So I've found myself in the situation volunteering to run a game for my group. We'd just finished a light hearted, rather fun DnD5e game. The DM that time was a first-timer, but was pretty good.
I want to run something altogether different; a Delta Green affair. The trouble is, I'm not sure how comfortable they'll be with playing a nominally "serious" campaign. So I guess the question is
>How do I set the mood?
>How do I make it clear that I expect players not to meme, but that jokes are a-okay?
>How do I keep the tension?
I'm thinking about using Dread-style Jenga for combat, setting it on our campus to play with familiarity, and to attempt to be scary.
A few other questions I have is
>How do I pass notes to my players without arousing suspicion?
>How do I not totally ruin the mood?
>How do I get the players to not break immersion?
Also, advice for first-time-running delta green would be appreciated.
>How do I pass notes to my players without arousing suspicion?
via text or email or if you want to keep it very covert and you are autistic you could create a cipher for each player and pass a note around the table that only one of them is able to decode while the others think it's just rubbish or a clue of some sort. Pass enough notes around and it won't even be suspicious.
As for the rest it's mostly up to the players. Some RPers just can't do serious if their lives depended on it. You can only do so much with descriptive wording, the rest is on them. Keep them immersed by putting them on a timer to force them to think and act fast like their characters would.
>>47047402
Could you recommend me a DG module or two to read so that I know what sort of thing I should be doing?
Oh, and also-
which of the following is a better plot hook
>Students from [REDACTED] College in Massachusetts have been disappearing steadily over the last six months. One of them has turned up dead. The party's cover is representing the FBI.
>An illness that nobody recognizes has burst up on a small island off the coast of Maine. The army has installed a quarantine, and the party's cover is to represent the CDC in finding out what's wrong.
>>47047216
>How do I set the mood?
Dim the lights, make some props and handouts, make them look official. The new DG character sheet is pretty good for this since it is designed to look like an actual government document.
>How do I make it clear that I expect players not to meme, but that jokes are a-okay?
"This game kind of relies of things being played a bit more seriously, I'm not saying no jokes allowed but try to stay focused and in character"
>How do I keep the tension?
Don't let the players get bogged down during the investigation and don't be afraid to throw them a bone if things have ground to a halt because they're having trouble piecing things together. I know can be a lazy writing tactic but DG is the kind of game where a mysterious stranger meeting with a PC to deliver vague, but vital information isn't out of place and can be very tense as long as it doesn't become used as a crutch.
>How do I pass notes to my players without arousing suspicion?
If you really want to avoid it make notes with inconsequential information that you pass around to everyone periodically, but really a little inter-party paranoia is to be expected in DG. It's not a big deal unless everybody starts killing each other.
>How do I not totally ruin the mood?
Stay focused on the game the same way you expect the players to. Set an example for them.
>How do I get the players to not break immersion?
It helps by putting on a good show but ultimately it's up to the players. DG is a game with a very specific tone it tries to establish, if the players are into it they'll follow suit.
Dread is good and will help establish tension, familiarity is good if you twist it for spooky effect. DG can be a tough game to run if your players aren't willing to play along with the doom and gloom in some capacity. I love the game to death but I almost never play it because my group is flat out not interested in getting into character and playing it straight for a few minutes.
>>47047796
Thank you so much! I'll ask them.
>>47047498
Honestly I haven't read any DG modules. But as far as atmosphere, just think X-Files only instead of Mulder or Scully you're a Syndicate agent. Personally I like the second one because I'm a sucker for mysterious pandemic plots.
>>47047498
>http://fairfieldproject.wikidot.com/shotgun-scenarios
I think the shotgun scenarios are a much better starting point for new players and GMs since they're often much more straightforward than the official stuff. Not to say any of the official stuff is bad, far from it, but they can get pretty complicated. From experience, Last Things Last and Secret Shopper are good entry points and Metamorphosis is horrifying.
Both of those plot hooks are solid. If you've never written horror/mystery scenarios before I'd suggest checking this out.
>>47047981
Neat!
>>47047498
http://www.delta-green.com/games-and-fiction/#
Here are a number of the scenarios that were in the original splat books.
>>47051878
Cheers <3
