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
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"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."
Decent writer though so it's all good.