Yesterday I ran Last Things Last for a group of 4 friends, and this will have some spoilers for that module. All DND and other ttrpg veterans but no one had ever played Delta Green before. I think everyone had a great time, and I'm definitely interested in doing more, probably The Last Equation next.
Rummaging through Baughman's apartment, I tried to throw in some spooky atmospheric stuff, cars with their headlights out circling the apartment, etc. Constant reminders that the clock is ticking. They ran into Mrs. Janowitz and told her they were lawyers here to execute Baughman's estate. One of the players was a lawyer and had the briefcase and business cards to prove it. One of my player's girlfriend didn't want to play but still wanted to hang out and be involved, so I asked her to bake a treat. At around midnight while they were searching Baughman's office, they got a knock on the door, which freaked them out. It was Mrs. Janowitz, offering them brownies (in game and irl) for working so hard and so late into the night. Two of them abstained for fear of poison.
One idea that I just threw in on the fly was that the circling car was a cowboy Delta Green agent, making sure the job was done properly. They saw him at a gas station on the drive to the cabin, and he sort of cryptically told him that he knew everything. Then he got in his car and drove away. At the cabin, they found the green box and checked out all the stuff in it. They kept trying to draw connections between all of the stuff and I tried to make it clear there werent any real ties, that was just stuff from Baughman's time in the agency. They resolved themselves to look in the septic tank but they would pour the gasoline if necessary.
Outside they saw the cowboy investigating the outhouse. They tried questioning him for more and he let slip that he was part of the rogue Delta Green. One of them used their DG phone to message HQ and they advised them to do what they felt necessary. The party was pretty split on killing him or not. They found the gasoline then opened the hatch. One of them went insane and hit her breaking point, developing sleep disorders upon seeing Marlene. She begged them for help and they tossed her an energy bar. One of them pushed the cowboy in the septic tank, wondering if Marlene would attack him. She did not, and instead tried to tend to his wounds, but he wouldn't let her. They got a ladder from the shed and helped the two up. The cowboy was very unhappy and brandished his weapon, but did not shoot. They advised them to kill Marlene. They were convinced there was something otherworldly about her, but still wanted to help her. The cowboy was pissed but saw he was outnumbered and left.
Hiding her in the trunk of their car, which Marlene willingly did under the promise she would be taken to a hospital, they drove her to a DG research and medical facility. Recognizing that she was not at a normal hospital, Marlene felt betrayed and begged them to take her to a regular hospital. She then tried to plea with the bargain for the secrets of the universe, which still didn't sway her. At this point I imagine she would have tried to fight back, but doctors and guards were approaching, and we were running a little late anyways, so I had her be detained and taken away to study.
It was pretty intense, everyone was a little stunned at the ending, definitely a moral quandary. If we played again, I figured they could talk to her at the facility, which the module suggests. Way different than any other systems I've used but I thought it was awesome. Plus it was thunder storming most of the game, which added to the atmosphere a lot. And I set it in 2004, which they really leaned into that setting, using a lot of early 2000s slang and talking about their Walkman and whatnot.
Fair point. Part of it could be I'm younger and a majority of my experience is in 5e. I've been branching out lately though, and while I enjoyed PBTA, perhaps I'll find something that hits that niche better