For those who do not know, Delta Green started out as a sourcebook for an older version of Call of Cthulhu. In that incarnation, it did not only earn a lot of accolades, but also an insane amount of published material. A few years ago the game was spun off by Arc Dream Publishing and shifted to a streamlined version of the BRP system CoC uses. In Delta Green players are members of a secretive organization within the US government (or sometimes other governments) that conspire to fight monsters and things that go bump in the night; the whole thing is tied to the Cthulhu Mythos. Your agents, however, might not realize that - there is a lot of alternative history for this one, and play can happen at different eras. In many, Delta Green is wrestling with other secret organizations in dealing with “aliens”. Yep, this can be a version of X-Files where the players work directly with the Smoker. And no, I have not (yet) had the pleasure of playing it.
For anyone who does not want to be part of what is essentially a secret vigilante organization, there is The Fall of Delta Green. That plays in the same universe, but in the 60s when DG was an official part of the US government - if a very secret one. It also uses a different system (Gumshoe). As such it is a game I want to bring to the table at one point since I really like Gumshoe. But let’s stay with Delta Green itself for the moment, and move on with character generation.
Let’s assume we play in the early 2000s, which seems to be the base system assumption. I think an FBI analyst could be fun. We can roll base stats (6 times 4d6, drop the lowest die for each), or distribute 72 pts. I give the virtual dice a spin and end up with Str 11, Con 11, Dex 12, Int 15, Power 14, and Charisma 12. Perceptive, strong-willed, otherwise pretty normal. Next, I read out some derived stats. Agent Carl Sofaer will have 11 Hitpoints, 14 Willpower Points, and 70 Sanity Points. He will develop a long-term mental health issue (reach his breaking point) once his Sanity reaches 56 or lower. Carl is average in most aspects but unusually perceptive, and charming.
Now to choose a profession, I go with Intelligence Analyst. That gives me a bunch of skills:
- Anthropology 40%
- Bureaucracy 50%
- Computer Science 40%
- Criminology 40%
- Foreign Language (I choose Spanish) 50%
- Foreign Language (here I go with Hebrew) 50%
- Foreign Language (and Greek for this one) 40%
- History 40%
- HUMINT 50%
- SIGINT 40%
And I get to choose 8 skills to increase by 20 points each. Let's go with Criminology, First Aid, Forensics, Medicine, Persuade, Search, Stealth, Unarmed Combat. My chosen profession for Carl means that he will have three bonds, people who are important to him and keep him emotionally anchored. The more demanding the profession, the lower the number of starting bonds. They all start with a score of 12 (equal to Charisma) which can deteriorate over time. Delta Green agents usually do not last long, they develop mental disorders, alienate the people important to them so they won’t get help, and become lonely and bitter. If they are lucky and do not find a rather different and more abrupt ending earlier.
My bonds are Max Killminster, former partner and lover, my mom (Audrey Sofaer), and my best friend Marianne Shelley Green (we met in college). I jot down some ideas on where Carl grew up (Baltimore), educational background (Towson University before Quantico), and appearance (Tall, thin, a bit ungainly. Short blonde hair, with a scar marring the head on the left temple. Strong chin that does not fit the body. Surprisingly deep but smooth voice). And then we are done.
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