Setting: Delta Green
Campaign: Armitage Files
Oracle: Mythic GME v2
Rules: Cthulhu Deep Green
Idea:
I wanted to give the Armitage Files from Pelgrane Press a second chance. The first time I tried it, I had false expectations. I expected highly interconnected well worked out NPCs, Locations and Plots. That is not what Armitage Files provides. What it provides is a frame for a highly improvised campaign, and therefore plenty of room for Mythic to go wild without breaking things.
As NPCs, Locations and Plots in Armitage files not seem crazly tied to the 1930s setting of Trial of Cthulhu, I try to run the whole thing as a modern interpretation in the Delta Green setting.
One big draw of the Armitage Files, are the Armitage Files, crazy handouts that inspire the players to forge their own paths. I will not disclose those here in full. But if I reference crazy things, they probably come from those files.
Setup
Agent Armitage, was just returning to his compact city apartment from a particularly grueling mission. It was a bitter, moonless night, the time on his wristwatch reading precisely 01:23 AM.
His eyes were drawn to the envelope lying in the center of his kitchen table, illuminated by the single dim light above. This was not right. He lived alone and was careful about his privacy – very few people even knew where he lived. The sight of the unexpected object sent a prickle of unease down his spine.
Armitage set down his gear and moved cautiously towards the envelope, his well-worn boots making a soft sound against the hardwood floor. He reached out and picked up the envelope. There were no markings, no return address, just a stark white rectangle under the cold kitchen light.
With deft fingers, he broke the seal of the envelope and pulled out a single sheet of paper. The document was a stark contrast to the unmarked envelope, filled with hastily scrawled handwriting that covered every inch of the page.
He felt the blood drain from his face as he examined the handwriting. It was his. Every loop, every cross of the ‘t’, every idiosyncratic press of the pen was an echo of his own hand. It was as if he was looking at a ghost of his own making. He knew, however, that he had never written this document.
He glanced again at the time. 01:23 AM. Armitage was now fully awake, a sense of dread knotting his stomach. This was no ordinary mission debriefing. This was something far more unnerving and personal.
Starting Scene 0 – CF:3 – 1:23 AM
Agent Armitage opens his laptop and starts researching what he find in the notes.
Armitage Files:
” I believe, hope, pray that
the Möbius hornets have been fully
expundged from my consequences
consciousness.”
Does he finds something regarding the Möbius hornets? 50/50 > Yes > Human Die + Occupation > 6 “
The Agent succeeds brilliantly and gets
thing extra. Maybe more than they
some
bargained for. The Handler may confront them
With a difficult truth. ” > Random paragraph from Delta Green Countdown – The Insects from Shaggai >
In a web forum Agent Armitage finds the following entry: “
In 1643 a group of refugees made their way to the Severn Valley of England and a small, densely forested area known as Goatswood. These refugees were not fleeing any war, tyrant,
pestilence, or famine. They were fleeing the destruction of
their world, Shaggai. This was no catastrophic act of nature;
their world was obliterated by Ghroth, the “Harbinger and
Maker,” a planet-sized entity that prowls the cold wastes of
interstellar night. In coming to our world, these fugitives-who
call themselves the Shans-have inadvertently marooned themselves.
Their options are simple: conquest or perish.”
Dark die for stress and insight > automatic increase by one for both
Agent Armitage reads those lines, well knowing that he cannot trust anything he finds on the web, but somehow it makes sense. It feels true. And that disturbs him deeply.
He decides to explore other avenues.
Armitage Files:
“
Also, do not place your trust in
Austin Kittrell. I believe this was
my first mistake.
“
Can he find anything about Austin Kittrell > likely > Exceptional No > But nothing could be found, it is like the name never existed in the first place.
Armitage Files:
“The new sanatorium on the outskirts
of town. When I was there, I sensed
that something had gone awry. “
Is there a sanatorium matching the description “the new sanatorium on the outskirts”? > very likely > yes > human die + occupation > 1
“The Agent barely succeeds, but maybe not in the
way they intended. The Handler determines how” > Armitage finds an address but nothing noteworthy about the place, not even some pictures. He notes the address down and makes a note to visit the place.
Armitage Files:
“
I was distracted by my fruitless
attempt to find men who had been at
the circus that October night.
“
Is there a circus nearby? > very likely > Yes > human die + occupation > 4 “
“The Agent succeeds competently. They describe how. ” >
Surely there is a circus in a nearby town. Armitage writes down the address and makes a note to visit it.
Armitage Files:
“
Also there was the trip to the
Kingsport Yacht Club. Definitely
they were lying to me there.
“
Does Armitage find something about the Kingsport Yacht Club > Nearly certain > Yes > human dice + occ > 5 “
The Agent succeeds and may get an advantage. The Handler decides what it is. > Advantage: Interstingly Simple >
Armitage finds out that the Kingsport Yacht Club is still a thing, and the application process to it is interestingly simple, once someone found the application form on the website of the Yacht club. Armitage makes a mental note to fill the form out and to apply and visit.
Armitage Files:
“Oliver
Gardiner seemed to see through me
and to become progressively more
distant as I talked. “
What about Oliver Gardiner, anything that can be found on the net about him? > very likely > No >
Like with Austin Kittrell there nothing to find about Oliver Gardiner, besides some vague mentions of unrelated persons by this name. It does not feel as scrubed as with Austin, but still weird to find so little of a common sounding name.
Armitage Files:
“
An approach to Gardiner that does
not reference the occult, the Old
Ones, the forces of authority—in
other words, as legitimate members
of a boating association…
“
Anything on the web about “the Old Ones” > 50/50 > Yes > Human Die + Occ > 5 “The Agent succeeds and may get an advantage. The Handler decides what it is. > Advantage:Boldly Lonely >
Armitage finds a passage about the old ones that catches his eye: “
It is said that, “when the stars are right” the Great
Old Ones will plunge from world to world and the universe
shall truly know fear. When the stars are not right, the Old
Ones cannot live. “
Armitage is filled with a feeling of loneliness when he reads those lines.
Armitage Files:
“
Or perhaps better to tackle it all
through Diamond Walsh.
“
Can Armitage find something Diamond Walsh > very likely > Yes > human die + occ > 3 “
The Agent barely succeeds, but maybe not in the
way they intended. The Handler determines how” > disadvantage: Exitedly lethal >
Armitage finds a Diamond Walsh, but he seems to be sitting on death row for crimes commited together with his gang.
Armitage Files:
“
The intersections between human and inhuman desires are too many for the ebon hand of Nyarlathotep to be far away.
“
Does Armitage finds something about Nyarlathotep? 50/50 > No > His web search of this name brings no results.
Armitage Files:
“DO NOT DRINK THE TEARS OF
AZAZOTH”
Does the name “Tears of Azazoth” bring anything to the surface? > 50/50 > No > This search also ends in a dead end.
Fully exhausted Armitage collapses in fron of his laptop to enter very unrestful, dream hunted sleep.
How long took the research? > d8 > 3 hours
How long does he sleeps? > d20 > 2 hours
Scene 1 – Starting the hunt – CF:4 – 7:00 AM
Altered Scene, Current Context, Depart Emotionen
As Armitage awakes he he feels a disconnect between him and his emotions. Normally a situation like this screams “Inform Delta Green”, but it does not sit well with him. He was part of multiple missions for Detla Green now and he knows that the interest of the “victims” is not always coming first.
Maybe it is a better idea to keep the whole situation under wraps for now.
Still he wants to investigate further, if this document leads to anything worth while. As such he calls in sick at the office so he as some time to do some research.
Even though he is not trusting his “letter self” yet, he understands that he might makes wrong decisions again. As such he decides to randomly select which lead he wants to proceed next.
He has the following options:
1. Visit the Circus
2. Visit the sanatorium
3. Pursue the Kingsport Yacht Club
4. Visit Diamond Walsh on Death row
He downloads a dice app and throws a virtual dice.
What is the dice showing > d4 > 4
So Diamond Walsh it is!
How far is the prison where Diamond Walsh resides away? > d8 > 5 >
Armitage preps for a long drive.
Scene 2 – Visiting Death Row – CF:5 – 1pm
Altered Scene;Move away from unmasking the mind wasps; Inspect Goal>
On the long drive to the prison where Diamond Walsh is sitting on death row, Armitage reflects on his goals. He comes to the conclusion that the whole mind wasp story sounds pretty silly now when he thinks about it.
Armitage arrives at the Prison. He goes to the entrance and announces himself as FBI Agent Armitage and that he needs to speak to Walsh in regards of a case.
Is he able to convince the prison staff to let him speak with Walsh? > very likely > Exceptional Yes >
Without much red tape in the way, the staff escorts Armitage to the part of the building where Walsh resides.
They pass moaning, screaming and crying prisoners. Some plead for forgivnes. Other plead for a quick end.
Any prisoner states anything important to Armitage as he passes? > unlikely > No
They reach the cell of Walsh.
Guard:”Walsh! You have a visitor! Behave! I doubt that you want to spend your last days in isolation!”
The Guard is opening the door. Then he secures Walsh with chains to his bank. After that he instructs Armitage were he can safely stand and sit.
Guard.”If anything is, let me know!”
The Guard closes the heavy door behind him.
Walsh and Armitage are now alone.
Walsh is in his mid 60s, has a veiny nose, watery eyes and gray hair.
He compulsively fiddles with his fingernails.
Armitage knows from his research that Walsh is a gang leader and sits on death row for multiple lethal crimes, connected to his mob boss days.
UNE:
The neutral NPC’s converstion mood is sociable.
The friendly NPC speaks of shelter regarding the PC’s last story.
Walsh:”How can help you?” Wlash is speaking in a socialble, quite interested tone.
Armitage:”I have to make some sense of a case I’m working on. I do not really know how you might be involved in this, but at this moment in time I do not have much to go with.”
Walsh:”Whatever it is, my help is yours. People are underestimating the boredom in places like this. You are a very welcome distraction from my impending doom!”
Armitage runs some points he found in his letter through Walsh, trying not to sound to crazy.
Does Walsh react to certain bits? > likely > Yes > Random Item > Austin Kitrell > Bleakly Reassuring >
When Armitage is mentioning the name Austin Kitrell, Armitage sees a spike of attention in Walsh’s eyes.
Walsh:”If I know Austin Kitrell? You mean too much money for his own sake Kitrell? Yes I know him.
Bold waylay:
Exotic anuimals overcome by enemy help
Walsh:”You know if you have too much money and time your desires get the better part of you. One such avenue that Kitrell explored, one of many, was the ‘import’ of exotic animals. My people helped him with the logistics, if you know what I mean. “
Armitage:”What did he wanted to do with those animals?”
> Aggressivly Unpleasant
Walsh:”I can tell you he was no animal lover. I once saw him handle a monkey, and I guess the monkey would have switched places with me if he could.”
Armitage:”Why is Kitrell so hard to find on the Internet?”
> Anxiously Boring
Walsh:”Kitrell is a son of a bitch, but he is smart enough to value his privacy. He employes diffrent services to scrub the net for him to keep a low profile. Once he even recruited us, to get rid of some juicy entries in a webforum. I do not know who got the better end of the stick, the monkey or the admin.”
Armitage:”Can you tell me where I can find Kitrell?”
Can he > very likely > No >
Walsh:”Not reall, as I said, he likes to keep a low profile. I can tell you some bars where he used to get drunk and pick up girls, but no idea if he still visits those.”
Other topics that Walsh could share insights on? > 50/50 > No >
Walsh:”Very entertaining questions you had there for me, sorry I wasn’t bigger of a help.”
Armitage:”I take what I can get. Thanks!”
Walsh:”If you feel like I can help more, do not hesitate to visit an old man on his last miles to hell!”
Armitage calls the guard to let him out.
Armitage uses his dice app again, to plan his next steps:
He has the following options:
1. Visit the Circus
2. Visit the sanatorium
3. Pursue the Kingsport Yacht Club
> 3
So next up the circus it will be.
How far is the drive? 1d8 > 1 >
Luckily the circus is close to the prison so Armitage will reach the place in a reasonable amount of time.
Scene 3 – Going to the Circus > The Call – CF:4 – 3pm
Interupt Scene, NPC Action: The Patient, Ambush Comfort
As Armitage was about to start his car, suddenly his secret mobile phone rang, the one only Delta Green has the number for.
Armitage:”Hello?”
Is the voice : 1. Male, 2.Female > Male
Male Voice:”Hello Agent Armitage!”
Une:
The neutral NPC’s converstion mood is neutral.
The insane NPC speaks of façade regarding the PC’s friends.
Male Voice:”Did you expected your green triangle friends. Poor Armitage, are you thinking those people are your friends? It is all a facade to lure you in and throw you away when time is coming to make the hard choices.”
Armitage:”How did you get this number?”
Does the voice answers? > likely > Yes > Crazily Small >
Male voice:”You know the world seems so big for, for a crazily small minded race like yours. And as such the probability to encounter someone who knows what is needed seems also small. But in reality, whith the right intetntion, the probability to get what you need is quite high.”
Armitage:”Who are you?”
Hopelessly Military
Male Voice:”I’m your comrade in a hopeless war. I’m your wingman in a downward spiral. I’m the only person you can really trust.”
Armitage:”Does my comrade has a name?”
Does he reveal a name? > 50/50 > No
Male Voice:”I go by many names. But the name you are searching for is to early for you to know. Everything has its time before the end.”
Armitage:”Where can I find you?”
Does he reveal a place? > 50/50 > Yes
Male Voice:”You can find me at the Sanatorium! No hurry I will wait for you. See you soon Agent Armitage!”
The other sides hangs up.
—To be continued —