written by ]ester w. smith
published by dynasty presentations, inc.
Player's handbook (400 payes) - $20
referee's guide (462 pages) - $25-00

Several years ago, Games Designers Workshop (GDW) released a wonderful little game called Dark Conspiracy, whose primary appeal stemmed from the fact that its setting could be summed up in one simple sentence: What if everything you ever read in the tabloids were true? Many people lamented the loss of this gem when GDW went under, but there is cause for rejoice - the Conspiracy is back, and it's better than ever!

Imagine what the world would be like after a global economic collapse, rampant war, corporate intrigues that shake the foundations of governments, and the arrival of dark forces bent on making things even worse. There is a little for everyone here post apocalyptic survival in the fallout-ridden wastes of OutLaw, horrific episodes within the evil-infested Demongrounds, espionage and double-dealing in the corpora te/governmenrowned Metroplexes, and even dark space-opera if that's your fancy.

You take the role of a member of the (sometimes organized) Empathic Underground, a loose-knit resistance movement among those who know (parts of) the truth about the Dark Ones and their plans for Earth. A great variety of character options are available, ranging from the mundane (politicians, escaped prisoners, and even public employees) to the fantastic (rogue androids, ET psychics, and sorcerous dimension -hoppers).

If it sounds like some of this game world is convoluted, or even undefined, the reason is that this was the intent. No two campaigns of Dark Conspiracy are meant to be the same, and the source material is all written to provide the GM with options for their setting, not answers. Each chapter of both books begins with a bit about why the chapter was written, what its purpose is, and how to implement it. In most role-playing games of 100 to 150 pages, this kind of information would take up valuable space; valuable space that I prefer were dedicated to useful detail, but here it is not only helpful, it is integrated into the philosophy behind the entire work.

What is explicitly defined is the game system. DPI has taken the best parts of the original game's mechanics and woven them into a functional, yet ultimately simple, masterpiece. Character generation (described in the Player's Handbook) revolves around four-year intervals of the PC's life (much like First Editions Travel r and Twilight: 2000, both by GDW). Basic social and career options are available, including (among other things) the nomenklatura (or privileged class), ballotmen (citizens who sell their votes to live) and xenos (such as renegade aliens).

There are seven basic Attributes (Strength, Constitution, Intelligence, Agility, Education, Charisma, and Empathy), and random, choice, and hybrid generation systems are provided. Skills are semi-specific, including "cascade" groupings, in which learning one may provide half its value in peripheral skills. The skill resolution system is quite elegant, following the same structure many popular games now do (you roll a d20 vs. your Attribute + your Skill; if you roll under that number, you succeed).

Five levels of difficulty exist (Easy, Average, Difficult, Formidable, and Impossible), each multiplying the base target number by a specific fraction. Spectacular success or failure is defined by a tenpoint threshold either way from this modified target.

One of the things I loved about the late Twilight: 2000 system is that its fundamentals were so easy to understand while the bulk of the material provided optional mechanics for advanced play. Dark Conspiracy follows this pattern. Hundreds of additional mechanics are provided, covering such things as automatic fire, thrown weapons, empathic skill use, panic under fire, and fear. Contacts play a large role in the game, and all characters have a Contact Rating (ranging from I to 6), which is used like a skill to obtain information or help through those channels. Vehicular Damage is uniquely fun - after the armor and hull of a craft has been penetrated, additional damage proceeds through a chartbased list of components (one or more of which could be an occupant), losing points of impact as it goes.

Several things have been changed or improved with this Edition as well. Now, Initiative (1-6) determines not only what order you move in and how often you may act during a 6-round turn, but is also used for Coolness Under Fire checks. The bulk of the supplementary material (originally released separately) has been included and updated in these hefty tomes. The equipment section is exhaustive at more than 150 pages, while the Dark Races and Dark Dimensions chapters weigh in at 140 and 160 pages, respectively. These books are lengthy reads, but well worth the time invested.

Nothing in this Edition is heavy-handed or hard to understand (save perhaps the section on the metaphysics of protodimensions, but I dare anyone to tackle that subject using smallsyllable words). Everything is presented in a clear, concise, and linear fashion. First-time GMs should have no problems.

One of the few complaints I had with this new format was that not enough time went into editing it. The font sizes are not consistent, the text is often tight in spots, and the headers tend to bunch together, making them difficult to read. Also, although the accumulation of charts at the end of each chapter is helpful, the addition of shaded page-edges might have made them easier to find in a rush. To DPI's credit, I am told that these problems will be addressed with later print runs.

The initial release of Dark Conspiracy Second Edition includes three items. Both the Player's Handbook and the Referee's Guide are required for the complete setting, though an inventive GM might get away with only the former. Also out is a Referee's Screen, collating most of the combat charts. It has also been designed with the longer, lower panels used in many recent screens, which I personally appreciate. Future releases for the line will include two volumes of the Dark Rumors series, which reprint two adventures each from the game's First Edition. Also, an electronic fanzine called Demonground is in the works, and should be released around October Ist. [For information, see the website at http://www.42north.org/-demonground/I

In this tumultuous time of shifting licenses and unstable game companies, it would appear that Dark Conspiracy has finally found a home. DPI seems to know just which parts of the universe (or should I say "metaverse") are cool and fun to play, and which should be relegated to passing mention (or deleted altogether). Also, the new designers have a firm grasp of how to produce clean, working mechanics which nor only serve their function, but help the story along as well. Dark Conspiracy was always stylish, but now it's practical as well. Congratulations, DPI, on a job well done!

Post apocolyptic role-playing returns!