Delta Green: The Rules of Engagement (Call of Cthulhu Mythos fiction)

by John Tynes

Delta Green: The Rules of Engagement is the first Delta Green novel, following the release of the short story collection Delta Green: Alien Intelligence. Delta Green weaves the comic terrors of the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1887797165
• ISBN13: 9781887797160
• Release Date: February 2000
• Publisher: Tynes Cowan Corp
• Length: 229 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.3" x 0.5" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

Superior mythos fiction

I just finished this novel yesterday. It was a rollicking good read. Before I had found it I didn't know anything about Delta Green, as my RPG days are way behind me. Now I am finding a whole sub genre of modern technothriller mythos action horror. So far I have been blown away by Stross' story A Colder War, Goodfellow's novel Radiant Dawn and now Tynes' The Rules Of Engagement. And it's not even the subject matter that's so good, it's the terrific writing that makes these such fun. In all of them, the prose crackles particularly the dialogue, the plot whips along and the characters have depth and believability. And I also like the way in ROE that they don't specifically mention any monsters by name. I don't think there was an 'Ia' in the whole book. When Tynes describes the horrific encounter in the jungles of Cambodia as a flashback, the terror felt by the survivor is palpable. Verdict: rave review! Oh yes, there is one disturbing and unnecessary reference to a character named Matthew Carpenter who gets gunned down. But other than that...

Sequel to "Alien Intelligence" and fiction for DELTA GREEN

DELTA GREEN is the modern adaptation of Call of Cthulhu. Drawing on the same body of UFO lore and paranormal activity as the X-Files, DELTA GREEN has tapped into something very deep. And of course, once you have a successful RPG, you might as well start the fiction flowing, right? "Rules of Engagement" is really a sequel to the collection of stories in "Alien Intelligence" and assumes familiarity with the contents of the DELTA GREEN RPG book. So it's a niche market, but you didn't find this page just by chance, did you? If you're going to read "Rules of Engagement", you might as well start with the other two. Sure, they're becoming hard to get, but no sense doing something halfway, eh? "Rules of Engagement" is a story about a kidnapping, and also a murder mystery, and a detective story, which is also a love story; it could also be one of those Tom Clancy CIA stories, but with less-expensive toys. It definitely involves at least one conspiracy, and a little breaking-and-entering. There are two or three mysteries that never get resolved, and one major character bites the dust (or does he?). Some people would say that it is a stylistically-poor novel, but I say it's a snapshot of life. The weird doesn't become normal, loose ends don't get tied up, and stories don't end where you want them to. Because "Rules of Engagement" is a human psychodrama. The characters have their motivations; love, fear, loyalty, resentment, desire ... shake them like dice and roll them on the stage of life. They play their parts, whether good or bad, but at least with authenticity. And then the curtain comes down, and you have to put in another quarter to watch any more. And you know that you will.

Not for the weak-minded nor the liberal.

RoE starts with a knock your socks of launch and packs quite a few startling punches throughout. The plot does soften a couple times, but not terribly so. It necessarily leaves everything up in the air at the end... Following Lovecraft demands no less. All in all, it's a 5-star must-read for horror fans and gamers alike.

Good book; great source of inspiration

I vastly enjoyed this book. I have to agree that knowledge of Delta Green adds a lot to the book, as characters from other Delta Green books make appearances. That said, if you run Delta Green games you really should read this. If I could run a game that was half as exciting and well- paced as this book, I'd be a very happy Game Master, indeed.

A great book!

I was very impressed with this book, which is a great mix of spy thriller and Cthulhu Mythos horror. It's got an intriguing plot; memorable characters with depth and personality; a lot of detail (especially on technological stuff and the jargon of the intelligence community); and it is well-written and easy to read. The Cthulhu Mythos is an important element, but it is handled with wonderful subtlety and seldom appears center-stage. There's absolutely no name-dropping of the kind that mars so many Cthulhu stories; all references to the Mythos are made without using revealing terms like "ghouls" or "Deep Ones".The book's greatest strength is that it is an *extremely* useful source of inspiration if you're a Keeper of the Delta Green campaign for the RPG *Call of Cthulhu*. Want to know how DG agents cover up an operation? Read this book. Want to know exactly how relations are between DG and ... er, the competition? Read this book. Want to know what DG's leaders' idea of a thorough debriefing is? Read this ... well, you get the picture. If you're a DG Keeper, you should already own this book.Curiously enough, this is also the book's only weakness, in my opinion. There are several instances when someone familiar with the DG sourcebook will see more in the text than the casual reader will. For example, when certain characters known from the DG sourcebook appear, the initiated reader will have a pretty good idea of what is going on, whereas other readers might miss it. But that's just me. If you liked the earlier Delta Green anthology, *Delta Green: Alien Intelligence*, there's a good chance you'll like this one too.