Why I love Delta Green so much, or: how to ventilate a cthulhian monstrosity with an MP5

This post was supposed to be about the movie "Black Death", starring Sean Bean, but I've decided to go for a slightly more optimistic tone this time. Especially since last time it was a trip to depression city with my previous post.

Delta Green... oh man, where do I begin? Ha! I know! It's the best RPG that I've played in the last 5 years. Yeah, I've just said it. I've tested a bunch of new systems over the course of a lot couple of years, including the Aegis Project and the Apocalypse World, but none have made such a strong impression on me, as Delta Green.

This art really tells you everything about the game. I love it!

To those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, here's the general gist. Delta Green is a game about the Lovecraftian Mythos, but instead of playing a terrified investigator, who normally works as a bookstore manager, you're playing a goverment agent, a specialist of some kind, or a badass ex-special forces operator. The titular Delta Green is a clandestine organisation, sworn to defend the world from the Mythos in all of their forms. They're doing this task by researching the damn things, evalutaing them and then sending a kill team (or a well placed airstrike) to annihilate the threat. At least that's how it's supposed to go. You see, more often than not, the spawn of the Old Ones proves too powerful for the agents to handle, which usually ends badly for them, to put it lightly. Then again - it is a game, set in the Cthulhu universe, and we all know how well a meeting with one of the Mythos creatures usually ends.

Agents of Delta Green can really only rely on their wits, training, and, to a lesser degree, on their gear and weapons. That's one of this system's biggest selling points, at least to me. There are no easy ways out, no Fate Points, no "get out of jail" cards. The operatives can only rely on themselves, and the other members of their team. It's roleplaying at its finest, and it not only discourages munchkinisms and min-maxing - it fucking annihilates them completely. It's impossible to create a munchkin-type character in Delta Green. Even with magic, or hyper-geometry, as it is known in the game, you will still be relying solely on your own wits and instinct, and that's awesome.

The rules are absurdly easy to learn, and there's a free starter kit online, courtest of the game's makers. You can find it here. Of course, if you wish to continue your adventures as an agent (or a handler, as the gamemaster is known in this game), you should buy additional books. They are exceptionally well written, and are truly a great read, so it's worth to grab 'em all. There's also the Fairfield Project website, which has a ton of free, fan-made Delta Green stuff for all you Mythos hunters out there. It can be found here. Go on, check it out. I've ran multiple scenarions from that website, and they went exceptionally well. We went for the 80's theme, and our games took place in Miami. With Crockett's theme by Jan Hammer blasting from the speakers, it was truly a unique experience. 80's music, scantily clad women, flamingos and cocaine, were paired with occult shenanigans, cultists and horrors from beyond the veil. I'll remember these sessions for years to come.

It must be said, however, that Delta Green is a incredibly lethal game. Like I've said before - there are no Fate Points or other stuff like that. Your hit points reach zero - tough luck. An automatic weapon is a death sentence for an agent, same with explosives. You see, many weapons in Delta Green will kill you instantly if the enemy will pass the lethality roll. Blam! You're dead. Kevlar? Who cares. Maybe some artifacts could help, but then again, using Mythos gear is just asking for trouble. It's probably a good idea to have a couple of extra characters handy. The character creation process is very fast and fluid, so it's no big deal.

If the claws of the monsters or the bullets and knives of cultists won't get you, then the insanity will. Delta Green really makes your character insane, to the point that even when you pass an insanity test, you'll often still loses points! Lose 5 or more during a single event and you can go temporarily crazy. It's like in the original Call of Cthulhu, only better. You can mitigate the effects of madness and recover some sanity during the downtime, between the missions. For example you can talk to your psychologist, drink with friends, take care of your family etc. Be mindful, however, that at some point, the Mythos will also excert their influence on your private life. Better get those divorce papers 

ready.

Delta Green is probably my new, favorite system. It has exceptional ruleset, is easy to learn, incredibly climactic and tense, and is just a joy to playe. I can't recommend it enough. Arc Dream Publishing - you rock. Give us more, please.

More horror, more tacticool, more everything!

Oh and the "Black Death" review will be ready for the next post. I promise.

Until next time!

Xathrodox86