The 2024 Shotgun Scenario Contest is over, which means that it's time for reviews. This year there was a record-breaking number of entries, so this post only contains reviews of the first 40 submissions. The other half will follow soon. You can read all scenarios here.
The Polygraph
A mundane scenario in which the Agents are questioned by a pair of FBI agents after an operation has gone wrong. This scenario gives some mechanics on how to handle a polygraph exam, but overall I don't find it to be that useful. Too much depends on the specifics of the failed operation.
Also, having one-on-one interrogations with each of the Agents where only yes or no questions are asked sounds incredibly boring.
Night Terrors
A World War I scenario, which is pretty rare. The players have to raid an enemy trench while they are being subjected to various hallucinations and hypergeometric effects, due to an unnatural entity traveling across the battlefield.
I really like the suggested encounters/hallucinations. However, you have to wonder why the characters, normal soldiers, would continue with their mission after the first signs of the unnatural. I also don't know when the characters would have time to write/dictate a letter to their bonds. But other than that this scenario is neat.
Lovebitten
There is a lot of stuff in this scenario and I have no idea how it fits together. There is no explanation on why the high school disappeared or where the vampires come from, except that the town itself might be on top of some ley lines? And what is all that stuff with the Sawyer House Fire survivors about? It almost seems like this scenario is based on some other piece of media that features these elements.
A lot of the word count is also spent on describing the contents of a video tape, so on past events that the Agents can’t even influence anymore.
Corridor/Tower
This is not really a full scenario, rather a description of a weird place. I probably wouldn’t run this as written, but the random tables are full of interesting and creepy things that one can steal for other scenarios.
Suicide Watch
An unnatural computer program manifests a Lloigor in a tech startup. I like the NPCs and the vibe of the company in this scenario. I know that there is a link between Ghatanothoa and the Lloigor in canon, but I think it would be cooler if the manifestations would be more directly linked to the Great Old One instead of the Lloigor. Ghatanothoa is much less used and it would be nice to have some scenarios featuring him. Overall, I thought this scenario was good.
Relief
The threat in this scenario is cool. I wonder if it’s inspired by Gloomy Sunday. The investigation seems a bit easy and the end is not really satisfying, but overall I like it. The scenario mentions that an Agent or a Bond could be affected by the song as a possible escalation. I think that the scenario would be even better if it focused on those possibilities, but I’m not sure what I would cut.
The Disappearance of Elias Wells
This scenario reminds me of Minoan Augur, alien parasites influence their host because they want to go home. However, Minoan Augur has a much better hook than simply an occult symbol at a crime scene. The larva could also use some more flavor. The description is suitably horrifying, but mechanically they are not very interesting.
OPERATION CAULIFLOWER E.A.R
The Agents are caught in a feud between two other DG members. This scenario gives some suggestions on how to play the NPCs and maybe some things to find, but overall I feel like there is not enough stuff for the Agents to do, except deciding which side to support.
Oysters and Salt Pork
The formatting and writing of this scenario is great, but it’s missing some crucial information: what is the Agent’s mission objective? DG already knows that they have a Deep One hybrid on their hands, so are they supposed to kill him? Or just investigate him in general?
Overall, the stakes in this scenario are pretty low. An investigation turns up nothing unnatural, unless Everett performs some superhuman feat right in front of the Agents. And a confrontation with Everett should also not be a challenge to a group of Agents, especially since he does not seem interested in violence and just wants to get back to his work.
Of course the moral dilemma on what to do with Everett is the main point of the scenario, but for me personally it’s not a very interesting one. But I think it could be a great addition for a Deep One/Operation SOMERSAULT campaign and the execution of this scenario is top notch.
Red Minstrel
Delta Green goes to Mexico. This scenario is good, but nothing exceptional. The most interesting thing is the location, an operation in Mexico sounds cool. Usually you have Mexican bad guys like cartels or the Disciples of the Worm operating in the US, but rarely the other way around.
Regarding the formatting and structure: The large indent at the start of (some) paragraphs looks weird. And there should be a summary at the top of the document that tells the prospective Handler what is actually going on. I had to scroll to the end of the document to see that some nahual are responsible. I also had to google what a nahual is, but maybe I’m just ignorant.
Subject T
Not really a scenario, rather a gameplay element that the Handler can somehow integrate into their campaign. Kind of like Detwiller’s Two-Minute Terrors.
I like it, but I think it would have been better if the author had decided what the actual nature of Subject T is and expanded on that, instead of leaving it up to the Handler. I like the Tulpa option the most.
A Canticle of Whispers
The Agents are trapped in a library with an invisible monster. I like the details of the ritual that can be used to banish the creature and that it is vulnerable to sound. I think with the provided material the scenario could be rather short, but that’s fine.
Home For The Holidays
The players take on the role of ghouls and have to rescue Agent Nancy. This scenario has a few things that stretches my suspension of disbelief, e.g how do the ghouls know where Nancy is kept, why does she have internet access, and why would the Program allow a Christmas party with civilians at a high security facility?
The formatting and writing is good and I really like the location that was chosen for this scenario.
Blood of the Coven, Water of the Womb
In this scenario the Agents investigate a pregnant teenager that is used by an old witch to revive her coven. The scenario is pretty standard, but the hook is quite strong. I also like the magic ring that impregnates the wearer. The formatting is good, but the bolding is a bit excessive. I found that the wording of some things is strange and that made the text harder to understand on the first read-through. Other than that it’s a good scenario.
BLUE-ON-GREEN
The Agents are pulled over by a bunch of fake cops. It’s a fun idea, but it’s more of a random encounter than a full scenario. There are three options given on what the Agents can do when they are pulled over: Fight, Flight and Flatter. But it’s missing the most obvious option. What if the Agents show their own badges? It kind of fits to some of the stuff in the Flatter section, but I think at this point this encounter falls apart. It's still a cool idea.
DEATHRATTLE
A scenario in which Carcosa consumes Trinidad & Tobago and then the world. The scenario has a lot of weird stuff that the Agents can experience, but it’s rather on rails and there is not much that they can do or meaningfully interact with.
Dead Man’s Hand
A simple but good scenario in which the Agents have to deal with a monster that escaped in a casino hotel. The creature’s ability to disguise as any object under a certain size reminds me of the Prop Hunt mod in Counter Strike and other shooters. Cool threat and cool scenario.
False Tides
A mundane scenario that explores the ties between the Program, March Technologies, GRU SV-8 and the Propavsheye. An interesting premise and I like the NPCs in this one, the writing and formatting is also good. However, there are some point of failures where the scenario assumes that the Agents do a specific thing. E.g., if the Agents don’t let Sinclair take the plane or contact Oaks after they find out the blood testing kits are tampered with, then all subsequent events never happen.
Strange Provenance
I like the basic idea of this scenario, the Agents have to investigate a wealthy individual that shows interest in a known unnatural vector, but it’s actually an employee that is into the unnatural. But the specifics of the plot in this scenario are a bit improbable. The heroin addicted son of a dead DG agent tells his dealer about an old bottle of wine, mentions the exact vintage and then the dealer tells another contact about it, who by pure coincidence knows that exactly this wine is unnatural? And then her boss, who happens to be a wine collector, hears her talking about it on the phone and mentions this wine in an interview with a magazine? This seems quite hard to believe.
I do like the weird hallucinations that the wine (or rather the bacterium) causes.
Let Me Grow, Let Me Die
I like the horrifying imagery in this scenario, people fused into trees, their eyes eaten by animals, very nice and very creepy. The investigation is quite standard, but good. Finnegan seems to be a very competent enemy, but I like that the scenario suggests that he can be bargained with. Good scenario!
The Madness That Silence Brings
Unless I missed it, it is never outright stated that the television is responsible for the outbreak of the unnatural in this scenario. This should probably be mentioned right at the top, I was definitely confused during my first read through.
Creatures made of static are interesting, but their invisibility combined with their save-or-die attack feels overpowered. The moving company owned by a Tleche-Naka cult came out of nowhere, I don’t know what’s up with that.
Become the Rhythm
Unnatural jazz causes tumors and worse in the listeners. I like the ideas in this scenario, but I’m worried that it might be a little too easy, because as soon as Dorcas is put under pressure the finale is triggered. I guess you somehow have to involve the police to make the Agents’ life a bit more difficult, like the scenario suggests. But I would have liked to have some more guidance for that. I am a fan of scenarios that explore Azathoth’s connection to music, so I liked this one a lot.
Operation PACIFIC DREAM
This scenario has an interesting setting with Okinawa, and an interesting threat from Japanese folklore. Unfortunately, much of the word count is spent on describing the setting, the briefing, and even a replica katana. This doesn’t leave much room for gameplay elements. The investigation is very barebones, the only suggested clues are Berkman’s GPS data and local NPCs that the Handler has to improvise.
Operation Soaring Sun
A mundane scenario where DG suspects an AI going rogue, but it’s actually someone committing murders using the automated systems of the facility. I’m not a huge fan of mundane scenarios, but this one definitely has a funny idea and a good twist. With mundane scenarios there is always the chance that the Agents will no longer care as soon as they learn the truth. I don’t think this is a problem in this scenario, because the bad guy will explicitly target the Agents when they come snooping around.
The Varginha Incident
This scenario is a standard bug hunt, where the Agents have to deal with a bunch of aliens, Majestic and the military. The most original thing about this scenario is the setting, since it takes place in Brazil. However, the setting is not used to its full effect, the town could as well be any town in the US and the Brazilian organizations introduced in this scenario are not that different from DG and Majestic. I think more could have been done with this, but that is probably outside the scope of a shotgun scenario.
Wizards!
In this scenario the Agents have to stop two Outlaw groups that are fighting each other with spells. This is mostly a combat scenario with not much investigation. The Outlaw cells are pretty weird, the members are librarians, archivists and scientists, not a single Fed in sight. There are a whole bunch of new spells that these Outlaws know, but most of them are offensive damage-dealing spells and remind me more of DnD than DG. Overall it’s too pulpy for my taste.
From Dust to Life
The Agents have to investigate a faith healer cult in Louisiana. This scenario is well done, with a clear structure and easy to read formatting. The setting is cool, but the plot is nothing exceptional: an investigation followed by a showdown with a disgusting monster. It’s perfect if you need to run DG and don’t have much time to prep.
Better Left Forgotten
The Agents have to investigate a Majestic facility, but one of them is secretly a traitor. There have been other scenarios like that, but this one is neat because the traitor was never really with the Agents, they only believed it because of a memory modification spell. Kind of like a false hydra. Cool twist!
First Day Jitters
This scenario needs an executive summary at the beginning. It’s purposefully silly, but in a way that I personally did not enjoy. Also, too much NPC descriptions in the appendix, those should be in the main text or be cut.
Sweet as Honey
Like one of my own scenarios, this one is about unnatural honey, which is a funny coincidence. But other than that there are not many similarities. I don’t have much to say about this one, it looks good. The only nitpick I have is the excessive bolding. If everything is highlighted, then nothing is.
Timeless Pursuit
The Agents have to find an individual with a Lloigor stone and the K’n Y’ani are also interested. The investigative portion of this scenario seems okay, but I think the part about dealing with the Lloigor or the K’n Y’ani needs more fleshing out. Also, more compact stat blocks would be good.
Girl Scout’s guide to the Apocalypse
I love that the cultists in this scenario are a group of girl scouts, even though their motivation to become cultists in the first place is a bit weak.
The tainted cookies are cool, but that there are eight of them in circulation seems a bit much. Having them be offered to Agents is a fun idea.
I would have liked it if there were more ways to resolve the situation other than murder.
Operation From the Nest
A large number of newborns go missing from a hospital. This is a cool hook and the creature that is responsible seems interesting. While I was reading I was wondering why the Stork takes children now and not before. And what’s up with the nest and what creature lived there before the Stork inhabited it? I would have liked to have this information, but I think it isn’t critical to run this scenario.
Be Kind, Rewind
The premise of this scenario is pretty out there, but interesting. The clues that hint at the simulation are neat. The scenario seems quite linear and I didn’t really get where the Russians suddenly came from.
Memetic Murder Mystery
The setup for this scenario is pretty elaborate. By contrast, there are not a whole lot of gameplay elements provided, but I think that is fine. This scenario lives from the inter-party conflict it creates. Interesting idea and I can see it working well.
Two-Headed Venus
The hook of this scenario is cool, as is the conjoined twin killer. Unfortunately, the venus head doesn’t play a very central role. The antagonist cult in this scenario is a bit boring, so I think it would have been a good idea to focus more on the venus head.
One Night in Swamptown
This scenario has a clear structure and should be runnable with little prep. The plot itself is nothing special. I wish that the disease had a bit more interesting effects or that there are more gameplay elements to interact with. The backstory could be compressed to free up some words.
Visitation
I don’t like the font that was chosen, it’s hard to read, even if it’s thematic for a 90s scenario. Other than that the writing and structure is good.
It’s a cool scenario, but it only really works as part of a Skoptsi campaign. It also relies a little too much on an unlikely coincidence, namely that the Agents rented a room in a motel that is run by a Skoptsi informant.
Throwing a Dark Young at the Agents is a little mean, especially since they have no time to prepare for this in the course of the scenario. But that the Skoptsi are driving around with a dead cow in a truck is a very cool and memorable detail. Despite my criticisms I like this scenario.
Basilisk
I read Ganzfeld Gate, but that was a while ago and I don’t remember much. So I can’t say how close the plot of this scenario is to the plot of the short story. The scenario seems good and very runnable, but it’s not something I am personally interested in.
The additional word count used for NPC descriptions in the appendix is excessive.
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