From the introduction: The Secret of the Gneisenau does not pit the players against a conventional enemy. Instead, it is a Weird War II adventure, meaning the opponent is a much more sinister one -- the unknown world of magic and the paranormal." "The players take the role of engineering hands onboard the doomed German battlecruiser Gneisenau, just a day after it has successfully sped through the British-controlled waters of the English Channel in a nearly impossible feat. Along with the battleship Prince Eugen and its sister battlecruiser Scharnhorst, the Gneisenau left the Channel behind, pushing toward Holland, dodging pursuing Allied forces. This risky move represents the last desperate gamble to give the German navy, or Kriegsmarine, a bargaining chip in the North Sea."