Delta Green: The Star Chamber PDF

The Star Chamber A Scenario for Delta Green: The Role-Playing Game Written by Greg Stolze “The Star Chamber” is published by Arc Dream Publishing Chamber” works well in the middle, where it can provide in arrangement with the Delta Green Partnership. The...

The Star Chamber A Scenario for Delta Green: The Role-Playing Game Written by Greg Stolze “The Star Chamber” is published by Arc Dream Publishing Chamber” works well in the middle, where it can provide in arrangement with the Delta Green Partnership. The a larger perspective and introduce future colleagues, allies, intellectual property known as Delta Green is ™ and © rivals, or backup Agents. the Delta Green Partnership, who has licensed its use here. The contents of this document are © 2016 by Greg Stolze, Things Fall Apart excepting those elements that are components of the Delta Something went wrong in a recent operation, and Delta Green intellectual property. Illustrated by Dennis Detwiller, Green’s leaders have tasked the players’ Agents with learn- © 2016. For quick-play rules and more downloads, please ing how and why. The Agents must hear another team’s visit delta-green.com. Updated 25 JUL 2016. report of a mission that went very bad, decide what really happened, and make recommendations about the fates of Introduction the survivors. The disaster happened in Myanmar. The operation “The Star Chamber” is a scenario for Agents in the official, was code-named TIGER ISLAND. The principal actors reactivated Delta Green program. A self-contained, one-off have been given new aliases solely for the purposes of be- scenario, it can be inserted in the middle of an ongoing ing interrogated. They usually operate on foreign soil, so Delta Green campaign. It doesn’t work well as the first or they’re being examined stateside to minimize the possibili- second operation for a player team. The Agents need to ty of identification or recognition. They’re referred to here be established as trustworthy and solid. It also makes a as Task Force T.I. (for “TIGER ISLAND”). poor end to a campaign, since the Agents are unlikely to Neither examining another team’s dysfunction, nor face truly cataclysmic encounters or revelations. “The Star being examined, is very comfortable. In this scenario, the players get to do both. E xp lic at io n Here are some of the political, literary, and legal concepts that RASHOMON: Rashomon is inform this scenario. quite possibly the best Japane sion surrounding a violent enc se movie of the 1950s. It tells ounter between a samurai, his the stor y of the confu- dead. Conflicting stories leave wife , and a bandit, which ended it open whether the samurai died with the samurai or committed suicide. fighting the bandit, was murder ed by his wife, “STAR CHAMBER”: The Star Chamber was a British court that 17th. It judged cases involving operated from the late 15th cen the prominent and powerful—p tury through the legal proceedings. Witnesses eop le whose influence might othe and defendants were examined rwis e corrupt oppression, and is still synony in secret. In time, it became a mous with privilege, secrecy, sym bol of class and arbitrar y judgment. BURMA OR MYANMAR: Wh en it was a British crown colo that took over in 1962 officially ny, they called it “Burma.” The changed the name to “Myanm military government mese” and the people are still ar” in 1989. However, the lang “Burmese.” Rick probably call uage is still “Bur- the same country. s it “Myanmar” while Toby use s “Burma.” They’re CHAUCHUA OR…: The people referred to as “Chauchua” are and were dubbed the “Tcho-Tc known elsewhere as “Chaucha” ho” by western ethnologists in and “Jojos,” branch of humanity who worship the late 19th century. It is possible that inhuman patrons and cleave to they are a may also be that they are a com cultural traditions that appall eve pletely inhuman race that can ryo ne else. It ing. No one knows for sure, but pass for human, even to the poin it’s well established that they enjo t of interbreed- and every contact has led to unn y eating human flesh. Delta Gre atural horror. en knows them, 1 // The Star Chamber // // Delta Green // What Happened and What’s Happening Last May, Task Force T.I. fucked up. They were in Myanmar, deep in the undeveloped hinter- lands. Delta Green will not send a new team back there to check the facts. The survivors’ testimony is all this ad-hoc court has. They agree on the outlines of events, but two of them vituperatively blame each other for the mission’s failure. Scene by Bloody Scene How We Play “The Star Chamber” has an unusual degree of structure “The Star Chamber” puts players in a pair of contrasting for a Delta Green scenario. Its nine scenes are presented in roles. On one hand, they control their usual characters, in order and it runs best without deviation. If players express the game’s “present,” judging the stories and actions of concerns about the constraint, explain that it’s a one-time Task Force T.I.’s survivors. Their normal characters are thing. Within the “present day” scenes, their usual char- called “Primary.” The players also control members of acters’ decisions are wholly their own and what they say Task Force T.I., both in the present—as they argue and goes. The fate of Task Force T.I. is in their hands. explain—and in flashback scenes occurring the previous May. Task Force T.I. characters are “Secondary.” Scenes The twist is that three of the four flashback scenes The scenario begins with The Briefing and then goes by are not enacted “factually,” but from the point of view of scene. one survivor. Toby’s testimony presents him as justified »» SCENE 1: The Inquest Convenes (page 5) in his aggression and disastrously hindered by Mona’s »» SCENE 2: Flashback to Location TI-19 (page 6) incompetence. In Rick’s memories, Toby’s a bloodthirsty »» SCENE 3: Cross-Examination (page 9) simpleton. Jenny’s account of the culmination casts doubt »» SCENE 4: Flashback: The Ambush (Toby’s Tale) (page 9) on everything. »» SCENE 5: Flashback: Discussion and Dissent It’s Rashomon with anti-gods and automatic weapons. (Rick’s Tale) (page 12) »» SCENE 6: Courtroom Clarification (page 12) »» SCENE 7: Flashback: The Abominable Temple of S ensitive D ata Location TI-20 (Jenny’s Tale) (page 13) The members of Task Force T.I. are referred to by code »» SCENE 8: Closing Arguments (page 15) names for security’s sake. They’re not going to slip up »» SCENE 9: The Verdict (page 16) and call one another by their legal names (if they’re even known) or by prior aliases. For similar reasons, Locations Secondary Agents TI-19 and TI-20 are never called by their proper local »» JENNY: Bethany Stell, linguistics professor, 35. Mind names, nor are any identifying details given about the altered by Aklo. Suffers from conversion disorder military units involved or the suspect villagers at TI-19. (hysterical blindness). 2 // The Star Chamber // // Delta Green // »» MONA: Maria Rodriguez, State Department research- keep slaves and livestock compliant. Patron of the er, former Marine and Delta Green team leader, 51. Chuachua in the Shan State; aided them in binding Mind snapped; non-functional. Choi-Hubey under Location TI-20. »» PETE: Brian Mullroy, Customs Service special agent »» TATMADAW KYEE: The Myanmar army. and former Marine, 26. Was adapted to Violence. »» TATMADAW LAI: The Myanmar air force Deceased. »» THUI HUKKRUK: Chuachua for “Punisher of Inferior Dis- »» RICK: Todd Guertner, Foreign Service Officer special- believers.” The monster that attacked Bogyoke’s unit. izing in agriculture, 34. Aklo scars on his legs say, “This receptacle has been found acceptable by the Secondaries’ Languages Greedy Fertility Power.” (Jenny knows this; she may Only languages other than English are listed. or may not have translated it accurately for Rick.) »» AKLO: Jenny (60%); Mona recognizes the writing »» TOBY: Mike Carstairs, Export Enforcement officer, and it hurts her head 36. Detests Chuachuas (and that’s putting it mildly). »» BURMESE: Jenny (40%) Mona (40%) Adapted to Violence. »» CHUACHUA: Jenny (60%), Mona (40%) »» FRENCH: Rick (50%) Key NPCs »» MANDARIN: Rick (40%) »» THE PRIMARY TEAM’S CONTROL OFFICER: Identity and »» THAI: Mona (60%), Rick (50%), Toby (50%) details are up to the Handler. »» DELTA GREEN SECURITY GUARDS: Agent Smith, Agent The Briefing Johnson, Agent Taylor, etc. »» BOGYOKE ARUN HTAY: Captain in the Tatmadaw Kyee The Primary Agents get called in by their control officer, (Myanmar army). One of his units was attacked by who has arranged for them to get paid leave to “study in- something unnatural. Mona’s contact—willing to formation extraction techniques” in Chicago. Their plane help her, but always at a cost. tickets are paid for, and their bosses are placated. The »» KHIN MAUNG AYE: Runs a bar and brothel in Loca- Thursday and Friday they’re off work don’t even come off tion TI-19. Claims the Chuachua are terrible; might their sick days or vacation time. They fly in Thursday and identify half-breed Chuachuas. fly out Saturday for what their control officer assures them »» LUO MING: Chinese academic operating out of Hong is “a dry situation.” It’s safe. Kong. Chuachua researcher; traded a Chuachua text The Primary Agents’ control officer picks them up to Jenny in return for Rick’s necklace, but unlikely at Midway International Airport and drives them up to appear in the scenario. Cicero Avenue to a four-story brick factory, no sign »» NANG LWIN: Middle-aged woman of TI-19 who drew on it, fenced in behind barbed wire and dark. “It’s an the Secondaries into the firefight where Pete died. interrogation facility,” the control officer says. “Disused, »» U HLAING: Rick’s contact for the Rainbow of Hope at the moment. You’re going to have to get the truth out NGO. Wants to hide his assets overseas; gave Rick a of some tough customers.” Chuachua necklace. The four prisoners arrive individually, in casual clothes but apprehensive. They’re not in cuffs, but each Key Terms arrives in a windowless, unlabeled panel van. Each van’s »» CHAL-DAOK FIALUK: Chuachua for “The Singer in the driver, and a guard sitting behind the prisoner, wears an Skin,” the patron god of the Chuachua in the Kayin FBI windbreaker and badge. The eight escorts produce State, bound under Location TI-20. AR-15 rifles and stand security over the site. Primary »» CHOI-HUBEY: Chuachua for “The Green Giver of Dis- Agents with special-operations backgrounds recognize cipline,” a god whose position in the pantheon is to fellow special operators by body language and demeanor. 3 // The Star Chamber // // Delta Green // “Those four,” the control officer says, “are the survi- No, the Primary Agents don’t get to know Task Force vors of our outfit’s OPERATION TIGER ISLAND. It T.I.’s real names. No names are to be exchanged at all went down last May in Myanmar, in Shan State near the beyond the code-names for Task Force T.I. Thai border. We have reason to believe one or more of No, there’s no opportunity to gather objective evidence. them may be in league with a corrupted gang of regional No, there’s not a real judge or jury for this kind of natives called the Tcho-Tcho—or, I guess, it’s ‘CHOW- thing. Delta Green’s operations are sensitive and compart- chew-uh’ now. mentalized. The situation needs neutral arbiters who have “We’re keeping the survivors separate for now. Go Delta Green clearance and know what it’s like in the field. through their stories of what happened. If it doesn’t add The Primary Agents are those arbiters. up, let them cross-examine one another. There’s no love No, there’s no backing out. Rick and Toby have been lost in there, so that’s likely to shake something loose. pointing fingers, and there’s evidence that Task Force T.I. Even if you can’t find out exactly what happened, make may have gone off the reservation. Delta Green needs the the call as best you can. This leak may be ongoing, and the Primary Agents to determine the truth. only decent assets we have in the region are three of these Once the Primary Agents are clear on the setup, pro- four. On the plus side, no matter what you decide, you vide the players with their Secondary character sheets. Ex- keep your hands clean. Afterward, just tell me who’s at plain that some of the time they’ll control their Primaries, fault and what you recommend we do about it. We’ll take and some times their Secondaries. It is, quite literally, up to it from there.” the players to determine who’s right and who’s wrong. The control officer then opens up the floor for ques- tions, but clearly is ready to leave. The Guards The most important issues are ONE: Did anyone from The transport team come from another branch of Delta Task Force TIGER ISLAND recklessly expose the unnat- Green. They’re soldiers, not investigators. They’re quiet ural? and TWO: Is anyone from Task Force T.I. under the professionals who provide security at sites like this and influence of occult forces? who occasionally assault and secure operational sites so agents can go in. If there’s violence, they immediately kill whichever of the prisoners is involved. (Each guard has r I n v es ti g ati o n E x tr a c u r r ic u la Firearms 80%, Melee Weapons 70%, Unarmed Combat ppy taking Task 80%, and 14 HP. They’re wearing reinforced Kevlar vests Ag en ts ar en ’t going to be ha Some Primar y probably, “You for 4 Armor. They do 1D12 damage with a carbine, 1D10 fo r it. Yo ur best response is Force T.I.’s wor d ld be great re en to be ha ppy.” Yes, it wou with a pistol, or 1D6+1 with a combat knife and high STR. G ing didn’t join Delta ters and magnify All are adapted to Violence.) Otherwise they stay silent ul d go ba ck w ith Geiger coun im e if they co s. But that cr Ri ck an d Toby’s assertion except when giving or confirming commands. They go glasses to ve rif y stile natio in n, ot he r sid e of th e world, in a ho by bland pseudonyms (“Agent Smith,” “Agent Johnson,” scene is on the te and fear ha s ve ry sp ec ific reasons to ha “Agent Taylor”). They do not answer questions (includ- w a region that no er ic ans. ’re ing questions about their work or where they fit in Delta intrusive Am erable, but they en ’s re so urces are consid Delta G re investiga n tio Green), do not offer opinions, and do not want to know r be st re gi on al assets for an not infinite. Th ei people who d Je nn y. Th e Venn diagram of anything about this situation. They know better than to an are Rick, Toby, are suspected of t th e tru th and people who the ask questions when they’re not cleared to hear the answers. could fin d ou has gone over a pe rfe ct ci rc le. If one of them at io ns , betrayal is ks unacceptable complic g th in gs ou t ris r- edge, drawin oppo vestigate offers vi ng th em an opportunity to in ha ve one and gi Primar y Agen ts to fra m e so m eone else. The fo rm their tunity inds, and in ar th e sto ry , make up their m day to he r decision. superiors of thei 4 // The Star Chamber // // Delta Green // Scene One: The Inquest Convenes A ssigning S econdaries The Secondary characters are detailed at the end of the For the first scene, the players all control their Primaries. scenario. You, the Handler, run Rick, Toby, Jenny, and Mona. Assign Rick and Toby first and Jenny third. Give Mona is confined to a wheelchair, a withered para- the first two to players who aren’t afraid to chew a little plegic, dazed and largely unresponsive. In this first scene scenery or get in one another’s way. she’s quiet and confused. Rick’s calm and grave. Toby’s After the first three, assign Mona. If you have five or more players, assign Pete last. Pete and Mona require a extremely formal. Jenny seems shy, nervous, and distressed. little more maturity to play, since the fiction relies on Pete They introduce themselves by code-name and prepare to dying early and Mona going crazy after pissing off Toby describe the events of last May. throughout. In character as Rick, Toby, and Jenny, give an overview If you have more than five players, you may have of the events of May 2 through 6 from the timeline on page to switch off control of Rick and Toby in the flashback 37 and provide any backup detail as seems relevant. scenes. This can actually work well if, for instance, one Then, out of character, explain that the players player runs Rick as a bold and resolute action hero (as he remembers himself) while the next makes him a glee- are going to play through Task Force TI’s arrival at ful, sadistic prick (as Toby recalls). Alternately, if a couple Location TI-19 as the Secondaries.This is the story the of your players are patient and good at asking hard Primaries get from the collective testimony of the three questions, give them Mona and Pete, and let them shine coherent witnesses. during the present day interrogation scenes. Important Things to Gloss Over Players may want to separate the members of Task Force event would take a long time and get very boring. If the T.I. and interrogate them individually. This is sensible, but Primary Agents take that option, gloss over the extraneous, playing out every character’s version of every individual grilling sessions. Simply nod, say that they give the suspects the third degree individually, and that their stories conflict. They generally conform to the timeline A W el l W o m a n Mona Is Not from page 37 but key details differ. Play through each piece of testimony only once. data blacked rt on M on a (with identifying Other things the players may sensibly worry about, The re po and aphasia. s pa ra pl eg ia , nerve damage, but which have no impact on the progression of the sce- out) indicate damage and tra umatic ns ist en t with spinal cord ing nario, include the following. It’s al l co ht receive m be fro ns te m in ju ry of the type one mig en t. brai rial bombard m SITE SECURITY: They don’t need to worry about Task ace during an ae in an enclosed sp al wound, in fe cti on , m ay be from the initi Force T.I. getting violent and turning the tables. They’re She has an rt required to ht du rin g th e hours of transpo under the gun almost all the time, thanks to the guards. maybe caug to a Thai hospita l. Be- ou t of th e country and in , If Toby stands up and starts yelling at any point, a guard ge t he r ted compl tions ica n in iti al da m ag e, transport-rela cu lt might come in and butt-stock him into submission. That twee pts, it’s very di ffi ted first aid attem and undocumen t order in- sort of thing doesn’t need the combat rules. t sp ec ifi ca lly hu rt her or in wha to tell wha she was bitten, cut, MONA’S INJURIES: As discussed in the text box, Mona’s It’s possible that juries occurred. e “overw rit te n” a wreck. Primary characters who want to examine her those harms wer or stung, but that n TI-20 collapsed im pa ct da m ag e when Locatio medically don’t need to roll to get the information from by ficits, those r the cognitive de the box, but basically, the causes of her condition are am- around her. As fo or they could brain damage, could be due to paranormal biguous and have to stay ambiguous. l expressions of be psychologica ply aren’t en’s doctors sim harm. Delta Gre the instance, to tell equipped, in this 5 difference. // The Star Chamber // // Delta Green // Scene Two: W hat ’ s R eally G oin g O n ? Flashback to Location TI-19 and with The factual truth about what’s going on with the attack the Primar ies and Location TI-20 is pretty much inaccessible to The scene begins at midnight with Rick handing a ng more unlikely for the Secondaries to piece together as anythi greasy wad of Thai currency to the bush pilot whose that. But if it than one surmise among many, if they even manage tiny pontoon plane buzzed them over the border and or sleep better at night, here’s helps you run the game smoothly, landed them on the Salween River. The team unloads the so-called “truth.” way gear to shore. A short hike gets them to a tarp-cov- Chauchua serve different inhuman masters, in the same of another. ered jeep, and then it’s an uncomfortable ten-mile that a soldier might answer to one lieutenant instead en these anti-go ds are played journey to Location TI-19. Sometimes proxy struggles betwe out by Chauchua pawns. A charitable international NGO called “Rainbow mon- Chal-Daok Fialak (“The Singer in the Skin”) is an alien/ of Hope International” visited the village at TI-19 five hua ster/godling that alternately protected and molested Chauc years ago, and Rick has the contact information for y was still a British colony. in Kayin State back when the countr a prosperous villager named U Hlaing. U Hlaing has in the Skin under The Chauchua succeeded in binding the Singer with the worked with Rainbow of Hope before, and is ready Location TI-20 (which is in Shan State, not Kayin State) aid of their own patron devil, Choi-Hubuey. Choi-Hubuey (“The to present the team as logistics experts who are con- its own motive s for suppre ss- sidering Location TI-19 for a “long-term clean water Green Giver of Discipline”) had g the Kayin State ing the Singer, and it got away with it, causin project.” red. Chauchua to suffer while the Shan State Chauchua prospe Asking around the village can yield several opportu- A Kayin Chauchua shaman wanted to resurrect the Sing- nities for information, if Agent speaks the right language. as er to provide more leverage against the militar y in Kayin, allies in the Karen The results depend on behavior. well as a threat to hold over the head of his se army National Liberation Army. Bogyoke Arun Htay, a Burme captain and a contact of Mona’s, got wind of the shama n’s Foreign Language (Burmese) him. They killed the priest, but plans and sent a unit to grease Only Jenny and Mona speak Burmese, so right away called a Thui Hukkru k not before the priest unleashed a monster there could be gender issues in play. Some approaches s’ armor ed on them. Thankfully, after phasing through the soldier they might take include… killing them, it rotated out of three-d imen- personnel carrier and TALKING TO RANDOM MEN: No luck. These hard-work- ver godfo rsaken alien manifo ld sional space and back into whate ing rice farmers keep their noses down and don’t want it came from. Chau- to pry into matters foreign, military, or occult. Foreign The priest’s followers were negotiating with the local up Chal-Da- chua for access to Location TI-20 so they could wake women asking about military units being torn apart by d up and started shooti ng. ok Fialak. Then Americans showe ghosts? That’s three strikes. If the Agents stay in cover destro yed when the Whether Chal-Daok Fialak woke up or was and ask about the water, the men say they’ve drunk it Burmese air force bombed everyone is up to you. their whole lives with no ill effects, unironically spitting black mucus into the dust. TALKING TO RANDOM WOMEN: They wish the water was cleaner, especially for the children. They warn the ladies about the military, who protect them but… well, you don’t want to be out late at night alone with soldiers. Of course, they say there are worse things out there than the Tatmadaw Kyee (the Burmese army) while nervously looking at the low hill of Location TI- 20, hulking in the distance. But they won’t explain. // The Star Chamber // // Delta Green // PRETENDING TO BE A MAN’S TRANSLATOR AND TALKING TO Her opinion of the Chauchuas is that they’re ter- RANDOM MEN: The village men are more communicative rible, they’re monsters, and didn’t America learn their with a man. When they believe they’re talking to one, lesson back in the Sixties and Seventies? There are hor- the local farmers say Location TI-19 is a great place to rible people in the village who are part Chauchua, so be develop—good people, wholesome. Though Rainbow careful what you say. (Inducing her to name or point out of Hope might be better off just dropping off materials these alleged half-breeds requires a success at Persuade and paying locals to assemble stuff. Outsiders have been or HUMINT. The people she indicates may be wholly known to run into trouble with the intricacies of local innocent, or heavily involved, or they may simply know politics, between the various insurgent ideologies, ethnic that something big is going to happen at Location TI-20 groups and religions. If pressed about that, they say that and the goddamn Americans will be sorry if they try to there are other villages and groups of people around who interfere.) are definitely not wholesome. They won’t explain willingly MEN TALK TO WOMEN: A virtuous Burmese woman with (superstitions about the Chauchua run deep), but if forced little or no Thai suspects the Agent of trying to hire her for they say some tribes steal people, eat children, worship sex, and objects with a string of vehement, multilingual devils, and are evil monsters who only look human. Only denials (“Pas de fellation pour vous!”) accompanied by under the greatest duress will one say the name “Chauch- hurled stones. ua” aloud. MONA TALKS TO WOMEN: She gets a warning about PRETENDING TO BE A MAN’S TRANSLATOR AND TALKING TO going out alone by night. “They come by night,” she’s told, SOLDIERS: The soldiers would love getting cleaner water “And they drag away women. Sometimes they keep them, in Location TI-19, so they talk up how great the area is. sometimes just use them and leave them pregnant and Security concerns are downplayed. The Shan State Army— ashamed.” If she asks who does this, they shrug. “The Wa South (SSA-S), an insurgent group, is quiet these days, blame the soldiers, the soldiers blame the Shan, and every- they claim. If the damaged unit is brought up, one soldier one blames the Chauchua.” The women know Chauchua mutters, “Some things you can’t defend against,” before as an inbred tribe of cannibal savages, but they don’t have another elbows him hard and explains that he means any particular stories of paranormal assault. Isn’t rape “equipment malfunction” and plain bad luck. They assure bad enough? If asked where the Chauchua come from, the Pete that the military has everything under control. women don’t know, but say that no one goes to Loaction TI-20 ever, at all. Foreign Language (Thai) MONA TALKS TO MEN: They feign incomprehension. Thai is the language of Location TI-19’s criminals, refu- ANYONE TALKS TO SOLDIERS: They pretend they don’t gees, and hopeless romantics. It’s spoken by Rick, Toby, speak Thai, but if taken off alone and bribed, they’re and Mona, with assorted degrees of finesse. Once again, willing to talk about Chauchua. “People say they’re ghosts. it’s down to finesse and gender politics. They look like humans, but aren’t. They fade into the MEN TALK TO MEN: The men of TI-19 smirk and suggest bushes and hills. They’re heavily allied with the SSA-S, and that they know quite well why the Americans are really they make human sacrifices to summon monsters.” They here. They are referred to Khin Maung Aye, who runs a say the military patrol ran afoul of a Chauchua high priest singularly tiny bar/brothel which seems curiously free of who was coming to conduct a blasphemous rite. They Tatmadaw Kyee guests. Her offers of illicit delight seem killed him, but not before he called down an “unseen perfunctory. If they bring up either the Chauchuas or the offender” that tore them to shreds. military, she sits up straight and says (in Thai), “Oh, but of course you are CIA! Have no concerns, we can speak Foreign Language (Chauchua) freely here.” Speaking the forbidden devil-tongue in the village calls for subtlety, doubly so because the only speakers are Jenny 7 // The Star Chamber // // Delta Green // and Mona, and Mona’s is only so-so. In the smellier, more polluted and ramshackle part of town, Jenny can spot some houses whose doors have very subtle Chauchua mo- tifs worked into the painted decorations. Some approaches might include the following. TALK TO SOME ORDINARY POOR FOLK: They earn a free beating from villagers who outnumber the Agents by one. (That is, a lone Agent fights two guys, two Agents to- gether face three villagers, three face four, etc.) Muttering something in Burmese about “Your speech defiles!” they wade in, fists swinging. They have Unarmed Combat 50%, DEX 10, 10 HP, and they do 1D4−1 damage. They punch until ONE: an Agent pulls a weapon, TWO: an Agent hits one of them for 3 or more points of damage, or THREE: the Chauchua-speaking Agent has taken 5 or more points of damage. TALK TO THOSE PEOPLE WITH CHAUCHUA MARKS ON THEIR DOORS: The Agent has met a local Chauchua sympathizer. The villager’s Chauchua is pretty sketchy, and not in the same way as the Agent’s, but it’s enough to get an enthu- siastic “Soon big! Hill joy! All well!” with a sly nod in the direction of Location TI-20 and some gestures that could indicate either sex or cannibalism. TALK TO THE FOLKS WITH CHAUCHUA MOTIF DOORS, AND WRITE SOME AKLO FOR THEM: Have Jenny (the only Aklo student) roll Foreign Language (Aklo). If it fails, they’re incoherently impressed, pointing to Location TI-20 and and nodding happily. If it succeeds, they ask whether the Agents are property of the Green Giver of Discipline, or whether they’re trying to awaken the Singer in the Skin. Whatever the Agents say, they are warned not to trust Nang Lwin. “Her personal ambition is insufficiently bro- ken,” they say. “She will attempt to mislead you.” TALK TO THE FOLKS WITH CHAUCHUA MOTIF DOORS AND SHOW THEM RICK’S LEG SCARS: The Chauchua immediately bow down to the Agents. “We comply with Greedy Fertil- ity! We comply! The Green Giver of Discipline is garbage beside your mistress!” Then they bite their own wrists until they draw blood and hold them up for the Agents to lick. (Agents who accept this traditional sign of Chauchua submission lose 0/1D2 SAN. Those who refuse it face no other repercussions, though they may not know that.) The village Chauchua then tell them that if they want to wake 8 // The Star Chamber // // Delta Green // up the Singer in the Skin at Location TI-20, they (the cow- mix—not all Primary, not all Secondary. Have the Prima- ering Chauchua) won’t stand in the Agents’ way. If they ries ask questions and try to get more information out of want the Singer to remain sedated, then they’d better listen the Secondaries. Let the Secondaries assert whatever they to Nang Lwin. want, but if you can encourage them to contradict one (The question of Nang Lwin’s loyalties is completely another and argue, that’s better. extraneous to the outcome of the adventure. It literally does Good questions to spring on them are: “What was not matter whether she’s trying to lead them into an am- your mission? What were you trying to accomplish? What bush in a later scene, or whether she sincerely wants to stop orders were you given?” Their character briefings don’t the Singer from being awakened. Tell the players whatever say, and the person in command is Mona. Would you trust you think will make them follow her in Scene Four.) Mona in this atmosphere of accusation and recrimination, PERSUADE OR CHA×5: Agents can fall back on these even if even if she could answer clearly? they don’t have a language in common by spreading around Jenny, Rick and Toby all agree that after their initial some bribe money, misallocated from their day-job expense information gathering and rendezvous, Mona told them accounts. Those who fail get offered young boys, girls in to stay put and watch out while she went off on her own. a range of ages, execrable liquor, superb marijuana, and She told them she was going to speak with some Burmese moderately-stepped heroin. Those who succeed can trade a military contacts, “to see what they can do and, at the very couple of cocaine-stained twenties for an audience with Khin least, to keep the heat off us.” Whether she really did that Maung Aye (see MEN TALK TO MEN in FOREIGN LANGUAGE or something else, no one knows, though that shouldn’t (THAI) section), who happily tells them all she knows. stop the Secondaries from rampantly speculating. If the roll fails they can get access to Khin Maung Aye If the group’s in danger of being tranquil and rational, only by spending at the “Standard Expense” level out of have Mona (in the present) suddenly lurch upright in her their own pockets (see the EQUIPMENT AND VEHICLES chapter wheelchair and scream “Lies! Goddamn lies! Fai thauk of the Delta Green core rulebook or the Agent’s Handbook). malaulau togruk!” (That last bit is in Chauchua. Jenny recognizes it as “This story is not over, but only begun.” Ending the Scene Tell her player but not the others. Jenny can translate it The return to the interrogation should be pretty brisk. Try however she wants.) to time it just as the Secondaries are getting some good, Once someone wants to know what happens next, solid hints, but before they have a chance to plan in detail turn to whoever’s playing Toby and say, “You have to tell or set themselves on a course of action. the next part. No way are you letting those lying shitbirds paint you in a corner.” Scene Three: If the Secondaries have been separated, indicate that this is one narrative out of several, but that this is the one Cross-Examination that’s being played through. For the interrogation, an “interrogation table” may be Scene Four: useful. Have players on one side of a table in their Pri- mary roles, while those on the other side are Secondaries. The Ambush (Toby’s Tale) Place-labels help. If the Primaries want anonymity, describe this as a The players return to the flashback and the Secondary Secondary character (or multiple Secondaries) being in a characters. Make it clear that this is the firefight in which room with a dented table and a guard outside, while the Pete dies, that it’s conducted against some residents of Primaries ask questions from behind a one-way mirror. Location TI-19, and that there’s no way to stop Toby from Let the players pick whether they want to be Second- initiating it or indeed to stop it from happening. ary or Primary in this scene, but make sure there’s a good 9 // The Star Chamber // // Delta Green // Moreover, they should understand that not only are Similarly, ask Rick’s player (if assigned) how his talk they playing their Secondaries, they’re playing Toby’s view with U Hlaing went. Does he show the necklace to his of their Secondaries. Give them the TOBY’S TALE handouts to fellow Agents, or not? Is he going to help U Hlaing hide guide their play. assets in Thailand, or just string him along? Does he think The other character involved is Nang Lwin, a mid- U Hlaing is Chauchua, just dabbling with them, playing dle-aged woman from Location TI-19. Is she Chauchua? them for fools, or what? Trying to awaken Chal-Daok Fialak? Trying to prevent Whatever Rick and Mona decide, they don’t get a Chal-Daok Fialak from being awakened? You can decide chance to implement much before Nang Lwin runs up to the answers to those questions, but the best answer is them, nose freshly broken and waving her empty hands. “whatever makes the Agents go to the gunfight.” When she gets close, she says, “CIA mans! CIA mans! You Start the scene with the Secondaries meeting at their must stop them!” (No matter how careful they thought vehicle. Give them a chance to get into character. Encour- they were, some locals assumed that the white people age Mona to berate them, demanding and impossible to were from the CIA. It’s not like they get a lot of foreign satisfy. If Mona has not been assigned to a player, play her tourists.) that way; or this could all happen while she’s still off with She speaks horrible English, native Burmese, and me- her “Burmese contacts.” diocre Thai, and she’s serving a salad of all three languages This is also a good time to pull Mona’s player aside plus French, something along the lines of “Chauchuas! (if she’s been assigned) and ask what she had to do for Chaw ray Tcho-Tchos evil! Ne plus de mal seven locks! Bogyoke to get him to let the Task Force operate without Aujourd’hui! They do! Pisac sieux!” being hassled. Whatever she says, nod gravely—unless To Jenny and Mona, it’s a bit clearer. “People from the it’s, “Nothing, he just wants to get rid of the Chauchua,” village, in league with the wicked Chauchuas, are attempt- in which case raise your eyebrow and say, “Oh, is that ing to take the seven-lock devil box up the hill.” what he told you, then?” If Mona is unassigned, decide for She can’t be clear on what happens if the Tcho-tcho yourself what compromises, if any, she made. However it allies succeed, but she’s clearly scared. went down, Bogyoke has promised to get them to the site of the previous attack on the Burmese soldiers in two days. Things will go to hell way sooner than that. // The Star Chamber // // Delta Green // Let this play out. If it’s only Pete and Toby who go, It kills the bearers while the escorts flee, and it kills Pete that’s fine. If Mona tries to stop them, she can try, but if he’s still alive. Toby’s player describes how the mist’s remind her that this is Toby’s version of events, so suggest victims die. that her commands have to make Toby look justified in Pete dies in this firefight. If the dice don’t cooperate, disobedience. choose an attack against him and make it a critical hit. Or If it seems to be bogging down, the weather can maybe when the characters look around in the aftermath, change—a red fog rises from the ground with wind suck- they find Pete with a bullet hole in his head. ing it towards the hill, where an evil-aspected crimson Resolve the aftermath quickly. If the Agents flee under whirlwind is lazily forming. fire, they get away, and the scene breaks. (If they try to flee At the greatest extreme, if Jenny, Rick, and Mona before Pete’s brought down, he’s killed by a lucky back- move heaven and earth to stop Toby from leaving immedi- shot, no roll required, and the scene ends there.) ately, you can have him immobilized, only to escape with If the box got set down, instead of dropped, they can Pete and sneak off. investigate it and get pictures of the engravings. (It’s not a Nang Lwin leads Pete, Toby, and anyone else off at a language, just some elaborate geometric designs.) Inside fast clip, not towards the hill, but along a cleared ravine. is a crusty old mummy, visibly ancient, in ritual robes so It leads to a small hill overlooking a pathway towards old and decayed that they can’t be identified. Whether it Location TI-20. She points down the trail, where a group was dropped or lowered gently, it’s far too heavy for Task of village men can be seen bringing a large, heavy, ornate Force T.I. to lift. It seems impossible that even six stout metal box. guys with carrying poles hefted it. There are six men carrying the box, accompanied by (The engravings would be of great interest to Delta an armed man for each member of Task Force T.I. (That is, Green researchers, though it would take them close to if it’s just Pete and Toby, there are eight villagers. If Jenny’s a year of research to even make educated guesses about there too, it’s nine enemies.) The bearers have slung rifles, their meanings.) old bolt-action ones, while the escorts have AK-47s. If Nang Lwin survives, she could become an ally All the escorts have Firearms 40% and do 1D12 dam- among the regional Shan peoples of Myanmar. Or—if it age, or Kill Damage 10% if they go for burst fire. They have turns out Rick is right—she could be half Chauchua, which DEX 12 and 10 HP. They’re out of the fight after taking might not stop Rick from pursuing some sort of agreement. taking any damage, either dead, incapacitated, or running. If she’s part Chauchua, she was still raised in the village If Toby and Pete just open fire without any preamble, and at least knows what love, compassion, and honesty are. the escorts shoot back on the second round, while the bearers start gently setting down the box. If the Agents first attempt to speak to the box-bearers or escorts, the W hat ’ s I n the B ox ? escorts immediately open fire. The text describes two different possibilities for the box. Once battle is truly joined, the escorts try to shoot the If it got dropped before the bearers could set it down, Agents. They give Pete and Nang Lwin the worst of it, of it spilled red kill-gas. If they set it down and the Agents course. Anyone else who gets tagged takes low damage, no opened it afterwards, it’s got a shriveled old mummy. more than 3 points, or just 1 if already wounded. This is not an error that got missed in editing. What’s in The bearers dither on the first turn. On the second the box is whatever needs to be there for the plot to go turn, if none of them are hit, they set the box down and the way the characters steer it. The red gas comes out if prepare their rifles. On the third turn they can all shoot. you need the Agents need to panic in order to have Pete killed. The mummy’s there if they’ve temporarily over- They have Firearms 20% and do 1D12 damage. Like the come their foes and need something interesting to look at escorts, they collapse after the first hit. before the bad guys rally and kill Pete. If someone hits a bearer before they set down the box, the lid opens, and some sort of red haze courses out. 11 // The Star Chamber // // Delta Green // She might want to keep the Singer imprisoned because the even after someone publicly called them “CIA mans”? Or, Green Giver of Discipline has demanded that. Or she might if they’ve picked up information about Location TI-20, be trying to wake the Singer for her own reasons. they could just head there. Once the gunfight is settled, do a brief return to the pres- Scene Five isn’t necessarily an action scene. It can be a ent, with the characters in Secondary roles. Explain to Rick rage- and guilt-soaked blame game where everyone holds that Toby is just lying, and to Jenny that it’s not all that close everyone else responsible for Pete’s death while trying to to how she remembers things. If they want to bark and snap find some way to keep it from being pointless. at Toby, great, but keep it very short before telling Rick, “… On the other hand, maybe they still want to cook you get the floor and tell the group what happened next.” some rounds—especially now that most of them know they have plot immunity. If you think another gunfight Scene Five: right away is the way to go, they could go back for the body and find a trio of Chauchuas crouching over it, shav- Discussion and Dissent ing the body hair before they dig in to the succulent flesh. (Rick’s Tale) These cannibals have Firearms 40%, DEX 10, rifles that do 1D12 damage, and 12 Hit Points each. This isn’t exactly what happened; it’s the story Rick tells. The village is another possibility for a fight. In Rick’s The characterization shifts again. Make sure your players tale, TI-19 is now totally against the Agents. Anyone get in character for the scene, not just for the individual. established as a possible Chauchua sympathizer is now Give the players the RICK’S TALE handouts. triumphantly haranguing his neighbors about how the Old Subtly favor Rick during the debate. Ask questions of Powers are the only choice to protect them from both the the other Secondaries’ players that back up Rick’s view of invading Imperialists and the junta’s butchers. There are things and suggest that his arguments make sense. three men with rifles at Location TI-19 (Firearms 25%, Scene Five happens in the immediate aftermath of the DEX 10, 10 HP, 1D12 damage). Any time Toby or Mona gunfight. It’s now full-on night, and the Agents need to fails a Firearms roll, the shot accidentally kills a bystander, make some important decisions. preferably an old woman or young child. The Secondaries First off, what do they do about Pete’s body? If they won’t die here, but minor wounds are possible before the don’t have it, do they go back for it? If they go back for it, villagers flee towards Location TI-20. The Agents can see is it still there? Up to you. Nothing established so far says an unnatural red mist forming there. whether Pete’s body was recovered or not, or its condi- tion—just that he was “killed,” which could be in error, Scene Six: given how unreliable these witnesses are. He could be getting tortured in some Chauchua ritual even now. Courtroom Clarification If have Pete’s body, do they try and get it back over the border? If so, where do they store it until they try the Now that two disagreeable and possibly contradictory crossing? If not, are they going to bury it? Burn it? Muti- scenes have been played out through Rick and Toby’s late the hands and head first to hinder identification? Not stories, it’s time to come back to the present and hash out easy choices. their prejudices. Secondly, where are they going to move? If Nang Lwin As with Scene Three, the players should be controlling could find them, then the Chauchua probably can, too. a mix of Primaries and Secondaries. If it works, everyone If they go deeper into the uncultivated hills and bunker who played a Secondary in Scene Three can be Primary down, they’re less likely to be found by the Chauchua, but in Six, and vice versa, but really just try to get a blend of less likely to learn anything further. Going into the village defendants and inquisitors. But no switching roles in mid- is a bold move. Does Mona trust Bogyoke to protect them scene! That would be too confusing. 12 // The Star Chamber // // Delta Green // Give the players a few minutes to debate whose ver- There are twelve villagers in the brawl, and a few sion is more likely and establish the tensions between the more scattered about, unconscious or too dazed to contin- Secondaries. ue. All of the brawlers have Unarmed Combat 50% and Mostly though, this scene is just a refreshing break do 1D4−1 damage. They all have 11 Hit Points and DEX before the final flashback. 11. The anti-Chauchua villagers (of whom five remain) fold or flee after 6 points of damage. The seven Chauchua Scene Seven: fight until dead or incapacitated. None of them attack someone who’s unconscious. Any Agent who takes enough The Abominable Temple of damage to be killed in the fight doesn’t actually die—he or Location TI-20 (Jenny’s Tale) she is just unconscious. There are several options available to the Agents at This is Jenny’s flashback. Whatever her flaws, Jenny this point. doesn’t have the intense hatreds that color Rick and To- IDENTIFY THE BAD GUYS AND ATTACK ON THEM ONLY: Did by’s accounts. The main point of her narration is to make Khin Maung Aye, or someone else, point out “Chauchua herself look blameless. If that means making Rick, Toby, sympathizers” to the Agents? If so, it only takes a successful or Mona look bad, that’s fine. Alertness roll on the part of the witnessing Agent to figure Rick and Toby’s players may be a bit surprised to out which side is that person’s. (On a fail, they’re pretty learn just how rotten Jenny thinks they are—or, at least, sure they have it right. See INDISCRIMINATE CARNAGE.) how racist and sexist she’s willing to say they were. Alternately, if Jenny showed Rick’s leg scars to village The Secondary Agents wind up at Location TI-20, a Chauchua, or wrote Aklo for them, she can recognize the hill that has some kind of temple concealed inside it. This sides without rolling. is an epicenter of Chauchua influence. If the Agents attack the Chauchua with fists or non-le- When the Agents arrive at the temple, there’s already a thal weapons, the righteous Burmese fight by their side violent fistfight going on between two groups of superficially until four Chauchuas drop, at which point the other three indistinct villagers from TI-19. Some of them are swinging flee to re-arm. Victory! rifles, but both sides seem reluctant to escalate to gunfire. If they open fire, everyone in the fight scatters. Every successful gunshot roll hits a Chauchua. Every failed roll hits an anti-Chauchua villager. Still: Also victory! 13  // The Star Chamber // // Delta Green // PACIFY THE BRAWL: If the Agents point guns and yell, both sides separate at great speed. There are two rifles on N ot V ictory each side (held by villagers with Firearms 45%, doing 1D12 Five well-armed Americans with training and tactical damage) and nobody drops their guns while fleeing. Once advantage, wading in to a 5-on-7 brawl almost certainly the groups are separate, they wait a couple of rounds to see means victory for the Agents. Should the Agents some- whom the Agents shoot. If the Agents shoot no one, they how bungle it, the Chauchuas fall on them, tie them up, open fire on one another. If the Agents shoot the Chauchuas, and haul them into the halls in the hill for cannibalistic one Chauchua gunman shoots at them and one shoots at ritual torture in the names of the Great Old Ones. the other villagers. If the Agents shoot the good guys, the Chauchua join in, backshooting as the anti-Chauchua forc- es uniformly flee. See BACK THE WRONG PONY. Nang Lwin, more prepared, runs. She has 11 Hit Points INDISCRIMINATE CARNAGE: For every successful shot fired and Dodge 60%. But whether she escapes to plague them into the melee, roll 1D10. A roll of 1–6 means a Chauch- further or gets the traitor’s death she (apparently) richly ua got it, 7–10 means it’s a normal villager. On turn two, deserves, the end result is…victory! both sides flee at top speed. Victory, kinda! BACK THE WRONG PONY: The Agents might kill all the In the Hill anti-Chauchua villagers. Alternately, if Nang Lwin is still One way or another, the team winds up in the temple in with them, she might direct them against the good guys. the hill. Encourage the players to have their Secondaries (Was she a Chauchua all the time? Does that mean the explain why they went there, but they definitely go there. ambush in Scene Four was also against Burmese trying to Inside the temple squats a huge and grotesque idol stop the Chauchua? Has she flipped sides, or did someone behind a hideous altar. Jenny can read the inscription over misremember her actions? All good questions to leave un- the altar, which is dedicated to an entity called “The Singer answered.) In this case, any uninjured Chauchua approach in the Skin” (“Chal-Daok Fialak” in Chauchua). with big grins, hugging the Agents, confidently putting At this point, turn to each of the Secondaries who is their weapons away and bandaging one another. One present and verbal and say, “Mona had a peculiar reaction says, “Just like Vietnam war, yes?” in bad English. Then to the altar. Write down what it was.” Then have each one pulls out a big knife and strips a hunk of meat off a villager, takes a big raw bite and holds out the rest to Jenny, saying in a Chauchua dialect, I f T h ey W er e C ap tu “She who dines with me on my re d enemy’s sweet flesh shall be my If the Ag en ts were taken into the evil hill as captives, tak separately and descr e each of the remain sister!” That SAN roll is 0/1D6 ibe how they escaped ing players aside Rick remembers conv. for most Agents, 1/1D6 for any incing one of the Ch how he went on to bri auchuas to give him be that guard to let the a cigarette and a lig who have points in Foreign m go in exchange for a hter, and equivalent to about $4 wad of 16,000 Thai 50. (He needed the lig Bhat, Language (Chauchua). Agents Toby remembers freein hter so he could threa g himself from his bo ten to burn the mone nds and strangling a y.) who smile and nod can bush- own rifle strap before guard with the Chau freeing the others an chua’s d hauling them out. whack the Chauchuas and gun Jen ny rem em bers something moist that seemed to evapora and cold touching he r in the darkness, lea them down while they’re still te like alcohol off her ving a residue she’s likely to admit it… skin as it parted her ) bonds and withdrew looking stupidly surprised that. (Not that Leave Mona for last. their CIA allies have turned Sh e ne go tia ted with a Chauchua hig Choi-Hubuey in return h priestess, swearing for the rescue of the loyalty to on them. The Agents don’t Then the first bomb hit rest of Task Force T.I. near the temple and need to roll to grease them. All that only happens they fled, only findin if they get caught tho g Mona later. what really happened ugh! In Scene Eight the. y can argue bitterly ab out // The Star Chamber // // Delta Green // Secondary player read what they say Mona did. If a Sec- Mona, or did she turn up at their vehicle, inexplicably having ondary player wants to change his or her story to match beaten them there despite her grievous wounds? another Secondary’s version, that’s fine—but it’s a lie, and Consistency is not necessary. For maximum fun, it it needs a Persuade roll if the interviewers are alert for may not even be desirable. deception. Did Mona go nuts and have to be knocked out? Then switch back to the present. Did she immediately run deeper into the hill? The Star Chamber judges can’t know. They can only know what the Scene Eight: survivors say she did, and their memories are flawed. Close on the heels of Mona’s weird action, whatev- Closing Arguments er it was, come signs of more Chauchuas approaching. The ground cover isn’t dense, so Task Force T.I. can see The players for Rick, Jenny, and Toby stay in their Sec- a procession nearing the hill from almost two miles out. ondary characters. If Mona was someone’s Secondary, that Periodically the group stops, kneeling to pound their heads player gets to choose between controlling Mona and his or on the ground. As they do, some sort of red mist or dust her Primary. Mona’s speech is still limited, remember. seems to rise up around them, soon forming a cloud and Like Scenes Three and Six, this scene exists solely for then beginning to swirl like a tornado. the purpose of grandstanding arguments. There are unan- Then the sound of jet engines resonates across the swered questions and disagreements. Each Secondary gets landscape. to describe how they went from the end of Jenny’s story Five Chinese-built A-5C ground attack aircraft come (“at the hill, Chauchuas approaching”) to the established streaking towards the temple. They aren’t quite breaking events (“Burmese bombing raid and we got out with a the sound barrier, but their appearance is simultaneously raving, mangled Mona”). Let the Secondaries dispute and alarming and inspiring. argue however they want. When the first bomb hits near the temple, ask the Agents Do your part to exacerbate the differences. Point out how they get away. Do they retreat together, carrying Mona every little failure of operational security: every moment after she gets shredded by a rogue piece of shrapnel? Do they they let strangers see the operation at work, every hint rout, every Agent for himself? Does one of them go back for that a Secondary was dishonest or possibly corrupt. Em- phasize every discrepancy between what was observed 15 // The Star Chamber // // Delta Green // and what was stated. Make it clear to the Secondaries that unacceptable levels of unnatural contamination, their con- they have good reason to believe that if they’re deemed a trol officer reluctantly accepts their verdict. (Play this up. serious enough threat, Delta Green can have them killed. Describe how the C.O. blanches, asks “…Are you sure?” Also suggest that the only reason for this mock trial, and seems very grave when they say so.) this dog-and-bullshit show, is that after the disaster at NOBODY TAKES THE FALL: From Delta Green’s perspec- TI-20, someone crossed over, bent the knee to some alien tive, this is probably the worst result. Jenny’s continued thing or kissed a Chauchua’s hand to buy freedom. Look research overcomes her. If she wasn’t already Aklo-guided at each in turn and say, “Was it you? If it wasn’t, who do during TIGER ISLAND, she is after another year or so. As you think it was? Who do you want to say it was?” for Toby and Rick, it’s as if Jenny took the fall (see JENNY After that, let them give their disparate endings. They TAKES THE FALL) but without her paying he price, and with can bicker until you and/or any players controlling Pri- the added complication that Jenny uses her inside position maries decide it’s enough and dismiss the Secondaries, at to loot everything the program has on Aklo. which point the guards escort them out. JENNY TAKES THE FALL: Her fiancé finds her dead body in her apartment. Apparently she fell and hit her head Scene Nine: while changing a lightbulb. An outsider from the Defense Department takes over Task Force T.I. Rick and Toby try The Verdict to destroy one another, and the effort to contain the Chau- chuas suffers for it unless the Primaries get involved again. Each player is back in the role of his or her Primary char- It’s up to you whether Jenny really succumbed to the alien acter. Now it’s time for them to go back and forth over mind-virus that we call the Aklo language, or whether she what happened and decide which version they believe. was framed. Make it clear that this is serious stuff. Something bad RICK TAKES THE FALL: Rick apparently hangs himself in got out. An Agent of Delta Green may have helped it. They Thailand, leaving behind a laser-printed suicide note blam- have to tell their control officer who’s responsible, if any- ing job stress. Toby takes over Task Force T.I. and pursues one, and what they think Delta Green should do about it. a vicious course against the Chauchuas and any suspect- It’s no easy job. If they don’t lay blame, they need to ed sympathizers. Should any investigation involving the give a damn good explanation. If they do nothing, they Golden Triangle bring the Agents back into Toby’s orbit, could be leaving a Chauchua sympathizer operating with- he moves heaven and earth to get them anything they in Delta Green itself. want. But he shuts Jenny out completely—he’s convinced If they do the wrong thing, the theoretical mole not she’s corrupt—which might prompt Jenny to try and get only gets away but they also are responsible for whatever the Star Chamber Agents’ aid with a paranormal problem befalls the Agent they singled out for blame. that concerns the Chauchuas and can’t be solved simply by Recommending that Delta Green kill all of Task Force killing everyone. Did Rick use his Aklo scars as a passport T.I. just to be sure—knowing it probably means an inno- and play quid pro quo with the enemy? Up to you. cent’s death—costs each Agent 0/1D6 SAN from helpless- TOBY TAKES THE FALL: Toby fatally crashes his car on ness. After all, this could be them someday. a long stretch of North Dakota back road while home for Christmas. Rick and Jenny manage the Task Force Let Justice Prevail T.I. mission from Thailand until one accuses the other of Depending on what the Primaries decide, there are a having gone over to the enemy, doing the bidding of a whole slew of possibilities. half-Chauchua half…something…in the form of a lithe TASK FORCE T.I. IS DESTROYED: If the Star Chamber de- young Burmese democracy activist. Naturally, having clares that everyone in Task Force T.I. either ONE behaved some experience with Rick and Jenny, the Primaries are too abominably to keep living or TWO was exposed to sent to sort the matter. Was Toby ever contaminated by the Chauchuas after all? You decide. 16  // Delta Green // MONA TAKES THE FALL: She catches a nosocomial MRSA infection and succumbs to complications from pneumonia. Otherwise, it’s just like if Jenny took the fall, except in this case Jenny gloms on to her new team leader. Ultimately, Rick and Toby come to hate Jenny as much as they hate one another, leading Task Force T.I. to an even deeper slough of blame and dysfunction. It’s up to you to decide whether Mona really did make a devil’s bargain with the Singer in the Skin to save the rest of her team. SOME TAKE THE FALL BUT NOT ALL: Blend and match from the above outcomes, keeping all the characters in mind for future adventures, either as replacements for Prima- ries, as allies, or as antagonists. After all, Rick has those Aklo scars…and Toby is awfully close to going mad… and Jenny’s been exposed to evil anti-gods on at least two occasions…and Mona’s behavior has a lot of missing time and she’s already crazy…not to mention the question of what the Chauchuas were up to and how firmly they were stopped…especially if Nang Lwin survived.… Do They Want to Know? After the mission, perhaps as part of a “Home” scene, the Primaries can violate Delta Green protocols by following up on the Secondaries fates if they like. With investigation (combing records with Bureaucracy 50% or better, ques- tioning a contact over a few drinks with Persuade 40% or better, or an Internet search with INT 12 or better if they thought to take some highly forbidden photos of Task Force T.I.) an Agent can find out the name and fate of a member of Task Force T.I. An Agent who confirms that his or her decision meant the other Agent’s death loses 0/1D4 SAN from helplessness. The Agent has nightmares, makes brief sightings in congested areas of Task Force T.I. members known to be dead, or has obsessively recurring thoughts that the Star Chamber missed something in the testimony. An Agent who succeeds at the Sanity roll has one such experience and is done. Someone who fails re-experiences the phenomenon (nightmare, misidentification, or obses- sive ideation) and has to make the same roll every two or three months until the Sanity roll succeeds or until hitting the Breaking Point, when the obsession sticks as a new disorder. // The Star Chamber // // Delta Green // Secondary Agent: “Toby” MAY 4: Rick asked his drug-smuggling UWSA buddies about it, and they shared the rumor that it was an “invisi- Your real name is Mike Carstairs. You work for the Office ble attacker” that “whistled and tickled.” of Export Enforcement, and you’ve seen a lot of lousy humanity on your job. It’s been drugs and smuggling for MAY 6: Mona got hold of autopsy reports that confirmed the most part, but you don’t work the Thai beat without this was something really weird. She activated the task running into industrial-scale sex exploitation and, frankly, force for an operation called “TIGER ISLAND.” slavery. They call it human trafficking, but when people are kidnapped or bred so they can be sold, worked to MAY 7: You and Pete cross-referenced satellite images and death without consequence, or harmed without concern, signal traffic to narrow down the incident location to fuck it. Call it by its name. somewhere between the Salween and Teng rivers. The clos- Working a case that blended sex trafficking and slav- est settlement to the incident site was a place you’re now ery with cannibalism, you encountered the Chauchuas, a calling “Location TI-19.” tribe variously referred to as “JoJos,” “Tcho-Tchos,” and “the most abominable people on Earth.” MAY 8: The team deployed by prop plane overnight. It all You have never regretted shooting a Chauchua, and seemed very hastily organized and poorly defined. You you have regretted it every time you’ve met a Chauchua immediately wondered why Jenny was there. She’s a very and been unable to shoot it. They are not a “culture that nice person and smart, but that doesn’t matter when guns celebrates ruthlessness” or an “oppressed indigenous mi- go off. nority that has internalized its victimhood.” They’re not even human. They are monsters. They are an offshoot of MAY 9: You arrived at midnight and drove to Location TI- humanity tainted in their blood by the unnatural, with 19 by daybreak. The team started asking questions, posing no decency and compassion remaining. If Hitler had as engineers from some non-governmental organization. killed them instead of the Jews, his face would be on the The whole village was clearly rotten with Chauchua. 1,000-bhat bill. Mona went off by herself to talk to a Burmese military “Mona” was Delta Green’s Chauchua expert in the officer—the dude whose troops all wound up sacrificed to region and OPERATION TIGER ISLAND was her show. the whistling tickler. Insisted on going alone. From the first, it was handled with insufficient clarity. Rick went off by himself to hang with a local named Sure, the junta in Burma are bastards, but at least a fac- U Hlaing. He also insisted on going alone. U Hlaing seems tion of them is on the right side of the Chauchua ques- to be some kind of prosperous local dealmaker. tion. A bombing run should have been the opening move, After the task force got back together, you got a tip not the closer. But Mona wanted to be certain, and Jenny about Chauchua moving some kind of artifact, and when wanted to learn more, and Rick was looking for a way you went to check it out, gunfire ensued. Pete died. to game the system, so you all had to get down on the ground and interfere. That’s why you wound up shooting MAY 10: You wound up investigating Location TI-20, this your way out. hill with a Chauchua shrine in it. There was a brawl going on—maybe villagers against Chauchua, more likely two Toby’s Timeline Chauchua tribes bickering over who got to wake up the Mona told you that a unit of Burmese infan- MAY 2: thing in the temple. The Burmese Air Force (Tatmadaw try—guys from Tatmadaw Kyee—got into some kind of Lei) bombed the shit out of the Chauchua, the hill, and possibly-Chauchua-related ruckus in the Shan state in you guys. Mona got really messed up, and you scampered Myanmar. back to the truck to get to your exfiltration point. 18 // The Star Chamber // // Delta Green // Toby on the Rest of Task Force T.I. formal, abstracted “where is the pencil of my grandfather?” MONA: You never want to see a loyal servant of the U.S. way) but why bring her in the field? She should be in an government shot up and driven insane, but it’s hard to office on some college quad diagramming exotic languages, pity Mona. She probably burned out years ago, but people not in the field standing between Chauchuas and people who like her never give up power, even when they can’t con- know what they richly deserve. trol it. She was State Department, though judging from her clothes she wasn’t very high up, despite her age and RICK: The only one you really hate. It wasn’t