This material is sourced from the now defunct and long gone Conspiracy X website (www.conspiracyx.com), the news pages from the old Eden Studios site and info noted within various Kickstarter campaigns. Although the hosts of www.unboundbook.org can not confirm the accuracy of some of this information, it is captured here for history and perpetuity reasons (and where possible without any changes… apart from formatting and fixing the occasional typo).
Once Upon a Time – Conspiracy X is born – Rick Ernst, Shirley Madewell & Chris Pallace (Party X) develop the conspiracy/intrigue game that will come to be known as Conspiracy X.
1 June 1996 – Conspiracy X first print run SOLD OUT – With excellent reviews in magazines such as ARCANE and SHADIS, Conspiracy X has sold out its first print run in less than one month.
28 June 1996 – Conspiracy X: Revised second printing – The next print run of Conspiracy X main books was received. This revised second printing takes care of the rules errata, typos and the lack of an index. The revised rulebook also comes with a detailed character sheet in the back of the book.
8 July 1996 – Game Master’s Screen – The first supplement for the Conspiracy X line arrived from the printers and was shipped to those distributors that carry the X line of products. The Game Master’s Screen comes with a four panel reference screen with all the tables a prepared GM will need. The other side of the screen contains a full color HERMES download of the three alien races that plague AEGIS for the characters to view. A 48-page module comes with a pregenerated, ready-to-use Cell with 6 characters, including complete stats and bios. The module also includes a copy of the revised character sheet.
25 October 1996 – Nemesis: The Grey Sourcebook – This 96-page supplement details the enigmatic Greys, their homeworld of Zeta Reticuli, their motives, their “technology”, and the reasons behind decades long program of abduction and experimentation. Also included are Grey / Human hybrids and the Blues.
4 July 1997 – NME sells Conspiracy X RPG – New Millennium Entertainment is pleased to announce the sale of all rights and liabilities of the Conspiracy X RPG line to its former art director, George Vasilakos.
Business Manager Alex Jurkat explained, “George came to us with a fair offer and a plan to continue production and increase the product line in the next few months. We decided to let him take over the project.”
George has formed a new company, called Eden Studios, and plans to license production and marketing of the game to Eden. Eden has contacted a large part of the Conspiracy X design team and plans to work closely with them in creating new product.
“Cryptozoology, a Conspiracy X monster manual if you will, is nearly complete. We simply need to complete certain paper work for Eden Studios and we can send it to press,” Eden’s new President George Vasilakos stated. “We have a first draft of the Aegis Handbook and should have that ready by Fall 1997 (September).”
Despite a current lack of support by NME, Conspiracy X is a strong seller. The first print run of the main book sold out in two months, and a second, much larger print run is almost all gone as well. The Game Master screen has been out of print for a few months and Nemesis, the first alien sourcebook sold very well. The game has also been translated in Italian and French (copies will be available from Eden later this year for US sales). Eden will soon be publishing reprints of all the old material to be issued as the new books are produced. Eden will also finish out the first year of Bodyguard of Lies issues (numbers 3-6), which got lost in NME’s financial difficulties.
“We at Eden are very excited to be producing Conspiracy X.” says George. “We have great plans and great enthusiasm. We’ll be at GenCon where we should have the long awaited Crytozoology available to the public, as well as the prototypes of the ConX miniature line.”
1 August 1997 – Cryptozoology – This 128 page supplement reveals the unknown terrestrial lifeforms studied by Cryptozoologists, including all the information needed to integrate cryptozoological phenomena into your Conspiracy X campaign. Cryptozoology also details two new organizations from which player characters can be recruited; The Royal Cryptozoological Society and the mysterious Titandae.
5 December 1997 – Aegis Handbook – You are mankind’s only hope. What they don’t know will hurt them and keeping the truth secret is the only way to protect them. With expanded Aegis recruitment, new backgrounds, more character traits, and the newest equipment, you are now prepared for what lies ahead. This sourcebook also details how to conduct investigations and cover-ups. Learn where your Cell fits into the Aegis organization and how to create your own child Cells.
2 January 1998 – Conspiracy X Main Rulebook, Third Printing Revised – The revised Conspiracy X mainbook includes a revised page layout, cleaned up text and art, a scenario (which was excluded in the NME versions of the main book), new character and cell record sheets and lots of other stuff. Current ConX players will not need a new copy to play as most of the new material is contained in the Aegis Handbook. The revised Eden version of Conspiracy X is primarily intend for those new to Conspiracy X.
6 March 1998 – Atlantis Rising: The Atlantean Sourcebook – From the dawn of civilization they have walked among us. They have been our kings, our demons, our angels, and our gods. For millennia, they have worked and shaped the evolution of human existence. These are the enigmatic Atlanteans. The most human of all aliens, they may be humanity’s greatest enemy, or possibly our only hope. Immortal, invulnerable, possessed of astounding technology, they sit astride the pinnacle that mankind hopes one day to achieve. Will they help us climb to their heights or will they send us tumbling down into an eternity of servitude as their slaves? New character backgrounds and complete rules on Atlantean nanotechnology.
14 April 1998 – Forsaken Rites: The Supernatural Sourcebook – Thousands have felt the touch of the supernatural. A very few — daring magicians and thralled acolytes — perform elaborate rituals in the basements of dusty book shops and deserted buildings. Most simply shudder behind barred but useless doors as they remember their brief glimpses of the inhuman creatures that walk the darkened streets. Aegis operatives cannot afford to ignore the supernatural. New descriptions of Incarnate, ghosts, demons, and other supernatural beings. Plenty of information for adding magicians in your campaign. An extensive grimoire of rituals. A history of magic. Descriptions of several important magical organizations. Details on corruption, its power and dangerous cures.
11 June 1998 – Shadows of the Mind: The PSI/INT Sourcebook – For over 50 years, the intelligence community searched for the perfect ways of controlling the mind, testing every drug known to man, pushing hypnosis to its ultimate limits and developing technologies to bend man’s will to their knee. They succeeded beyond their expectations. They sought control and found power! Using psychics as pawns in their struggle for world domination, Aegis has developed the most successful programs to nurture and utilize psychic powers. All of this power and control has been hidden behind masks of secrecy — masks that now burned away to reveal the terrifying truth. The full story of MKULTRA’s horrific experiments and its unsavory findings. The secrets behind the government’s programs to develop psychic powers. The Soviet connection that brought a whole new world of discoveries to the government. Detailed descriptions of new and old psychic disciplines. New player backgrounds complete with psych profiles that will literally blow your mind.
18 August 1998 – Bodyguard of Lies: Psi Wars – In the time and space between slumber and waking, war is being fought. This war is not fought by nations or even in the streets of our cities. It is fought in our minds — in that most private place we consider sacred and untouchable. Using nightmares as weapons, the enemy threatens to drive us all mad with terrifying sights and horrific thoughts. Such terrors are all the worse because they do not seem to originate from an outside point, but from one inside our very beings. We did not ask for this war, but we cannot shy away from it. Should we lose this war of thought, we could very well lose our minds.
20 November 1998 – Exodus: The Saurian Sourcebook – Ages ago they emerged from the primordial Earth and rose to rule the world. Sixty-five million years ago they fought a war so devastating that it nearly destroyed the world and everything on it. Those who survived fled into the vast night of space, looking for a new home. Today they are here, among us. Those who know them call them the Saurions, viscous looking lizard men with technology centuries beyond our own. For the moment they walk among us, hidden within false flesh, barely recognized as their own. Soon more will arrive, many, many more; then the true battle will begin.
22 December 1998 – Abduction – Abduction, the non-collectible game in which you play abductees aboard an alien spacecraft, is now available. Check out the Abduction page for information on the game or Order Here!
21 January 1999 – Bodyguard of Lies: Mokele – Bodyguard of Lies: Mokele arrives from printers and pre-orders are shipped to distributors. The second in a series of digest-sized module/sourcebooks, BoL: Mokele takes the players into the heart of the swamp for an encounter with a legendary man-alligator. Stateside retailers should have the book by the end of the month; overseas retailers should see it in beginning of February.
25 January 1999 – Eden Studios and Sol3 Records Cross-promotion
23 March 1999 – GURPS Conspiracy X agreement reached with Steve Jackson Games – Eden Studios and Steve Jackson Games are pleased to announce a license agreement for the production of GURPS Conspiracy X. GURPS Conspiracy X combines the rich background of mystery, horror and intrigue found in Conspiracy X, the game of modern conspiracies, with the popular and powerful Generic Universal RolePlaying System. GURPS Conspiracy X will be written, edited and laid out by Eden Studios’ editorial and art staff. While no firm release date has been set, the gamebook will be available to distributors, retailers and consumers during 1999.
31 March 1999 – Conspiracy X Miniatures now available – The Conspiracy X miniatures are finally done. These miniatures were first shown at the GAMA Trade Show in Las Vegas last week and the response was amazing! Eden will be shipping the initial print run (containing 5 different blister packs) to distributors in two weeks, but for now we have a limited supply to sell direct on the website. If you want to get a jump on them, order them now.
14 May 1999 – French Translation planned by Millennium – Eden and Millennium are pleased to announce the latest Conspiracy X translation, this time into French. Giles Garner at Millennium has been working on this translation for some time (he did the work for the previous company but it never panned out), so the book is fairly far along the production process. We have not seen the final product yet, so we don’t have a precise release date. We will pass that along as soon as we know.
June 1999 – Bodyguard of Lies 3: Synergy released – Has arrived today from the printers. Sorry for the delay. But this meaty 160 page module/sourcebook will not disappoint. The first print run of BoL 3 will ship in a transparent silver bag with biohazard stickers and a cassette single from Mankind Liberation Front’s self-titled debut CD, including Center of the Universe and Karma Konvention. The Synergy mission marks a departure from previous ones because the Cell is called on to visit several cities all across the USA. The adventure contains a number of feints and twists and is intended to exercise the player’s minds, as well as the character’s talents. Synergy is authored by Suzanne Haggett-Johnson, and she has included a number of player handouts to make the whole thing more fun. Also, new rules for toxins and poisons grace the pages of this 160 page supplement.
August 1999 – Sub Rosa: The Conspiracy Creation Sourcebook released – Sub Rosa: The Conspiracy Creation Sourcebook for Conspiracy X , is now available. The book has shipped to distributors and can be ordered from your local retailer or from Eden’s very own website. Sub Rosa includes several new conspiracy types, how they operate, who they recruit, and how to play them as part of Aegis, as opponents or as the home conspiracy of the characters. A new character creation process is presented, with many new professions. Finally, the book contains a conspiracy creation section that allows you to create any conspiracy you can imagine.
January 25, 2001 – Eden Studios Development Team Grows Stronger! – Eden Studios announced today that renowned game designer John Goff will join their ranks as the new Conspiracy X line developer. Alex Jurkat, CEO of Eden Studios said, “We are thrilled to be working with John. He has the skills, experience, and edge to make Conspiracy X better than ever.” John’s first priority will be to finish work on the Unseen Hand sourcebook and the Area 51 box set. This will be followed quickly by an super secret project that will change the very basis of the Conspiracy X line. His duties will include everything from overseeing production and maintaining schedules to coordinating playtesting. John is best known for his long history working with Pinnacle Entertainment Group as part of the creative team behind Deadlands: The Weird West products. In addition to his work with Pinnacle, John has written material for Steve Jackson Games, White Wolf, FASA, and West End Games. As is fitting a conspiratorial organization, John officially started as of January 1, 2001 but word is just getting out now.
January 20, 2002 – The Unseen Hand Preview – Also, now to REALLY tease all you Conspiracy X fans out there, we have gotten in more than half the art now for The Unseen Hand: Black Book Sourcebook. So check out previews of Chapter 1 and the first few pages of Chapter 3 of the book. For all you hardcore Conspiracy X players, we haven’t forgotten you. This book will see print in March/April 2002.
February 18, 2002 – GURPS Conspiracy X Update – Yup – you read that right. An update for GURPS Conspiracy X! With over 210,000 words and more than 170 pieces of art placed inside this 288 page tome. We finally finished the proofs and editing this weekend. All that is left now is to find a printer. If we can find a print window this week, we hope to have this long awaited book out to you by the end of March. Watch the skies… the truth is it’s coming soon.
March 15, 2002 – GURPS Conspiracy X proofs are in! – GURPS Conspiracy X is so close to completion we can SMELL it! Yup, we got the blueline proofs back from the printer today. Book looks great and production is moving fast on it. The printer will hope to have use this book shipping by end of the month.
April 5, 2002 – GURPS Conspiracy X has arrived – 2 years in the making… and the truth will finally be revealed! GURPS Conspiracy X has arrived! GURPS Conspiracy X combines the rich background of mystery, horror and intrigue found in the cult hit Conspiracy X, the game of modern conspiracies, with the popular and powerful Generic Universal Roleplaying System (GURPS). But don’t take our word for it… “Combining GURPS with Conspiracy X is like combining chocolate with peanut butter, or black technology with black magic: inevitable and irresistible.”
-Ken Hite, author, GURPS Cabal. This thick 288 page tome is now shipping to distributors, and has a retail price of $30.00. Ask your local retailer for it or order it from us.
September 13, 2002 – This is not a hoax… so it must be a conspiracy – For over 2 years gamers have talked about a sourcebook for Conspiracy X that details the inner workings of the Black Book… those strange men in black who have been given the role of villian and traitors. The “bad guys” of the Conspiracy X mythos. Now, after a long period of silence – the truth is told. Arriving in our warehouse on Monday to begin shipping to distributors is the Black Book sourcebook entitled, The Hand Unseen. (Honest, I’m not kidding.. I’m holding 2 advance copies that arrived in the office this morning).
March 28, 2006 – Conspiracy X 2.0 product page added and is now available for preorder – The proofs are in from the printer and the book looks good. The PDF goes online for sale April 1st from DriveThruRPG.com with the hardcopy book following a few weeks after that. The conspiracy is back (or did it ever really go away?).
May 18, 2006 – Eden Studios Exposes The Truth – Answers to some of the world’s most important questions are finally revealed with Eden Studios’ publication of second edition Conspiracy X, shipping this week.
Why do certain people become famous overnight? What is the government really funding when it shells out $75 for a screwdriver? What really happened in New Mexico in 1947? Why are some places steeped in superstition and folklore? Sometimes you cannot see what defines your world. This is the nature of conspiracies. This is the nature of Conspiracy X. Conspiracy X is a roleplaying game set in a world of dark secrets and hidden agendas-the president may not be human, and the rumors of CIA mind-control satellites may very well be right. It may be a game, but the background seems all too real.
This second edition of Conspiracy X marks the 10th anniversary of Eden Studios, bringing new life to the game that launched the company in 1996.
The new edition incorporates CJ Carella’s Unisystem, making the game more versatile and compatible with Eden’s other publications, including All Flesh Must Be Eaten, CJ Carella’s WitchCraft, Armageddon, and numerous licensed products. Conspiracy X has long been the premiere conspiracy RPG. The new edition updates all the paranoia and addresses the dramatic changes to our world since the game’s release in 1996. Publication of the new edition sees the culmination of three year’s work for Brit writer David F. Chapman, who previously worked on Eden’s Buffy RPG, and Terra Primate. “I was a huge fan of The X-Files,” says the Norfolk-based writer, “and a friend introduced me to Conspiracy X many years ago. The books had the air of insider knowledge and uncovered truths, including what had really happened since Roswell. Revising and updating the game for the second edition was a huge task, but the truth must be told . . . that is, until the CIA or the NDD stop us.”
The core rulebook will be followed by a number of sourcebooks, each addressing a different area-from the Extraterrestrials themselves, to the Paranormal (psychic phenomena, hauntings, the supernatural), and Conspiracies.
May 26, 2009 – The Extraterrestrials Sourcebook released via PDF – Project Bluebook lied to you. THEY are among us, and have been for some time.
Although sightings of UFOs have increased since that fateful crash in Roswell, aliens have been on Earth for longer than we could have imagined. Witnesses have described three distinct types of aliens—the diminutive “Greys” with their powerful psychic abilities, the shape-shifting lizardmen that fill conspiracy theories, and the perfect humanoids.
Although Project Bluebook told the public that UFOs were not real, Aegis knows that for the smokescreen it is. The reptilian Saurians manipulate their bodies to infiltrate society, becoming emotionless, authoritarian “Men In Black.” The mind-boggling Greys abduct and experiment, seeking to hybridize and to control. Those perfect humanoids, dubbed the Atlanteans, use advanced technology to wield near godlike powers and manipulate humanity from behind the scenes. Humanity has long considered itself the dominant species on Earth. Faced with three potent alien races, that position has never been more tenuous. Aegis may well be humanity’s only hope against extinction.
October 16 to November 30, 2011 – Kickstarter for the print edition of The Extraterrestrials Sourcebook – The Kickstarter was backed by 141 backers and raised $8,191.00 against a funding goal of $5,000.00. Although previous released in PDF, this was the first new Conspiracy X book to see print publication since 2006. As noted on the Kickstarter page – This book is done and ready to physically print. It has been for a while. We need some help with funding the printing and to get moving on the next Conspiracy X release: The Paranormal Sourcebook – which is in final layout”. As a ‘thank you’ bonus, copies of the Abduction Card Game were given to all backers pledging $40 (the physical book and PDF) or more.
November 27, 2011 to January 26, 2012 – Kickstarter for The Paranormal Sourcebook – Buoyed by the success of The Extraterrestrials Sourcebook, Eden Studios kickstarts the previously unseen Paranormal Sourcebook, raising $10,354.00 against a goal of $5,000.00 (with 195 backers). The stretch goal reward of the Conspiracy X 2.0 Game Masters Screen was unlocked at $8,500.00, and Zener Card Decks were made available as addon products. As noted on the Kickstarter page – “We are hoping we can raise enough funds to get The Paranormal Sourcebook to print and would like to ask for your pledge once again.”
March, 2012 – Print edition of The Extraterrestrials Sourcebook sent to backers – After a few delays due to errors in the printing proofs, the first new print releases for Conspiracy X 2.0 in half a decade are dispatched.
July 24, 2012 – PDFs for The Paranormal Sourcebook are sent – PDF copies of the The Paranormal Sourcebook are sent via drivethrurpg.
August, 2012 – Print edition of The Paranormal Sourcebook sent to backers – After Gencon 2012, Eden Studios began to ship out the new sourcebook to domestic and international backers.
June 14, 2012 to July 14, 2012 – Kickstarter for The Conspiracies Sourcebook – The fourth of the core Conspiracy X 2.0 rulebooks was brought to Kickstarter in June 2012. As noted on the Kickstarter page – “We are now back with the next Conspiracy X release: Conspiracies Sourcebook – which has been written and if this project is funded will begin final layout and production. We are hoping we can raise enough funds to get The Conspiracies Sourcebook to print and would like to ask for your pledge once again.”
With more new and never released material this campaign quadrupled its $5,000.00 target, reaching $23,488.00 in just a month. For this project a number of addons were available (including extra copies of the previous published books, Zener Cards, copies of Abduction and the Games Master screen, a even Con X miniatures!) as well as many Stretch Goals; a Conspiracy X Introductory Game Kit (at $9,000), expanded rules for civilian and government agencies (at $10,000), an exclusive AREA 51 Map Pack (at $12,000), a pad of 25 printed Character Sheets and Cell Record Sheets (at $14,000), sets of Conspiracy X dice (at $16,000) and finally the development of the long mentioned Extinction Core Rulebook ($20,000).
March 17, 2013 – PDFs for The Conspiracies Sourcebook are sent – PDF copies of the The Conspiracies Sourcebook are sent via drivethrurpg. While there have been a number of delays in releasing this book, The Conspiracies Sourcebook is the first provide backer created content (such as getting to be an NPC in the book, or create your own conspiracy), all of which took longer than expected. In addition it is likely the first of the three books released via Kickstarter funding that wasn’t already ready for publication.
June, 2013 – Print edition of The Conspiracies Sourcebook sent to backers – In late June the final Stretch rewards reached Eden Studios and the shipping of the physical sourcebook commenced.
April 2016 to August 2017 – A pin point of light – A Blogger site supporting Conspiracy X was created, the majority of it content has now been moved to this website.
June 10, 2020 – The UK Conspiracy Sourcebook – David Berco (working with the original authors) releases the long awaited UK-Conspiracy sourcebook (authorized for publication by both Angus McNicholl and George Vasilakos). This 124 page supplement (by Angus McNicholl, Duncan I MacLeod and Steven Ward) was created as a community project on the (now defunct) Conspiracy X mailing list, and details the threats and opportunities of Aegis agents operating the Great Britain.
June 17. 2020 – Bodyguard of Lies Incar-Nation – The unofficial 4th book in the Bodyguard of Lies series, Incar-Nation is a 24 page supplement detailing mystics, corruption and new powers. Written by Angus McNicholl the publication appears on David Berco’s website.