Delta Green-PX Poker Night (Spoilers!)
Handlers notes
I also look at DG as
being compatible with a series of events and scenarios for PC development (assuming
survival) due to the ‘Home’ game mechanics and bonds. So, with that in mind I am embarking on
taking some players through the scenarios in ‘A Night at the Opera’ (NatOp), as
there is a handy timeline you can use to line up the scenarios and have the
home scenes and potentially allow the players to see how far they can get their
PCs before they either die, go insane or some other hideous ending consumes
them. My only change from this was I
decided to start with the scenario PX Poker Night rather than Reverberations (which
is the starting scenario in the NatOp book).
I chose to start
with Poker Night (and relocate it to May 2015, rather than late 80s as in the
description) as it is not a typical DG scenario, there is little in the way of
investigation, but it does provide that ‘WTF is going on’ vibe. This I think is what the player and PCs need
to be going through as they play through a DG scenario, certainly for the first
time. Sure, the players will guess at
what is generally going on, but they will have little idea of the background or
the world they have been forced into and the events that unfold will seem
pretty bizarre. Also, Poker Night is
slated as a good introductory scenario, and it can then be used as a gateway
into DG for the PCs and future scenarios.
I prefer this to Last Things Last (LTL) as the investigation in LTL is of
limited use (it is a one shot after all) and I find the end scene to be a bit
of an anti-climax. Also, Poker Night provides
the players with far more freedom as players can basically do what they want as
they respond to the madness that occurs through the day and evening.
I completed a
session 0 for each player where they created their character via Roll20. The only remit given was they must be in the
USAF as they were starting on the airbase which is the location for Poker
Night. The players were all aware that
the plan was to run these characters through a few scenarios over the next few
months, assuming they survived Poker Night!
However, for this scenario none were in DG at all, that would follow the
events here. Poker Night scenario specifically
mentions this as an option which is another reason I opted to run this as the
starting point.
The group ended up with the following:
Cosmic playing Capt. Joseph Wilks/SOCOM-Special
Operations
Thrush playing Tiago Lemos / Pilot (call sign Komodo)
Fox playing Corporal Walter Gein / Medic
Orf playing Mark Wire / Radar, airfield and weather systems engineer
In the scenario
there is detailed description of the timings of SAN checks and effects for all
the base personnel. This is a great
addition to the scenario, and I think could be used to great effect if it was
being run as a one shot with the suggested NPCs included in the scenario. However, for my purposes and with four PCs
not included in the scenario I decided to take a different approach. I had the PCs making SAN rolls and losing
some SAN and having suitable effects based on their current situation with the
others in the base going made around and towards them as fit into the scenes
the PCs found themselves. I didn’t
strictly adhere to the timeline included after about 4pm, purely because I wanted
to ensure the game flowed and was fast paced and made sense in the context of
the game being played out.
To demonstrate the
effect of the crystal on SAN as it reached its peak EM output I found a ‘buzzing’
noise clip that I could play when it was time for SAN rolls on Roll20. The first time it happened the players
thought there was problem with the audio on their computers! I think this worked well and it was a good
way to highlight when SAN rolls were needed.
Overall I think the
scenario worked well, and I look forward to recruiting the PCs into DG and then
taking them on a journey into horrifying word that DG protect us from……until
next time – remember Parrying Is For Wimps.
Top Secret - for your eyes only (Spoilers)
Eyewitness account -Platte USAF base, May 2015. NOT
FOR DISTRIBUTION.
PCs
·
Cosmic –
Capt. Joseph Wilks / SOCOM - Special Operations
·
Thrush –
Tiago Lemos / Pilot (call sign Komodo)
·
Fox –
Corporal Walter Gein / Medic
·
Orf –
Mark Wire / Radar, airfield and weather systems engineer
-------------------------------------------------------------
Mark and Tiago were
chilling in the boneyard with the decommissioned aircraft.
Capt. Wilks was
doing some PT and checking the security of the perimeter fences.
Walter was resting
in his bunk.
All were getting
ready for Poker night when they could take the Majors money.
At 1pm a large black
van pulled up at the security gates and was permitted onto the base. It went to the admin block and Major Jones
signed it in. He appeared a bit kowtowed by those inside, who barely registered
him and then proceeded to drive the van into the boneyard.
Capt. Wilks went to
see Jones and he was told it was information on a ‘need to know basis’ and Capt.
Wilks didn’t need to know. As Wilks left
Jones got back to doing what he does best – drinking whisky.
Walter saw the van
and noted that it had some sort of leads fixed around the bottom of it that
dragged along the floor as it drove by.
The van stopped
about 50m from Mark and Tiago who hid and watched the newcomers get out of the
van. They had some strange reflective
helmets on. Mark noted that the strips hanging
off the van were earthing bonds. That
seemed very strange.
Jones made an
announcement over the base loudspeaker system “The van parked in the boneyard
is to be avoided by base personnel. Do not interfere with the visiting staff’s classified
operations. All personnel are confined to base until the visiting staff has
left. That is all.”
Mark and Tiago
decided to sit tight and watch what was happening.
Walter wandered
towards the boneyard from his dorm. Capt.
Wilks went to get his binocs and had a look at what was going on. As Walter approached a helmeted guard pointed
his gun and told him to stop and come no closer or he would be shot. Walter backed off. Wilks seen this and met up with Walter.
Mark and Tiago
noticed a low humming noise coming from the van and Mark persuaded Tiago to
grab some wires from an old plane and go towards the van holding them up saying
they had dropped off the van.
Immediately the guard aims at Tiago who is told to lie face down with
his hands behind his back. Mark is also
spotted and is ordered to do the same.
The guards call Major
Jones who comes to pick up Mark and Tiago in the base 4x4. He is not happy. In fact, he seems very unhappy, maybe a bit
more than would be considered normal.
Mark and Tiago are ordered to prepare dinner for everyone before Poker
Night as a punishment. Jones and Geiger
(his second in command) have a row about what appears to be nothing.
Walter and Wilks
join Mark and Tiago in the mess hall as food is being served.
A harsh buzzing
noise emanates around the camp – it is not pleasant and causes some of those on
the base to feel nervous and have hallucinations. Walter sees maggots instead of rice and Tiago
feels sick as he sees trails whenever he looks at anyone.
2nd in
command Geiger then runs out of the admin office with Major Jones chasing her
screaming that he is going to kill her.
Walter and Capt. Wilks tackle Jones to the ground and Walter sticks him
with his morphine shot and makes him sleep.
Then shots are heard coming from the security gate.
Tiago puts Jones
back in his office. Walter and Wilks
head towards the security gate to investigate the shots.
The harsh buzzing
noise returns, and Tiago thinks Major Jones has recovered and is trying to
strangle him. He is fighting him
off. Mark hears the commotion and goes
in to find Tiago trying to strangle Major Jones. Mark wrestles him off and Tiago runs out of
the office locking the door behind him.
They notice that none of the electrical items work – no computer, no
lights etc.
Meanwhile Wilks and
Walter go to the gate house and see that one of the guards has shot the
other. Walter has been affected by the
buzzing and thinks he can save the guard and starts CPR. Pushing his hands into the shot up body, with
each pump causing blood to spill out of the bullet holes…. The guard who killed
his colleague is confused and commits suicide by blowing his head off with his
rifle.
Tiago comes to his
senses and lets Mark out of the room, they try and get into the weapons locker
but don’t have the combination for the lock.
They go and look for Geiger, while outside they see another member of
the staff climb onto the roof of the tower and throw himself off, landing with
a thud on the concrete three storeys below.
Walter and Wilks
pick up the rifles from the guards and head back towards the admin buildings to
fine Mark and Tiago. On the way they see
another one of the personnel cover themselves in gasoline and light it,
immolating themselves.
Mark and Tiago go to
the boneyard to try and stop the van operating its strange weapon. They try and use a vehicle but there is no
power, so they go on foot. As they are going to the van a strange crystal
shaped ‘ship’ appears above the van, immediately there are strange flashing
bolts of energy between the van and the ship above it. This affects the strange crystal craft and it
accelerates at high speed crashing into the bone yard a hundred metres from the
van.
Tiago and Mark
arrive first and notice that one of the guards is laying by the van
motionless. Tiago removes the helmet of
the guard and his head has exploded smearing the inside of the helmet with
brain matter and skull. Mark peers into the
van and sees that the other four in the van all wear helmets and are slumped
over in the van. There is a glowing
crystal about the size of a house brick amongst the electrical equipment in the
back of the van.
Walter and Wilks arrive,
and Wilks tries to smash one of the windows but manages to hurt himself in the
process. Mark finds the keys in the guard’s
pocket and they open the van. They find
a document with some information and then Walter quickly pulls the emergency
shutdown lever. The crystal drops into a
lead lined box and the buzzing stops.
Tiago is outside the
van and notices two small child like creatures approaching – they appear to be
the typical alien from the movies – almond eyes and grey small child like
bodies. Tiago runs away. The others come out of the van and the strange
creatures indicate that their dog is trapped in the wreckage of their crystal
ship, can they help them to free their dog?
Mark, Walter and
Wilks approach and enter into a strange ship that has larger dimensions on the
inside then on the outside. Inside is a
strange creature trapped under some sort of structural beam of an unknown
material. The creature is about two
meters long, not much bigger than a human being but built more like a crab. It
is composed of a sponge-like material covered in irregularly spaced bits of
chitinous exoskeleton. What appears to be the head changes colours from red to
blue and back again. It has no apparent teeth or claws.
Mark and Wilks lift
the beam and as soon as the ‘dog’ can move it suddenly flies out from under the
beam and out of the ship. Immediately
the two aliens collapse to the ground.
The entrance hole
starts to collapse and they flee from the strange craft, but not before seeing
an ‘examination room’ with the usual and expected implements that they have
read and heard about it in modern tales and conspiracy theories.
Tiago runs and as he
heads towards the perimeter fence he hears the unmistakable sound of helicopter
gunship rotors approaching.
Those left alive on
the base are rounded up by a non-descript group of heavily armoured
soldiers. No recognisable insignia. Those left alive on the base are told that due
to an unfortunate mix of chemicals being released that those in the base were
subjected to stress and trauma related to a mass psychosis event. This caused hallucinations and unfortunately
for some involved to take their own lives in the line of duty. This is what happened, and all information is
considered Top Secret and all personnel are bound by their duty to ensure no
information related to this event is discussed.
Due to the stress, injuries and trauma caused all those still alive will
receive top medical care and be given an honourable discharge with $25k.
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