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The GM's word is law

This RP was inspired by the Delta Green tabletop game, The Cthulu Wars by Kenneth Hite and Kennon Bauman, True Detective S1 and Denis Villeneuve's Sicario



Hello!

As the title says, this RP is one about action and intrigue with an occult bent. Heavily influenced by media such as the Delta Green tabletop game and the Cthulu Wars book, from which came the premise of this RP, and mainly season one of True Detective and Denis Villeneuve's Sicario film, the atmosphere of which I hope to weave into this game. Your characters can come from any number of organizations and institutions both government and civilian. Although this is an action game, I don't want players to think they have to necessarily be Hank Stonebulge, war veteran and supercop with ten machineguns and gets his calories from red meat and cigarettes.

That is to say, you can be a scientist, a scholar, a private eye, a federal agent, former or active duty military, or a career criminal with a history of working for the law to cut a deal. Joseph Donnelley is not beholden to tradition for recruiting teams and neither am I. This is mainly to not alienate people who are interested but don't have an encyclopedic knowledge of federal agencies or the like. I do encourage players to get creative with their characters, as long as they make sense, of course. An analyst probably won't be the greatest at making 400 meter shots with a rifle.

Like said above, I do hope to capture the atmosphere of Sicario and True Detective. The RP will mainly be about the investigations of the cases the team has been brought on for, as well as how they bond with their teammates, cope with the events of the RP that might challenge their ideals, and grow along the time spent working this case and just what it uncovers about the true workings of the world around them. As such, don't expect shooting first and asking questions later to get you far. You may be working for a shadowy 'Man in Black' but that doesn't give you legal immunity, nor does it give you leads and clues. Player characters will have to navigate this new world of intrigue and horror smartly, and may be called upon to do morally repugnant things in the name of not only national security, but the preservation of humanity as they know it. Join me on this romp from Washington State, and all the way down to Juarez, Mexico, and beyond.

Over the course of the RP, questions may arise. Who is Steve Foster? Who am I really working for? How far does this whole thing go? Who can I really trust?

And remember...











::TEAM ROSTER —- WORKING GROUP - PALADIN::
::CASE OFFICER::
DONNELLEY, JOSEPH | M | CIA DIRECTORATE OF OPERATIONS, SPECIAL ACTIVITIES CENTER/SPECIAL OPERATIONS GROUP (GROUND BRANCH), PARAMILITARY OPERATIONS OFFICER

::TEAM LEADER::

::WORKING GROUP - PALADIN::

::KIA PERSONNEL::

Just a few questions so I can wrap my head around the concept in action a bit better, if you don't mind.

1) Will you be playing a PC as well or will you just GM aka play NPCs (is Donnelley an NPC or PC)?

2) How will an investigations be played out?
- Will you be placing clues/evidence somehow withing the RP? As a kind of [Player: I investigate the closet | GM: You find EVIDENCE] player action -> GM answer -> player reaction formula that many tabletop games use?
- Will dice be involved? If so, how dice-heavy is this supposed to be? (E.g. only combat is a quick die roll vs "roll a die to determine whether you can see anything through the muddy window")
- Also, if dice should be involved, are we following a certain system? Perhaps the tabletop game Delta Green has a dice system?
- Is the investigation fully GM-driven (as in the GM decides the clues, evidence, bad guys, hurdles, etc.)? I'm assuming this might be easiest

3) Should PCs be team members of years already or rather new recruits or anything goes?
- If new recruits are allowed/wanted: Should the PCs know anything about the 'occult' yet or are they supposed to be clueless in the beginning?

4) Can/Should the players also add to the occult lore of this world by creating their own (within the PCs backstory for example)?

Sorry to spring all of those questions on you in a simple Interest Check ^^ Feel free to take your time answering them or to gesture me gently out the door xD

@BenzaitenI’ll get to these once I have some time. I appreciate the curiosity and questions!

Very interested in this, i have similar questions to @benzaiten

@Benzaiten
Just a few questions so I can wrap my head around the concept in action a bit better, if you don't mind.

1) Will you be playing a PC as well or will you just GM aka play NPCs (is Donnelley an NPC or PC)?
Both.

2) How will an investigations be played out?
- Will you be placing clues/evidence somehow withing the RP? As a kind of [Player: I investigate the closet | GM: You find EVIDENCE] player action -> GM answer -> player reaction formula that many tabletop games use?
Yes, as a simplification. A lot of successful investigation depends on what your character is skilled in, and how skilled. Someone with a Computer Science of 80 will have better luck, and a higher chance of retrieving data from a hard drive without corrupting the information, than someone with a Computer Science skill of 60.

- Will dice be involved? If so, how dice-heavy is this supposed to be? (E.g. only combat is a quick die roll vs "roll a die to determine whether you can see anything through the muddy window")
Again, yes for simplicity. The way dice come into the equation is if some variable in the situation is adding pressure to the character. Say, trying to shoot someone in combat, or defuse a bomb while the timer is counting down.

Otherwise, like above, it just depends on what skills your character has, and how skilled they are.

- Also, if dice should be involved, are we following a certain system? Perhaps the tabletop game Delta Green has a dice system?
Delta Green does have a dice system, and we will be using it. It works off of a percentile system, so we’ll primarily be using d100s to determine success or failure.

- Is the investigation fully GM-driven (as in the GM decides the clues, evidence, bad guys, hurdles, etc.)? I'm assuming this might be easiest
I provide the framework by supplying the plot and the basic problems to be solved by the PCs. It depends on PC problem solving what happens. It is player-driven to an extent. The world happens to the PCs as much as the PCs happen to the world, if that makes sense.

3) Should PCs be team members of years already or rather new recruits or anything goes?
- If new recruits are allowed/wanted: Should the PCs know anything about the 'occult' yet or are they supposed to be clueless in the beginning?
PCs are assumed to have had a previous brush with the Unnatural. It is their deftness in handling the situation, and/or the ferocity with which they researched what exactly happened to them and what they saw that puts them on Delta Green’s radar.

The only reason you aren’t tied up like a loose end is because someone thinks you’re useful enough. This is to say that your PCs have not yet been “read on” to Delta Green and the conspiracy that keeps the knowledge of the Unnatural out of the public eye. Your character is a newb. An FNG. Still a competent professional, but they’ve never been in something like this before.

4) Can/Should the players also add to the occult lore of this world by creating their own (within the PCs backstory for example)?
One of the main themes, Unnatural phenomena, and motifs of the RP that preceded this one was completely player-made. I decided to add it to the “lore” of my campaign. So, yes, players may show their creativity.

Sorry to spring all of those questions on you in a simple Interest Check ^^ Feel free to take your time answering them or to gesture me gently out the door xD
Not at all, I’d love to see who you create in the coming days. Just be aware, I am a picky man. Bring your A-game. ;)

@tundrafrog1124Fire away

Hell yeah, I'm in.

Absolutely interested. Thinking maybe an ICE agent. Does a character necessarily have to be American? Alternative thought was a Canadian immigrant that came for his wife (mostly because being a Canadian myself it would be easier to play :> )

Also will we have to fill out a full traditional Delta Green CS? Mostly asking to get started early on the stats.

EDIT: Another quick question, this take place in 2023 or...?

You know ya boy is here.

@BugmanIt’s a bastard child CS born of my own making.

I wouldn’t necessarily have a problem with non-Americans. I’m sure they can pass a background check for a security clearance, given they’re a formal legal immigrant to the US.

This takes place mid 2020

Understood. I'll probably stick with the ICE. Do you have the character sheet available? Was hoping to do it over the weekend.

@BugmanCheck ur DMs

@tundrafrog1124@Benzaiten
Shall I send the both of you a link to the CS?

Oh, interested.

Probably play a scholar if that role isn't already filled. Good to have someone in the party ready to deliver stupid lines like "No, we should keep it alive and study it!"

@LeidenschaftYes please, I’m toying with a couple ideas rn but need to do some more research first

@Xacha@tundrafrog1124check your DMs for the CS

Yes

Couldn't get my TTRPG group to try Delta Green, so definitely interested.

I'm just gonna leave this here, constantly DMing people is getting tedious.

DG Player Docs

Inside you will find the CS, Player's Handbook, The Complex Sourcebook for extra Professions/Agencies, and Quick Rules. I use different naming conventions and skills, so use the skills listed in the CS, please.

@Leidenschaft
Just to make sure I read everything right: Split 73 points between STR, DEX, STA, BUE, INT and WILL (Same as DG, but replacing CHA with BUE), with BUE capped at 5.

Unless I can't add double digit numbers (which is possible, math is a crime against my sanity), you can do 3 in BUE and 14 in everything else, is that intended?
If so, right now I'm looking at a U.S. Marshall with:

STRENGTH: 12
DEXTERITY: 16
STAMINA: 15
BUREAUCRACY: 3
INTELLIGENCE: 12
WILLPOWER: 15

Which looks fairly high for starting stats, though I have seen rolled stats like that.

Question 2, when assigning skills, each tier (gifted etc.) gives a % range. Do we go low on that? Or high? Middle?