[Review] Conspiracy X Second Edition Core Rulebook

It seemed logical to start the review entries of this blog covering the book that brought about the rebirth of Conspiracy X in the middle of the 2000s – Conspiracy X 2nd edition. Written and compiled by the ever friendly David F. Chapman (Dave to his friends and fans – see our interview with him here), it not only converts the game into Eden’s Unisystem mechanics, but also blends together material from numerous first edition supplements into a definitive post 9/11 edition.

I should warn you, this review is probably different from others you might have read on this game, I say this, as it doesn’t go into the background and premise of Conspiracy X, and nor will it directly compare this edition to the first. Instead it simply focuses on the various elements that I, the reviewer, have found of most interest within its pages – from the good to the not so good.

In the future, we’ll return to this book to look deeper into its contents, as well as examine what elements it brings to the gaming table and how they might be used in play.

[The Esterrorists] A Night on the Town – A 2nd Edition Demonstration Scenario

With the release of the second edition of The Esoterrorists (published by Pelgrane Press in 2013), I thought it would be a great opportunity to introduce this game to a group of my fellow roleplayers. As I’m sure many of you reading this post have found, the GUMSHOE system brings a new paradigm to the game table, one that at first sight can be disconcerting to even the most experienced gamer. As such, I thought it would be a good idea to create a scenario that did for the Esoterrorists what Kevin Kulp’s Stowaway Quick Start did for Ashen Stars.

The result is A Night on the Town – a Demonstration Scenario for The Esoterrorists 2nd Edition – a  short scenario based around an ‘infiltrate and scram’ adventure, it comes with notes for inexperienced GUMSHOE Gamemasters, and a sampling of Ordo Veritatis operatives.

Projects Update – March 2016

Prompted by a post over at Yog-sothoth.com (after I mentioned that I’d updated the site with a new theme) I thought I’d create a brief overview of the status of all the projects I’ve previously mentioned here (or elsewhere). Please note that, as with everyone when they get older, I do not have the free time I once had for elective writing, with work, family and other commitments often getting in the way.

On top of which, Call of Cthulhu no longer quite has the appeal it once did. Don’t get me wrong, I still love the themes and stylings of lovecraftian horror, but 7th edition has left me feeling a bit empty in regards to the direction of the game. Please note that I respect everything Rick and his team are doing over at Chaosium, but this new vision of Call of Cthulhu ain’t my Call of Cthulhu.

[Against the Flame] Roadblocks and U-Turns

Progress continues a-pace with Against the Flame, and there is now less than a month before its first play test. The last few weeks have been an interesting one  for me as an author, with whole chapters of the narrative having been removed, only to be returned once it was realised that they could be accomodated.

Thankfully thse types of decisions are made easier with the help of two Call of Cthulhu stalwarts (regulars over on YSDC.com) with whom I’ve been corresponding. Just having these fine gentlemen to bounce ideas off of, and the opportunity to reflect on their opinions makes this project all the more exciting!

 

[Against the Flame] Visualising the Story

While, as with Monophobia, I plan on releasing Against the Flame for free via this site, it doesn’t mean that the campaign can’t have good design and art work. I have really ‘lucked out’ finding Domagoj Rapcak to help realise some of the key scenes from the plot.

Here is the first he’s completed for the project, a scene from early in the story, titled ‘A Curious Stranger‘.

graveyard-final

 

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