For Day Twenty-Seven, I’m talking about one of the coolest role-playing games I ever played—Dark Conspiracy by GDW. This game hit me like a lightning bolt. Dark Conspiracy took the modern world, cracked it open, and revealed something terrifying underneath. Corporations, secret societies, hidden monsters, ancient evils, and conspiracies stacked on top of conspiracies—it felt like everything was…

A while back, a bunch of people asked me to look at GDW’s near future RPG Dark Conspiracy. This week is for you!

This is the core rulebook (1991), by Lester Smith, and you can tell from the cover vibes that GDW was trying to get in on the Shadowrun/Vampire/Cyberpunk competition. Elmore cover in full effect. Like it, though coming back to it, I want to know why that lady is wearing her underwear over her jeans. She also does this in an interior illustration and on the cover of the Dark Conspiracy tactical board game Minions, and it is a real head-scratcher. Inside, Earl Geier, Janet Aulisio, Liz Danforth and Tim Bradstreet sell a gritty, street-level vibe similar to those previously mentioned games.

Anyway, Dark Conspiracy takes place in the early 21st century, after…a great depression ruined the economy, climate change paved the way for the rise of demons and monsters, cities expanded, vast wastelands free of law and order developed. A lot of the structure of the world reminds me of Cyberpunk, while the monster incursions have a Shadowrun/Torg vibe. Dark Conspiracy never feels as wildly out there as those other games though; we’re still rooted in a plausible, realistic world (albeit one populated by demons). Most people are oblivious to the supernatural threats. PCs, as monster hunters, are obviously aware of the titular secret plot and fighting against it.

I was surprised to learn that Dark Conspiracy’s system derives from GDW’s military RPG Twilight 2000, which is too complicated a system for my taste (though it has intriguing character creation mechanics, using career terms to bundle skills in exchange for increasing character age). Twilight, and therefore Dark Conspiracy, has an emphasis on realism, particularly in combat. I feel like that is at odds with the setting a bit.

In the all-too-near future, the world slides into the Greater Depression, the United States affected most dramatically. Nationalism surges, and the social safety net is in tatters. Corporations control governments openly, corruption is commonplace, and the citizenry is starkly divided between those who have and those who go without. Urban sprawl runs amok, and great metroplexes connect the great cities into teeming, soulless metropolises, their lights shining across the countryside.

The heartland of America is largely abandoned, the bread basket now empty. Law enforcement and the government have given up on these regions, and utilities are scarce and unreliable. Few can survive within these outlaw areas. Few humans, that is.

For in these forgotten and empty places in the rust belt, the tissue of reality tears wide, and energy from nightmare dimensions and planes of utter terror seep into this world. These places, called demongrounds, grow more substantial, expanding each day, and creatures from these hell-places walk freely there, and from the demongrounds they infiltrate the metroplexes to feed their inhuman hungers and bring ruin to all.

Some of these strange and terrible creatures are remembered through folklore and legend — monsters such as vampires, demons, ghouls, and their like — while others are utterly fantastic, extradimensional and alien beings from beyond time and space. Together, these minions of darkness are opposed to all life, and they struggle to extinguish the last lights of human civilization.

Some few stand against them, humans banded together and armed against these dreadful forces of darkness. These minion hunters stalk them in the cities and even in the demongrounds, but the greatest challenge they face is the realization that these monsters do not work alone: they are aided by humans who have made terrible pacts with the forces of darkness, selling out their own kind for power and survival.

This is the world of DARK CONSPIRACY.

In 1990, Game Designers Workshop first brought Dark Conspiracy to life. It was a robust and acclaimed roleplaying game series, far ahead of its time with canny predictions about the shape of things to come.

In 2019, Clockwork Publishing brings it back. For the first time in more than 20 years, Dark Conspiracy will be available in print in a deluxe new version of the acclaimed roleplaying game, with an updated system and setting, featuring all-new art and content.

The relaunch will begin with the release of the Dark Conspiracy quickstart adventure, the Dark Conspiracy core rulebook, accompanied by the Dark Conspiracy Gamemaster Screen and Resource, and more. Future supplements will include sourcebooks detailing gear, psychic powers, minions, and will further explore the world of Dark Conspiracy.

The Rules

Our version of DARK CONSPIRACY uses and updated and streamlines version of the original rules. The resulting system is straightforward, runs quickly in play, and players can grasp it easily.

The basic chance of success is equal to the relevant skill of the task being attempted plus the associated attribute that skill belongs to: Skill Rank + Attribute = Skill Value.

All actions a character (whether minion hunter or nonplayer character) attempts are handled on a single d20, attempting to roll equal to or below the Skill Value. The d20 result itself is not modified, just the Skill Value being attempted.

The Skill Value may be modified by the general difficulty of the task being attempted, such as due to environmental factors, conditions, how injured the character is, or other factors. The Difficulty Modifiers range from +6 for a Routine task to –9 for an Impossible one.

A roll of 1 is always a success and a 20 is a failure, no matter what the modified Skill Value is.

A roll of 10 lower than the modified Skill Value is an outstanding success (like a critical in other games), and a roll of 10 higher than the modified skill value is an outstanding failure (a fumble in other games).

Initiative is based on a combination of a character’s relevant combat skill rank plus their Agility attribute plus a roll of 1d6.

Each combat turn is broken into six five-second combat phases. In each combat phase, characters can perform a minor action and a combat action, as well as multiple reactions and/or free actions.

Minor actions include things like bracing, moving at a walk or trot, switching gear, and standing from being prone.

Major actions include aiming, firing, attacking in melee, readying a weapon for later use, reloading, running, using an object, throwing something, and disengaging.

Reactions include blocking (parrying) and reactive attacks. The more you attempt in a round, the harder it gets.

Free actions are things like dropping items, going prone, and brief talking.

If you are a veteran player and would like to know more about specific changes, consult the section "What has Changed?" below.

Here’s what stands out with this new edition:

This version of Dark Conspiracy is aimed specifically at a modern audience and modern gamers. The system is an updated version of the popular alternate rules system presented in The Empathic Sourcebook and has been optimized for rapid resolution of action sequences and conflicts. Unnecessarily complicated system elements are now resolved using the standard dice mechanic.

Character generation has been streamlined, and the overwhelming superiority of military-based careers has been re-balanced in favor of allowing players to choose a wider variety of background options.

The original game was cannily accurate about the shape of things to come when it first appeared, but some background elements have not aged well. The setting has been revised and updated, modernized but still in the original flavor and keeping many core concepts intact.

One of the core aspects of this game are in its title: the conspiracy itself. The dark invaders are powerful and malignant, but they are being aided and abetted by humans, trading members of their own kind for temporary power or survival.

Many classic fantasy or folklore-based monsters and dark races from the original game — the fey, vampires, harpies, mummies, ogres, living skeletons, manticores — have been replaced with creatures and entities more suitable to an audience jaded by decades of exposure to horror films and games, or are modified into something more terrifying to the modern audience. Some are intact, but are not what they seem.

Indianapolis is presented as the default setting for the core book, and the game’s scope has been expanded to include demongrounds in other locales around the world, including Berlin.

These are only some of the changes, but veteran fans of the game will find that this new edition is still recognizably Dark Conspiracy, and newcomers will enjoy a strong and distinct game with a unique flavor, unlike anything else.

The initial plan for the Dark Conspiracy line includes five books, a gamemaster screen, a quickstart adventure, and three card decks. These are described below:

DARK CONSPIRACY QUICKSTART ADVENTURE

Decades ago, the town of Lakeview, Wyoming was depopulated and submerged when the nearby Cedar Mountain Dam was built. Now in a single night, the lake has unexpectedly drained, exposing the town and its terrible secrets. A team has been sent to investigate, and what they discover may destroy them. This 48-page quickstart adventure contains all the rules you need to play Dark Conspiracy, including a group of pre-generated hunter characters.

DARK CONSPIRACY CORE RULEBOOK

This full-color 256+ page hardcover core rulebook contains everything you need to create characters, play, and gamemaster the world of Dark Conspiracy. Here's an overview of the contents:

Introduction – World Background, How to Use this Book, Intro to Roleplaying, etc.

Characters – Background, Picking Roles, Campaign Type, Attributes, Age, Initial Experience, Education, Careers (Civilian, Criminal, Government, Military, Outsider, Special), Skills & Skill Descriptions, Empathic Abilities, Skills and Secondary Attributes, Secondary Activities, Contacts, Starting Money and Equipment, Character Generation Example, Sample Characters

Between Investigations – Healing, Maintenance Activities, Training/Education, New Opportunities, Skill Improvement (Experience and Training)

Dark Times | World Overview – Intro and Background/History, Life in the Dark Times, Urban Sprawl, Government Collapse, Environmental Collapse, Rise of Fascism/Xenophobia, Collaboration, Major Demongrounds Worldwide

System – Basic System, Empathic Success Sidebar, Combat, Movement, Time/Turns, Initiative, Panic, Ranged Combat, Melee Combat, Unarmed Combat, Combat Special Rules, Aimed Attacks, Autofire, Movement While Attacking, Ammo, Secondary Fire, Explosions, Fire, Falls, Poison, Radiation, Environmental Damage, Damage, Wounds, Stun, Knockdown, Hit Locations, Healing, First Aid, Medical Treatment, Vehicles and Vehicle Combat

Equipment – Personal Gear, Tools, Spy Gear, Medical Supplies, Other Equipment, Weapons, Guns, Ammunition, Explosives, Hand-to-hand Weapons, Body Armor, Electronics & Computers, Communications Equipment, Surveillance Equipment, Analysis Equipment, Robots, Artificial Intelligence, Personal Cybernetics, Vehicles, Cars, Trucks, Motorcycles, Scooters, Small Boats, Fliers

Referee Section – Duties of the Referee, Bringing the World to Life, The World of Dark Conspiracy, Secret History, The World as It Is, The Dark Ones, Empathy, Running Games, Character Creation, Adventure Creation, Campaign Creation, Scene Setting, Continuity, Handling NPCs, Character Arcs, Handling Success/Failure, Handling Empathic Abilities in Play, Handling Communication/Information Equipment and Maintaining Horror, Institutional Conspiracies, Dealing with the Police/Govt/Authorities, Dealing with the Press, Reward, Experience, Aftermaths

Encounters – Handling NPCs and Monsters, Urban Encounters, Corporate Encounters, Govt. Encounters, Rural Encounters, Demonground Encounters, Human NPCs, Handling Human NPCs, Stock NPCs (Average/Generic, Cops, Bikers, Cultists, Derelicts, Gangers, Government Agents, Guards, Soldiers), Animals, Handling Animals, Animals (Ant Swarms, Bears, Bee Swarms, Great Cats, Dogs, Horses, Snakes, Wolves), Minions, Handling Minions, Minions (Bloats, Blood Vultures, Cerberoids, Chimeras, Giant Roaches, Slithers, Spongies), Designing Your Own Dark Minions, Dark Races | Darklings, Handling Dark Races, Dark Races (Animated Objects, Bloodkin, Trolls, Vampires, Changelings, Daemons, Extraterrestrials [Energy, Humanoid, Insectoid, Tentacular], Ghosts, Morlocks, Nukids, Undead [Mummies, Zombies])

Paranormal Technology – Dark Tech, Overview of Dark Tech, Dimensional Travel, Biotech, Animator Generators, Cyborgs, Nanotech, Quantum Physics and the Dark World, Cybernetics, Dark Tech Experiments, Weapons, Alien Tech, Overview of Alien Tech, Cybernetics, Human Augmentation, Weapons

The World / Locations – Intro, Indianapolis, The Indianapolis/Cloverdale Demonground, Berlin, The Berlin/Brandenburg Demonground

Reference Sheets – Skills, Combat Summary, etc.

Character Creation Worksheet, Character Sheet, Index

DARK CONSPIRACY GAMEMASTER SCREEN RESOURCE

This three-panel sturdy cardboard screen protects the referee's secrets from prying eyes, and provides a variety of useful tables for quick reference. This package also contains a booklet containing a ready-to-play adventure and other resources.

DARK CONSPIRACY: THE UNNATURAL

This full-color 128-page bestiary vastly expands the roster of unnatural and extranormal entities that plague the world of Dark Conspiracy, including story notes and potential rumors about each.

DARK CONSPIRACY: THE PARANORMAL

This full-color 128-page sourcebook provides further information about the paranormal in the world of Dark Conspiracy, including additional empathic powers and abilities, and more about the Demongrounds and their effects upon reality.

DARK CONSPIRACY: ARMORY

This full-color 128-page sourcebook contains a variety of additional weapons, gear, technology, vehicles, and rules for customizing them, as well as more esoteric tools that hunters might bear against the Dark Ones and the Minions, or used against the hunters themselves!

DARK CONSPIRACY: ACCESS DENIED

This full-color 128-page adventure anthology contains a variety of short and mid-length adventures and locations for use in any Dark Conspiracy campaign.

DARK CONSPIRACY: MONSTER CARD DECK

This 55-card deck describes many of the creatures of the world of Dark Conspiracy, including physical descriptions, their statistics, their motives, and their tactics. Indispensible for any referee's use!

DARK CONSPIRACY: ARMORY CARD DECK

This 55-card set includes a variety of guns, explosives, hand-to-hand weapons, and other equipment usable for any Dark Conspiracy characters or non-player characters.

DARK CONSPIRACY: RUMOR CARD DECK

This 55-card set includes rumors, conspiracy theories, and secret societies and can be used to flesh out rumors the investigators stumble upon during play or to quickly generate adventure plots.

Crowdfunding campaign ends: Wed, May 8 2019 4:00 AM (GMT +1)