Dark Conspiracy the RPG

[Darklings] The Pale

On March 1, 2016

You know what riles me up the most? Rumour has it that a couple of FBI guys caught themselves a Pale. A young one, I’m guessing as it walked straight into their trap. Of course, the Feds didn’t know what to make of a heat sucker like a Pale and ended up killing the damned thing in a bath of boiling water. God damn it, the best chance in decades to understand what these things want with us, and these two meatheads cook it like some sort of lobster. I’m telling ya, that rumour better not be true or I’ll be royally pissed!

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The Pale (n.) Darklings driven by their need for ambient warmth. Hunters with desires that cannot be satiated by blood or terror. But what are the Pale, and why are they in our dimension?

While the Dark Conspiracy rulebook details how these creatures work mechanically (see page 226 of the 1st edition rulebook, or page 221 in Dark Conspiracy Rules), it never examines much beyond the basics. So where do the Pale come from, how do they survive and what motivates them to hunt in our reality?

This article is the first of an ongoing series examining some of the most iconic and unique Darklings created for Dark Conspiracy. Each new entry will explore further ideas, motivations and goals for the threat, hopefully helping potential Referees bring them life at the game table. However, as nothing is ever as it seems in Dark Conspiracy, each one of these entries will provide a range of information, leads and ‘facts’ about the creature, leaving it up to the Referee and players to determine which, if any, are true…

[Review] A Gathering Evil – A Dark Conspiracy Novel

By Marcus Bone

On January 1, 2016

In Reviews

Awakening in a speeding ambulance, with the scream of its undulating siren ripping your brain apart, is not a pleasant experience. It becomes even less so when you realize you’re in a body bag zipped up tight and you can’t move. Trapped in suffocating darkness, with the rubberized canvas pulling at your flesh, you realize that if this is death, eternity in a grave will be hell itself.

And so begins A Gathering Evil, Michael Stackpole’s first novel in what was to become the Fiddleback trilogy. Be warned spoilers follow!

Plot Summary

As quoted from above, A Gathering Evil starts in the most dire of circumstances, but then moves into a classic romp through a vibrant post-depression world. It is through the eyes of the protagonist, Tycho Caine (a man who knows nothing of his past, not even if Tycho is his real name), that we learn about this alternate 2010s; from the depths of the Eclipse (the name given to the massive solar panel array that now covers most of downtown Pheonix) all the way to the top of the most prestigious of corporate towers. Much like Dark Conspiracy itself, the story is one of fighting back against an unknowable enemy, a universe where it seems it is always left to a collection of misfits and social outcasts to make right when others can, or will, not.

[Tabloid] Storm Warnings

By Marcus Bone

On November 28, 2015

In Tabloids

A Tabloid Article by Marcus D. Bone

In the world of Dark Conspiracy, threats come from all places, above and below. This tabloid article provides the Referee with an interlude for a party already on an investigation, or act as a trigger event for new potential Minion Hunters.

Inspired in part by the Ice Daemon adventure, Storm Warnings offers an opportunity to explore what becomes of the Dark Conspiracy world when it is abandoned by humanity.

[Review] Minion Hunter – The Dark Conspiracy Boardgame

By Marcus Bone

On October 31, 2015

In Reviews

With Game Designers’ Workshop starting life as a boardgaming company, it was probably little surprise that Dark Conspiracy eventually got its own boardgame – Minion Hunter – in 1992. Created by Lester Smith, and developed with both a solo and co-operative style play (for up to six players) in mind, it pits the namesake Minion Hunters against a number of Dark One plots across the breathe and width of Dark America. In a race against time, the players need to upskill, and fit out their characters before it is too late!

So, is the career of a Minion Hunter everything they say it is? Does it lead to a life of wealth and glory, or simply madness and death? More over, are the players themselves going to be able to survive a game that offers as much balance and consistency as a lost marble? Let’s find out!

[Interview] Charles E. Gannon – Author of Darktek

By Marcus Bone

On October 1, 2015

In Interviews

Gaming is often the gateway to greater things. Such was it for Charles Gannon, author of the Dark Conspiracy supplement Darktek. Recently DCtRPG had an opportunity to chat with Charles, about his game writing, involvement with Game Designers Workshop, and most recently his Wall Street Journal Best-Selling fiction.

Please Note: This interview took place three years ago, and was thought lost in ruins of an old PC. Thankfully, through the wonders of modern technology, it can be resurrected to grace the pages of this website.