Author: Marcus Bone Page 1 of 7

[Review] Sub Rosa – 1st Edition

On September 30, 2024

“Three may keep a secret… if two of them are dead.”
– Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard’s Almanack

While Conspiracy X is best known for its setting focused on humanity’s ongoing struggle against aliens, monsters, and the supernatural, perhaps its most intriguing notion – its diamond hidden in the rough, so to speak – is its exploration into the very concept of ‘conspiracy’ itself. Sub Rosa: The Conspiracy Creation Sourcebook, is the game’s deep dive into this very subject, a supplement that aims to present a theoretical examination of how conspiracies come about, how they are run, and most importantly how they are created within the Conspiracy X ruleset.

But just how well does it succeed in this task? Do we get nothing more than a shallow look at the same old tired conspiracies we see in so many other game lines, or will it break the shackles and truly deliver a sourcebook that allows Game Masters to build brand new layers of intrigue into their existing campaigns? Well, dear reader, read on and we shall find out…

[Review] The Hand Unseen – 1st Edition

By Marcus Bone

On February 9, 2024

In Conspiracy X, Review

Let me tell you again, AEGIS nothing more than a cult and we, I’m afraid to say, have been lied to for far too long…

From its release in early 1996, Conspiracy X had always operated under one simple premise – the player’s characters, as members of a secret conspiracy known as AEGIS – are humanity’s last hope, the final protectors of mankind… the so-called ‘bodyguard of lies’. This book, The Hand Unseen, whips away that veil of half-truths and rumours and simply asks – What if AEGIS aren’t the ‘good guys’ we all believed them to be? What if their approach to the existential threat of extraterrestrial invasion and the rise of supernatural dangerous phenomenon as nothing more than closed-eyed, fear mongering? And if that is all true, then who will stand as the champions all of humanity?

That, my dear reader, is why this book exists, to tell you that there is another way, and that a programme for humanity’s salvation is already underway… whether you like it or not!

[Scenario] The Stench of an Open Grave

By Marcus Bone

On October 22, 2023

In Call of Cthulhu, Cthulhu Dark Ages, Scenario, Site News

Something rots in the heart of Somerset… and where old traditions met new, death is the only outcome…

The Stench of an Open Grave is a short adventure designed to introduce a small group of players to the atmosphere and intrigue of Cthulhu Dark Ages 3rd Edition for the first time. Ideal also for Keepers looking to run a dark – yet simple – mystery set in the early Middle Ages, it gives you everything you need (including three pregenerated characters – created specifically for the scenario) to bring this world – and its horrors – to life.

—- Buy this scenario on DriveThruRPG.com —-

Should you buy this scenario?

This scenario was created with the express purpose of introducing new players to Cthulhu Dark Ages and as such presents what I hope is a simple, almost linear, mystery for them to explore. With this audience in mind, ‘Stench’ attempts to downplay the more fantastical elements that can sometimes seep into Dark Ages games and instead tries to bring to life the culture and experience of living in the Early Middle Ages. Of course, this may mean more experienced role-players (especially those well versed in the Dark Ages) might find the story a little too simplistic for their tastes, but nevertheless I would still like to think that you ‘hold in your hand’ a well thought out, fun scenario; one that can give a good night or two’s entertainment for any fan of the Cthulhu Mythos.

After much effort and time Stench of an Open Grave (for Cthulhu Dark Ages 3rd Edition) is now available up on Drive Thru RPG for sale (my first non ‘pay-what-you-want’ offering).

You can get it here for just $6.00 US. I’m hoping – if this sells well – it might break the shackles and motivate me to produce some of the myriad of other Call of Cthulhu scenarios (and campaigns) I have floating around on my various drives.

[Personal Reflection] Dark Conspiracy & Call of Cthulhu

By Marcus Bone

On July 18, 2023

In Call of Cthulhu, Dark Conspiracy, Personal Reflection

“We do not learn from experience… we learn from reflecting on experience.”
– John Dewey

It probably goes without saying that I’ve always been a fan of Dave Chapman’s work as an RPG designer (umm… see the Conspiracy X material here on this site for ongoing evidence) and as such I’m an avid follower of his blog. In 2020 he completed a series of posts called [Roll Your Own Life] The Games That Shaped Me that looked at the Role Playing Games that influenced and guided him in his writing and personal life. These brief snippets are fascinating, and they’ve inspired me to do the same, although maybe a little more critically.

So without further ado … unashamedly stolen (with permission) … this is “Games That Shaped Me”.

[Review] The Esoterror Factbook

By Marcus Bone

On June 21, 2023

In Review, The Esoterrorists

Please note that this review was originally posted over on RPGGeek and is mirrored here for completist reasons only!

You know that feeling, the one that goes… “hang on now, they’ve definitely set this all up for a sequel, right?”. Well, that’s what I always felt when reading the original The Esoterrorists roleplaying game (the core rulebook now known as 1st Edition). Written by Robin D. Laws and published by Pelgrane Press in 2006, here you had gem of a great set of mechanics (the vast majority of what we know today as the GUMSHOE system), but no real substance behind it. I mean in The Esoterrorists 1st Edition you got the bare bones of anything you might realistically call a ‘game setting’, and worse, it really felt like a ‘quickie’ knock off of other more intriguing modern horror settings such as Delta Green, Hunter or even Conspiracy X. Sure, one could see that somewhere in the text there was a really neat unique game world just waiting to let loose … but where, oh where, was it!

Well, you’ll be pleased to know, 2009’s The Esoterror Factbook (also by Robin D Laws) is that missing ingredient; the background, context and detail that finally brings The Esoterrorists into its own… just a shame so few people know it even exists….