Delta Green
Encyclopedia
Delta Green is a setting for the Call of Cthulhu
role-playing game
created by Adam Scott Glancy, Dennis Detwiller
, and John Tynes
, aka the Delta Green Partnership, of the Seattle
gaming house Pagan Publishing
. In August 2011, Arc Dream Publishing
and the Delta Green Partnership announced development of a standalone Delta Green role-playing game.
, Massachusetts
as alluded to in H.P. Lovecraft's The Shadow Over Innsmouth
) spearheaded by elements of the United States government. Its members are dedicated to combating the mind-rending horrors of the Cthulhu Mythos
. The organization works undercover by contacting and gathering members across the wide range of U.S. government agencies like the FBI, ATF
, CDC
, and DEA
. It appears to have "gone rogue" somewhere between the 1960s and the 1980s following a disastrous operation in Cambodia and the "deal" struck by the Reagan administration
with the "Greys" (actually a facade for Mi-go
) via the offices of the Majestic-12 governmental UFO conspiracy
group.
The group was introduced in the seventh issue of The Unspeakable Oath, a Call of Cthulhu fanzine
created by Pagan Publishing, in early 1993. Four years later, the Delta Green supplement appeared and spawned a number of its own supplements
and novel
s.
The premise is frequently compared to The X-Files
(although the original incarnation of Delta Green preceded The X-Files by almost a year), as both draw on federal alphabet soup folklore, UFO conspiracy theories
and other modern legends.
The Delta Green supplement lays the groundwork for the scenario, setting up the initial plot and providing players with their motivations and the resources they need to carry out their tasks. It also provides a source of replacements for characters who go mad or are killed.
, Delta Green won the Origins Award
for Best Roleplaying Supplement of 1997. The setting also won two awards in 2000
: Best Game-Related Novel of 1999 for Delta Green: The Rules of Engagement and Best Roleplaying Supplement of 1999 for Delta Green: Countdown.
On May 1, 2006, the Pagan Publishing homepage was updated with an announcement describing the reasons for the delay of the new release of Delta Green, and stating that the d20
edition of the game should be available in time for Gen Con
Indy.
While there were a few show copies available there were no copies available for sale to the public as most of them were "still being shipped from China". As of May 2007 the book, which is a reprint of the 1997 book with the addition of D20 stats, was finally reprinted and was available in stores.
A hardback compilation of the three Delta Green Eyes Only chapbooks, along with additional material, was released in November 2007. The book was published in cooperation with Arc Dream Publishing
. The entire 1,000 copy print run was sold out by February 2008. The hardback edition of "Delta Green: Eyes Only" was a finalist for the Origins Award for Best Roleplaying Supplement of 2007. A softback version of the compilation followed in September 2008 and is available to retail distribution.
Pagan Publishing and Arc Dream Publishing began work in mid-2008 on a new sourcebook, "Delta Green: Targets of Opportunity," which was released as a limited-edition hardback in June 2010, to be followed by a softcover retail edition. As of August 2011 the entire 1,000-copy print run of the hardback limited edition was sold out. In August 2011, Delta Green: Targets of Opportunity won silver (2nd place) Ennie Awards for Best Writing and Best Adventure.
Arc Dream Publishing released an ebook edition of the novel "Delta Green: Denied to the Enemy" in January 2011.
Fantasy Flight Games
Dennis Detwiller
Call of Cthulhu (role-playing game)
Call of Cthulhu is a horror fiction role-playing game based on H. P. Lovecraft's story of the same name and the associated Cthulhu Mythos.The game, often abbreviated as CoC, is published by Chaosium.-Setting:...
role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
created by Adam Scott Glancy, Dennis Detwiller
Dennis Detwiller
Dennis Detwiller is a computer game designer for Hothead Games as well as a role-playing game developer and artist.-Biography:Detwiller was a founding member of Pagan Publishing with John Tynes as art director where he co-created the Origins Award winning Delta Green in 1997 with Tynes and Adam...
, and John Tynes
John tynes
John Tynes is a writer best known for his work on role-playing games such as Unknown Armies, Delta Green, Puppetland, and for his company Tynes Cowan Corporation. Under its imprint Pagan Publishing, Tynes Cowan Corp...
, aka the Delta Green Partnership, of the Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
gaming house Pagan Publishing
Pagan Publishing
Pagan Publishing is a role-playing game publishing company founded by John Tynes in 1990. It began by publishing a Call of Cthulhu role-playing game fanzine, The Unspeakable Oath. In 1994, the company moved from Columbia, Missouri to Seattle, Washington where it incorporated. The staff at this time...
. In August 2011, Arc Dream Publishing
Arc Dream Publishing
Arc Dream Publishing is a small role-playing game publishing company founded in 2002 by Pagan Publishing veteran Dennis Detwiller and editor Shane Ivey after the release of their first roleplaying game Godlike: Superhero Roleplaying in a World on Fire, 1936-1946 was published by Hobgoblynn Press.As...
and the Delta Green Partnership announced development of a standalone Delta Green role-playing game.
Premise
Delta Green takes place in the mid-to-late 1990s. The game revolves around a fictitious secret organization called Delta Green (created by the U.S. Government following the covert raid on the town of InnsmouthInnsmouth
Innsmouth is a fictional town in the writings of H. P. Lovecraft, part of the Lovecraft Country setting of the Cthulhu Mythos.Lovecraft first used the name "Innsmouth" in his 1920 short story "Celephaïs" , where it refers to a fictional town in New England...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
as alluded to in H.P. Lovecraft's The Shadow Over Innsmouth
The Shadow Over Innsmouth
The Shadow Over Innsmouth is a novella by H. P. Lovecraft. Written in November-December 1931, the story was first published in April 1936; this was the only fiction of Lovecraft's published during his lifetime that did not appear in a periodical....
) spearheaded by elements of the United States government. Its members are dedicated to combating the mind-rending horrors of the Cthulhu Mythos
Cthulhu Mythos
The Cthulhu Mythos is a shared fictional universe, based on the work of American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft.The term was first coined by August Derleth, a contemporary correspondent of Lovecraft, who used the name of the creature Cthulhu - a central figure in Lovecraft literature and the focus...
. The organization works undercover by contacting and gathering members across the wide range of U.S. government agencies like the FBI, ATF
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is a federal law enforcement organization within the United States Department of Justice...
, CDC
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services headquartered in Druid Hills, unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, in Greater Atlanta...
, and DEA
Drug Enforcement Administration
The Drug Enforcement Administration is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Justice, tasked with combating drug smuggling and use within the United States...
. It appears to have "gone rogue" somewhere between the 1960s and the 1980s following a disastrous operation in Cambodia and the "deal" struck by the Reagan administration
Reagan Administration
The United States presidency of Ronald Reagan, also known as the Reagan administration, was a Republican administration headed by Ronald Reagan from January 20, 1981, to January 20, 1989....
with the "Greys" (actually a facade for Mi-go
Mi-go
The Mi-go are a race of extraterrestrials in the Cthulhu Mythos created by H. P. Lovecraft and others. The name was first applied to the creatures in Lovecraft's short story "The Whisperer in Darkness" , taking up a reference to 'What fungi sprout in Yuggoth' in his sonnet cycle Fungi from Yuggoth...
) via the offices of the Majestic-12 governmental UFO conspiracy
Cabal
A cabal is a group of people united in some close design together, usually to promote their private views and/or interests in a church, state, or other community, often by intrigue...
group.
The group was introduced in the seventh issue of The Unspeakable Oath, a Call of Cthulhu fanzine
Fanzine
A fanzine is a nonprofessional and nonofficial publication produced by fans of a particular cultural phenomenon for the pleasure of others who share their interest...
created by Pagan Publishing, in early 1993. Four years later, the Delta Green supplement appeared and spawned a number of its own supplements
Adventure (role-playing games)
An adventure is either a published or otherwise written collection of plot, character, and location details used by a gamemaster to manage the plot or story in a role-playing game. Each adventure is based upon a particular gaming genre and is normally designed for use with a specific game or gaming...
and novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s.
The premise is frequently compared to The X-Files
The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
(although the original incarnation of Delta Green preceded The X-Files by almost a year), as both draw on federal alphabet soup folklore, UFO conspiracy theories
UFO conspiracy theory
A UFO conspiracy theory is any one of many often overlapping conspiracy theories which argue that evidence of the reality of unidentified flying objects is being suppressed by various governments around the world...
and other modern legends.
The Delta Green supplement lays the groundwork for the scenario, setting up the initial plot and providing players with their motivations and the resources they need to carry out their tasks. It also provides a source of replacements for characters who go mad or are killed.
History
In 19981998 in games
This page lists board and card games, wargames, miniatures games, and table-top role-playing games published in 1998. For video and console games, see 1998 in video gaming.-Game awards given in 1998:* Spiel des Jahres: Elfenland - Alan R...
, Delta Green won the Origins Award
Origins Award
The Origins Awards are American awards for outstanding work in the game industry. They are presented by the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design at the Origins Game Fair on an annual basis for the previous year, so the 1979 awards were given at the 1980 Origins.The Origins Award is commonly...
for Best Roleplaying Supplement of 1997. The setting also won two awards in 2000
2000 in games
This page lists board and card games, wargames, miniatures games, and table-top role-playing games published in 2000. For video and console games, see 2000 in video gaming.-Significant games-related events in 2000:...
: Best Game-Related Novel of 1999 for Delta Green: The Rules of Engagement and Best Roleplaying Supplement of 1999 for Delta Green: Countdown.
On May 1, 2006, the Pagan Publishing homepage was updated with an announcement describing the reasons for the delay of the new release of Delta Green, and stating that the d20
D20 System
The d20 System is a role-playing game system published in 2000 by Wizards of the Coast originally developed for the third edition of Dungeons & Dragons...
edition of the game should be available in time for Gen Con
Gen Con
Gen Con is one of the largest and most prominent annual gaming conventions in North America. It features traditional pen-and-paper, board, and card-style games, including role-playing games, miniatures wargames, board games, live action role-playing games, collectible card games, non-collectible...
Indy.
While there were a few show copies available there were no copies available for sale to the public as most of them were "still being shipped from China". As of May 2007 the book, which is a reprint of the 1997 book with the addition of D20 stats, was finally reprinted and was available in stores.
A hardback compilation of the three Delta Green Eyes Only chapbooks, along with additional material, was released in November 2007. The book was published in cooperation with Arc Dream Publishing
Arc Dream Publishing
Arc Dream Publishing is a small role-playing game publishing company founded in 2002 by Pagan Publishing veteran Dennis Detwiller and editor Shane Ivey after the release of their first roleplaying game Godlike: Superhero Roleplaying in a World on Fire, 1936-1946 was published by Hobgoblynn Press.As...
. The entire 1,000 copy print run was sold out by February 2008. The hardback edition of "Delta Green: Eyes Only" was a finalist for the Origins Award for Best Roleplaying Supplement of 2007. A softback version of the compilation followed in September 2008 and is available to retail distribution.
Pagan Publishing and Arc Dream Publishing began work in mid-2008 on a new sourcebook, "Delta Green: Targets of Opportunity," which was released as a limited-edition hardback in June 2010, to be followed by a softcover retail edition. As of August 2011 the entire 1,000-copy print run of the hardback limited edition was sold out. In August 2011, Delta Green: Targets of Opportunity won silver (2nd place) Ennie Awards for Best Writing and Best Adventure.
Arc Dream Publishing released an ebook edition of the novel "Delta Green: Denied to the Enemy" in January 2011.
Pagan Publishing game books
- Delta Green (February 1, 1997), the basic sourcebook; ISBN 1-887797-08-4.
- Delta Green: Countdown (1999), the 2000s sourcebook, by John Tynes, Dennis Detwiller and Adam Scott Glancy, ISBN 1-887797-12-2.
- Delta Green Eyes Only Volume 1: Machinations of the Mi-go ISBN 1-887797-13-0.
- Delta Green Eyes Only Volume 2: The Fate.
- Delta Green Eyes Only Volume 3: Project Rainbow ISBN 1-887797-21-1.
- Delta Green (May 2007), the basic sourcebook with dual BRP/D20 stats; ISBN 1-887797-23-8.
- Delta Green: Eyes Only (November 2007), a compilation of the Eyes Only chapbooks with additional material; ISBN 1887797-27-0.
- Delta Green: Targets of Opportunity (2010), a sourcebook detailing five new evils, by Warren Banks, Dennis Detwiller, Adam Scott Glancy, Kenneth Hite, Shane Ivey, and Greg Stolze, illustrated by Todd Shearer; ISBN 1887797-31-9.
Fantasy Flight GamesFantasy Flight GamesFantasy Flight Games is a Roseville, Minnesota-based game company that creates and publishes role-playing, board, and card games. Fantasy Flight Publishing was founded in 1995 by its CEO, Christian T. Petersen. Since the release of its first game product in 1997, the company has been doing...
game books
- Cthulhu Live: Shades of Gray (2000) ISBN 1-887911-92-8.
- Cthulhu Live: Delta Green Live Action RPG supplement, ISBN 1-887911-43-X.
Dennis DetwillerDennis DetwillerDennis Detwiller is a computer game designer for Hothead Games as well as a role-playing game developer and artist.-Biography:Detwiller was a founding member of Pagan Publishing with John Tynes as art director where he co-created the Origins Award winning Delta Green in 1997 with Tynes and Adam...
- Music From a Darkened Room
- Delta Green Scenario: Future Perfect (Parts 1 through 4)
- The Last Equation
Pyramid Magazine
- Green Box (8/21/02 & 10/9/02, with d20 stats)
- Jack Frost (12/24/99 & 12/31/99)
Worlds of Cthulhu
- Adam Scott Glancy writes a regular column titled "Directives from A-Cell."
Unspeakable Oath
- Arc Dream PublishingArc Dream PublishingArc Dream Publishing is a small role-playing game publishing company founded in 2002 by Pagan Publishing veteran Dennis Detwiller and editor Shane Ivey after the release of their first roleplaying game Godlike: Superhero Roleplaying in a World on Fire, 1936-1946 was published by Hobgoblynn Press.As...
has resumed production of this magazine, in which Delta Green was first mentioned. New installments of Adam Scott Glancy's "Directives From A-Cell" appear in The Unspeakable Oath starting with issue 20.
Unofficial Material
- Delta Green: Across the Fence
- Delta Green: Our Finest Hour
- A Handful of Dust by David ConyersDavid ConyersDavid Conyers writes predominantly science fiction and Lovecraftian horror.Most of his childhood was spent in the Adelaide Hills, before moving to Melbourne. There he achieved a bachelor's degree in civil engineering at the University of Melbourne in 1993...
- The yahoo.com Delta Green mailing list includes several short vignettes known as "Shotgun Scenarios"
Fiction
- Delta Green: Alien Intelligence (Tynes Cowan Corp, March 1998), short stories collection, ISBN 1-887797-09-2.
- Delta Green: Dark Theatres (Armitage House, 1999), short stories collection, ISBN 1-887797-17-3.
- Delta Green: The Rules of Engagement (Tynes Cowan Corp, 2000), novel by John Tynes, ISBN 1-887797-16-5.
- Delta Green: Denied to the Enemy (Tynes Cowan Corp., distributed by Impressions, 2003), novel by Dennis Detwiller, ISBN 1-887797-24-6.
- Delta Green: Denied to the Enemy ebook edition (Arc Dream Publishing, 2011), novel by Dennis Detwiller, ISBN 978-098323130-1.
- Delta Green: Through a Glass, Darkly ebook edition (Arc Dream Publishing, 2011), novel by Dennis Detwiller, ISBN 978-098323136-3.
See also
The following novels and short stories share similar backgrounds to Delta Green:- The Atrocity ArchivesThe Atrocity ArchivesThe Atrocity Archives contains two stories by British author Charles Stross, consisting of the short novel The Atrocity Archive and The Concrete Jungle, which won the 2005 Hugo Award for Best Novella.The stories are Lovecraftian spy thrillers involving a secret history of the 20th century,...
, The Jennifer MorgueThe Jennifer MorgueThe Jennifer Morgue is the second collection of stories by Charles Stross featuring Bob Howard, containing the title novel The Jennifer Morgue, the short story "Pimpf", and an essay titled "The Golden Age of Spying"...
and A Colder WarA Colder War"A Colder War" is an English-language, alternate history novelette by Charles Stross written circa 1997.The story fuses the Cold War and the Cthulhu Mythos by exploring the consequences of a follow-up to the expedition in H. P. Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness...
by Charles StrossCharles StrossCharles David George "Charlie" Stross is a British writer of science fiction, Lovecraftian horror and fantasy. He was born in Leeds.Stross specialises in hard science fiction and space opera... - The Spiraling WormThe Spiraling WormThe Spiraling Worm is a science fiction and Lovecraftian horror novel written in the style of a spy thriller, by authors David Conyers and John Sunseri and published in 2007. The novel went on to receive an Honourable Mention for Best Australian Horror Novel in the 12th Annual Aurealis Award and...
by David ConyersDavid ConyersDavid Conyers writes predominantly science fiction and Lovecraftian horror.Most of his childhood was spent in the Adelaide Hills, before moving to Melbourne. There he achieved a bachelor's degree in civil engineering at the University of Melbourne in 1993...
and John SunseriJohn SunseriJohn Sunseri is a horror writer from Portland, Oregon in the United States. As well as writing traditional horror fiction he also writes Lovecraftian horror. John spent two years at Yale University studying a major in English. Today he manages a restaurant.Writing since 2001, John has published...
External links
- Delta Green Official site
- Delta Green Wiki
- Blog of Dennis Detwiller. He has written two scenarios and a campaign for Delta Green, available as free downloads on the site.
- Pagan Publishing
- Arc Dream Publishing
- Hunting Cthulhu, a similar, conspiratorial take on the Cthulhu Mythos