEW SUMMARY
evenings, Berlin's world-famous cabarets offer Comped Playtest Review
music, dance, and titillating entertainment in stark October 18, 2019
contrast to the gray buildings that run on for Edited: October 18, 2019
endless miles along the sprawling city's byways.

Into this bubbling stew, Secrets of Berlin by: Antonios S

introduces the weird elements of the Cthulhu
Mythos. A hotbed of occult organizations, strange
cults, and half-whispered lore. Amid the wicked air Style: 5 (Excellent!)
of the world's capital of sin, the very nature of what Substance: 5 (Excellent!)
it means to be human is questioned. And, as the
city hurtles toward its inevitable dark destiny, the Sex, drugs and cabaret, or probably the
oppressive atmosphere pushes the sanity of best sourcebook/adventure book combo
investigators to its breaking point. that I have ever read.

This book presents an overview of 1920s Berlin as

it would be experienced by visitors and residents Antonios S has written 1425 reviews, with average
of the time. Guidelines are presented for creating style of 4.04 and average substance of 3.91 The
reviewer's previous review was of Star Wars: Legion
investigators for a Berlin-centric campaign, as well Dice Pack, Star Wars: Legion Barricades
as investigator organizations to help bind groups Pack.The reviewer's next review is of Star Wars: X-
together. Notable personalities, key locations, and Wing Second Edition expansions: TIE/ln Fighter,
TIE/sk Striker, Inquisitor's TIE.
a system for generating details of the urban
landscape on the fly are provided. With crime and This review has been read 8334 times.
punishment, the city's underworld, and also its high
https://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/18/18324.phtml 1/9
culture detailed, the tools provided help the Keeper RATE IT!
gain an understanding of what makes Berlin
unique. If you would like to rate this item, login.
Three scenarios, spanning the history of Berlin

between the end of the Great War and the rise of Downloadable RPGs:
Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party, contain colorful
details of Berlin and its inhabitants and may be run

as stand-alone adventures or linked together to

form a mini-campaign.
RPG Campaign Manager:
The Wickedest City on Earth
"The city of Berlin, I recognized, had a definite

color of its own; it had, plainly, become a world
metropolis... now Berlin had acquired an authentic
entity. It resided in the young, and was composed,
mostly, of a direct recognition, a faintly bitter
but undisturbed acceptance, of all, all, the realities
of existence. It was an attitude nowhere, that I
could see, irradiated by hope. The customary
optimism, the romantic confidence, of youth, were
absent in Berlin... So much, the bearing of the
young showed, had failed them, turning out false
or hypocritical or insubstantial, that they had
concluded all the celebrated reassurances and
rewards were lies."
—Joseph Hergesheimer, Berlin
Chapter 1: The City, presents an overview of

1920s Berlin. Creating investigators for a Berlin-
centric campaign, as well as advice for bringing in
existing player characters. Investigator
organizations and Experience Packages are
designed to add new dimensions to investigative
groups. The chapter includes an overview of
Berlin's history, as well as its topology, identifying
key districts that best reflect the city's character.
Details are provided on travel, communications,
housing, crime and punishment, drug abuse, the
city's underworld, and its high culture.
Chapter 2: Uncovering Berlin contains a range of

locations of interest for investigators, from libraries
and museums to cafés and nightclubs. Due to the
city's sheer size, we eschew a block-by-block
description, instead highlighting locations of
interest and filling in the blanks with a system for
generating details of the urban landscape on the
fly. Berlin's predilection for hedonism centers on
the city's relationship with prostitution, food and
drink, and cabaret. Guidelines are provided for a
range of investigator contacts and the chapter
concludes with details on neighborhood street
encounters, all providing the Keeper with
inspiration for cabarets and clubs, architectural
details, and businesses. With the tools provided in
this chapter, the Keeper gains an understanding of

what makes Berlin unique and has the tools to
bring the city to life at the gaming table.
Chapter 3: Oh! You Pretty Things details notable

historical personalities to provide color and insight
into the city. Whether Marlene Dietrich or Joseph
Goebbels, short biographies highlight the time
certain individuals lived or worked in Berlin,
providing inspiration for encounters and scenarios.
Chapter 4: Strange Berlin considers how the

Cthulhu Mythos festers in the dark corners and
shadows of the city. A range of scenario seeds and
cults ensures the Keeper has the material for
creating a decade-spanning campaign of horror.
Three scenarios spanning the history of Berlin

include more of Berlin's colorful details. Each
scenario may be run as stand-alone episode or
linked together to form a mini-campaign.
In The
Devil Eats Flies Germany teeters on the brink of
economic ruin and political chaos. The ghost of a
madman stalks the city, turning its own citizenry
against itself. To stop a demonic spirit and save a
Russian princess in exile, the investigators must
strike a bargain with other sinister forces and ask
themselves: who else are we prepared to see die
in order to save the city?
Dances of Vice, Horror, and Ecstasy takes place in

the city's golden years, when things have become
superficially stable and prosperous again. A
bungling sorcerer, a debauched dancer, and a
strange cult of gnostic Saturn-worshippers
threaten to put all of that to an end and turn Berlin
into a pit of madness and depravity.
Schreckfilm sees Berlin racing toward its grim

future. The investigators come face to face with a
shadowy cabal of the city's movers and shakers
who are determined to turn the city's world-famous
film industry toward ill ends. Trapped in a labyrinth
of their own making and hounded relentlessly by
dark forces beyond their ken, the investigators
must confront the fundamental question of what is
real and what is illusion.
Concluding the book is a selection of inspirational

media, including books, film, and websites for
those wishing to delve even deeper into the
mysteries, history, and geography of Berlin.
This supplement is best used with the Call of

Cthulhu (7th Edition) roleplaying game and
optionally Pulp Cthulhu, both available separately.
The book deals with mature themes, including
drugs and sex, and is intended for mature players.'
What you get: Your EUR 40,06 or USD 44,99 or

GBP 35,93 will buy you Berlin - The Wicked City, a
272-page sourcebook and adventure for the Call
of Cthulhu 7th edition gameline in both its full
colour hardback as well as its pdf edition. The
adventures can be used with either standard Call
of Cthulhu or with Pulp Cthulhu, the game's more
cinematic, action-oriented version. The book
features a red cloth bookmark.
For the serious Cthulhu enthusiasts who enjoy

premium quality books in their library, Berlin - The
Wicked City is also sold in a limited, leatherette
edition at a price of EUR 84,58 or USD 94,99 or
GBP 75,86. The pdf once again included in the
price. I have not however perused that product and
thus I cannot pronounce myself on it.
The pdf version alone costs EUR 17,80 or USD

19,99 or GBP 15,96. This price however buys you
four different pdfs: the book itself, a map of Berlin,
the handouts in a separate pdf, as well as a
Keeper Reference Booklet.
Spoiler warning: even though I will not reveal the

adventures' plot, I will discuss some of their strong
and less strong points. If you wish to participate in
these adventures as a player, stop reading now.
Contents: With such an extensive publisher's

blurb, there is really not that much to say when
describing the product. I will thus limit myself to
practical information only.
The book's sourcebook aspect is 96 pages long.

The three scenarios have a respective length of
50, 54 and 42 pages each. Depending on how
thorough your group is, it might take anything from
on extended session to three to finish each of the
adventures. Each of them is based on a distinct
theme, namely lustmord, transgression and
algolagnia, the craving of pain for sexual pleasure.
Each scenario also belongs in a different type of
horror as described by Stephen King himself
(Gross-out, Horror, and Terror respectively). The
tone of each adventure is unique. Where in
Dances of Vice, Horror and Ecstasy hundreds of
thousands might perish, Schreckfilm is contained,
intimate almost, in some ways resembling the
adventures that take place in isolated rural
landscapes. The adventures have many
metaphors embedded that relate the supernatural
to the real-world that are happening during those
times, and which specifically relate to Germany
and Berlin. Seeing how disturbing these latter are
in the first place (political and financial instability,
crude violence, debauchery), the links can be
immediately perceived most of the time.
The book closes with two appendices. The first is a

list of publications, movies, series, and music and
visual art that will further help a group immerse
itself in the setting. The second gathers together
the handouts of the different adventures (which are
also presented inside the adventures themselves
to facilitate the Keeper). The 4-page index (with
many words in German) is the book's final entry.
The strong points: What a book! Call of Cthulhu

might not be for children in the first place,
Chaosium however has outdone itself here. This
is exactly how a sourcebook that also contains
adventures should be written. Lovecraft is all about
decay, decadence, the unknown, the uncaring, and
that which cannot be understood. That's what
Berlin in the interwar is. The book is unlikely to put
a smile in the reader's face, seeing how raw its
subject-matter is. Extreme poverty, political
fanaticism, and impossible inequalities compose a
tapestry that is scary enough even without adding
the supernatural into the mix. Yet, it comes out as
irresistibly alluring exactly because it is so
unpretentiously excessive. Berlin-based
investigators are unlikely to be happy-go-lucky
guys who just got dragged into schemes which are
bigger than what they deal with. This premise,
along with the violent departure from the well-tried
trope of isolated rural areas are only two of the
things that make this book a must.
The book does not shy away of subjects that even

today can provoke a certain degree of discomfort
to some, like the LGBTQI scene in Berlin at the
time; apparently it was way bigger than what most
nowadays would suspect for the era. The cabaret
scene was enormous in interwar Germany, as was
the relaxation of sex attitudes decades before the
sexual revolution took place in the US. Not many
sourcebooks actively tackle LGBTQI investigators,
this one however does in a thoughtful and neutral
way. This is all about the setting and its nuance;
characters can't be prudes or teetotalers like many
of their American counterparts in Arkham-based
scenarios. In Weimar Berlin that would be totally
out of place.
There's a million things I liked about the

supplement aspect of the book. Those exposed to
Chaosium's sourcebooks that came out under its
previous management had been repeatedly let
down by mediocrity. The 'Secrets of' series (of
which we had visited the Secrets of Tibet
together) was rather telling. Make no mistake:
Berlin has nothing to do with these volumes, in
either choice of content, usability, or tone. To start
with, it actually understands what it should strive to
achieve: to provide the Keeper with immediately
usable information that can underline the tone and

peculiarity of the setting. This goes for both crunch
(with relevant occupations and experience
packages) and fluff. The Weimar republic is no
New England with its wind-swept rocky shoreline.
The book is well-researched, and balances the
need to present both a bird's eye view and the
necessary details to make the setting come to life.
Additionally, it fine-tunes the relationship between
the worldly and the otherworldly so that the latter
never becomes all-encompassing. Many people
might dabble in secret societies or the occult, yet
this doesn't mean that they have actually achieved
something.
No matter the adult nature of the setting, the facts,

the events, and even the images can be
incorporated by a Keeper into the three adventures
the book contains or in adventures of the Keeper's
design. The sourcebook pays extreme attention to
detail; notice how its piece on people living in
Berlin also states the precise time these people
lived in the city (e.g. Albert Einstein lived there
from 1914 to 1932). That's the kind of precision
few sourcebooks come up with, and which comes
out as even more useful because the adventures
do not take place immediately one after another.
The personalities it opts to present are not
necessarily the most known. You don't get a Hitler
write-up, even though there is one on Ebert and
another on Goebbels. They are definitely however
people that the Investigators can meaningfully
interact with.
The adventures themselves are wildly entertaining

and substantially more horrific than the average
Call of Cthulhu scenario. As I said before, they
are very different to one another. Dances of Vice,
Horror, and Ecstasy is one of the most original
adventures Call of Cthulhu overall can offer, with
thousands marching to their death, and with the
supernatural in plain sight in the middle of a
European capital. Woah! If you are used to ring-
fenced locations with nobody witnessing the terror
that torments you, prepare to have your minds
blown away. The dreamscape scenes of
Schreckfilm are equally potent. I loved how the
designers made meta-gaming an integral aspect of
the adventure's latter stages. If you don't realize
that you need to wake up, or if you don't know how
to wake up, you might as well never wake up.
Genius!
Most of the scenes and sequences are so

impactful that I am at loss for words to describe
them. The performance scenes at the cabaret,
which are a mix of scandalous, erotic, and
awkward; the potential realization that an NPC (or
even an investigator!) is not human; the

culmination of the adventures themselves where
reality itself bends; each is more drool-worthy than
the other. It is incredible how new and fresh
everything feels. If you believe that the Mythos has
already explored its range, the originality of these
scenarios will make you think twice.
The adventures aren't however just about visceral

imagery or unsettling scenes with a healthy dose
of real-life drama. They are as well researched as
they are crafted. There are many instances of what
make the Mythos what it is. Not everything can be
explained. Not even the Keeper might not
understand why a supernatural entity will behave
illogically by human standards, or why the
Investigators have fallen upon a picture of an
event that hasn't happened yet. In other instances
I might have criticized this as a lazy cop-out from
the part of the designer, in this case however it fits
like a glove.
Most of the adventures' NPCs are no constructs of

the imagination. They are real historical figures, in
addition to the ones that are presented in the
sourcebook part of the volume. Creative liberties
have been taken when it comes to their
involvement in the occult and the Mythos, this
however anchors even more the Cthulhian aspect
to the debauchery that was Berlin. Just google
Anita Berber, Ágnes Esterházy or Wolf-Heinrich
Graf von Helldorff to see what you are getting into;
do so in German if you can. Even Aleister Crowley
makes an appearance, and lo and behold; he was
indeed a resident of Berlin at the time. The
presentation of the NPCs is exactly what I want to
see in an RPG like Call of Cthulhu. There's
imagery, there are detailed descriptions, there are
roleplaying suggestions and tips, there's
everything. Add all this up, and you will realise that
you will have substantially less work to do as a
Keeper. The product takes care of all the heavy
lifting; if only every sourcebook did so.
When it comes to the production values, Berlin -

The Wicked City is on par with almost every other
Chaosium product out there. I am totally used to
RPG books having integrated cloth bookmarks by
now. The map that accompanies the book is
excellent both content- and art-wise, even though I
would have preferred it if the city's main arteries
were named on it. The art fits the theme well. The
era pictures are suitable, while most of the original
drawings are trying to copy styles from those
times. The cover is gorgeous. The look on that
woman's face is exactly what this book is about.
It's alluring, yet you don't know why. Is it the pose?
The drugs? Her presence? Or is it something else

altogether?
The pdf bookmarks are solid and go two levels

deep; I would have enjoyed more depth here, to be
honest. The table of contents and the index have
live links.
The weak points: I do not need to repeat that

there is a lot of sex and drugs in the book. This is a
state that is failing, a place and time where
humans lose their inhibitions and moral compass
in what is only a prelude to the biggest atrocities
ever committed by human hands. At no point is
sex and drug abuse graphically (or positively)
presented, yet it encompasses the setting, and you
should better be able to stomach it. Clearly, this is
a book marketed for an adult group that can
handle this world's unpleasantness as well as they
can the otherworldly one.
I find it weird that some of the descriptions do not

necessarily match the imagery. The hairless Cat-
thing (presented as fully haired when drawn) is
one example. Clearly, this is not a biggie.
The book goes on tangents here and there (e.g.

how the German language is pronounced, or the
different types of prostitutes that worked the city
back in the day), thankfully however it knows how
to keep these short. Besides, most of these
tangents can prove useful with only minimal input
from the Keeper. Frankly, it will be a pity to play
only these three adventures and not have the
Keeper invest more in the setting.
I am not fully convinced by the viability of playing

the adventures as a mini-campaign. First, the
lethality is quite elevated as expected. Second, too
many years pass from one adventure to the next.
The meaningful links are rather minor, and there
are no prevailing themes. On the other hand, and
should your characters manage to miraculously
survive one way or another, why not?
I noticed a couple of typos and an instance of an

XX page reference, these aren't however going to
reduce your enjoyment of the product.
Conclusion: Berlin - The Wicked city doesn't just

present a new, impossibly alluring setting for
original Call of Cthulhu adventures, but comes out
as a treatise on how to write
sourcebook/adventure books. It is well-targeted,
thoroughly researched, evocatively written, and as
useful for gaming purposes as a supplement can
be. It will soon rake in the awards and be hailed as
a classic; there's no doubt about it.
For more info on Berlin - The Wicked City and

Chaosium visit its website at
https://www.chaosium.com.
Shameless plug: for more gaming news and

content (including, for example, pictures of Berlin -
The Wicked City that I am unfortunately not able to
upload on RPG.net for the time being), and to
better keep track of my reviews, subscribe to my
Antonios S facebook and twitter page.
PDF STORE: BUY THIS ITEM FROM DRIVETHRURPG
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Berlin - The Wicked City
RECENT FORUM POSTS
Commentator Date Message

SunlessNick 2019- Useful to know.
10-22
Antonios S 2019- Indeed, pdfs become available months in advance for most
10-22 publishers. That was ...
SunlessNick 2019- When a product is published in both a pdf and a physical format, in
10-21 99% of the ...
Antonios S 2019- To clarify things, in case it wasn't evident all these years that I am
10-21 ...
SunlessNick 2019- My favourite line of this review was the reference to the bookmark,
10-20 because now ...
RPGnet 2019- Antonios S's Summary: Sex, drugs and cabaret, or probably the
Reviews 10-18 best ...
( view complete forum thread )
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8/24/2021 Review of Berlin: The Wicked City - RPGnet RPG Game Index

REVIEW OF BERLIN: THE WICKED CITY PRODUCT SUMMARY

and a city of business; its streets overflow with SKU: 23161

shoulders with buttoned-down businessmen, Conspiracy, Historical, Horror, Occult

blood of political assassinations, where View [ Printable Review ]

Into this bubbling stew, Secrets of Berlin by: Antonios S

This book presents an overview of 1920s Berlin as

Three scenarios, spanning the history of Berlin

as stand-alone adventures or linked together to

"The city of Berlin, I recognized, had a definite

—Joseph Hergesheimer, Berlin

Chapter 1: The City, presents an overview of

Chapter 2: Uncovering Berlin contains a range of

this chapter, the Keeper gains an understanding of

Chapter 3: Oh! You Pretty Things details notable

Chapter 4: Strange Berlin considers how the

Three scenarios spanning the history of Berlin

Dances of Vice, Horror, and Ecstasy takes place in

Schreckfilm sees Berlin racing toward its grim

Concluding the book is a selection of inspirational

This supplement is best used with the Call of

What you get: Your EUR 40,06 or USD 44,99 or

For the serious Cthulhu enthusiasts who enjoy

The pdf version alone costs EUR 17,80 or USD

Spoiler warning: even though I will not reveal the

Contents: With such an extensive publisher's

The book's sourcebook aspect is 96 pages long.

The book closes with two appendices. The first is a

The strong points: What a book! Call of Cthulhu

The book does not shy away of subjects that even

There's a million things I liked about the

usable information that can underline the tone and

No matter the adult nature of the setting, the facts,

The adventures themselves are wildly entertaining

Most of the scenes and sequences are so

even an investigator!) is not human; the

The adventures aren't however just about visceral

Most of the adventures' NPCs are no constructs of

When it comes to the production values, Berlin -

The drugs? Her presence? Or is it something else

The pdf bookmarks are solid and go two levels

The weak points: I do not need to repeat that

I find it weird that some of the descriptions do not

The book goes on tangents here and there (e.g.

I am not fully convinced by the viability of playing

I noticed a couple of typos and an instance of an

Conclusion: Berlin - The Wicked city doesn't just

For more info on Berlin - The Wicked City and

Shameless plug: for more gaming news and

PDF STORE: BUY THIS ITEM FROM DRIVETHRURPG

Help support RPGnet by purchasing this item

Berlin - The Wicked City

RECENT FORUM POSTS

Commentator Date Message

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