The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Grade: B

This is a solid addition to Pagan Publishing's Delta Green products for CoC, although not as brilliant as either Delta Green or Delta Green: Countdown. It describes the Fate, the ultimate hidden power in New York City, the one that makes gang leaders and mob bosses alike wet their pants.

New York City happens to be my home town. I can't say I instantly recognized the New York of the book, but then, I have no knowledge of the club hopping scene or the Seamy Underside of the greatest city in the world, nor do I have any particular desire to change that. Suffice it to say that nothing struck me as obviously wrong, except for the fact that the map of Club Apocalypse, a nightclub run by the Fate, is not in the Fate sourcebook, but in Delta Green: Countdown. The latter is an excellent product, well deserving of the Origins Award it won; however, it does not so much as mention the Fate. The map belonged in the Fate sourcebook.

The sourcebook opens with a description of the secret history of the Fate and its masters. The authors supply several options for what the mysterious Stephen Alzis could be, along with a detailed explanation of what he is in the Delta Green canon. I like this, although I wish the authors had provided GMs with an answer to the question that torments the canon Alzis. The rest of the Masters are described, and while each individual NPC works well, I do not quite see how everyone fits together in the big picture that is the Fate. The Karotechia and Glaaki connections seem irrelevant to the Fate, but perhaps that is the point. These connections may, just possibly, prove the organization's downfall.

Sample Lords, Neophytes, and Adepts are described next, all of them male, as are the Masters. After that come descriptions of front organizations for the Fate, including the infamous Club Apocalypse, the heart of the organization and the book. The house band, Charnel Dreams, is lovingly described, and a lyrics sheet provided.

This is followed by a detailed list of books, artifacts, and spells used by the Fate. Next are three enemies of the Fate, two of whom are being warped by Outer Gods without their knowledge.

The next section is about investigating the Fate. To a degree, The Fate sourcebook suffers from the classic double bind of CoC. The vast conspiracy is so powerful that players may get discouraged realizing how unlikely their PCs are to strike a telling blow against it, but it cannot be less powerful and retain both credibility and fidelity to the spirit of Lovecraft's mythos. Nevertheless, it is theoretically possible to take the Fate down. Not easy, but clues and allies are available.

But why pit your PCs' puny will against the Fate when they can join it? The next section explains how to run a campaign where the PCs are members of the Fate, albeit such a campaign is probably necessarily of limited duration.

The book is rounded out with a section on law enforcement presence in New York City, which is supplemented by a bibliography. There is no index and the only art is on the cover. The layout is clean, and the text is both easy on the eyes and refreshingly free of typos.

Apart from the missing map, there is nothing seriously wrong with the book. Nevertheless, I felt oddly dissatisfied with The Fate, wanting more, perhaps because of the high standards of Pagan Publishing. If any other company had published this book, I think I would have been more impressed. The book covers a lot of material for its size. It is what it claims to be, a sourcebook for the Fate, and to say "They can't all be winners" is to do it a serious injustice. They can't all be knock-down drag-out drooling-with-awe how-could-they-write-this-stuff winners.

Style: 2 (Needs Work)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Delta Green: Eyes Only Volume Two: The Fate
Author: Dennis Detwiller with Shane Ivey Category: game Company/Publisher: Pagan Publishing Line: Call of Cthulhu Cost: 15.00 Page count: 108 ISBN: 1-887797-14-9 Capsule Review by Lisa Padol on 08/26/00. Genre tags: Modern day Historical Horror Conspiracy	Grade: B This is a solid addition to Pagan Publishing's Delta Green products for CoC, although not as brilliant as either Delta Green or Delta Green: Countdown. It describes the Fate, the ultimate hidden power in New York City, the one that makes gang leaders and mob bosses alike wet their pants. New York City happens to be my home town. I can't say I instantly recognized the New York of the book, but then, I have no knowledge of the club hopping scene or the Seamy Underside of the greatest city in the world, nor do I have any particular desire to change that. Suffice it to say that nothing struck me as obviously wrong, except for the fact that the map of Club Apocalypse, a nightclub run by the Fate, is not in the Fate sourcebook, but in Delta Green: Countdown. The latter is an excellent product, well deserving of the Origins Award it won; however, it does not so much as mention the Fate. The map belonged in the Fate sourcebook. The sourcebook opens with a description of the secret history of the Fate and its masters. The authors supply several options for what the mysterious Stephen Alzis could be, along with a detailed explanation of what he is in the Delta Green canon. I like this, although I wish the authors had provided GMs with an answer to the question that torments the canon Alzis. The rest of the Masters are described, and while each individual NPC works well, I do not quite see how everyone fits together in the big picture that is the Fate. The Karotechia and Glaaki connections seem irrelevant to the Fate, but perhaps that is the point. These connections may, just possibly, prove the organization's downfall. Sample Lords, Neophytes, and Adepts are described next, all of them male, as are the Masters. After that come descriptions of front organizations for the Fate, including the infamous Club Apocalypse, the heart of the organization and the book. The house band, Charnel Dreams, is lovingly described, and a lyrics sheet provided. This is followed by a detailed list of books, artifacts, and spells used by the Fate. Next are three enemies of the Fate, two of whom are being warped by Outer Gods without their knowledge. The next section is about investigating the Fate. To a degree, The Fate sourcebook suffers from the classic double bind of CoC. The vast conspiracy is so powerful that players may get discouraged realizing how unlikely their PCs are to strike a telling blow against it, but it cannot be less powerful and retain both credibility and fidelity to the spirit of Lovecraft's mythos. Nevertheless, it is theoretically possible to take the Fate down. Not easy, but clues and allies are available. But why pit your PCs' puny will against the Fate when they can join it? The next section explains how to run a campaign where the PCs are members of the Fate, albeit such a campaign is probably necessarily of limited duration. The book is rounded out with a section on law enforcement presence in New York City, which is supplemented by a bibliography. There is no index and the only art is on the cover. The layout is clean, and the text is both easy on the eyes and refreshingly free of typos. Apart from the missing map, there is nothing seriously wrong with the book. Nevertheless, I felt oddly dissatisfied with The Fate, wanting more, perhaps because of the high standards of Pagan Publishing. If any other company had published this book, I think I would have been more impressed. The book covers a lot of material for its size. It is what it claims to be, a sourcebook for the Fate, and to say "They can't all be winners" is to do it a serious injustice. They can't all be knock-down drag-out drooling-with-awe how-could-they-write-this-stuff winners. Style: 2 (Needs Work) Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Delta Green: Eyes Only Volume Two: The Fate