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Delta Green: Countdown is a beefy maniac of a supplement. At 100 pages over the sourcebook its supplementing, and sporting a 39.95 price tag, its quite a venture. It's got a backwards looking swastika on the front. And its amazing. When I give it two 5's, thats not just a general, can't-think-of-anything-better to give it. It gets what it deserves. Few books are capable of going so far above and beyond the call of duty. Few books are like Countdown.

I'll make this easy. I'll organize it for you!

The Art is the first thing you're going to notice. And its' good. Some of it Great. Some of it excellent. Every Chapter begins with a small piece by Dennis Detwiller, who has improved upon his already killer work from the first book. His art leaps off the page and knocks you to the ground. His images, from corrupted Russian towers to children with glowing faces, to blood-soaked scientists, flawlessly capture the calm, yet intensly disturbing atmosphere of Delta Green. John T. Snyder seems well suited to drawing about the GRU-8, in WWII. His art looks like World War II footage, as recorded by the Nazi's or Russians. Heather Hudon and Toren G. Atkinson keep the art grounded in the real world, calm and realistic.

The layout is eye-catching and professional. This isn't just text-picture box-sidebar stuff. It flows together with precision.

The best parts of the book are details of worldwide organizations that Delta Green may have an interest in. There's Pisces, the corrupted British Paranormal Wing. GRU SV-8, a nearly forgotten ghost of DG green. These two chapters, dealing with what Delta Green could have been, are epic in scope and filled with exhaustive information. It's the little touches that Glancy puts in that makes it so worthwhile. Like that the Ghouls of WWII called Stalin "The Great Provider" on account of the massive bodies piling up in Mother Russia.

Glancy writes like an out of control history professor. You really get the feeling that he could fill a whole book on just one of the chapters he's responsible for. He's only scratching the surface of what its about.

The Skoptsi chapter, and nearly everything it involves, is a true work of horror, and a grand enemy for Delta Green.

The Outlook group, Phenomen-X add just some more flavor to the DG universe, something that will be used sparinginly, but for great effect. Tiger Transit is good, and seems, at first to be almost trivial in the wake of such major players as Pisces and GRU SV-8. But it is looped and tied down to be a very important piece of the Delta Green mythos.

The last three chapters; D-Stacks, Keepers of the Faith, and The Hastur Mythos really start to showcase why DG is so good. They could have stopped earlier, with just a few chapters and a hundred pages. But its these more unique and mysterious ideas that bring out the best in DG. From a lone researcher, to a ghoul war, to defining a whole new set of mythos themes, the last three cement things down.

The Appendices are a random house of information, from psychic powers to scientific information on the mythos to several dozen foreign intelligence agency templates.

The adventures are all pretty good. The first one is a bit weak, but isn't meant to be much more than an evening of play. The second is great for confusing both the players and the Keeper. The third is a shining example of a DG adventure, with a window to bring the Karotechia fully into the campaign.

Well, now I have to think of something negative to say. If the book has a failing, its that all the enemies presented to DG seem a little daunting, that they seem too permanent. Such care has been given to make sure they exist, the players shouldn't be able to bring them down.

Otherwise, Countdown is nearly....oh, screw it. It comes as close to perfect as you will find. Not a page is wasted on useless information.

Style: 5 (Excellent!)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

Delta Green: Countdown
Author: Dennis Detwiller, Adam Scott Glancy, John Tynes Category: game Company/Publisher: Pagan Publishing Line: Call of Cthulhu Cost: 39.95 Page count: 424 ISBN: 1887797122 SKU: PAG1008 Capsule Review by Brent Dragoo on 10/07/99. Genre tags: Modern_day Horror Conspiracy	Delta Green: Countdown is a beefy maniac of a supplement. At 100 pages over the sourcebook its supplementing, and sporting a 39.95 price tag, its quite a venture. It's got a backwards looking swastika on the front. And its amazing. When I give it two 5's, thats not just a general, can't-think-of-anything-better to give it. It gets what it deserves. Few books are capable of going so far above and beyond the call of duty. Few books are like Countdown. I'll make this easy. I'll organize it for you! The Art is the first thing you're going to notice. And its' good. Some of it Great. Some of it excellent. Every Chapter begins with a small piece by Dennis Detwiller, who has improved upon his already killer work from the first book. His art leaps off the page and knocks you to the ground. His images, from corrupted Russian towers to children with glowing faces, to blood-soaked scientists, flawlessly capture the calm, yet intensly disturbing atmosphere of Delta Green. John T. Snyder seems well suited to drawing about the GRU-8, in WWII. His art looks like World War II footage, as recorded by the Nazi's or Russians. Heather Hudon and Toren G. Atkinson keep the art grounded in the real world, calm and realistic. The layout is eye-catching and professional. This isn't just text-picture box-sidebar stuff. It flows together with precision. The best parts of the book are details of worldwide organizations that Delta Green may have an interest in. There's Pisces, the corrupted British Paranormal Wing. GRU SV-8, a nearly forgotten ghost of DG green. These two chapters, dealing with what Delta Green could have been, are epic in scope and filled with exhaustive information. It's the little touches that Glancy puts in that makes it so worthwhile. Like that the Ghouls of WWII called Stalin "The Great Provider" on account of the massive bodies piling up in Mother Russia. Glancy writes like an out of control history professor. You really get the feeling that he could fill a whole book on just one of the chapters he's responsible for. He's only scratching the surface of what its about. The Skoptsi chapter, and nearly everything it involves, is a true work of horror, and a grand enemy for Delta Green. The Outlook group, Phenomen-X add just some more flavor to the DG universe, something that will be used sparinginly, but for great effect. Tiger Transit is good, and seems, at first to be almost trivial in the wake of such major players as Pisces and GRU SV-8. But it is looped and tied down to be a very important piece of the Delta Green mythos. The last three chapters; D-Stacks, Keepers of the Faith, and The Hastur Mythos really start to showcase why DG is so good. They could have stopped earlier, with just a few chapters and a hundred pages. But its these more unique and mysterious ideas that bring out the best in DG. From a lone researcher, to a ghoul war, to defining a whole new set of mythos themes, the last three cement things down. The Appendices are a random house of information, from psychic powers to scientific information on the mythos to several dozen foreign intelligence agency templates. The adventures are all pretty good. The first one is a bit weak, but isn't meant to be much more than an evening of play. The second is great for confusing both the players and the Keeper. The third is a shining example of a DG adventure, with a window to bring the Karotechia fully into the campaign. Well, now I have to think of something negative to say. If the book has a failing, its that all the enemies presented to DG seem a little daunting, that they seem too permanent. Such care has been given to make sure they exist, the players shouldn't be able to bring them down. Otherwise, Countdown is nearly....oh, screw it. It comes as close to perfect as you will find. Not a page is wasted on useless information. Style: 5 (Excellent!) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)