Delta Green - a secret organization formed in 1928, formerly supported by the U.S. Government - is alone in the fight against the Eldritch abominations that have traveled across the vast cosmos of existence to wreak havoc and chaos upon humanity. After a failed operation in Cambodia, in the year 1969, Delta Green was stripped of its sanctions and abandoned by the authorities that once guaranteed its continuity, leaving them to fend for themselves, unsupported. Despite this hardship, the leaders and members of Delta Green made a vow to continue their work, even without backing of the government. Using bureaucracy against itself, Delta Green navigates the dark corridors of their duty without authority or hope of recognition - their lives are forfeit in this existence.
Table of Contents
Welcome to Delta Green
What is Delta Green?
Delta Green is a tabletop roleplaying game of modern-day horror, conspiracy, and espionage. Players take on the roles of agents working for a secret government program dedicated to investigating and combating paranormal threats, often referred to as "the Unnatural." These threats range from cosmic horrors inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft to government cover-ups, cults, and extra-dimensional beings.
At its core, Delta Green combines tense investigative gameplay with brutal consequences. Unlike traditional RPGs, characters in Delta Green face the real possibility of insanity, death, or worse, as they uncover horrifying truths that challenge both their physical and mental well-being. The game emphasizes realism and moral ambiguity, forcing players to weigh the cost of saving the world against their own personal survival and sanity.
Designed for both new and seasoned players, Delta Green creates an atmosphere of dread where the stakes are high, and victory is often fleeting, if it can be achieved at all. Whether you're diving into the darkness for the first time or have experience unraveling deep conspiracies, Delta Green delivers a gripping, intense experience with a unique blend of investigation, combat, and psychological horror.
The Role of the Handler
In Delta Green, the Handler is the game’s equivalent of the Dungeon Master or Game Master, serving as both storyteller and referee. Their primary responsibility is to create a world filled with chilling mysteries, unpredictable dangers, and dark secrets for the agents (players) to unravel. The Handler presents the narrative, sets up the missions, and brings the various conspiracies, monsters, and human adversaries to life. With a deep knowledge of the setting, the Handler builds a tense atmosphere that keeps the players constantly on edge, ensuring that every decision feels weighty and every clue a potential risk.
Unlike in many traditional RPGs, the Handler plays a critical role in balancing the mental and physical tolls players face. While they guide the story, they also manage a key mechanic in Delta Green: sanity. Handlers track the psychological deterioration of the agents, pushing them closer to the brink of madness as they encounter the horrors of the Unnatural. Rather than solely focusing on combat or survival, the Handler must emphasize the balance between investigation, tension, and moral choices, leaving the players with the feeling that their every action could have devastating consequences for themselves and the world at large.
The Handler doesn’t just present a challenge – they also craft an experience where players' decisions drive the narrative, sometimes in unexpected ways. This requires the Handler to remain flexible, ready to adapt their scenarios to the unpredictable actions of the agents while maintaining the integrity of the story.
The Role of the Agent
In Delta Green, players take on the role of Agents—operatives who work for a secret government conspiracy dedicated to battling unnatural horrors that threaten the world. An Agent could be anyone: a soldier, a scientist, a detective, or even a civilian with specialized knowledge. Whatever their background, all Agents share a grim understanding that the world is far more dangerous than most people could ever imagine. As an Agent, your role is to investigate mysterious events, uncover forbidden knowledge, and eliminate threats that could destroy humanity. But in doing so, you'll constantly be walking the fine line between heroism and self-destruction.
Agents are not traditional heroes. Their missions often involve moral compromises, working in the shadows without recognition, and confronting terrifying forces that could drive them to madness. With every encounter, they risk not just their lives, but their sanity as well. In Delta Green, an Agent’s greatest enemy might not be the monster lurking in the shadows, but the slow erosion of their own mental state. Over time, the horrors they face may push them to the brink, challenging their grip on reality and forcing them to make hard choices: Do they follow orders or go rogue? Do they tell the truth or cover up the Unnatural to protect society?
As an Agent, your decisions shape the outcome of each mission, but they also leave lasting scars on your character. Whether you emerge as a hardened survivor or a broken shell of who you once were depends on how well you navigate the deadly and often disturbing world of Delta Green.
Make sure to follow any "House Rules" your DM might have in place, as they usually dictate some type of expected conduct during the game. If you have any questions or concerns during gameplay, bring them up privately with your Dungeon Master, and try to avoid disrupting gameplay.
Sequence of Play
In Delta Green, the flow of the game revolves around the back-and-forth interaction between the players and the Handler. The Agents—controlled by the players—actively investigate the world, gather clues, and make decisions, while the Handler provides the world’s responses, narrates events, and portrays NPCs (non-player characters). Gameplay typically follows a structure:
Briefing/Introduction: The Handler introduces the mission, detailing the mystery or threat the Agents must investigate. This often involves a briefing from Delta Green itself or a more indirect call to action.
Investigation: The Agents explore locations, interview NPCs, and collect evidence. They use their skills to analyze clues, research information, or interrogate witnesses. As they progress, the Handler might ask for skill checks to determine the success of their actions.
Handler's Responses: The Handler reacts to the players’ actions by narrating the outcomes—whether they find a critical clue, encounter an obstacle, or attract unwanted attention. This dynamic can include everything from finding subtle hints to facing terrifying enemies.
Confrontation/Action: As the Agents delve deeper, they often uncover dangerous entities, forbidden knowledge, or unsettling truths. Here, combat, stealth, or other risky maneuvers might come into play. The Handler dictates the consequences, whether through dice rolls or narration, shaping the story and the tension.
Consequences: Every action the Agents take can have far-reaching consequences. The Handler weaves these outcomes into the ongoing narrative, showing how the world reacts to the Agents’ successes and failures. This can involve the escalation of threats, psychological trauma, or new revelations.
The game continues in this loop, with each scene or action revealing more of the story, until the mission reaches its resolution—either in victory or catastrophic failure.
Example of Play
Handler: "Your team receives a coded message at your hotel. It's from Delta Green, instructing you to meet a contact at an abandoned warehouse near the docks at midnight. As you arrive, the fog is thick, muffling your footsteps. The warehouse is dark, and the windows are boarded up. What do you do?"
Agent 1 (Jack, ex-FBI agent): "I want to use my ‘Alertness’ skill to check for any signs of movement or danger around the building. I’m keeping an eye out for anything unusual."
Handler: "Great, roll for Alertness."
Agent 1: Rolls a 65 against a 60. "Missed it by five!"
Handler: "You don’t see anything immediately suspicious. The fog makes it hard to see clearly, but the building seems quiet. What about the rest of you?"
Agent 2 (Claire, a biologist): "I’ll check the surroundings too, but I’ll use my ‘Search’ skill to see if there are any hidden entrances or signs of recent activity."
Handler: "Okay, roll for Search."
Agent 2: Rolls a 20 against a 50. "Success!"
Handler: "As you circle around the building, you notice a side door that looks newer than the rest of the structure. It’s slightly ajar, with faint footprints leading inside. Something or someone has been here recently."
Agent 1: "We should check it out. I’ll lead, gun drawn, carefully pushing the door open."
Handler: "The door creaks open slowly, revealing a long hallway dimly lit by a flickering light. The air inside smells damp and musty, and you can hear a low hum from deeper inside the building. How do you proceed?"
Agent 3 (David, a doctor): "I stay close behind Jack, keeping my med kit ready. I’ve got a bad feeling about this."
Handler: "As you move deeper into the building, the hum grows louder. Suddenly, there’s a loud crash from the far end of the hall. Something large just fell, but you can't see what. Jack, make a ‘Sanity’ check."
Agent 1: Rolls a 35 against a 60. "I’m good."
Handler: "You manage to keep your cool, but the tension is rising. Whatever’s happening here, it’s more than just a simple meeting."
Agent 2: "I want to use my ‘Forensics’ skill to examine the area, maybe I can figure out what caused that crash."
Handler: "Roll for it."
