Delta Green has always been my go-to game for modern horror role playing since it first slithered into my life in the mid-1990’s. Back then, it was some of the most well-written source material for the Call of Cthulhu RPG. Now, with the release of the Delta Green: Agent’s Handbook, it is a fully self-contained rules system built around the same great setting that has been updated to the current era. All the things familiar about the Basic Roleplaying system are still there, but streamlined and geared specifically towards the Delta Green setting.
Everything you need to start playing right away is here, without having to wait for more books to come out. Chapters on overview, playing the game, character generation, combat, equipment/weapons, agencies, and tradecraft/terminology are all presented in an easy-to-follow format. Sprinkled throughout the chapters are immersive, vignettes of doomed Delta Green agents and affiliates -- a nice touch to give you an idea of what may be in store for your character in the not too distant future. Especially fun is the chapter on ‘Home’, a treatise on how interactions with friends, family, and a day job can either help or hinder your character’s ability to recover Sanity and cope with The Unknown. The art and format are what really shine and really can’t stress this enough. The fonts and tables stand out well against a background made to look like a well-read and official government dossier. The interior art is primarily made up of official looking documents and photographed scenes of people preparing for or experiencing the creatures and effects of the Mythos. The layout and imagery really help to suck you in to a hideous and unforgiving world. With each new section, you get a sense of the impotence of modern man when faced with the Mythos. At the very least, the visuals and short-story content will set the mood for the game, but more likely will be nightmare fuel for your players.
Whether new to the realm of modern horror or a veteran of the setting, you need this book. With the scenarios that are currently available combined with the incoming wave of additional source material slated to roll out, the Delta Green: Agent’s Handbook will keep you busy rolling up and killing off characters for years to come.
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