Using ChatGPT To Create Delta Green Scenarios

ChatGTP is all the rage right now and people are afraid that the super AI is going to take their jobs. Is my extremely well-paying job as fan scenario author endangered as well? Let's find out by having ChatGTP write a Delta Green scenario.

First Attempt

Let's start with the easiest approach first, simply asking ChatGPT to create the whole scenario for us. My prompt is in italics, ChatGTP's response is in normal font:

Please write a short scenario for the Delta Green RPG, a game about Lovecraftian horror and conspiracy.

As agents of Delta Green, a top-secret organization dedicated to combating the threats of the Cthulhu Mythos, you and your team are called to investigate a series of strange occurrences in the small town of Millfield, Vermont.

The local authorities have reported a spate of bizarre disappearances and bizarre, otherworldly occurrences, including strange lights in the sky and strange noises emanating from the woods at night.

Upon arriving in Millfield, you begin to uncover a web of dark secrets and ancient rituals being conducted by a cult devoted to the Great Old One Cthulhu. As you dig deeper, you discover that the cult is planning to use a series of powerful artifacts to summon Cthulhu and bring about the end of the world.

As the cult's rituals near completion, you must race against time to stop the summoning and save humanity from an apocalyptic fate. But as you battle the cultists and confront the monstrous entities they have summoned, you begin to question your own sanity and wonder if you will be able to survive the horrors that lurk in the shadows.

This certainly sounds Delta Green-ish. We have strange manifestations in a small town and we have a Cthulhu cult. What we don't have is any game play, it reads more like the summary of a scenario rather than the scenario itself. Let's try something else.

Second Attempt

Let's see what ChatGTP does if we provide some details about the scenario that we would like to have. Let's use the same hook as in Last Things Last and have ChatGPT take it from there:

Let us write a short scenario for the Delta Green RPG, a game of Lovecraftian horror and conspiracy. Clyde Baughman, a former Delta Green agent, is recently deceased. The Agents now have the task to look into Baughman's belongings and to recover or destroy any evidence that Delta Green exists. The investigation starts at Baughman's apartment. First, describe what the apartment looks like.

The apartment is small and cramped, with a cluttered and disorganized feel. The walls are yellowed and peeling, and the furniture is old and worn. There are piles of papers and books scattered throughout the room, and the floor is littered with empty beer bottles and fast food wrappers. The smell of stale smoke and sweat hangs heavy in the air. As the agents search through Baughman's belongings, they find a number of strange items - a handwritten journal filled with cryptic notes and diagrams, a collection of ancient artifacts and occult objects, and a stack of documents marked with the Delta Green logo. It becomes clear that Baughman was heavily involved in the organization, and the agents must carefully consider how to proceed. Do they destroy the evidence and cover their tracks, or do they try to learn more about Baughman's activities and the secrets he was keeping?

The description of the apartment is pretty good. The question at the end is pretty unnecessary, but whatever. Let's ask a follow-up question and see where ChatGPT takes us:

Give some examples of things that could be found among the collection of artifacts.

• An ancient tome bound in human skin, filled with dark rituals and forbidden knowledge
• A set of strange, unfamiliar symbols etched onto small stone tablets
• A collection of artifacts from various ancient cultures, including Egyptian statues and Greek vases
• A series of strange, twisted figurines made from unknown materials
• A set of tarot cards with unsettling, otherworldly designs
• An ornate knife with a blade made from a shimmering, unknown metal
• A small, intricately carved wooden box containing a mysterious, glowing substance
• A set of crystals with strange, glowing properties
• A series of strange, humanoid figurines made from a material resembling clay, but with an unsettling, organic texture.

Creating artifacts is certainly no problem for ChatGTP, though of course any kind of possible game effects are missing. But for inspiration this is good. My next prompt is about the journal that ChatGTP invented and where it leads us. Maybe into a cabin in the woods?

Baughman's writing in the journal hints at the existence of a possible second location, where he might have hidden more stuff that points to Delta Green. What is this second location?

The journal contains a number of cryptic references to a "safe house" where Baughman kept some of his most valuable and sensitive materials. The clues are vague and difficult to decipher, but it seems that the safe house is located somewhere in the city, and is protected by a series of complex security measures. As the agents dig deeper into the journal, they begin to piece together a rough map of the location, and they realize that it is hidden within an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town. They know that they must be careful as they investigate this second location, as it is likely to be guarded by unseen dangers and powerful forces.

No cabin, but an abandoned warehouse. It's cool that the Agents have to piece together the location from clues in the journal, but unfortunately ChatGTP gives no details on how to do this. Let's prompt ChatGTP to give us something dangerous at the warehouse:

The warehouse also contains a danger, something that Baughman has hidden from everyone. What is it?

As the agents cautiously enter the abandoned warehouse, they are immediately struck by the heavy, oppressive atmosphere. The air is thick with the smell of decay and mold, and the floor is slick with filth and debris. As they search through the cluttered rooms and corridors, they begin to uncover a series of strange, unsettling artifacts and documents, all pointing to Baughman's involvement in dark and dangerous activities.

But as they delve deeper into the warehouse, they begin to sense a presence lurking in the shadows. At first they think it is just their nerves getting the best of them, but as they hear strange noises and feel the presence growing closer, they realize that there is something lurking within the warehouse. As they turn a corner, they are confronted by a monstrous, tentacled creature, its body writhing and pulsing with eldritch energy. They realize that this was what Baughman had been hiding from everyone - a powerful, ancient entity that he had been summoning and binding to his will. And now, with Baughman dead, the entity is free to roam and wreak havoc. The agents must find a way to defeat the creature and prevent it from escaping into the world.

The description of the warehouse is good. And we have a monster that was summoned by Baughman! Unfortunately, it's not his dead wife but rather a generic tentacle monster. With Marlene it was clear what Clyde's motivation was, he wanted his wife back from the dead. But why would he summon the creature that ChatGTP invented? Let's ask!

Why did Baughman summon and bind this creature? What was his ultimate goal?

As the agents battle the monstrous creature, they begin to piece together the true nature of Baughman's activities. It seems that he had become obsessed with the power and knowledge that could be gleaned from ancient, otherworldly beings, and he had dedicated himself to summoning and binding these entities to his will. He believed that by harnessing their power, he could gain access to secrets and knowledge that were beyond human understanding, and he was willing to go to great lengths to achieve this goal.

But as the agents delve deeper into Baughman's journal and other documents, they realize that his ultimate goal was far more sinister. He had been working with a group of rogue Delta Green agents, who were planning to use the power of these ancient entities to manipulate and control the world. They believed that by unleashing these forces upon the world, they could shape it to their will, and they were willing to sacrifice anyone and anything to achieve their goal. Baughman was an integral part of this plan, and he had been working tirelessly to summon and bind more and more powerful entities to their cause. The agents must now decide how to stop this rogue group and prevent them from unleashing their plan on the world.

So Baughman was driven mad by his work for Delta Green. It's true to the source material but also a bit cliché and boring. But wait, there is a twist! There is a whole group of rogue DG agents and they can be used as a hook for future operations. I don't know how the Agents are supposed to discover this though, ChatGTP just says "they realize" it.

But still, we have a Delta Green scenario written by ChatGTP, though it required some steering with the right prompts. It seems to be usable, though some details have to be still filled in.

I don't think that this is a particularly good scenario, though. The original Last Things Last is way better. What ChatGTP gave us is very generic and boring. Maybe this could be alleviated with some more or better prompting. But if I have to put serious work into the prompts, then I could just as well write the scenario myself.

Still, I think ChatGTP can be useful for content creation, to create descriptions for locations, artifacts, etc. Or simply for inspiration, like a more sophisticated random table.