Delta Green: Need to Know

[SDLeary]

I have just uploaded ArcDream's new quick-start release Delta Green: Need to Know. They have made this available to all, not just the kickstart backers. 

Based on my quick run thru, this might become my new favorite core version of the BRP rules (or BRP-ish). Sorry @Jason Durall! 

SDLeary

[Baulderstone]

I ran it with the playtest rules, and it plays very well. 

Also, from the KIckstarter Update:

Quote

With the release of Need to Know, we are releasing the core rules for Delta Green: The Role-Playing Game under the Open Gaming License. That means you can use the rules that we developed for Delta Green in your own projects, free or commercial. 

Before anyone asks, that's just for the rules. The Delta Green property itself—characters, organizations, names, anything specifically part of the Delta Green setting—is explicitlynot part of the Open Gaming License. Publishing anything to do with Delta Green requires permission from the Delta Green Partnership

 

[Prime Evil]

It's a good system that introduces some nice innovations to the BRP rules. And because the system itself is released under the OGL it's OK to backport the bits you like to OpenQuest / Legend / Renaissance like I plan to do. The new Delta Green rules might also provide a loose OGL framework for modern and near future BRP variants (espionage, cyberpunk, etc). Looking at the full playtest rules available to backers, this is going to be an excellent system when it's released. It's interesting that both Call of Cthulhu and Delta Green are feeling the need to tinker with the underlying game system with their new editions - this just highlights how adaptable BRP can be and what a huge debt we all owe Chaosium for their pioneering efforts.

[SDLeary]

I think I'm really liking the way they have tweaked Sanity. Not quite the way I've been playing with it, but nice to see some of the UA categories and hardening in there!

SDLeary

[Baulderstone]

6 hours ago, Prime Evil said:

The new Delta Green rules might also provide a loose OGL framework for modern and near future BRP variants (espionage, cyberpunk, etc). 

The Sanity and Bond rules would actually working pretty well well for a tense, psychological, espionage game with no Mythos elements. While I was running it during the playtest, it impressed me with how it captures the alienation of living a secret life. Just plugging in the UA Sanity mechanics would have been cool, but they really did a fantastic job tuning them to fit the game perfectly. 

While the downtime mechanics are basically just choosing some rolls to make, the players all got into coming up with stories of what the results of the rolls meant exactly. The characters all felt like they had real lives between missions rather than just being in suspended animation between them. Getting results like a character's marriage starting to crumble as he becomes obsessed with studying an alien artifact? That's good stuff. 

Edited February 28, 2016 by Baulderstone

[Hexelis]

I'm excited about this. This will be my Cthulhu 7.

[Prime Evil]

8 hours ago, Baulderstone said:

The Sanity and Bond rules would actually working pretty well well for a tense, psychological, espionage game with no Mythos elements. While I was running it during the playtest, it impressed me with how it captures the alienation of living a secret life. Just plugging in the UA Sanity mechanics would have been cool, but they really did a fantastic job tuning them to fit the game perfectly. 

While the downtime mechanics are basically just choosing some rolls to make, the players all got into coming up with stories of what the results of the rolls meant exactly. The characters all felt like they had real lives between missions rather than just being in suspended animation between them. Getting results like a character's marriage starting to crumble as he becomes obsessed with studying an alien artifact? That's good stuff. 

That's exactly what I was thinking. It would work fantastically well for a mainstream gritty espionage thriller in the style of John Le Carre or the Bourne films. It doesn't do the cinematic end of the spectrum as well, but could be made to work with some tweakage. And then there's the near future technothriller with cyberpunk elements - think Ghost in the Shell or something similar. The Sanity rules would work well there to simulate the common themes of de-humanisation and identity loss.

[Baulderstone]

4 hours ago, Prime Evil said:

That's exactly what I was thinking. It would work fantastically well for a mainstream gritty espionage thriller in the style of John Le Carre or the Bourne films. It doesn't do the cinematic end of the spectrum as well, but could be made to work with some tweakage. And then there's the near future technothriller with cyberpunk elements - think Ghost in the Shell or something similar. The Sanity rules would work well there to simulate the common themes of de-humanisation and identity loss.

I could see the Bond rules working fantastically for that. The current rules allow for your old Bonds to be weakened as your Bond to Delta Green grows. Simply replace the Delta Green Bond with the character's Bond to the Internet/Cyberspace/Machine Consciousness. The character gradually becomes more attuned to their electronic input than they are to the people around them.

It's interesting how the Delta Green Bond makes the organization psychologically similar to a cult, replacing connections to others with connection to the group. It would be easy to use these rules for playing a game where the PCs were actual cultists. 

[g33k]

On 2/28/2016 at 9:50 AM, Baulderstone said:

It's interesting how the Delta Green Bond makes the organization psychologically similar to a cult, replacing connections to others with connection to the group. It would be easy to use these rules for playing a game where the PCs were actual cultists. 

There is a distinct similarity between "cult" thinking and "military" (especially "special ops") thinking.  Not questioning orders/authority, achieving mission-goals at virtually any cost (certainly at costs that outsiders consider unreasonable), sharp us-vs-them boundaries & tight team-bonding, automatic (usually angry, and often enraged) rejection of challenges to this mindset; etc...  The military mindset can be frightening to civilians, as can "cultic" mindset to other religions...