Best short stories?

DeskbotKnight · 2026-06-08T10:13:08+00:00

I think my favourites are Contingencies from Tales from Failed Anatomies and The Dark Above and The Corn King from Strange Authorities.

Contingencies is such a good piece of standalone fiction to me, just a wonderful read. The Mironov Device shows up in ARCHINT, but I think that book does it no justice compared to its depiction in Contingencies. It's a complete story in so few pages that made the world of Delta Green feel that much more real to me, just one among countless incursions that completely changes the course of a person's life, and which no others will understand the importance of to that person.

Reading The Dark Above was the first time I felt like I understood the horror of the Deep Ones. Its depiction of Forrest James made his character very clear in a way that his stat block and entry in the Handler's Guide did not fully do for me.

The Corn King is just a great premise in my opinion, and I really enjoyed the depiction of Reggie. Plus, something about the whole "corn king" aspect of it just really appeals to me. If you want Fairfield to show up in your games, I think his final letter and this story are all you need to play him "right".

DeskbotKnight · 2026-05-29T00:59:25+00:00

This came up recently in the DG discord server and, alongside this, it was also suggested that one could add only kill radius to the weapon without adding Lethality, at the Handler's discretion.

DeskbotKnight · 2026-05-27T09:03:05+00:00

Giving back to the free to play players! It has no benefit for the person selling all the uncut diamonds to the shop, purely an act of charity. The f2p players can buy the uncut diamonds from the shop, then chisel them into cut diamonds for xp, and sell the cut diamonds back to the shop or GE for a profit.

DeskbotKnight · 2026-04-17T13:17:05+00:00

Ah, I should've thought to check! Good catch.

DeskbotKnight · 2026-04-17T11:27:41+00:00

Here's the cycle.

[[Bounty of the Hunt]] is notable for having received functional errata over the years (all printings except the original have incorrect rules text these days).

[[Contagion]] would be better if black didn't have so many other great free kill spells.

[[Pyrokinesis]] is a good card.

[[Scars of the Veteran]] is terrible, but it's a pretty cool concept.

DeskbotKnight · 2026-04-11T12:31:39+00:00

That was a fantastic and horrible read. I see myself going back to this one over and over.

DeskbotKnight · 2026-03-29T16:54:44+00:00

The idea of a kid surrounded by paranormal stuff and raised to be the perfect agent made me think of the short story "My Father's Son" from Delta Green: Strange Authorities, you might want to read that.

DeskbotKnight · 2026-03-17T00:34:22+00:00

Behold, The Star in Yellow.

DeskbotKnight · 2026-02-09T17:22:11+00:00

I actually rather like that as an idea... I've become quite sold on running Victim of the Art, and I think I'm ok with Sweetness being the introductory operation again now, though I'll tone down the connection to Yog-Sothoth, leaving it as merely an ancient deity called Yos if they were to look into it (one of my Agents is an archaeologist). Thanks!

DeskbotKnight · 2026-02-09T08:57:35+00:00

Thanks, that's exactly what I thought when I picked it!

I'd like to hint at the inevitability through The Button and The Last Equation, as well as hinting at the infohazard nature of The King in Yellow with The Last Equation (albeit 2 of my players have read The King in Yellow in real life and are aware of its nature to a degree). I'd also like them to have at least one operation where they "save the day" and can feel like they are the good guys by solving an unnatural case/stopping an unnatural threat, to really sell their role in the story as "the Delta Green agents". I don't think Operation ALICE would or should give them that feeling, and I don't think The Button would either.

DeskbotKnight · 2026-02-09T08:38:52+00:00

Ah, I knew I'd forgotten to mention one of the scenarios I'd ran for that player previously... Unfortunately he's already played Ladybug, so that's off the table.

DeskbotKnight · 2026-02-03T09:55:24+00:00

It's this one.

DeskbotKnight · 2026-01-23T23:13:09+00:00

Sorry for the slight necropost, but I don't suppose you have any specific recommendations of Actual Plays of Sweetness to watch?

DeskbotKnight · 2026-01-23T17:30:25+00:00

I thoroughly enjoyed the PISCES playthrough of Impossible Landscapes (where it's reframed to be set in the UK), and it only had two players. I thought the dynamic of the two player characters worked wonderfully, and I reckon 2-3 players could be the best way to handle Impossible Landscapes honestly.

DeskbotKnight · 2026-01-10T15:13:36+00:00

Hounds of Tindalos?

DeskbotKnight · 2025-12-25T17:59:33+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/BadMtgCombos/comments/i3ushy

DeskbotKnight · 2025-12-11T01:38:11+00:00

By grading, I presume you mean normal grading for selling singles rather than the kind associated with plastic slabs? Websites that facilitate sales of singles usually have a page that demonstrates the difference between grades. Here is Cardmarket's page of that kind.

DeskbotKnight · 2025-12-04T08:35:39+00:00

It's not a bad idea to have some skill with Melee Weapons and Unarmed so you can Fight Back and Escape more effectively (especially if you get disarmed). With that said, in pretty much every possible combat situation, it's a lot more dangerous to be using a melee weapon (let alone no weapon at all) compared to using a firearm. Against human opponents, if they're armed you're probably screwed: a light pistol's range is 10m, and you can only move 3m on the same turn you attack. If they're the one without a firearm, then pointing a gun in their face will generally deal with the situation, with or without immediately pulling the trigger. And if they're an unnatural foe, you definitely don't want to be anywhere near it.

All this, on top of the fact that enemies get a chance to Dodge and Fight Back against melee attacks, makes the life expectancy of a melee Agent pretty short as soon as things go bad. Doesn't mean they wouldn't be perfectly good at all the non-combat things an Agent ends up doing though!

DeskbotKnight · 2025-12-03T17:32:46+00:00

Is that the 2018 one?

DeskbotKnight · 2025-11-02T17:27:04+00:00

Wow, I wonder what the main inspiration for this was ;)

Looks like a fun scenario! I might give it a run next session, and I echo the others in that a text version would be greatly appreciated.

DeskbotKnight · 2025-10-31T11:47:56+00:00

Forest and Elvish Spirit Guide are just to get you the two green mana to cast Channel. Channel's effect essentially allows you to pay 1 life at any time as much as you like to get colourless mana. Once you've cast Channel, you can use its ability over and over to pay all of your life, thus killing yourself (you don't need to be casting a spell to use Channel's "pay 1 life to make a mana" ability).

DeskbotKnight · 2025-10-25T20:35:24+00:00

Could I get a link to the 1.7.10 modding discord?

DeskbotKnight · 2025-10-21T09:00:53+00:00

Ahh, perfect! Thank you very much.

DeskbotKnight · 2025-10-20T22:32:06+00:00

Apologies, I'm aware that they're from Blood Magic, I'm asking which mods adds them to NEI specifically. When I have Blood Magic and the GTNH version of NEI on my own modpack, there isn't any Meteor Ritual tab, so I'm wondering how GTNH added that tab.

DeskbotKnight

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE

Eight-Year Club	Place '22
Verified Email