This is another tabletop role-playing game I picked up at Gen Con this year, mainly so I could read it to answer the questions we were getting on the Modiphius stand. While Modiphius does distribute the game, it’s been created by Haunted Table, a new company made up of professional GMs. The game funded on Kickstarter in 2023 and so kudos for managing a solid release on all the stretch goals and getting the game out into the wild in reasonable time.
The writing in the corebook really adds to this feeling. The whole thing is written in the style of a corporate handbook rather than an RPG. While that can be a little obfuscating at times, like any good handbook it is well organised and clearly laid out. The obfuscation comes from the corporate speak that often hides uncomfortable truths under propaganda and comforting lies. As such, you may need to give the book a deeper read that you might usually to get the hang of everything, but when you come to play it, is easier than most to find your way around and reference.
As you always roll 6D4, you may well wonder how characters are any different. This is covered with the nine Qualities: Attentiveness, Duplicity, Dynamism, Empathy, Initiative, Persistence, Presence, Professionalism and Subtlety. Each of these attributes grants a certain amount of “Quality Assurances” which can be used to knock over one of the D4s in a roll to make it a success. When a Quality is run down, rolls related to it are subject to burnout, which removes one or more 3 results from the roll. So there is a lot to track, but it is not especially complex. The idea that anyone can try anything also makes things easier, with no skills required.
Characters are built on the “ARC system” referring to the three building blocks of the character: Anomaly, Reality and Competency. To choose your ARCs, you pick one speciality from the nine options available for each. These then grant you set powers, abilities and the like, with a certain degree of narrative adjustment to make it your own. While this might seem constraining nine of each offers over 700 possible combinations, so more than enough for any group. The ARC groups are quite straight forward too, and follow the design of the game to be all about your place in the Agency. In a similar way to Pendragon’s characters all being knights, your Triangle characters are all agents, and so the game doesn’t offer options outside of that, and nor should it.
The ARC groups themselves are easy to get a handle on. Anomaly details the supernatural entity that has joined with the character. Before you joined the agency you were a victim of the supernatural, and that is why you qualified. But this symbiotic infection does grant you some pretty gnarly special abilities. Unfortunately there is no way to get rid of it, so you can either work for the agency or get locked in the Vault. Reality is who and what the character does in their free time, their work/life balance and the relationships they have. Even in this game you do get to go home at night. Finally, Competency is the job the character does for the Triangle Agency. While all characters are field agents in one form or another, each has a speciality they work at when not out in the field. This can range from Intern, to PR to CEO to even Barista. Once you have picked your three ARC specialities each character gets 9 points for Qualities and they can finish off filling out a questionnaire to build their background. It’s very quick in terms of what you want to do, but it may well take a new group a long time to consider all the options available.
While this might sound a lot of work for the GM to prepare, this book has you covered, to an almost frightening degree. Once past the setting, system and character creation in the first 136 pages, the larger remaining half of the book is entirely example adventures and adventure creation options. The first are one shots, and behind a “playwall” are more complex adventures designed to be played once you have the hang of things. Given there is already a 215 page supplement with another 12 detailed missions. You could be playing this game until doomsday (which may well be one of the adventures too).
The corebook is all you need to play the game. There is a dice set, but they are just pretty D4s, and you have enough of those if you’ve ever cast Magic Missile. The Vault supplement is a set of 12 missions, and while useful there is more than enough to keep you going in the corebook for some time. There is also a play journal to record your mission briefings and outcomes. Finally, there is a special briefcase edition that collects everything together with a bonus special die.
So, if you like the idea of corporate ghostbusters, this is your game. Even if you don’t but you like to read up on new rules systems, this is certainly one worth a look. If neither appeal but you are in need of a one shot for an upcoming game night, this game has you covered. In short, you should check it out, or at least take an opportunity at a con to play it and see what you think.
What is the Triangle Agency?
As you might imagine, in this game the player characters are all members of the Triangle Agency, a corporation that captures supernatural anomalies and does its best to monetise what it learns. Essentially it's Ghostbusters meets Office Space via Better off Ted with a dash of the Loki series. The Ghostbusters reference is especially clear as standard equipment is a “ripple gun” to weaken and damage anomalies and a “normal briefcase” that traps them until they can be transferred the “The Vault” at HQ. But this game is much more than just a quick knock off. The core of it is its corporate style. The Triangle Agency is not a very nice company, and there is a strong line of capitalist/corporate satire throughout. They aren’t running an operation to save the world or make it a better place, they want to make money and create a monopoly over the supernatural world.The writing in the corebook really adds to this feeling. The whole thing is written in the style of a corporate handbook rather than an RPG. While that can be a little obfuscating at times, like any good handbook it is well organised and clearly laid out. The obfuscation comes from the corporate speak that often hides uncomfortable truths under propaganda and comforting lies. As such, you may need to give the book a deeper read that you might usually to get the hang of everything, but when you come to play it, is easier than most to find your way around and reference.
The System
The system is very simple but can become very involved, and unsurprisingly uses the most triangular of all dice the D4. When you attempt a task you roll 6D4, with any result of 3 being a success. Three successes and the task is a success. Fewer 3s and you generate chaos points, although success can still generate chaos. These points bring more chaos into reality, making things for the agents all the harder.As you always roll 6D4, you may well wonder how characters are any different. This is covered with the nine Qualities: Attentiveness, Duplicity, Dynamism, Empathy, Initiative, Persistence, Presence, Professionalism and Subtlety. Each of these attributes grants a certain amount of “Quality Assurances” which can be used to knock over one of the D4s in a roll to make it a success. When a Quality is run down, rolls related to it are subject to burnout, which removes one or more 3 results from the roll. So there is a lot to track, but it is not especially complex. The idea that anyone can try anything also makes things easier, with no skills required.
Characters are built on the “ARC system” referring to the three building blocks of the character: Anomaly, Reality and Competency. To choose your ARCs, you pick one speciality from the nine options available for each. These then grant you set powers, abilities and the like, with a certain degree of narrative adjustment to make it your own. While this might seem constraining nine of each offers over 700 possible combinations, so more than enough for any group. The ARC groups are quite straight forward too, and follow the design of the game to be all about your place in the Agency. In a similar way to Pendragon’s characters all being knights, your Triangle characters are all agents, and so the game doesn’t offer options outside of that, and nor should it.
The ARC groups themselves are easy to get a handle on. Anomaly details the supernatural entity that has joined with the character. Before you joined the agency you were a victim of the supernatural, and that is why you qualified. But this symbiotic infection does grant you some pretty gnarly special abilities. Unfortunately there is no way to get rid of it, so you can either work for the agency or get locked in the Vault. Reality is who and what the character does in their free time, their work/life balance and the relationships they have. Even in this game you do get to go home at night. Finally, Competency is the job the character does for the Triangle Agency. While all characters are field agents in one form or another, each has a speciality they work at when not out in the field. This can range from Intern, to PR to CEO to even Barista. Once you have picked your three ARC specialities each character gets 9 points for Qualities and they can finish off filling out a questionnaire to build their background. It’s very quick in terms of what you want to do, but it may well take a new group a long time to consider all the options available.
The Game in Action
The game itself simply involves going out to deal with anomalies. While they can be ghost-like they are actually dangerous break downs in reality itself. They come into being when chaos enters the world and finds a form and a purpose. They then grow as the minds they affect give it more shape and form. Anomalies are very single minded, but each has a very specific purpose and goal. Capturing one requires removing its powerbase before trying to capture it directly. This means the player characters need to investigate the area, find out who has been affected and why, and disconnect the anomaly from those it has influenced before it can be faced directly.While this might sound a lot of work for the GM to prepare, this book has you covered, to an almost frightening degree. Once past the setting, system and character creation in the first 136 pages, the larger remaining half of the book is entirely example adventures and adventure creation options. The first are one shots, and behind a “playwall” are more complex adventures designed to be played once you have the hang of things. Given there is already a 215 page supplement with another 12 detailed missions. You could be playing this game until doomsday (which may well be one of the adventures too).
Should You Get It?
All in all, Triangle Agency is a very interesting game with a clever system and a ton of style. If I have a criticism it is that it doesn’t initially light my candle and make me want to play right away. This may be the corporate speak making it hard to get into and find the character of the game, although that style is an essential part so I’d not want to see it gone. There is plenty to build an interesting character here (and solid background options in character creation). But the general feel that the corporation considers them to be nothing more than pawns makes it hard to make a connection to them initially, making them feel rather disposable. However, I think this is one of those games that lives in the playing rather than the reading. It’s a GM’s game, ready to go with a host of adventures. So while the characters might not jump out as heroes for the first adventure, they can develop during play as they form relationships and face anomalies.The corebook is all you need to play the game. There is a dice set, but they are just pretty D4s, and you have enough of those if you’ve ever cast Magic Missile. The Vault supplement is a set of 12 missions, and while useful there is more than enough to keep you going in the corebook for some time. There is also a play journal to record your mission briefings and outcomes. Finally, there is a special briefcase edition that collects everything together with a bonus special die.
So, if you like the idea of corporate ghostbusters, this is your game. Even if you don’t but you like to read up on new rules systems, this is certainly one worth a look. If neither appeal but you are in need of a one shot for an upcoming game night, this game has you covered. In short, you should check it out, or at least take an opportunity at a con to play it and see what you think.
