Dark Conspiracy-like novels

Any and all discussion about Dark Conspiracy, the RPG of modern conspiracy horror
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Linden
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Re: Dark Conspiracy-like novels

Post by Linden »

The House of Rumour by Jake Arnott. British arts journo/broadcaster Mark Lawson provides a fairly comprehensive review here. Probably the only thing I'd add is that one of the novels minor characters becomes involved in a UFO cult which could provide some useful background for a DC game with regard to what such people believe and how they see aliens.
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Linden
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Re: Dark Conspiracy-like novels

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As Lee already knows I'm working my way through "The Zone series" by James Rouch: The adventures of a combined US/UK special missions team in a 1980s set Third World War. A fairly typical scenario of its day (see Hackett, Coyle, Clancy et al) but Rouch puts a slightly different spin on it with the war becoming protracted and mostly confined to an NBC blasted strip of land dividing eastern and western Europe as was.

They're typical British 70s-80s exploitation fare with the obligatory instances of squalid sex and gratuitous violence. Imagine a cross between Garth Marenghi and Sven Hassel and you'll have a good idea of what they're like. Nonetheless they did strike me as useful as background for Dark Conspiracy. I'd suggest that the war might be over by the time of the Greater Depression but the Zone remains and would make an ideal sanctuary for Darklings. The misery of the inhabitants, mostly refugees housed in ramshackle camps, would provide plenty of negative energy for them to feed on. Wouldn't be too long before the place started to turn into one huge demonground?
Last edited by Linden on Thu Jan 21, 2016 7:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Dark Conspiracy-like novels

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It could inspire a contaminated lawless region.
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Re: Dark Conspiracy-like novels

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I have taken elements from "The Zone" series and dropped them into my DC world. I even wrote up the Iron Cow APC used by the characters in Demonground mag way back. Might have to drag that out of the archives :)
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Re: Dark Conspiracy-like novels

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Morthrai wrote:I have taken elements from "The Zone" series and dropped them into my DC world. I even wrote up the Iron Cow APC used by the characters in Demonground mag way back. Might have to drag that out of the archives :)
I recall a poster on a modern wargames forum suggesting it was essentially a Warrior IFV but with higher mobility.

After reading Sky Strike I'm thinking of ways to replicate the cross country BTR chase with my PCs. I might adapt Road Work, that old Dr LaBossiere scenario from Challenge.
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Re: Dark Conspiracy-like novels

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I just found the image that I Paintshopped to go with the article, which as you can see bears a teeny resemblance to the Warrior ;)
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Linden
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Re: Dark Conspiracy-like novels

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Interesting to contrast with the book art - looks a bit like a scaled down Chieftain turret on top?

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Re: Dark Conspiracy-like novels

Post by KeiBu »

It's a little bit too tidy and feels a lot like it should be a Buffy spin-off, but Christopher Golden's "Prowlers" series has a supernatural enemy (similar to Werewolves) with a decent structure and motive that could easily be ported into a conspiracy/horror game.
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Re: Dark Conspiracy-like novels

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I've just finished Stephen King's Doctor Sleep which as I'm sure you'll know is a sequel to The Shining. It's got quite a few DC elements: A Darkling empathic cell, The True Knot, composed of psychic vampires that feed on emanations of fear and pain, particularly those of child empaths. The knot are both nomadic and corporate, cruising around the US in their fleet of Winnebagos, all their financial needs catered for by their investment in numerous front companies. It's also hinted they've got friends in high places so there's something of a conspiracy vibe there. Plenty of psychic fireworks ensue when they go after a teenaged girl whose powers make Carrie look like a rank amateur. Plus she's got Danny Torrance from The Shining and an impromptu gang of minion hunters on her side. There's also a gory shoot out in a local beauty spot to keep the gun lovers entertained.
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Re: Dark Conspiracy-like novels

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Morthrai wrote:I have taken elements from "The Zone" series and dropped them into my DC world. I even wrote up the Iron Cow APC used by the characters in Demonground mag way back. Might have to drag that out of the archives :)
Slightly OT I know, but I suspect the ideal game system for re-enacting some Rouch style WW3 porn is 316 Carnage Amongst the Stars. I run the odd game with my players when our regular session can't go ahead for whatever reason, and I do find myself thinking of The Zone books when seeking inspiration for missions to send the troopers on. I think the broad brush characters in 316 fits nicely with the archetypes in The Zone as well e.g. hard bitten sergeant, clinical sniper, rowdy big guy, girl-who's- tougher-than-all-the-blokes etc
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Re: Dark Conspiracy-like novels

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Linden wrote:I think the broad brush characters in 316 fits nicely with the archetypes in The Zone as well e.g. hard bitten sergeant, clinical sniper, rowdy big guy, girl-who's- tougher-than-all-the-blokes etc
I can see that working actually, 3:16 is indeed the type of system to support that kind of gameplay.
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Re: Dark Conspiracy-like novels

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Slade House by David Mitchell. Vaguely reminscent of Stephen King's Shining sequel Dr Sleep with its psychic vampire antagonists. They probably qualify as Dark Minions, or maybe something more powerful. Also features: High-level empaths and their tricks, the empathic underground (with the existence of good and bad cells hinted at) and protodimensions (rather strangely named "orisons"), I enjoyed it for the realistically depicted suburban British setting and well drawn characters (most of whom come to a sticky end) but found the monsters' nine yearly victim hunts rather repetitive. It's not too lengthy so doesn't outstay its welcome, but arguably ends just as it's getting really interesting.

Not a bad read, but on the whole prefer his comedy stuff :wink: .
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Re: Dark Conspiracy-like novels

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"Crooked" by Austin Grossman. A novel that purports to be an occult autobiography of Richard Nixon. Before becoming president he is recruited by the KGB to spy on America's programme to “weaponise” the monsters of the Cthulhu mythos, amongst various others. The Soviets of course have their own programme and Nixon and his Soviet handlers find themselves working together to preserve some sort of balance of power between the two countries, quite apart from the nuclear one.

It's a goodish read but strikes me as rather vague at times. I've moaned in the past about books and films that render the occult everyday and banal but some of Grossman's plotting is just a bit too oblique. He also drops a couple of clangers that better editing might have picked up e.g. Nixon is described as being a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Navy during WWII and KGB headquarters is referred to as Moscow Central instead of Centre.

Overall I suppose it falls somewhere between Tim Powers' Declare and Charles Stross's Laundry novels. Not in the same league as the former but I preferred it to the latter. The idea of weaponised monsters is very Cold City/Hot War.
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Re: Dark Conspiracy-like novels

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"Incarnate" by Ramsey Campbell: An experiment in prophetic dreaming goes badly wrong and is swiftly terminated. The volunteer subjects return to their normal lives but a few years later things start getting strange as they suffer hallucinations and find themselves increasingly unable to tell the difference between dream and reality. It seems the experiment has awakened "something", perhaps related to the Jungian subconscious, which is eager to break into this world and even replace it - a fairly typical Campbell theme (see also short story The Voice of the Beach and novel Midnight Sun).

Dark Conspiracy tropes in the novel comprise the empathic protagonists, faintly sinister psychic experiments and the encroachment of what might be a protodimension, or something akin to a Dream Master or Dream Weaver. The book certainly contains its fair share of disturbing dream scenes which could be good inspiration for player character nightmares.
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Re: Dark Conspiracy-like novels

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Read Arthur Machen's The White People the other day. The work of a late 19th/early 20th century author may not have the most obvious application to Dark Conspiracy but...the "strange country" visited by the adolescent narrator may be a Protodimension. It's certainly bizarre enough.
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