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Delta Green RPG
Delta Green: Need to Know
WELCOME TO THE APOCALYPSE
Born of the U.S. government’s 1928 raid on the degenerate coastal town of Innsmouth, Massachusetts, the covert agency known as Delta Green spent four decades opposing the forces of darkness with honor, but without glory. Stripped of sanction after a disastrous 1969 operation in Cambodia, Delta Green’s leaders made a secret pact: to continue their work without authority, without support, and without fear. Delta Green agents slip through the system, manipulating the federal bureaucracy while pushing the darkness back for another day—but often at a shattering personal cost.
In Delta Green: The Role-Playing Game, you are one of those agents. You’re the one they call when unnatural horrors seep into the world. You fight to keep cosmic evil from claiming human lives and sanity. You conspire to cover it all up so no one else must see what you’ve seen—or learn the terrible truths you’ve discovered.
This quickstart rulebook of DELTA GREEN: NEED TO KNOW includes everything you need to play Delta Green.
- Complete rules for conducting investigations, overcoming crises, fighting for your life, and watching your sanity slip away.
- Complete rules for character creation.
- Six characters, ready to play.
- A Delta Green operation, “Last Things Last,” ready for the Handler (the game moderator) to introduce your team to Delta Green tonight.
This is only the beginning. Deeper terrors can be found in Delta Green: Agent's Handbook and other sourcebooks for Delta Green: The Role-Playing Game, available from Arc Dream Publishing.
And this package includes the HANDLER'S SCREEN, a sturdy four-panel screen with vital information for the game moderator on the inside and unsettling art for players on the outside.
This is only the beginning. Deeper terrors can be found in Delta Green: The Role-Playing Game and its sourcebooks, available from Arc Dream Publishing.
Born of the U.S. government’s 1928 raid on the degenerate coastal town of Innsmouth, Massachusetts, the covert agency known as Delta Green spent four decades opposing the forces of darkness with honor, but without glory. Stripped of sanction after a disastrous 1969 operation in Cambodia, Delta Green’s leaders made a secret pact: to continue their work without authority, without support, and without fear. Delta Green agents slip through the system, manipulating the federal bureaucracy while pushing the darkness back for another day—but often at a shattering personal cost.
In Delta Green: The Role-Playing Game, you are one of those agents. You’re the one they call when unnatural horrors seep into the world. You fight to keep cosmic evil from claiming human lives and sanity. You conspire to cover it all up so no one else must see what you’ve seen—or learn the terrible truths you’ve discovered.
This quickstart rulebook of DELTA GREEN: NEED TO KNOW includes everything you need to play Delta Green.
- Complete rules for conducting investigations, overcoming crises, fighting for your life, and watching your sanity slip away.
- Complete rules for character creation.
- Six characters, ready to play.
- A Delta Green operation, “Last Things Last,” ready for the Handler (the game moderator) to introduce your team to Delta Green tonight.
This is only the beginning. Deeper terrors can be found in Delta Green: Agent's Handbook and other sourcebooks for Delta Green: The Role-Playing Game, available from Arc Dream Publishing.
And this package includes the HANDLER'S SCREEN, a sturdy four-panel screen with vital information for the game moderator on the inside and unsettling art for players on the outside.
This is only the beginning. Deeper terrors can be found in Delta Green: The Role-Playing Game and its sourcebooks, available from Arc Dream Publishing.
48 pages, Paperback
Published March 22, 2016
About the author
Shane Ivey
50 books22 followersManaging editor and president of Arc Dream Publishing, www.arcdream.com.
Editor-in-chief of The Unspeakable Oath, www.theunspeakableoath.com.
Editor of Delta Green, www.delta-green.com.
Editor-in-chief of The Unspeakable Oath, www.theunspeakableoath.com.
Editor of Delta Green, www.delta-green.com.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 14, 2026
This looks very promising. The changes they done from CoC seems to be mostly for the better. Skill mechanics, sanity and heavy wepons jumps out as improvements.
The adventure in the back is nice thst they included, but its really simple. Might be grand if you never played a skill based system before, but if you played CoC, this wont help you much. Still gonna play it doe.
Rule book and some adventures are in the post, so I am looking forward to dig deeper into Delta Green. And then torture my players in the years to come.
The adventure in the back is nice thst they included, but its really simple. Might be grand if you never played a skill based system before, but if you played CoC, this wont help you much. Still gonna play it doe.
Rule book and some adventures are in the post, so I am looking forward to dig deeper into Delta Green. And then torture my players in the years to come.
August 4, 2026
"Delta Green: Confidencial" es un suplemento que se ha publicado en castellano hace menos de un año, pensado para el Supervisor de este magnífico juego de rol. El producto trae dos elementos: un libreto de unas 48 páginas aproximadamente y la pantalla del director de juego.
La pantalla es pequeña, de unos 24 cm de altura, pero tiene cuatro cuerpos, suficientes para dirigir partidas con comodidad y para tapar aquello que el Supervisor no quiere que vean los jugadores. Además, trae las tablas y reglas importantes que conviene tener a mano para no estar todo el rato buscándolas en el manual. Lamentablemente, la edición en castellano viene con erratas, y precisamente en la pantalla. Devir Iberia ha publicado para descarga las tablas corregidas, pero hay que imprimirlas, recortarlas y pegarlas encima, lo cual convierte la solución en un parche bastante poco elegante. Una pena para quienes ya tenemos esta primera edición.
Con el libreto me esperaba algo más. Sabía que incluía una aventura —y era justo eso lo que más me interesaba del suplemento—, una operación de Delta Green titulada "Lo último es lo último", que ocupa unas 8 o 10 páginas, más algunos handouts para repartir a los jugadores. Es una partida sencilla, cortita y amena, quizá le falta un poco más de chicha, pero adecuada para iniciarse en el juego. También trae seis agentes listos para jugar, fichas pregeneradas para que los jugadores puedan adoptarlas directamente sin tener que crear personajes desde cero, algo siempre útil cuando quieres ponerte a jugar de inmediato.
El resto de páginas son en realidad un repaso rápido de reglas para dirigir investigaciones o para la creación de personajes, contenido que ya aparece en el Delta Green: Agent's Handbook. Está bien tenerlo a mano como recordatorio para sesiones rápidas en las que no quieres andar consultando el manual original, pero se me quedó corto: esperaba alguna agencia nueva, alguna conspiración, algún añadido que ampliara de verdad el universo del juego. Así que me queda una sensación agridulce con este suplemento.
La pantalla es pequeña, de unos 24 cm de altura, pero tiene cuatro cuerpos, suficientes para dirigir partidas con comodidad y para tapar aquello que el Supervisor no quiere que vean los jugadores. Además, trae las tablas y reglas importantes que conviene tener a mano para no estar todo el rato buscándolas en el manual. Lamentablemente, la edición en castellano viene con erratas, y precisamente en la pantalla. Devir Iberia ha publicado para descarga las tablas corregidas, pero hay que imprimirlas, recortarlas y pegarlas encima, lo cual convierte la solución en un parche bastante poco elegante. Una pena para quienes ya tenemos esta primera edición.
Con el libreto me esperaba algo más. Sabía que incluía una aventura —y era justo eso lo que más me interesaba del suplemento—, una operación de Delta Green titulada "Lo último es lo último", que ocupa unas 8 o 10 páginas, más algunos handouts para repartir a los jugadores. Es una partida sencilla, cortita y amena, quizá le falta un poco más de chicha, pero adecuada para iniciarse en el juego. También trae seis agentes listos para jugar, fichas pregeneradas para que los jugadores puedan adoptarlas directamente sin tener que crear personajes desde cero, algo siempre útil cuando quieres ponerte a jugar de inmediato.
El resto de páginas son en realidad un repaso rápido de reglas para dirigir investigaciones o para la creación de personajes, contenido que ya aparece en el Delta Green: Agent's Handbook. Está bien tenerlo a mano como recordatorio para sesiones rápidas en las que no quieres andar consultando el manual original, pero se me quedó corto: esperaba alguna agencia nueva, alguna conspiración, algún añadido que ampliara de verdad el universo del juego. Así que me queda una sensación agridulce con este suplemento.
July 7, 2019
This is a set of quick-start rules for the Delta Green Role-playing game. In addition to simplified versions of the rules (including character creation), it includes six sample Player Characters and a decent scenario, “Last Things Last,” to play, which I felt was a better scenario than the one presented in the Delta Green Handler’s Guide. The size of this book feels just right for its intentions and it’s information is presented in an easy to understand format (I had some slight confusion concerning the explanation for skill selection in the character creation section, but since I have the core rulebook I understood what it was trying to say).
April 8, 2026
A fun starting point with some connective tissue to expand upon.
August 11, 2025
Good little quickstart. Is missing a couple things that a quickstart ought to have —e.g. a plain-English explanation of what the attributes and skills mean (POW especially) — but you can absolutely run a first session with this, and absolutely should. The intro scenario, Last Things Last, might look a little linear and lightweight on a first pass, but even as a pretty experienced GM it was good to have something easy to follow for running a brand new system, and my players loved it. Marlene is deeply creepy and creates a proper moral quandary for new players.
One outcome the book doesn't prepare you for is if the players (who in my case had been recruited to DG the previous day) leave Marlene behind to report to their handler. I handled this by having their handler panic at their meeting the following day, chew the players out, and then speed back to the cabin with the players in tow. On arrival they find Clyde Baughman's daughter and granddaughter dead in their car, still belted into passengers seats. Marlene's unharmed body lies beside the open septic tank hatch. Clyde's son-in-law has vanished. The players and handler dispose of the car, burn the bodies in the tank, and go their separate ways, hardened, and fully aware of the consequences of a DG agent prevaricating.
One outcome the book doesn't prepare you for is if the players (who in my case had been recruited to DG the previous day) leave Marlene behind to report to their handler. I handled this by having their handler panic at their meeting the following day, chew the players out, and then speed back to the cabin with the players in tow. On arrival they find Clyde Baughman's daughter and granddaughter dead in their car, still belted into passengers seats. Marlene's unharmed body lies beside the open septic tank hatch. Clyde's son-in-law has vanished. The players and handler dispose of the car, burn the bodies in the tank, and go their separate ways, hardened, and fully aware of the consequences of a DG agent prevaricating.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 23, 2022
A solid quick-start manual for the system. Skimmed this prior to playing a one-shot (not the one from this book, but another one) with my gaming group, used a pre-generated character sheet, and felt ready to play with minimal preparation time required. I like this d100 and sanity system a little better than Call of Cthulhu (even though they share a lot in common). If we end up playing more in future I'll probably move on to reading the Delta Green: Agent's Handbook but for a single game as a player, the Need to Know is more than sufficient.
August 27, 2025
The Delta Green quick start rules are perfect for people new to the game and evoke the feeling of playing desperate agents grappling with the unknowable incredibly well
However I feel like this adventure is a little bare for a new handler. It’s not bad but it requires a bit of extra work to make it sing which might be tough for someone who’s new to the game
However I feel like this adventure is a little bare for a new handler. It’s not bad but it requires a bit of extra work to make it sing which might be tough for someone who’s new to the game
January 3, 2023
Decent referee screen in the correct configuration (ie, each panel is in landscape orientation), plus a good quickstart/quick-reference booklet. Full review: https://refereeingandreflection.wordp...
March 21, 2021
Clear cut introduction to the world and system.
Starting adventure could have been a little more fleshed out.
Starting adventure could have been a little more fleshed out.
June 24, 2018
Why have I read this?
I pledged the Delta Green Kickstarter to the full. While I am recovering from that--and eating a lot of canned food--might as well read what is being published.
This is between me and this book, but you might want to know about it.
I have never played Delta Green. In fact, it was not until two years ago that I read the core rulebook--which had been standing on my shelf for at least two more years. But I had always loved the setting. When I started reading Lovecraft and playing Call of Cthulhu (CoC), X-Files was at its apogee and I wondered why there were no more FBI agents in the game. Little I knew about American history and the fact that the FBI does not usually go martian hunting--or so they want us to believe. Delta Green was the response to that, and what a response. I might talk about the old books in a while, but, in short, I like this setting a lot. So, you should not be surprised this is a very positive review.
(Almost) Spoiler free review
Delta Green: Need to know fulfills two functions as an RPG supplement. First, is the classic adventure booklet that a decent GM screen should have. Except that the screen has not been printed yet. That is because it is also a quick-start rules booklet, and it is free (yes, free for everybody). This is already a great point in favor of this supplement. The intro boxes for D&D Next and Star Wars: Edge of Empire are great, but this one is too, and it will cost you nothing. True, it might not be the best product to get introduced to RPGs, but I suppose that if you are reading this you have already played CoC.
The book itself presents very briefly the setting of Delta Green (DG): a secret organization within the different branches of the government protecting the American people against...let's call them the greys. As the timeline has moved from the late '1990s to the mid 2010's, some important changes have occurred in the setting and now DG is an official part of the government.
Moving forward in time is not the only reason for this reboot of DG, it is now an independent game and rather than a CoC supplement. If you have played CoC, you will already familiar with the rules presented here, although not with all of them. Sanity works more or less like in CoC, but it has additional rules for getting used to certain kinds of harrowing experiences. If you are familiar with Unknown Armies, you probably know what I am referring to. It also has rules for your after-work life, similar to the anchors in Trail of Cthulhu.
It is be because I am very familiar with CoC that I say this might not be the best intro RPG ever. If there is anything that is not perfectly explained, I suppose my mind will just fill the gaps with the rules I already know. In any case, what it is the book seems enough to get the basics.
The book is completed with an introductory adventure and some gender-neutral characters--yey diversity! As far as introductory adventures go, I find this one pretty good. It is simple and straightforward, players should get a taste of the rules and the setting without a problem. Nevertheless, this is DG, and that means player will have to make some difficult decisions before the story is over.
Spoilers...
It is a short book and a short adventure. If you are curious about those difficult decisions, read it! Or even better, play it!
You should buy it if... / you should read it if...
You do not have to. The booklet is available for free so wether you trust me or not, you do not have a reason not to check it out yourself.
I pledged the Delta Green Kickstarter to the full. While I am recovering from that--and eating a lot of canned food--might as well read what is being published.
This is between me and this book, but you might want to know about it.
I have never played Delta Green. In fact, it was not until two years ago that I read the core rulebook--which had been standing on my shelf for at least two more years. But I had always loved the setting. When I started reading Lovecraft and playing Call of Cthulhu (CoC), X-Files was at its apogee and I wondered why there were no more FBI agents in the game. Little I knew about American history and the fact that the FBI does not usually go martian hunting--or so they want us to believe. Delta Green was the response to that, and what a response. I might talk about the old books in a while, but, in short, I like this setting a lot. So, you should not be surprised this is a very positive review.
(Almost) Spoiler free review
Delta Green: Need to know fulfills two functions as an RPG supplement. First, is the classic adventure booklet that a decent GM screen should have. Except that the screen has not been printed yet. That is because it is also a quick-start rules booklet, and it is free (yes, free for everybody). This is already a great point in favor of this supplement. The intro boxes for D&D Next and Star Wars: Edge of Empire are great, but this one is too, and it will cost you nothing. True, it might not be the best product to get introduced to RPGs, but I suppose that if you are reading this you have already played CoC.
The book itself presents very briefly the setting of Delta Green (DG): a secret organization within the different branches of the government protecting the American people against...let's call them the greys. As the timeline has moved from the late '1990s to the mid 2010's, some important changes have occurred in the setting and now DG is an official part of the government.
Moving forward in time is not the only reason for this reboot of DG, it is now an independent game and rather than a CoC supplement. If you have played CoC, you will already familiar with the rules presented here, although not with all of them. Sanity works more or less like in CoC, but it has additional rules for getting used to certain kinds of harrowing experiences. If you are familiar with Unknown Armies, you probably know what I am referring to. It also has rules for your after-work life, similar to the anchors in Trail of Cthulhu.
It is be because I am very familiar with CoC that I say this might not be the best intro RPG ever. If there is anything that is not perfectly explained, I suppose my mind will just fill the gaps with the rules I already know. In any case, what it is the book seems enough to get the basics.
The book is completed with an introductory adventure and some gender-neutral characters--yey diversity! As far as introductory adventures go, I find this one pretty good. It is simple and straightforward, players should get a taste of the rules and the setting without a problem. Nevertheless, this is DG, and that means player will have to make some difficult decisions before the story is over.
Spoilers...
It is a short book and a short adventure. If you are curious about those difficult decisions, read it! Or even better, play it!
You should buy it if... / you should read it if...
You do not have to. The booklet is available for free so wether you trust me or not, you do not have a reason not to check it out yourself.
July 21, 2026
An excellent quick start that goes over the tone, setting & rules. Also includes an admittedly bare bones scenario "Last Things Last" but it works well as an introduction for both players and the Handler. So the simplicity is not necessarily a negative more a plus for beginners.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews