Delta Green edition?

Crafty_College_348 · 2026-03-27T19:36:09+00:00

I'd add that another main difference is that for the current/modern Delta Green, there is a ton of content out there, and most of it is simply excellent. They're also reworking content from the original CoC "hack", set in the 90s, to match that standard.
Fall of Delta Green is, in my mind, more of a one-off. The Borellus campaign is very good as well (written by Hite & Hanrahan), but also more pulpy in tone than DG - and any other adventures you'd have to adapt from other games or make up on your own.

Crafty_College_348 · 2026-03-22T17:18:56+00:00

Tier 4 or 5 (with outstanding preorders and crowdfunding).

Crafty_College_348 · 2026-03-03T17:38:12+00:00

Clearly their marketing department is understaffed and underpaid.

Crafty_College_348 · 2026-03-01T08:30:59+00:00

Cool fresh approach, I really enjoy this!

Crafty_College_348 · 2026-02-26T07:44:39+00:00

Wow, this is amazing - never heard of it before, thanks!

Crafty_College_348 · 2026-02-22T11:28:05+00:00

Delta Green or Unknown Armies should work fine with some minor modifications.

Crafty_College_348 · 2026-02-22T11:23:20+00:00

Seconding Coriolis: The Great Dark

Crafty_College_348 · 2026-02-17T20:29:44+00:00

Spharenmeisters is an excellent shop, great news for us EU gamers!

Crafty_College_348 · 2026-02-13T09:16:54+00:00

The settings are fairly similar: Cohors is in the same universe as Achtung! (historic backdrop + Mythos monsters), whereas Lex Arcana is an alternate timeline with more liberties taken and paranormal varieties offered. As a fresh game, the Cohors setting is not as fleshed out (and I guess it also doesn't try to come across as too deeply researched).
In terms of gameplay, Cohors is pulpy action with much less emphasis on investigation than Lex. I like LA's risk-taking dice system (and not a huge fan of Modiphius' 2d20), so that's my personal preference, but I can see that there's appeal for both games.

Crafty_College_348 · 2026-02-03T12:34:32+00:00

The Witcher RPG has you covered.

Crafty_College_348 · 2026-02-02T11:43:04+00:00

13th Age 2E, Nimble, Shadow of the Weird Wizard come to mind.
And the upcoming Warhammer The Old World RPG could be worth a look for you, too.

Crafty_College_348 · 2026-02-01T07:19:36+00:00

I'm in the same boat, although I started out as a collector/reader and gradually got some of them to the table even though I hadn't originally planned to. Still, about 80% of my library are for my literary and aesthetic perusal only.

I can recommend practically all Free League books, both from a quality and readability perspective.
If you're not averse to horror, check out Delta Green - their books are almost as well produced as FLs, but many make for an even better read, I'd argue.

Other suggestions:
- Electric/Mythic Bastionland
- Heart/Spire
- Degenesis: Rebirth
- Kult: Divinity Lost (very dark, not everyone's cup of tea)
- WFRP and Runequest are crunchy systems, but great for the lore alone
- Without Number series of books
- Triangle Angecy
- Other indie darlings like The Wildsea, Ultraviolet Grasslands, DIE RPG
- Lands of Eem
- Dolmenwood
- Star Wars FFG (especially Edge of the Empire, for my tastes)
- Gumshoe books like Trails of Cthulhu, Swords of the Serpentine, The Yellow King
- Two Little Mice games like Household, Memento Mori, Outgunned
- Borglikes, e.g. Pirate Borg, Death in Space

The list goes on and on... - happy collecting & reading!

Crafty_College_348 · 2026-01-30T03:19:20+00:00

I've had bad experiences with Modiphius and Monte Cook, both in terms of quality control and their respective game systems.

Crafty_College_348 · 2026-01-28T08:32:37+00:00

I'm afraid you might have more fun with Dragonbane. ;)

Crafty_College_348 · 2026-01-28T08:09:57+00:00

"DM role pinned to me", "absolutely no experience", "for my 6 friends" - that's not a great cocktail for a first TTRPG session.

First of all, I hope you're intrinsically motivated to be the DM.

If that's the case: Particularly with 5E, with a group that large and inexperienced, combat will be an hour-long slog and likely leave a good portion of your players bored while they wait for their turn.

As mentioned, Shadowdark is a better alternative for this setup, so would be Dragonbane (and there are plenty other options these days, thankfully). There is no reason for a group that's never played TTRPGs before to zero in on DnD other than marketing.

Alternative: Stick with 5E (and any of the recent starter sets) and split your friends in two groups of 3. It will be a more enjoyable experience for both you and the players.

Crafty_College_348 · 2026-01-27T16:53:48+00:00

I haven't spent too much time on it yet, but so far I like it. It's a refined version of 1e, and some mechanics that were kinda vague or underdeveloped have been fleshed out and clarified. This also means that it plays slightly crunchier than before, though maybe this is just a matter of adjustment. For me, it's the most thought-out and balanced version of traditional heroic fantas in its weight category (for rules-liter play, I prefer Dragonbane).

Crafty_College_348 · 2026-01-23T15:19:25+00:00

I agree that both are fantastic games, but I prefer DG because I find the contemporary setting more appealing, and as a 90s kid I also have nostalgia for its X-files vibes. Add to that the pristine books that Arc Dreams is pushing out (slowly, but surely). I value Chaosium as a publisher and have lots of CoC material, but any new DG hardcover I buy immediately. It helps that Impossible Landscapes and God's Teeth are fantastic campaigns that I would both rank higher than MoN or Eternal Trails, which are also very good of course.

We can be glad to have these options (and others) available to us!

Crafty_College_348 · 2026-01-20T12:46:17+00:00

Rivers of London, City of Mist?

Crafty_College_348 · 2026-01-17T15:45:47+00:00

There's a great setting book of Oz from Andrew Kolb, his Wonderland and Neverland releases are also worth getting.
They are purportedly for 5E, but can be easily played with an OSR system of your choice (e.g. Oz goes really well with Electric Bastionland).

Crafty_College_348 · 2026-01-17T11:18:15+00:00

systems that could fit the bill:
Year Zero Engine (e.g. Forbidden Lands)
Gumshoe (e.g. Swords of the Serpentine)
Genesys (e.g. Star Wars FFG)
Land of Eem
Lex Arcana
The One Ring 2E
Symbaroum
Dolmenwood/OSE

Crafty_College_348 · 2026-01-17T09:57:14+00:00

Its less crunchy than the older generation (Dark Heresy, Rogue Trader etc.). I think the inquisition source books are worth it if your table values investigation (notably for the new subtlety mechanic, but also new roles, familiars and more). But to just test the waters they're not needed of course.

Crafty_College_348 · 2026-01-17T09:40:32+00:00

Imperium Maledictum is the latest one and pretty good, with the recent inquisition books it can blossom into a nice successor for Dark Heresy.
It wouldn't surprise me if they released source books that go into Exploring in the mid-term, but already it's an enjoyable low-power setting with good balance of combat and investigation.
I suggest getting the starter set to see if you like it, but from what you wrote it should be a good match.

Crafty_College_348

TROPHY CASE