2024 Alphabet Jam Reviews

The 2024 Alphabet Jam has recently concluded. Each participant was assigned a letter and was tasked to write a Delta Green scenario inspired by a word starting with their assigned letter. The more unusual the chosen word, the better. This year it was also a jam, not a contest, so there was no winner. Or rather, everyone who submitted something is a winner.

I didn't have time to participate this year, but I read all entries and wrote short reviews. All submissions can be found here.

Anchorite, by Richard0101
A 1970s PISCES scenario, a rare treat. In this scenario the Agents have to investigate a town, where the locals sacrifice travelers to the “Anchorite”. A ghoul clan living under the town profits from these sacrifices. Unfortunately, it is never explained what the Anchorite actually is or if it exists at all. Instead, this is left to the Handler, which I found disappointing, since “Anchorite” is such a cool word for an Alphabet jam.

The scenario itself is a large sandbox, the Agents can freely move in the town of Brona and follow various leads. The town is neat, which makes up for the cliché and unsurprising plot of this scenario. I think the structure of the scenario text could be slightly improved, e.g. the key figures of the local cult should probably be introduced somewhere at the beginning, rather than at the end. The map of the town is cool.

Boundary, by idas
In this scenario the Agents investigate a missing person case, which leads them to a highway where people and things can cross into another strange dimension. There are a bunch of creative ideas in this scenario, but it all seems a bit random. I am also not sure how to portray an environment where time flows backwards. The scenario gives just one example on how that manifests (the additional bullet after shooting a gun), but I would have liked some more.

The structure of the scenario is fine, but it could have used some proofreading. I noticed some random capitalization, where I was not sure if this is for emphasis or a typo. Also, there are a bunch of incomplete sentences. The chosen word fits the scenario, but is a bit boring.

Calcivorous, by ChiefMcClane
I really liked this scenario. The threat in this one is original and I love its lifeforce vampirism power. “White dirt” and the fact that people really eat it is weird and interesting, a perfect hook for a Delta Green scenario.

Unfortunately, the scenario is not quite finished, but there is enough content provided that you could probably run this with some improvisation. I would have liked some more details on the quarry. The word choice is also great and fitting.

Necrophorous, by Ceurelian
A very short and straight-forward scenario in which the Agents join a group of gun-toting ghouls to take out another group of gun-toting ghouls. Ghouls with guns feel quite pulpy, but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing.

The Keepers of the Faith are all nicely detailed and unique, I like them a lot. The chosen word is also very good, though I think more could have been done with it. Since the scenario is just two RP moments and a combat encounter I can’t say much more about it.

Outpost, by Libbyithink
The Agents have to investigate an unnatural hole in the ground in an Alaskan research station. The setup reminds me of The Cipher by Kathe Koja, which is also about a weird hole influencing people. The scenario is basically a dungeon crawl through the research station. The “dungeon” is very linear and the rooms are described in great detail, which would make this scenario easy to run, but it might feel a little railroady.

The cult is a not that exciting, but I like the concept of the Maw as a main threat. Layout and structure are good, though sometimes the background pictures are slightly distracting while reading. As for the word choice, “outpost” is not a particularly exciting choice and the execution is straight-forward, but overall quite good.

Quiet, by Tairbaz
In this scenario the Agents have to explore a cave system that turns out to be the body of a dead god. I really like how the cave system is procedurally generated and all the locations and details are flavorful and very fitting to the setting. The events table could maybe use less Gastrolith attacks, but it is also very good. Speaking of Gastroliths, the self-drawn art of the various creatures is very cool.

The layout is good, but there are a few run-on sentences that were hard for me, a non-native, to decipher. I would recommend using more, but shorter sentences.

“Quiet” is not an unusual word, but it is used very well in this scenario. The fact that the environment changes depending on if it’s a quiet phase or not makes this scenario very dynamic. Overall, I really enjoyed this entry.

Unearthed, by A.D. West
After their briefing the Agents wake up in an abandoned Motel, which is haunted by a Lloigor. They have to find their bearing and destroy the Lloigor stone, while also dealing with a Delta Green Cleaner team.

The scenario has an interesting setup and it’s cool that the Agents can actually find the Lloigor stone and destroy it. Lloigor are a bit overpowered, so it’s nice that the Agents have a chance to do something about this one.

My main criticism is that the scenario document could be better structured. The first seven pages of the scenario describe the motel, the background of some NPCs and even give a handout. Only on page eight are we actually told what is going on. When I’m looking for a scenario to run I want to immediately know what it’s about, so please put this info in the beginning.

Waheela, by spacechef28
In this scenario the Agents have to travel to Alaska and hunt a doctor who can turn into  a giant wolf there. Unfortunately, this scenario is unfinished, the important details about the investigation are missing, so I can’t say much about this scenario. I would also suggest not align the text in the center. Left-aligned or justified text is much easier to read.

However, I really like the word that was chosen, I did not know about the Waheela cryptid before reading this.