Theme Song
IC
Co-OPs: Hastur
Discord
"We're all fucked. I'm fucked. You're fucked. The whole department's fucked.” - Sir Richard Mottram
Encroaching. It approaches under sullen advances, gazing at the petulant squandering lives. Incessant. They croak and cry, screaming for forgiveness, screeching for more time, anything to make their miserable existence worthwhile. Imminency. The broad strokes of annihilation are pushed back by only a few select people. These people are you.
You. Beautiful you. For the Program, your eloquent lives are forfeit. You joined the organization knowing what you were getting yourself into. The secrets of the universe, but with them comes your death and your sanity. Your friends and family can never know what it is you do, nor can you ever tell a soul. You are alone in this world, but at least you’re doing something that matters. Stopping the unnatural from destroying the world is your mission; a futile game. You can stave the end as much as you like, but all good things come to a close eventually.
|  Inspirations and Tone You’ve got the basics of Delta Green. Keep The Program a secret. Destroy and contain outbreaks of the unnatural. As the creators themselves describe it, it is a game of horror and espionage. I'd describe it as a mix of The X-Files, Deus Ex, and Lovecraft (of course him). If you like noir, if you like horror, or if you like deeply flawed characters, you've come to the right place. Operations themselves will be long and will be their own self-contained stories. Characters who survive will go on to more operations, but just remember; Delta Green has a high turnover rate. People quit, people get fired, people get shot for asking too many questions. This is a violent and sad tale. There will be few, if any characters that receive happy endings. I will not hold back on any of life’s harsh realities and I don’t expect you to do so either. There's violence, a copious amount of swearing, and good old fashioned gallows humor. The classics, the works, whatever you want to call it. For inspirations on this writing, I'm drawing from a lot of my favorite horror but also other media; Fargo (along with the TV show), No Country for Old Men, Twin Peaks, and The Wire are just a couple of inspirations for it. Of course, Delta Green isn’t just about the flashy dark parts of life. Existence is questioned, motivations are challenged, society itself is put to trial. The horrible monsters in Delta Green are real, they are very real. The cultists, creatures, and elder gods are representations of our lives and the adult fears that everybody has, whether they like it or not. Operations Delta Green isn't like other federal agencies. Whereas with the FBI or the ATF or the NSA you can simply type three initials into your web browser and be on their website in under five seconds, Delta Green is different. The Program does not exist. It is real but it isn't. If the public were to discover that there existed a secret government agency that destroyed things that were decisively otherworldly, there would be mass panic. The knowledge that gods exist and they care little about humanity's struggle would create riots, cultists would come of their compounds and lay wreckage to the Earth, civilians would rebel against the government. There would be no stopping the chaos that would spring if Delta Green's existence became public knowledge. That's why it's up to the agents to clean shit up after they get shit done. So, Delta Green doesn't exist. This means they can't pay for plane trips, weapons, gas, or any other expense the agents might need. Sure, sometimes they might be able to string together a "counter-terrorism black ops group" and send them a team but that's rare. So, so rare. These expenses must come out of pocket. Delta Green also uses plenty of codenames and secret words to describe their varied assets across the country that you're probably wondering about right now. Keep reading, and you will learn about how agents live; in operation and out. From the Delta Green Agent's Handbook; "Once, Delta Green investigated the return of a lost child. It was not a happy reunion. Michael Lumsden had died of leukemia at Philadelphia Children’s Hospital ten years before. Now he had miraculously returned, no older and with no sign of illness. The agents were clever. If Michael Lumsden was home after all these years, what was buried in his coffin? Answer: the rotted remains of a ten-year-old boy. So, what was the thing that looked and acted like Michael Lumsden? Should the team put the child-thing down like a rabid dog? Could they? Then there was the rest of the family. Were they infected by whatever influence pretended to bring Michael Lumsden back to life? What power haunted the Lumsden home? Nobody looked for guidance from their superiors. Everyone knew the orders would be: 'Take care of it.' How could they live with themselves if they made the wrong call, or even the right one? What kind of a person joins a group that has to make those kinds of decisions? You." Joining Delta Green As said before, Delta Green is a big ol' secret. Since nobody can find it, it finds you. Agents are hired after they come into contact with some sort of unnatural activity. This doesn't happen too often; most of the time, unnatural phenomena hides itself or destroys itself within a week. Sometimes, though, Delta Green is called... and sometimes, they're too late. Sometimes normal people come stumbling upon a Mi-Go removing the head of a lab assistant; sometimes, they survive these encounters. At this point, The Program shows up in full force. If this person doesn't want to join Delta Green or doesn't have skills they require, that's okay; they can become a friendly or just never talk about it again. If they have those skills and they're ready to give their life; welcome aboard, soldier. Agents are never informed of more than they need to know. Most have no idea that the Elder Gods exist or have any idea about MOST unnatural activity. They only know what they've seen and the very tiny bit that they've been told, even though it's an infinite amount more than most people know. Too much knowledge can be a detriment and can drive one insane. However, be warned; speaking of this conspiracy to others is a good way to get found with a rope tied around your neck and a fallen chair under your dead feet. Your characters themselves have never been on a single operation. They may be old, jaded, and worn from a life of normal work. Now they’re apart of Delta Green and they have to learn how to juggle both the normal and the abnormal. Home Life Home can be the hardest part for some agents. Wives, husbands, daughters, sons, sisters, brothers, friends, co-workers, managers, human resources, the whole shebang and then some awaiting the agents at home. Not only that, but Delta Green operations are a good way to get injured or find a new mental disorder kicking around in an agent's head. These are hard to explain to your bonds should you want to keep your relationships amicable. Oftentimes with operations, agents'll be forced to miss work or miss important events in their busy lives. Birthday parties, marriages, date nights, playing catch, all of those things we take for granted can go poof with one call from Delta Green. Operations are short notice and never convenient. Agents might get fired. Their loved ones might leave them. Their bills may lay unpaid. They may get arrested. They might go insane. Sometimes, there are plenty of fates worse than death; sometimes people live too long. A Night at the Opera The call's coming and the agents better answer it. Delta Green contacts it's field workers in a variety of ways. Secure phone calls to encrypted emails to simple courier packages, anything is possible when it comes to The Program's contacts. Agents are then expected to fly out or drive out to whatever location needs their expertise at the moment. They typically carry black bags with them. This includes untraceable cash, tools for breaking and entering, burner phones, clothing, and other items they might need while out and investigating. Agents should always be vigilant, of course; the cops or the TSA might not like what they carry in those little black bags. Agents are technically criminals. They have to make up excuses to leave, going on "business trips" or "taking vacations." They only have so many sick days and vacation days with whatever organization they work for, after all. Once they reach their destination, they are briefed. Whether this be by another Program agent or a letter taped to a plank of wood is up the Program's discretion. Nobody ever knows what they're gonna be in for once they arrive. Preferably, agents will meet their fellow team members upon arrival. No one uses real names and nobody should give out more information than they have to. Of course, this doesn't always happen. Operational security is broken often; agents are only human, after all. Once the agents have met up, they begin investigating their target and get to work as fast as possible on destroying or containing said target should any unnatural activity be found. Once they've accomplished their mission, they are to clean up all involvement of The Program. That means hide their dead friends, frame civilians, bleach the carpets, and "remove" witnesses. Once this is done, they can go back home. Acronyms and Slang The following is a list of slang terms one might come across during the story of Delta Green. All of those code phrases and words are encountered right here, for ease of viewing and your pleasure.
“Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.” - Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanack |  OPERATION OUTLAW FOOTHILLS In June of 2014, an organ donor facility in South Carolina was raided by an FBI SWAT team. There, they found the body parts stitched into grotesque, ritualistic totems. The PROGRAM investigated and terminated three members of an unknown cult inside. Several members escaped and no other investigation was done. Four years later, in July of 2018, one of those members has been found again. |
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Credit to Hastur for the banners.
