Delta Green RPG: 2 Recent & 1 Upcoming Release

*

LEGAL NOTICE:
“Published by arrangement with the Delta Green Partnership. The intellectual property known as Delta Green is a trademark and copyright owned by the Delta Green Partnership, who has licensed its use here. Illustrations by Dennis Detwiller are reproduced by permission. The contents of this review are © Stuart Anderson excepting those elements that are components of the Delta Green intellectual property.”

*

The folks at Arc Dream Publishing have been knocking it out of the park recently with their recent scenario releases of Delta Green: The Conspiracy; and Delta Green: Convergence. So we thought it timely to look again at hose two titles as well as a sneak peak at the scenario, Delta Green: From The Dust which is due out later in April.

*

Delta Green: Convergence

*

THE SKY WATCHES

September, 1996. In a small Tennessee town, teenager Billy Ray Spivey vanishes for two days without explanation and comes back changed. When he uses unnatural powers to kill two people, conspiracy theorists blame UFOs. Delta Green has other suspicions. A team of agents heads to Groversville to find the truth, but they may become the next victims.

*

Written by John Scott Tynes, Convergence was the first Delta Green scenario ever published. Delta Green’s illegal conspiracy of government agents exploit their positions and connections to cover up lethal incursions from beyond time and space, facing the madness so that no one else must.

*

*

Convergence has blighted the nightmares of unwitting players since it first appeared in 1992. This edition has been thoroughly edited and updated for Delta Green: The Roleplaying Game and it accompanies Delta Green: The Conspiracy, a sourcebook for terrors in the Nineties.

*

This is the horror that started it all. Prepare your briefing. Gather your players. Give them our best wishes. None of you will ever be the same.

*

*

Our Thoughts

At just 26 pages long this scenario may put off some who were expecting a bounty of additional content, however, if like me you like your adventures lean, mean and devoid of unnecessary embellishment then this just may be the scenario for you.

Historically, the scenario has been praised for its intricate plot, which keeps players engaged and on their toes throughout the game. The game mechanics are also well-designed, providing players with a good balance of action and investigation. A good deal of the text is reproduced from the original 1992 version, with the welcome addition of some minor improvements and updating of the stats and mechanics for the new system. For example, the NPCs and narrative character are now far more ’fleshed-out’ and detailed than originally done.

So if you loved, like many of us do, the original version – well not to worry, as the core narrative gut-punch is still well and truly there. As for new visitors to this scenario, well in for an insidiously emotional experience.

*

Delta Green: Convergence is available at DriveThruRPG

Delta Green: The Conspiracy

*

It’s been twenty-four years, a month, and two days since the bastards brought us down. In that time we’ve come back strong, doing things they couldn’t conceive of. They think they understand us, those who know we’re still around. They think we’re cowboys, meddlers…. They think we’re just too pig-headed and selfish and old to let go of what we once were..They know nothing.

*

In Delta Green, cosmic terror meets modern conspiracy. Delta Green is a secret group dedicated to protecting humanity from unnatural horrors, misappropriating the resources of the U.S. government to wage a war that they must at all costs keep hidden.

Delta Green: The Conspiracy is a 1990s sourcebook for Delta Green: The Role-Playing Game: An updated, rearranged version of the original, 1997 Delta Green sourcebook with new art and graphic design, new appendices by Shane Ivey, editing by Shane Ivey and Caleb Stokes, and a foreword by Ray Winninger. Delta Green won the Origins Award for Best Roleplaying Supplement. The Delta Green line has consistently been some of the highest-rated RPG books of all time. The Conspiracy brings those original, infamous horrors to the light of a new age.

*

Check out the video

*

The Conspiracy includes: Agents & Friendlies, The Delta Green Campaign. Delta Green The Fungi From Yuggoth, Majestic, The Karotechia, Saucerwatch, The Fate, Feds in the Nineties, Security Classifications, Glossary, Mysterious Manuscripts, New Rituals, Bibliography, Index.

Entry One has been breached. Time to get this show on the road. They have no idea the kind of Hell I’ve prepared for them. May God have mercy on my soul.

*

Our Thoughts

One of the standout features for me of Delta Green as an RPG experience is its attention to detail. The game is set in a meticulously crafted world, with a wide range of characters, locations, and events that help to create a sense of immersion. The game mechanics are also well-designed, providing players with a good balance of action and investigation. Additionally, I’ve always loved the game’s focus on investigation and puzzle-solving sets it apart from other horror-themed role-playing games. Players must use their wits and investigative skills to unravel the conspiracy and uncover the truth behind the mysterious events that are unfolding around them.

*

*

The above was true when this product was originally released in 1996, and perhaps more so now with advances in technology. At 231 pages – this is another stunning update of an earlier 160 plus pages of the Delta Green classic. And for this reason alone, I would recommend that even if you have the original version, upgrading to this new version should be at the very top of your list. Because this isn’t just an upgrade of text font style or picture clarity improvenet, the additional narrative element also goes some way to ’updating and contextualising’ some of the 1996 themes and making them relevant to today’s audience while keeping the core elements of the original.

Purely on an aesthetic lev, it’s a visual tour-de-force throughout and set off initially by Dennis Detwiller‘s sumptuous cover – just beautiful. The artwork is often used to enhance the game’s narrative and to inspire players’ imaginations. This time round we have full colour throughout the book, together with an imagery which nods knowingly to it’s origins while being deliciously vivid.

The artwork for “Delta Green” is generally considered to be of high quality and is often praised for its ability to capture the mood and themes of the game’s universe. This product is no exception. The illustrations are typically dark and atmospheric, with a focus on horror and suspense.Many of the illustrations are highly detailed and realistic, with an emphasis on conveying the gritty and dangerous nature of the game’s world.

If you want a lesson in updating a classic RPG – the look no further than this.

*

Delta Green: The Conspiracy is available at DriveThruRPG

Delta Green: From the Dust

*

“The Gerritsen mansion, built in Red Hook in 1847, stands covered by scaffolding and plastic tarps in its slow metamorphosis into condominiums. A capable construction crew has the goodwill of neighbors. But when the day’s work ends, something stirs in the darkness. Soft voices whisper. Weird footprints linger. Children of Red Hook have begun to vanish. Delta Green takes an interest. The Gerritsen mansion did not always have that name. Your Agents must investigate the three most recent disappearances and strange reports from the Gerritsen mansion. If some unnatural horror is at work, they must find a way to stop it. The moon darkens. Fears gather. The infants of Red Hook are hardly the only ones at risk.”

*

Delta Green: From the Dust is planned for release on April 24th 2023 – A review of the scenario will appear here on the 5D Pop Culture Website around that time. But in the meantime we are allowed by the Govt. authorities to say this – we’ve read it and we don’t think you will be disappointed!

*

You can visit the Arc Dream Publishing website RIGHT HERE

You can visit the Delta Green website RIGHT HERE

*

Just a quick reminder that – Full disclosure: This product was sent to us for an honest and objective review. No promises were made of financial remuneration, free gifts or holidays in the sunny Bahamas…….sadly

*

If you would like to donate to help the 5D Pop Culture website, you can support us here: https://ko-fi.com/5dpopculturewebsite

*