Call of Cthulhu vs Delta Green
Compare Call of Cthulhu and Delta Green side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.
| Call of Cthulhu | Delta Green | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Horror, Modern | Horror, Modern |
| Tags | Investigation, Fear & Stress Mechanics, Mystery, Deadly, Corruption, Skill-Based, Atmospheric, One-Shot Friendly, Character-Driven, Narrative | Investigation, Mission-Based, Character-Driven, Deadly, Fear & Stress Mechanics, Skill-Based, Espionage, Gritty, Weird, Strong GM Support |
| Core Mechanic | Roll d100 equal to or below a skill or characteristic. Hard and Extreme tests use half and one-fifth of that rating. Bonus and penalty dice select a better or worse tens digit. Eligible failed skill rolls can be pushed by taking further action, risking a harsher consequence. | Roll d100 at or below a skill percentage or a statistic multiplied by five. Successful doubles and 01 are critical successes; failed doubles and 100 are fumbles. In opposed tests, a critical beats an ordinary success, then the higher successful roll wins. |
| Dice | d100 | d100 |
| Complexity | Medium | Medium |
| Availability | Free quickstart | Free quickstart |
| Runnability | 5 of 5 book tools | 5 of 5 book tools |
| License | Chaosium Fan Material Policy | All Rights Reserved |
| Third-Party Publishing | Commercial publishing allowed — Community content program | Noncommercial only — Publisher fan-content guidelines |
| Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing. | ||
| Publisher | Chaosium | Arc Dream Publishing |
| Year | 2014 | 2016 |
| Languages | English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish, Chinese | English, French, German, Polish, Spanish |
| Best For | Groups who want clue-driven horror with ordinary investigators and lasting consequences. Suits focused mysteries and campaigns where survival matters more than defeating every threat. | Groups who want modern investigative horror built around dangerous assignments and the relationships agents sacrifice to keep their work secret. |
| Highlights | Pushing a failed roll offers another chance at the goal with a more serious consequence if it fails. Learning Mythos lore reduces maximum Sanity, tying useful knowledge to lasting vulnerability. An Idea roll gets a stalled investigation moving again, with failure putting investigators into danger. | Expertise can reveal clues without a roll when agents have time to investigate. Bonds let agents reduce sanity loss by damaging relationships they depend on. The core pair provides threat-building procedures and a complete operation with pacing tools and several possible outcomes. |
| Considerations | A major wound can leave an investigator dying, making direct confrontation dangerous. Bouts of madness temporarily place investigator actions under Keeper control. Foot and vehicle chases track relative speed and movement actions, adding a separate procedure to pursuit scenes. | Combat can kill an agent abruptly or leave permanent injuries. Sanity loss can force behavior outside the player’s control. Handlers must prepare the mystery and judge what evidence the agents can uncover. |