I reviewed all 53 entries for this year's Delta Green Shotgun Scenario Contest. It's getting tougher to read through these each year, but I feel like it's good to see what the community has to offer.
Overall this was a good year, half of which I thought were good or that I liked and half of which could use some work to be ran. I myself had one scenario submitted this year, which I will have some notes bellow as well.
I want to thank everyone who submitted for this year and I hope to see more great stuff next year!
Ratings:
Really liked it, which made me most likely to vote it.
Liked it, thinking about voting it (questioning some of the design elements)
Good, but something makes me not voting it (theme, design element, formatting)
Everything else is blank. It doesn’t mean the scenario itself is bad, but it either didn’t interest me or it felt to me something I can’t run as a Handler.
Operation In Media Res
Agents investigate a UFO, they get gaslit and some get turned into shapeshifters. Cool setup, I like the Useful skill parts to use as a reference. The formatting is fine, some of the links don’t seem to be too useful for a scenario this short as I can just Ctrl+F the needed words. There is no damage mentioned for the turret, which leaves me to think for its purpose. I think the descriptions and the concept for the scenario are fine, but seem to work best for a con game or a one-shot rather than part of a campaign. Different from previous shotgun scenarios, so I liked it.
Operation FUNERAL JAZZ
Body part collecting wizard on the loose. The hook is a bit too weak for DG agents to get involved out of nowhere. The text definitely needs some headings to make it easier to navigate. Gatsby doesn’t seem to be that much of an interesting villain and there’s not much meat for investigation to go through against him. I could be seeing him used as a longer term target to chase, but I’d wish this would have something more than just a wizard made out of different body parts.
The Sinai Palimpsest
This is a presentation of links of “ooh look at this cool scripture” but doesn’t tell what it makes so cool about it or how to use it. Not a scenario, just a scenario hook.
Moment of Impact
A Carcossa infected programmer steals from Outlaws. Some capitalization errors and the picture of the AK being in the middle of the list of the video aside, good formatting. This seems to be a pretty basic King in Yellow corruption story where the Outlaws have to burn everything. Could work as a sidestep for Impossible Landscapes or other KiY themed campaign. Plus points for actually statting the guy, The Mattador and the rapier, but also providing a solid map as well. Overall good design, but it didn’t really bring out anything new or exciting for a KiY scenario. Good.
Operation TOURIST TRAP
(Chief’s scenario?) Deep One hunt turns into a vampire hunt! I love the motivational points for NPCs, making it easier to run for the Handler. Good quick descriptions for the place without too much details. I guess the only problem I can see happening is just Agents wanting to kill everyone involved after being paranoid about people turning into vampires and letting the sheriff continue doing so. Liked it.
The Returning Lilith’s Case
Replicating people through nanotechnology. Interesting concept with neat NPCs that I’d like to run in a scenario. However, the backstory could’ve been shortened for a bit more structure for agents to involve in figuring this out. While the NPCs and their goals would be pretty easy for me to run, to get them figuring out stuff would mean to figure out more clues and investigation avenues which makes this harder to run off the cuff.
Seaside Attractions
Missing man went through a portal at a seaside town. The description is picturesque, but I think the background detail for it is unnecessary for running this scenario. The gameplay itself is a simple investigation and figuring out where Blaine went. I like this from the usual bug hunts and monstrous fights, but at the same time the conflict seems to be too easy for PCs to ignore the gate after finding the book. Plus points for PISCES game than your usual DG setting stuff, but personal nitpick for having stats for CoC and not DG RPG. Good.
The Yellow Box podcast
Fun meme-y concept, but I think a bit lackluster on its gameplay implications. The cultists, while warying setpieces, feel a bit too cartoony and I don’t think the agents will take it more seriously and rather burn the whole festival to the ground. I was hoping this would be just the podcast members doing some wild shit and agents having to track down their location before it’s too late, but the text doesn’t provide investigation, nor challenges for player characters that I’d see fun to run for my players. Stats for the cultists would’ve also been good.
Bogged Down
Unnatural BOG. Somewhat simple premise, could see it run as a short run for player characters who are interested in nature. I wish the Bog had a bit more goals or other things it could do, because I can only see agents burning it to the ground, since no one has the right ritual (or even skills to realize how it actually works). Points for good formatting though.
The Rhodesian
A Threat for a DG game. Cool usage of Glaaki cult. I think this might work best for people who are into more of the tactical firefight and “realism” parts of Delta Green. I like the setpieces and this definitely is something I could see to be dropped in a homebrew Outlaw campaign. One thing that I think is missing is after the first missing contact with Lt. Col Furst, is that how is he going to get him in the future? Is he trying to bait him again? Using one of the agents as hostages? Or does he give up and try living in the shadows through his criminal network? A little bit of focus on the first page’s formatting (text not being straight in the second column, too much usage of Schalk’s name) but these are minor nitpicks. Overall, liked it.
It’s Raining Men
Agents investigate a man dropped from the sky. I like the formatting of the text, it separates it from the rest in a good way. The investigation starts with a good hook, goes for a tried and true method of investigation and ends with a showdown. While the scenario doesn’t do anything new structurally, I like how it presents the investigation and clues, even if I’m not a fan of red herring sequences. Combined this with a cool setting and an Unnatural creature that is original (though it could be a Winged Servitor, but I digress), I could see this is as a good 3-player scenario to get people into the DG scenario mindset. One caveat I had is that what if the players think about him dropping from a plane? You could have a mention or a clue about there being no known air traffic in the area that would’ve been notified. Good.
Operation FRUIT DUST
Gang member brought back from the dead. I don’t like too much authorial input on the Handler’s end, with how scenes should run. I think scenes should be there and let the players take actions to go from one scene to another. The Unnatural aspect of bringing the dead back isn’t explained, so I can see it difficult for Handler and the players to figure out what is going on. The blankness from page 2 could be removed for easier reading. The NPC section for Taylor and Pablo could also need a little bit of tidying up to make it more easy to use during the game (no HP or WP for them?). This reads like it was edited down to fit for the contest. Less explanation of Armstrongism, more neat setpieces for agents to get involved in the situation would make this a great scenario.
Hurricane Season
Imprisoned Flying Polyp causes trouble. Seems to be from the same author as The Rhodesian and Moment of Impact, but the text has a bit more better formatting. Horovitz’s backstory says he has studied occult, yet has no Occult skill, curious. I think the twist of playing it as a witchcraft but it actually being an Unnatural being alright. It can either frustrate players or give them a sense of realism. Same thing with the Majestic/March Tech vs Program thing is fine, if the players aren’t into the metaplot stuff. Overall, alright structure, alright setpieces. Maybe the NPCs could be a bit more memorable or add something else than weapons to the Green Box. Good.
Cambrian Rhythms
Stolen canister of parasites infects a small town. A bit of a hard format to read. While I usually like when shotgun scenarios present their stuff in bullet points, the stuff seems to be a bit all over the place. There’s a line missing in the part “Autopsy - 36 hours to wait for ME or can be done by Agent with Med/Surgery 40+ (4 hours per)”. Nothing major but makes it harder to run. Also what confused me is the single worm, which requires you to do CON and POW tests for five hours, until it dies, except at the six hour mark, the victim dies? The text could be more simplified on how it works, though the table afterwards is more streamlined. Same with the timeline, that is really helpful. I feel like there’s lots of good care put on to the scenario, while it suffers some readability for the Handler. Maybe one round of editing could’ve made it a bit more clear and this would be a really good chaotic investigation for a small town body horror. Good.
Operation: PALE
Occult wannabe needs to be killed and his book burned. This seems a bit too cliched for me. I know it’s for the 90s, but even for that era, this seems like the Delta Green at it’s worst. The NPC should have something more interesting going on, maybe he wants to summon a demon to make things gold or fix his internet or something, but there’s not much going on for him. The investigation is pretty non-existant and I would’ve liked to see some other weird and creepy details near the apartment. The text doesn’t make clear of the implication of the teenager entering the building. If there should be consequences for agents’ inactivity, then they should be clear. Overall, this scenario needs more meat on it’s bones to be actually run.
Signs Following
(Aqualung’s scenario?) Cthonians vs Serpent People vs Agents for an egg. I like the use of Clock mechanics here, though I would’ve loved to see more cool setpieces, but of course wordcount is what it is.. The formatting could’ve been a bit more together than spaced out with the images, but it was fine to read. The location was cool and hunting for the egg could provide multiple options,since players themselves most likely won’t have the ability to use mining equipment, which is a shame. Good.
Biodynamics
Lloigor stones make vegetables help people go bad. Good intro scene, lead up with a neat combination of real world stuff mixed with Unnatural. I like the plans of the NPCs, the Walking Tumor seems to be an okay enemy, despite leading it to the classic shootout with the Big Bad moment, but I digress. A cohesive text makes this easy to run and it feels like a good introduction to Lloigor with its simplicity, though if agents have met some in the past, they might seem like an obvious source for all of this. Really liked it.
Time Shifts
A Vietnamese organization causes time to break at Miskatonic University. Way too much of the text is to explain this new organization and less on how the investigation itself will lead up for players to find out about what is going on. Where are the cultists located at the campus? Who are they? How do they look or act? Much of the focus is being given to the shifts, but they are really vaguely told and there aren’t specific setpieces or usage out of them used here. One thing that bothered me is that, why does Dao Sâm think that Delta Green isn’t active in the 1990s, but is in the 2020s? While the text gives me a clear goal for the org, which I found interesting, to do what they do and let agents react however they like, it still left me confused on how to exactly play this scenario out. I feel like this would be better as a fully fledged scenario rather than cut up under 1500 word scenario.
Operation CHRISTMAS BEAR
I like the structuring from tips, to introduction, public cover and then to the truth the text has. Pretty simple bug hunt -scenario, with good detailing on the set pieces with the NPCs. Giant tardigrades aren’t really scary to me in my head, but that might be different for the agents. The formatting of the scenario with guidance to run the scenario was something I really liked. Maybe a bit more weirdness could be added to the situation to make it more DG, but this was still a type of scenario that I could see myself running. Liked it.
Behold! The Night Mare
A Horse from Dreamlands attacks a small town. The mechanics for The Horse should be made clearer in the text early on. There isn’t necessarily a climax to the scenario, just investigative scenes and parts where the Horse has a chance to kill an agent. I don’t like that it attacks only one agent at a time, meaning that it will leave that agent fighting against it alone, but also it will make the game’s focus on that scene while other players are waiting on the side. Plus points for deliriant suggestions, good formatting and easy to understand investigation. Good.
LOOPHOLES
Agents perform a heist for an opposing faction. Very limited amount of choices presented in the scenario text. While I might not have problems with a railroady shotgun scenario, there isn’t many interesting scenes to back it up. The heist seemed cool, but a bit short on content before sending it to rolling dice for firefights. Also no details given for NPCs, so it’s extra work for Handler to run the scenario in question.
The Sound of Sirens
This feels a bit like “Last Things Last”, but not in a good way. Hook seems a bit too innocent, but I’ve seen it used before, though in LTL the guy was a notified DG member and here the hook seems a bit too weak. Especially so, when there is no clear investigative line to look into The Repeater, unless the PCs wait for an NPC to walk nearby. While not all avenues of investigation should lead into figuring out the mystery, I don’t care much for the non helpful NPCs, who have nothing to do with the mission. There should be a more clear description of things leading up to The Repeater and even then the threat of it isn’t that big to make agents go and figure it out immediately. Then at the station, the threat should utilize its abilities and put them more forward against the PCs. Now, there is only a little bit of mention in the text, but it feels arbitrary and not very fun for the players’ side. Maybe the station could make you roll for POWx5 to see some horrible shit coming out and then PCs could fight against hallucinations? Also no stats, which would help running that setpiece more easily.
Ozyorsk-17
A trip to a nuclear plant in Soviet Russia. This doesn’t feel like a Delta Green scenario, rather than a story game inspired by Stalker. I like the evocative short setpieces, though some of them feel like death traps that prevent experiencing the story or offering meaningful choice. Same goes for the ending where there is a choice, but it leads to nothing. I could see this being done as a one-shot for people who want something different and as a Handler creating a moody vibe with the right music in the background. It was easy to read and it seems easy to run, but I feel like I can’t provide the feeling of alienation and paranoia for the players based on the content here.
Gains
Fitness club’s water creates Spawns of Ubbo-Sathla. Very gonzo scenario, with good investigative parts. I like the descriptions for the NPCs that give them good light for roleplaying them. I don’t know if any player would try the pods or eating the meatlings during the scenario, though maybe if they Study the Unnatural. I could see this as a good weird scenario run in between usual games. Liked it.
Coke Room
Green Room with Tcho-Tcho. I like the setup and the possibilities during it, makes it distinct from other scenarios. Good introduction to Coco Loco and Unnatural as well. It suffers that it doesn’t have pre-gens, which creates extra effort to make sure the characters fit better in the scenario. Other than that, I really liked it.
Applied Hypergeometry
Tech firm’s braintech taps into GOO. I think the investigation framework is good for both the Handler and the agents. Clear cut, with multiple avenues. I don’t usually care for the metaplot mentions of March Tech getting involved, since it usually removes all the fun for getting involved, but I think the scenario can still work with it or not. The ritual, while works good with NPCs, sucks to use as an Agent, because it takes them out of the game and if others don’t do anything about it, it isn’t really that worth doing. The other weaponry was cool though. Slight note, there’s the mention of guards in the text, but nothing in the stat block, which is not too bad, but something that would’ve been helpful. Overall, I liked this scenario.
Keep on the Sunny Side
“O Brother Where Art Thou?”, but with Deep Ones. This feels like a mellonbread scenario. I feel like the mood comes really well through the text, which makes it a great read. Coen brothers references, weird but cool pregens and creative setpiece makes this feel like a fun one-shot experience. Really liked it.
Operation: MPET
Axe crazy mystery in the cabin during a blizzard. I don’t like how you go automatically into a catatonic state, even if you succeed and don’t even lose the 5+ SAN that is normally lost to do so. This PvP scenario feels like it favors the side that has more actions. The more players involved, the less chances the axe taken player has. I liked the flavor of using the item and the setting up to finding it was great, but I also wondered, what if no one touches the axe? A savvy player realizes the axe is at fault and won’t touch it for any reason. I think with some other options to figuring out how to deal with the leeches or the axe-welder would benefit more for player creativity to solve the situation. But if the situation is just a setup for the “Who’s in the right here?” it feels a bit hokey, when players have no other way to solve it than just kill each other.
Bugs Bugs Bugs
Bug Coven uses bug illusions to hunt agents. I like the clues given at the beginning and the bug cult is a fun idea. The tricks seem a bit too cruel, but at the same time could provide some good creeps for the players.
There are some small things here and there that feel like could need a bit of polish (the amount of Unnatural points gained from studying material is never mentioned, despite said so) and the playtest notes could be taken off for more descriptions for the cult’s hideout or the cultist members. There’s cool potential here and I think it’s a good scenario
Alone in a Crowded Room
King in Yellow shenanigans meet Project COPPER. The bolded words on clues is a good help for Handlers running the scenario. Kinda wished the stuff from Project COPPER was better detailed than just left as a link, but I know for word restrictions, you kinda have to do that. I like that there’s another faction going on while the KiY manifestations are happening. I also like the manifestations, some of them felt unique from other similar scenarios I’ve read. I think the structure is fine, it is more of a campaign early point to introduce the agents to The Lonely or Project COPPER, which I like, but I feel like it suffers from a one-shot perspective. Overall, I liked it.
No Take, Only Throw
Agent takes care of a Hound of Angles. I like the structuring and formatting of the scenario. The setup is cool, but I feel a bit much assumption on how much of a dog the Hound actually is. I think the outcomes could’ve been condensed. There are some boring options, but I really liked the option of freeing the creature and gaining protection from future Hounds. A bit too little of material, but still a neat short scenario to run quickly in between missions. Good.
Material Data Safety Sheet
This is more of an add-on or a set piece rather than a scenario. While the handout text is fine, it should be formatted separately from the scenario text. Also, the handout itself is only described, but the actual effects are not as well defined outside of it (or is left for Handler to decide whatever the hallucinatory effects actually are), which creates more effort for Handler to decide. The contamination process might also make it so that the players would not be enjoying taking out of the play accordingly. Complications are nice, but I think the content in itself is a bit too thin for me to run this in a game. I think with some added gameplay elements of the hallucinations for the Handler and a handout designed accordingly as described in the text this would be a really fun set piece to use in an on-going game.
Operation Bookkeeping
Agents meet a book collecting “bone smith”. (Sidenote: Afterwards, I did slightly googling and saw this is a reference to The Magnus Archives podcast, which is something I’ve not listened to or familiar with.)
Having a map is really good, I appreciate it. There are specific times, but there is no clear timeline told in the named section that could be easily referenced. I think the global organization stalking libraries is a bit much, it could’ve been any other sort of occult book collecting DG faction doing it. It’s a little too grandiose, but I can deal with the pulpyness of it. The scenario provides a trading with Jared, but since the mission goals are “burn the book, get the info and kill Jared”, I don’t think it will support players enough of subterfuge and bargaining to go for and savvy ones would just go for the shoot and burn approach. Maybe offering some more tactical sides instead against the JLTF and this would work as a short combat heavy scenario.
Bad Time at the El Royale
Agents get involved with a time dilation device. The writing is done with heavy imperatives (“agents WILL find X”) which makes a bit too railroad-y investigation for players to enjoy, IMO. While the idea is cool and there is definitely gameable material here with the stages of time dilation, it is a bit too barebones for its structure. More of the word count could’ve been used to write up stats for the Hound, more detail of personnel of the campus dealing with the side effects. I would run the scenario with the device working, but maybe the effects have only now hit stage three (maybe DG caught wind of the effects from their search engine looking for scientific papers with Unnatural remarks?) and agents have to go figure out and contain it fast, to keep the fun effects still happening for people.
Don't sleep!
Amnesiac research subjects escape from a facility. As I was reading this I realized this is set in the SCP Universe, which I don’t personally care for. However, compared to other amnesiac scenarios I’ve read, I find the experimental and more freeway to describe oneself and figuring out one’s abilities really fascinating. If I’d do a SCP one-shot, I’d probably do it this way. With the pre-gens, I would give them Motivations and Disorders. The creatures on to lose don’t have stats, which is kind of the same. Feels like you could’ve limited the amount of them, while having them statted down. While not a DG scenario, this has some potential with some polishing, so I consider this a good scenario.
Operation PURPLE DUST
Pulpy WW2 scenario set in Italy. It could slightly use some editing (why isn’t the gold plate mentioned as a thing before it is mentioned as a possible protection?), but the text really sets the tone really well. I like the combination of combat, interrogating the librarian and then having the final showdown with Nazis and Glaaki. Kinda wish the objective of the Nazis was given slightly an explanation to help the Handler, but I can see the word count already being high as is. One worry is also surviving the combat sections to the end. Adding pre-gens to this would make this a top choice for me. Liked it.
Portrait of God
Hunting down a painting plagued by Unnatural. I don’t know if I’d run a scenario too close to AZOV. The Gnashing is a cool entity that I feel gets more usage in campaign form. Idk if WPx5 is a real test in DG, but it might be a typo. Not much to say about the investigative part as it’s described short, but efficiently. I feel the ending might just lead to a firefight, with agents that are told to not to trust the Propavsheye. Good formatting and having enough info for a Handler to run this scenario made it an enjoyable scenario. Liked it.
SR-A case file : HOLY BAY
An unnatural statue causes trouble in a French village in this freeform investigation. While not really a DG scenario as the focus is on a completely new group, it is still an interesting style for an investigative scenario. I wish the artifacts had some stats to give them a bit more usage for gameplay’s sake (assuming I’d still use DG RPG to run this). I don’t know why the WW1 French village is set as a background for this, but I think it is different enough to stand out from the usual settings. I didn’t get the point of the questions for the locations, it could’ve been opened up a bit more in the text. NPCs were fine, the timeline was short, but useful and the clues were interesting enough that I could see this being used as is. Overall, I liked it.
Redial Call
Television station gets attacked by an entity formed as a graphical glitch. The hook didn’t really tie me in, maybe the entity could be something else than a servant of Nyarlathotep. Detailing of the events that have happened is good, but there is some stuff that I feel like is missing, e.g. how is the White Noise dismissed? (the summoning ritual but reversed or how?) There’s also no stats for TV station workers making it extra work for Handler to run this scenario. I feel like the background section could be shortened for an extra intractable or spooky setpiece.
Innsmouth Girls
Three escapees from Innsmouth Raid hide in New York City in 1920. Really interesting premise. I was waiting for a twist or a moment of change from officials or gangsters to happen to give it more action, but I guess this is a more reactive scenario. The pre-gens should have their motivations at the end as well, but other than that they were pretty neat. NPC stats would’ve also been appreciated for combat’s sake, but this isn’t (necessarily) that kind of scenario. I like the outcomes, though materializing them in the scenario would be a bit hard. I would rather see this a LARP with multiple characters with their own goals, than such a short scenario, because interactions might be a bit limited if they go talk to each character one by one. Also, what if none of the players want to talk to the NPCs at the speakeasy? There could be either consequences or some stuff preventing inaction. Other than that, I could see myself running this as a con game. Liked it.
Saturnalia
In a remote building in Alaska, Saturn is returning to Earth. Gonzo idea, but I can dig it. Investigation reminds me of the scenario Night Floors a little bit, but less surreal. I like that while combat is an option, it’s not the intended solution. I feel like this scenario could use slightly more stuff in the real world than in the Red, but since the Saturn’s world is the fun part of the scenario, I don’t think there needs to be much added. Maybe it could benefit for fitting this slighly better with DG’s worldview, but other than that I had no issues with the text. Good.
Hunter or Hunted
Majestic and Delta Green fight over a Yithian rollercoaster. I think the hook for this is a bit “out there” lorewise. The weed wacker from the Green Box is a fun idea. While the investigation leads up really well to a crazy finale, I think it’s a bit much for me to run as is. It’s a really combat heavy scenario, where agents can die against a MJ-12 kill team really easily. I have no idea if the Synthesized are really interesting to fight as they are nearly invulnerable with their regen and armor. Overall the scenario could need some balancing around, but the structure is good, so I think the scenario is good.
Carcinization
Scientist agents set out to investigate where all the crabs go. There is another scenario with the same name, so I have high hopes for this one. San rewards are neat, though idk how many agents actually care about the shark. Very heavy on science skills, which is a good change for other scenarios. Of course the scenario is just moving from a cool setpiece to a next, but I wish the final one for the Shard’s sanctum had a bit more effect to it. As someone with no expertice on sea science, it was a bit difficult to comprehend some of the ideas, but I liked the explanation on the gear. Perhaps extra 200 words could’ve been used to give about a bit more flavor for the sanctum or add another Unnatural revelation for the players. Good scenario.
PROVAX
Agents are sent to vaccinate people related to Unnatural. When I first read this, I thought this was an edgy joke and not to be taken seriously. I think with the subject matter being what it is, I would absolutely not want to run this scenario. However, I can still give some merits to it. The set pieces are interesting and would make (somewhat) sense why The Program would keep an eye on these people and now send agents to deal with them. My favorite being The Godleys and the Spawn of Yog Sothoth, which would be really unnerving. The text is well detailed enough and provides avenues of investigation and conclusions (though no SAN penalties?) for not going along with the vaccination. I think this is an alright scenario, but I would need to have people, who are on the same wavelength about this.
EMFs At Higher Frequencies
Tillinghast Radiation infected a small town, with paranoid townsfolk. This scenario also touches on a new real world conspiracy theory with an Unnatural angle, but it makes it more focus on the NPCs taking it heavily. I didn’t really care for the font used here and there are some slight editing issues here and there (“Notice check” was most notable). I think the scenario seems to go for the “kill and burn” solution here, which I think is a bit boring, but I like that if you go low tech and with the townsfolk' conspiracy theory bullshit, you can ease them down. Stats for the goons and townsfolk would’ve been appreciated, since this scenario will probably end in bloodshed at the laboratory. It is runnable, but I feel like there could be a bit more scenic stuff (e.g. townsfolk seeing “spirits” flying over town) or one or two clues to make it more interesting.
Mystic Hunter
Agents go on a mythical turkey hunt. While this is pretty much your usual bug hunt scenario, it has some unique stuff compared to most scenarios that are usually set in an urban environment. I like the map for the reference for the players. I think the clues and the moody suggestions are neat. The creature is unique, which I like. Its stats are fine, though I’m a bit iffy on it instantly killing an agent without having an ability to have a little bit of foresight of its attack. “Red Eye Gaze '' also has an issue of it immediately causing insanity, but I think it should just do a higher SAN loss instead, to make it more likely to happen, than to force it. A bit better spreading for the font would be needed to make it easily readable quickly. Definitely could see to run this, to teach players to stay a bit more on their toes (perhaps to run this as a Thanksgiving scenario?). Liked it.
Take The A Train
Agents take a chance to survive creatures and other people in a subway. Atmospheric text really helps to create the mood for the scenario, though I had some trouble to understand the beginning when I first started to read it. While it is pretty much a survival scenario, it poses good suggestions on how to deal with the NPCs without trying to immediately shoot them, which I liked. The creatures are fine and I guess they can’t be harmed so the scenario itself can’t be broken. This would probably be a good three hour addition in between an ongoing investigation. With how easy this would be run as a Handler, I liked this scenario.
In The Shadow of His Eye
Agents investigate brain cleaning children’s group therapy camp. Simple investigation, with a clear finale. I don’t know what happens if Derrick gets taken down before the therapy session. Is Richard trying to find someone to replace him? Richard’s motivation should’ve been clearer, to make it easier to run. I think the briefing and setup take a bit too much time for the actual camp, where other weirdness could’ve been inserted. Also the aftermath of what happens to Derrick and children is horrifying and probably should prompt some sanity checks for agents. Overall, this feels like an easy to run investigation for Handlers, with more focus on the eerie mood and weirdness. Good scenario.
Onomatopoeia
Sound effect monsters terrorize a DG friendly. An explanation of the monster early on for the Handler would’ve been helpful. These creatures are creative, but kinda feel hard to manage as they don’t have clear stats, like hit points, which would’ve been useful. The set pieces were creative and I found them entertaining. I think this feels a bit too goofy for a normal DG game, but as a one-shot or a con game, I could see this being fun or annoying from players’ end, depending on the group.
Operation Pleasant Depths
White supremacists use Spawn of Tsathoggua to kill people. The scenario’s formatting made it a bit hard to read at first. The hook is good and the compound I think was designed well for agents to investigate carefully around, though I think this would benefit greatly from a map. The ending is fine and I liked that the spawn tries to reason with agents to get what it wants. Should be easy to run and it contains enough investigation and combat for all sorts of agents to enjoy. Also, I don’t remember reading a scenario set in Wisconsin, so plus point for that as well. Overall, I liked this scenario.
Operation TANGERINE REMEDY
I wrote this scenario hastily three or four days in during the month. This started as a 2022 N@tO Scenario Contest entry back in January, but I scrapped the idea out of frustration. Originally this was a two parter scenario inspired by the video game Cruelty Squad, where the firstly agents invade a pharmaceutical facility to take down a lab creating mutating drugs and secondly they would need to find the CEO of the company and kill him before the enemy gets to the first. I realize that there isn’t much for the facility part and finding the CEO investigation is ever less worked out. The mobsters “Mr. Skull” and “Dogman” I was more keen to create around the same time (idea came from a song “Oxygen” by Swans) and I decided to use them in this scenario, despite having trouble figuring out how they would fit in. Overall, this scenario needs a playtest or two and I would be more happy with it.
Cooler Heads
Memetic creature takes over a people to make them become it.While the creature is cool and its effects are interesting, I don’t get why it doesn’t just spread itself through social media, like it intends to? Surely getting the brain in danger by blowing people up and killing oneself is out of the question for it. That aside, the setup is good. The text has a bit too much bolding and highlighting different words with that dark red color, which makes it harder to read and refer to quickly. Investigative elements could be brought earlier rather than later in the text. I liked the motivation for the analyst to survive. I don’t think investigating people’s brains is going to be an option during a hostage situation and there could be another way to point that the Mind is affecting people's brains. I see potential here and this would be a cool mystery to solve for players, but as a Handler I would need a bit more adjustment for the text to see myself running this scenario, but I still think it’s a good scenario.
Operation Green Mountain
Black Mesa, but China and in the Delta Green setting. The setup is a bit too much for me. Why couldn’t this be located in the United States rather than in China? While the concept of non-euclidean geometries wasn’t hard to get, the maps for this with different symbols for keycards and scientists really had my head scratching to understand it. It is a cool idea however, and something to puzzle players over for the session. However, the timeline says the agents have several hours (72 hours till the Incident is solved) to go through with this, which doesn’t promote much emergency, though there will be a high chance for encounters after every five rooms. Mostly these are wounded soldiers, who you can’t really help (10 people with you to the pad) or might just want to kill you if you don’t help me out or get in their way. Neat shotgun scenario idea to get the Half Life 1 into a scenario, though needs a bit of polishing for the setup and maybe a bit more emergency to give players a good feeling into this. If I would run this, I would do it as a one-shot where the agents are army special ops and not as normal random DG agents. Good.
