By Dennis Detweiller, Adam Scott Glancy, and John Tynes
Published by Pagan Publishing
298 Pages
$27.95

Everyone knew that The X Files would eventually become a role-playing game, but no one could have predicted that it would take the form of Delta Green. Or that it would fall under the auspices of Call of Cthulhu when it got here. Or how monumentally cool it would turn out to be.

Delta Green takes the increasingly hackneyed theme of govemment conspiracy theories, and raises it to the level of near-art. It deftly entwines The X Files' concept of federal agent seeking out the unknown with the cosmic conspiracies of Great Cthulhu. The result is breathtaking.

The title refers to a secret, illegal government group dedicated to protecting the United States from "paranormal threats." Formed after the 1928 raid on Innsmouth, and prominent in the destruction of the Nazis' secret occult program, Delta Green had official sanction until a disasterous outing in Cambodia in 1971. Now outlawed, they continue to wage a covert battle against the Outer Gods--and elements of their own government who would destroy them.

The connection between those two foes is a lot stronger than it appears. The United States has recently made treaties with "The Greys" (spindly aliens matching the popular image of extraterrestrial visitors), gaining powerful new technology in exchange for allowing them to abduct and experiment on U.S. citizens.

Delta Green's "sister" group, Majestic-12, has been charged with maintaining relations with the Greys and covering up evidence of their existence. But something very sinister is behind thier pseudo-friendly facade and has been manipulating Majestic-12 to serve its own ends. I don't want to reveal too much about what those ends are, but it has something to do with the position of the stars...

The first section of the book is by far the strongest. It contains detailed information on Delta Green and Majestic-12, revealing their respective history and goals. It also includes chapters on other paranormal groups: the Karotechia, a band of resurrected Nazis wielding fierce magics of their own; Saucerwatch, a UFO study group fumbling slowly towards terrible revelations; and the Fate, a strange criminal organization wrapped deeply in things best left alone.

Call of Cthulhu has always depended upon atmosphere to makes its sinister universe work. While the 1920's and 1890's were perfect for creating the right mood, modern day stories tend to fall a bit flat.

There's less mystery in the world these days, and the ideas of secret cults and hidden lands unseen by man are embarrassingly cheesy in the cold light of the '90s. Delta Green changes that equation, and changes it drastically. All of our culture's paranoid conspiracies are dealt with here--UFO abductions, Argentine Nazis, shadowy govemment agents. And yet they are all tied firmly, rationally, and engagingly into the Cthulhu Mythos.

Delta Green's writers make the connections to Lovecraft so well, that one can utilize almost any paranoid theory one likes--sooner or later, it comes hack to the Old Ones. The links are done so seamlessly that it all makes perfect sense.

In addition, Delta Green contains a plethora of information on how to run a group of investigators within the U.S. Government. Details are provided on every section of the Federal branch --from the Department of Agriculture to the NSA--along with tips and templates on how do involve characters from those sections in Delta Green.

A list of weapons is provided, prominent NPCs are well-detailed, and some eerie artwork adds to text already dripping with atmosphere. If reading this book doesn't get you excited ahout playing Cthulhu, you're in the wrong hobby.

If there's a failing in Delta Green, it's the ready-to-play adventures which occupy about a third of the hook (two one-shot stories, plus a mini-campaign). They're not bad, but they lack the same edge as the rest of the text, and don't convey the horror of "Cthulhu-conspiracy" as well as they should. In comparison to the rest of the book, they're a significant shortcoming.

Fortunately, the rest of the book more than makes up for it. Pagan Publishing has always done right by Call of Cthulbu, but this text truly breaks new ground. So lock your doors, don't answer the phone, and keep watching the skies. Delta Green is here, and horror role-playing will never be the same.

More Reviews:

GURPS: Autoduel
Delta Green
Noir
Earthdawn Survival Guide

This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web.
Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com