The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Let me preface my review by saying I'm not an avid reader of RPG-inspired fiction. Nevertheless, I'd consider 'Alien Intelligence' to be required reading for anyone running a Call of Cthulhu campaign using Pagan Publishing's Delta Green sourcebook (see reviews by Jason Langois, Eric Brochu, and Scott Schafer elsewhere on this site); it's also an outstanding collection of Lovecraftian Mythos fiction in its own right.

'Alien Intelligence' is a fiction anthology published by Armitage House, Pagan Publishing's sister organization. Edited by Bob Kruger and John Tynes, it contains eight pieces (not all of which can be strictly categorized as short stories) written by Delta Green authors Tynes, Dennis Detwiller, and Adam Scott Glancy, who are joined by Bruce Baugh, Kruger, Blair Reynolds, Greg Stolze, and Ray Winninger.

Where the 'Delta Green' sourcebook did a superb job of fleshing out a compelling camgaign world, 'Alien Intelligence' goes a step further and brings that world to life. Featured here are a number of characters and organizations first introduced in the sourcebook, given a previously-unrealized depth and resonance. Where the sourcebook indicates how a DG scenario (or "op") should be run, the items in this book convey what it must feel like to actually participate in such an op (and, in some cases, the horror unleashed when an op goes bad). Even for those fans of Mythos fiction who have no interest in Delta Green, this book makes for excellent reading; such features of DG that might otherwise be inscrutable to one unfamiliar with the sourcebook are adequately delineated by Tynes in his "A Word of Explanation," while the evolution of DG itself as a campaign setting is discussed in Kruger's "Introduction."

The explication of DG in these prefatory comments, as well as the revalations contained in some of the stories, are perhaps the book's only pitfall--while certainly useful for Keepers running DG campaigns and enjoyable for Mythos fiction fans not otherwise interested in DG, players in DG campaigns should probably exercise a little self-restraint, as the secrets revealed herein uncover many of the mysteries upon which DG is founded. While some of the items in the book could easily be adapted by Keepers for use as handouts in DG scenarios (for my part, I plan on unleashing Glancy's and possibly Detwiller's works upon my unsuspecting players in ops to come), many of them simply contain information too sensitive for players to see. The blurb on the back cover starts off in big block letters "You are not cleared for this book"; players would do well to take that warning to heart, until their Keeper deems otherwise.

That said, here is a brief rundown on the book's contents, sanitized for your protection: "The Dark Above," by Tynes, depicts a recent encounter with DG's oldest foe, dating back to the Raid on Innsmouth. Detwiller's contribution, "Drowning in Sand," records the secret narrative of one of the original scientists unfortunate enough to work on the "Bucket" for DG's evil twin, the shadowy government entity known as MJ-12. "Pnomus," by Winninger, gives its protagonist a taste of things to come in aeons long past, while Baugh's "Climbing the South Mountain" likewise provides evidence, in verse narrative form, that some of Lovecraft's original Mythos nasties are still up to their old games, with hapless humans their pawns. Stolze's "Potential Recruit" underscores the dangers one must face even to be considered for membership in the Delta Green organization, and the high price of failing to make the cut. "An Item of Mutual Interest" by Glancy (available for your perusal at Delt! a Green's official webpage, www.delta-green.com) consists of a diary hinting at a threat unleashed by Nazis at the end of WWII and lurking beneath Antarctic ice ever since. The longest story in the book, Kruger's "Identity Crisis" re-visits a character first introduced in the DG sourcebook and expands upon her fate. Finally, Reynolds' "Operation LOOKING GLASS" again demonstrates that, while no price is too high to pay to protect the rest of us from Mythos threats, the attrition rate among DG agents and friendlies is stupendous.

In closing, let me just add that the note at the bottom of the front cover, which reads "recommended for mature readers," is no joke. The items in this book are genuinely horrific at times, and are certainly graphic, explicit, and adult, depicting violence, sex, drugs, cannibalism and all the other hijinks you might expect from the villains--and protagonists--of Lovecraftian Mythos fiction. The works of Lovecraft and his followers ain't bedtime stories for little kiddies, and this book is no exception to that rule.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

Delta Green: Alien Intelligence
Author: Bob Kruger and John Tynes, eds. Category: fiction anthology Company/Publisher: Armitage House/Pagan Publishing Cost: $11.95 Page count: 189 xiii ISBN: 1-887797-09-2 Capsule Review by Chris Womack on 04/17/98. Genre tags: none	Let me preface my review by saying I'm not an avid reader of RPG-inspired fiction. Nevertheless, I'd consider 'Alien Intelligence' to be required reading for anyone running a Call of Cthulhu campaign using Pagan Publishing's Delta Green sourcebook (see reviews by Jason Langois, Eric Brochu, and Scott Schafer elsewhere on this site); it's also an outstanding collection of Lovecraftian Mythos fiction in its own right. 'Alien Intelligence' is a fiction anthology published by Armitage House, Pagan Publishing's sister organization. Edited by Bob Kruger and John Tynes, it contains eight pieces (not all of which can be strictly categorized as short stories) written by Delta Green authors Tynes, Dennis Detwiller, and Adam Scott Glancy, who are joined by Bruce Baugh, Kruger, Blair Reynolds, Greg Stolze, and Ray Winninger. Where the 'Delta Green' sourcebook did a superb job of fleshing out a compelling camgaign world, 'Alien Intelligence' goes a step further and brings that world to life. Featured here are a number of characters and organizations first introduced in the sourcebook, given a previously-unrealized depth and resonance. Where the sourcebook indicates how a DG scenario (or "op") should be run, the items in this book convey what it must feel like to actually participate in such an op (and, in some cases, the horror unleashed when an op goes bad). Even for those fans of Mythos fiction who have no interest in Delta Green, this book makes for excellent reading; such features of DG that might otherwise be inscrutable to one unfamiliar with the sourcebook are adequately delineated by Tynes in his "A Word of Explanation," while the evolution of DG itself as a campaign setting is discussed in Kruger's "Introduction." The explication of DG in these prefatory comments, as well as the revalations contained in some of the stories, are perhaps the book's only pitfall--while certainly useful for Keepers running DG campaigns and enjoyable for Mythos fiction fans not otherwise interested in DG, players in DG campaigns should probably exercise a little self-restraint, as the secrets revealed herein uncover many of the mysteries upon which DG is founded. While some of the items in the book could easily be adapted by Keepers for use as handouts in DG scenarios (for my part, I plan on unleashing Glancy's and possibly Detwiller's works upon my unsuspecting players in ops to come), many of them simply contain information too sensitive for players to see. The blurb on the back cover starts off in big block letters "You are not cleared for this book"; players would do well to take that warning to heart, until their Keeper deems otherwise. That said, here is a brief rundown on the book's contents, sanitized for your protection: "The Dark Above," by Tynes, depicts a recent encounter with DG's oldest foe, dating back to the Raid on Innsmouth. Detwiller's contribution, "Drowning in Sand," records the secret narrative of one of the original scientists unfortunate enough to work on the "Bucket" for DG's evil twin, the shadowy government entity known as MJ-12. "Pnomus," by Winninger, gives its protagonist a taste of things to come in aeons long past, while Baugh's "Climbing the South Mountain" likewise provides evidence, in verse narrative form, that some of Lovecraft's original Mythos nasties are still up to their old games, with hapless humans their pawns. Stolze's "Potential Recruit" underscores the dangers one must face even to be considered for membership in the Delta Green organization, and the high price of failing to make the cut. "An Item of Mutual Interest" by Glancy (available for your perusal at Delt! a Green's official webpage, www.delta-green.com) consists of a diary hinting at a threat unleashed by Nazis at the end of WWII and lurking beneath Antarctic ice ever since. The longest story in the book, Kruger's "Identity Crisis" re-visits a character first introduced in the DG sourcebook and expands upon her fate. Finally, Reynolds' "Operation LOOKING GLASS" again demonstrates that, while no price is too high to pay to protect the rest of us from Mythos threats, the attrition rate among DG agents and friendlies is stupendous. In closing, let me just add that the note at the bottom of the front cover, which reads "recommended for mature readers," is no joke. The items in this book are genuinely horrific at times, and are certainly graphic, explicit, and adult, depicting violence, sex, drugs, cannibalism and all the other hijinks you might expect from the villains--and protagonists--of Lovecraftian Mythos fiction. The works of Lovecraft and his followers ain't bedtime stories for little kiddies, and this book is no exception to that rule. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

Delta Green: Alien Intelligence