Tradecraft refers to the unique set of skills required to conduct successful covert operations without being caught. Spies, criminals, terrorists, and Delta Green operatives must master tradecraft if they want to survive more than one mission. Players who wish to brush up on tradecraft before the new edition of Delta Green comes out should start reading up now. The following links will help impart the basics of tradecraft, but only experience in the field allows mastery:
The Delta Green Mailing List’s wisdom has been collected at the Fairfield Project. Delta Green agents have considerations that other covert operatives do not, such as dealing with the contents of Green Boxes.
The Stratfor Glossary of Useful, Baffling and Strange Intelligence Terms (PDF). Find out the slang of professional intelligence agents and what it reveals about their mindset. A bit like Murphy’s Laws, but for spies, not soldiers.
An interview with a security expert on the recent Hatton Gardens jewel heist. In today’s age of panopticon security, this kind of mission is only possible with perfect tradecraft. Find out what the thieves did right to pull it off.
How to make a secret phone call. No surveillance system is perfect. Find out what it takes to make a phone call without being monitored.
How ISIS used tradecraft to take over cities in Syria. The leadership of the Islamic State included many former intelligence operatives from Saddam’s Iraq. They used their knowledge to subvert rebel-held cities in Syria, allowing them to conquer far more than their military strength would normally allow.
