Dark Conspiracy the RPG

I would hazard a guess and say that I am the world’s worst musician. Beyond any physical limitations I possess, I think to this day I have the honour of being the only 5th year student not to master ‘Three Blind Mice’ on the recorder… much to my Mother’s chagrin¹…

Nevertheless music is important to me, I listen to some new album or musical piece every day and have always believed in a strong connection between tabletop gaming and music (I even wrote an article about such 20-some years ago in Demonground). The modern age of being constantly connected to the web, and having easy accessibility to streaming services such as Spotify and Amazon music has meant the scope – although maybe not the quality – of music I’ve been exposed to has expanded rapidly in recent years (even though I would say that I was pretty well versed in some genres even before that).

Alright, that’s nice, but what’s that got to do with Dark Conspiracy or even gaming in general. Well… when I write – like I’m doing right now – I find I do my best work listening to music that – at least to my ever enfeebled mind – inspires or reflects the genre I’m tinkering in. In fact, I’d actually go further than that and say I have playlists that embody the themes and feelings of specific game systems. Yep, I have a playlist for games such as Conspiracy X, Call of Cthulhu, River of Heaven (although that’s an easy one as the game has the best RPG soundtrack ever made²) and, of course Dark Conspiracy.

[Mechanics] Knight’s Armaments

By Marcus Bone

On March 1, 2020

In Mechanics

It’s been 30 years since Dark Conspiracy was released, and in that time the world of weapon technology has both changed and remained the same. In the military sphere time often seems to stay still, with development slow and steady; Generals want mass produced reliable weapons. In the private sector, however, the desire for the most effective and deadly weapons is to the fore (especially with the rise of independent security firms).

One such company meeting these needs is Knight’s Armaments (KAC) and their range of tactical and assault weapons. In this article we present this real-world company’s foremost arms converted into Dark Conspiracy 1st Edition ready statistics.

[Article] Shadows that Rip and Tear: An Observation on Dark Conspiracy

By Marcus Bone

On January 25, 2020

In Articles

This is a short article that I wrote for the Dark Conspiracy 4th edition Kickstarter that never saw publication. It looks to detail, at least from my perspective, why I continue to love, support and create for Dark Conspiracy and why I’m so excited for a new edition!

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Shapes that rip and tear. Shadows that live in corners… Windows in space and time that lead to realms of madness and decay…

And with those words an untold number of gamers were lured into the world of Dark Conspiracy. It was the early 1990s, and for years, roleplayers had played their games across infinite worlds of heroic fantasy, the bounds of airless space or facing the maddening terrors of Lovecraftian horrors, but rarely had they the opportunity to act out their adventures in a setting that reflected so darkly humanity’s own missteps into the future.

Dark Conspiracy is the game of modern, conspiracy horror, set against a backdrop of a bleak future dominated by greed, evil and nightmares from beyond reality. It was a product of its era, the result of a zeitgeist of suspicion and fear – likely driven by a recent stock-market crash, a changing governmental structure and a rapid rise in personal technology – that would spawn not only TV shows like the X Files, Millennium and Dark Skies but also a plethora of other similarly focused roleplaying games.

[Adventure] Urban Nightmares – A 1st Edition Scenario

By Marcus Bone

On January 2, 2020

In Scenarios

By Marcus D. Bone

Things lurk in the dark, in the spaces humanity has left behind. Evil things, vicious things that want for nothing more than our total destruction.

Yet these things we understand, if still fear. What we fail to comprehend are those things hunt us not for survival, nor to feed, or because humanity poses some as yet undefined threat to their existence. No, these things stalk us only for the pleasure…

Unlimited worlds span our universe, and infinite more stretch across the dimensions, and yet among all that potential, how can humanity be reduced to simple playthings?

[Review] DC III: Acute Care

By Marcus Bone

On July 21, 2019

In Reviews

Written by Dave Schuey (2011, 3Hombres)

Acute Care was the third and final adventure released during 3Hombres Games’ tenure as the publisher 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!

[Article] Music that Inspires You – Dark Conspiracy

[Mechanics] Knight’s Armaments

[Article] Shadows that Rip and Tear: An Observation on Dark Conspiracy

[Adventure] Urban Nightmares – A 1st Edition Scenario

[Review] DC III: Acute Care