Announcement Forthcoming?

[Morthrai]

Marc Miller of Far Future Enterprises and formerly GDW has just posted the following short and simple message on the Facebook DC Fans group : "Big announcement March 19."

That's all we got!

[ReHerakhte]

Interesting.
I'm assuming it's going to be about getting 4th edition going again so that leads me to some idle thoughts.
I'm wondering if there will be any opportunity for those who were involved with the Clockwork production to be involved with the new attempt?

[Morthrai]

Interesting.
I'm assuming it's going to be about getting 4th edition going again so that leads me to some idle thoughts.
I'm wondering if there will be any opportunity for those who were involved with the Clockwork production to be involved with the new attempt?

As far as I am aware it is about DC4, though I understand that the new licensee was also interested in another old GDW property so there's the chance of them making a double announcement. I honestly don't know if they have the other game though.

As for the people involved, I think the plan for DC4 is to move ahead using what's already been rewritten and keeping those folk on board if they want to remain

[ReHerakhte]

That's even MORE interesting!
Because there has been lots of speculation about a 4th edition of Twilight: 2000 on one of the main T2k forums (mostly based on a comment on a T2k facebook group, from Chris Lites about working on a new version of the game).

Hmm... I wonder...

[Morthrai]

He was also on the original DC4 team that Jason Durall assembled but there again Chris is everywhere Decent writer though so it's all good.

[Morthrai]

Marc Miller has posted a longer message on the Facebook group today which I shall copy-paste here verbatim. Nice to know his influence still extends across gaming even after so many years
--

"Disclaimer: I have dashed this off, and reflect facts as I understand them. This reflects a general statement of what happened with DC.

When GDW Game Designers’ Workshop closed its doors, it feel to me to maintain the records of the ownership of the various games that GDW had published. Some rights were sold, or distributed, to various designers, and so it is not entirely clear at first look who holds what. For example, when Loren Wiseman died, the rights he held to various titles were bequethed to me. But I have the records and the institutional memory, and I either know, or can find out.

When someone wants to do something with one of the titles, like redesign and reprint the Third World War series, or do a movie based on Twilight: 2000, they ultimately are referred to me, and I can figure out what needs to be done.

I take this responsibility seriously. Each of GDW’s titles has its own fans and devotees, and each of you deserves a certain respect.

So, a couple years ago, in inquiry about Dark Conspiracy came in from Clockwork, and after some discussion, he negotiated a contract with the people who ultimately own the rights. The papers were signed and the process began.

Somewhere in there, Clockwork’s main German distributor decided not to distribute any more, causing disruption in the German RPG business. Clockwork persisted. As they approached publication, they mounted a kickstarter, but for reasons that sounded good at the time, went with an off brand process which produced less than optimal results.

Then, since bad things come in threes, some financial difficulties emerged at Clockwork and they became insolvent. I don’t know the details. During that process, we negotiated a transfer of the Dark Conspiracy license to a new publisher. Negotiated is a short form term for figuring out who this new publisher would be, vetting them, making sure that the proper details were covered by paperwork, and ultimately getting proper signatures on the right documents.

Much of this process falls on me, but in the end, it also involves getting physical signatures on multiple documents across three continents.

That process is literally complete and the proper documents are in the files of the proper intellectual property holders. When that happened, I had a discussion with the new DC licensee about when to make the announcement: it isn’t my place to make that announcement, and I said so. Together, we (they and I) searched our calendars, reflected on what needed to be said, and picked a date: March 19. That is just ahead, and after the GAMA trade show, so the announcement wouldn’t get overwhelmed by whatever happens there, while allowing the publisher to discuss it with distributors at GAMA. Of course, with the papers properly signed, they can say anything they want, and will as they talk at GAMA. That is, assuming the global pandemic doesn’t intervene.

I think that the foregoing is a reasonable explanation of what has happened to date with Dark Conspiracy. I may have some facts wrong, but it is literally how I understand things have happened with DC, and I don’t think you will see a fuller explanation in one place anywhere else.

I also think that everyone involved has tried to do the best they can to bring forward a new edition of Dark Conspiracy, and to not hurt or disadvantage DC’s fans, backers, and supporters along the way.

My own hope is that none of you hold these difficulties against the Dark Conspiracy system, and that you give the new DC a fair chance.

I’ll go further. If you personally have been wronged or victimized by the evil forces in the world that are arrayed against Dark Conspiracy, let me know, and I will personally organize a mission to find those responsible, punish them, and bring about ultimate justice for you and your particular plight."

[ReHerakhte]

And I see Marc still has a cheeky sense of humour!
Only another week and a bit until we find out what it's all about.
But thanks for posting Marc's comments, I don't use Facebook so I'm definitely out of the loop for some things.

[Linden]

Much of this process falls on me, but in the end, it also involves getting physical signatures on multiple documents across three continents.

No mean feat in itself. I'm sure there's a Protodimension somewhere that's like a lost letter office but just full of contracts that mysteriously go missing on their way to, or way back, from being signed. Personal experience suggests the entrance is near Vodafone's UK head office but I dare say other portals may exist.

[Marcus Bone]

Hi all - as mentioned by Marc Miller over on Facebook - due to the outbreak of the Greater Depression... opps... I mean Covid-19 the announcement has been delayed a week...

In other news, I hear that Twilight 2000 is getting a rebook (as Twilight IV), although no other details than that!

Marcus