Category: Reviews Page 1 of 3

[Review] PC Booster Kit

Written by Lester Smith, with additional design by Frank Chadwick (1992, GDW)

The PC Booster Kit was one of the last releases for Dark Conspiracy, and as such sits in a rather strange space in the overall legacy of the gaming. I say this as the PC Booster KIt isn’t your traditional type of release, acting instead as a sort of halfway-house between a rules update and a simple FAQ. To quote Lester directly “This booster kit is designed to enhance your fight. In it, you’ll find rules for expanding character creation, incorporating the results of social status into initial character design, and thereby increasing both skill levels and personal history. There are also a number of new careers that can be followed, including ones that allow the creation of renegade ETs. rogue androids, and canny street urchins.”

But the question, as always, is – was it successful in this mission statement? Does it add to your Dark Conspiracy gaming experience, or is it nothing more than a misguided grab for few more dollars from GDW? Let’s find out together, shall we, as we take a deep dive into this interesting smorgasbord of diverse and complex content for our favourite RPG.

[Review] Evil Ascending – A Dark Conspiracy Novel

… “Fiddleback is but one of many. Pygmalion, DeadTongue, Baron Someday and a dozen others all operate here on Earth. Fiddleback has been the most ambitious to date, but all are effective in their spheres of influence” … 

Evil Ascending is the sequel to Michael Stackpole’s A Gathering Evil and the second novel in Dark Conspiracy’s Fiddleback trilogy. Be warned spoilers follow!

Plot Summary

Set in the immediate aftermath of the events detailed in A Gathering Evil, Evil Ascending continues the adventures of Tycho Caine (now known by many names, including Michael Loring and Coyote) in the fight against his old master, the Dark Lord Fiddleback. Having successfully thwarted the Dark One’s plan to use the Phoenix Transport Loop as a dimensional doorway into Earth’s reality, Caine and his allies now look to strike back at Fiddleback in any way they can. To achieve this goal, new allies will be discovered, and new enemies revealed, in a mixing pot of stories that sees the novel span the world – from Arizona to Tibet, and finally to Tokyo, Japan.

[Review] Challenge Magazine – The Scenarios (Issues 57-58)

Two Scenarios by Craig Sheeley

From the release of Dark Conspiracy in 1990 through to the closure of its doors in 1995, Game Designers Workshop supported our favourite horror game not only through a variety of official supplements but also within the pages of their inhouse magazine Challenge.  Although the magazine existed prior, it was over this run of 5 years (which spanned about 40 issues) that we received a plethora of new scenarios, fiction and other great Dark Conspiracy articles. Here at DCtRPG.info we plan on reviewing each of these ‘releases’, looking back fondly on the foundation of our game and how this material built on (or – please excuse the pun – ‘challenged’) the Dark Conspiracy setting and system.
For those following closely, we’ve previously reviewed the first few offerings found in issues 53 through 56 and so this time round we move on to the two scenarios that appeared in issues 57 (February 1992) and 58 (March 1992) respectively. Interestingly, both of these adventures were written by Craig Sheely, an author who would quickly become a key contributor on many future Dark Conspiracy supplements. So, let’s read on and see what awaits us!

[Review] Acute Care

Written by Dave Schuey (2011, 3Hombres)

Acute Care was the third and final adventure released during 3Hombres Games tenure as the publishers of the Dark Conspiracy 3rd Edition roleplaying game. Primarily focused on a series of suspicious events occurring at a large fictional hospital – Pangate Memorial – it was, as the author notes, written to be either an introductory mission for potential new Minion Hunters, or utilised as a reoccurring location available to an experienced party of Investigators (and what group of Minion Hunters isn’t in constant need for good medical facility?).

So does Acute Care live up to its stated goals? Is it an ‘operation’ needing urgent undertaking, or simply a product that survives simply on ‘life support’? Grab your surgical kit, load up on (legally prescribed) drugs and let’s find out!

[Review] Nightsider – A Folio Adventure in Three Parts

Written by Michael C. LaBossiere (1992, GDW)

Nightsider was the second and final ‘folio’-style adventure released by Games Designer Workshop (GDW) in the Dark Conspiracy line. Well, when I say adventure, I actually mean a collection of three loosely connected scenarios based in Maine, New England (but easily transferable) that all involve an otherworldly invasion by the the titular Nightsiders. These creatures, beings able to inhabit the bodies of the dead, are slowing but surely infiltrating our dimension, and, as always, it falls on the Minion Hunters to stop this invasion before it is too late.

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