[Personal Reflection] Dark Conspiracy & Call of Cthulhu

“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”.

DARK CONSPIRACY

I know, I know, you’re think ‘duh, he’s posting this on his own Dark Conspiracy fan site¹, so it’s pretty obvious that this game affected him’*, but honestly I don’t think I can ever exactly say how much DC as been a core part of my make-up as a human being (maybe my wife, Emma, could, as she’s been there most of this wild ride?). Still, let’s give it a try…

Let’s see … there’s lots here … so bear with me on this –

• It was the first RPG I purchased with my first-ever ‘real job’ paycheck way back in 1992 – the job was at a gas station BTW so nothing too exciting,
• The first game writing I did that appeared in public  – for Dr Mike LaBossiere’s “Opifex Bi-Monthly: Random Universes” – was for Dark Conspiracy,
• I was a founding editor of the well respect “Demonground” Fanzine which was dedicated to the game,
• My first published RPG product “Of Gates and Gods” was for Dark Conspiracy 2nd Edition,
• My gaming company was the licensee of the game back in 2005 and 2006,
• Since 2006 I’ve owned and run the Darkconspiracytherpg.info (and.com) website and to this day continue to pop out the occasional article or adventure idea, and
• I was one of the writers for the aborted 4th Edition (stuck in development hell).

So why do I love Dark Conspiracy so much?

The answer to this is two-fold – as a gamer I find the setting interesting and unique and as an individual much of my creativity and drivers for personal change has been aligned with my involvement with the game.

In regard to the setting itself, I don’t think I’ve ever encountered such an open, and yet well constructed world as Dark Conspiracy. I know that others differ in this, but to me DC is the events, attitudes and zeitgeist of the 1980s extrapolated thirty years into the future; a time where technology is stuck in this juxtaposition of future possibilities and retro-styled production. It has gritty cyberpunk-like cities, post-apocalypse type wasteland, and unlimited and unknowable enemies. Most importantly, it is a place where the characters can actually make a difference, but that ‘difference’ is simply a ripple in a pond that vanishes as quickly as it appears. I’m sure that Michael Stackpole’s novel – The Fiddleback Trilogy – has a massive influence on how I imagine the world DC, but there is also so much more!

As for the personal aspects, so many key events in my life are intertwined with Dark Conspiracy. My – to date – sole trip to Gencon was for the publication of my DC book, some of my favourite articles for Demonground were written when my personal life was on a real high (not that it isn’t now), and today, when I’m at my most creative, ideas for articles, adventures and discussion points for the game to flow unbidden from my mind. In some ways DC reflects my state of mind and creative centre.

Why has Dark Conspiracy shaped me?

Again my answer is two-fold…

First off, it taught me that if I’m not comfortable or happy with something or someone then stop being involved with them/it. If I had realised this twenty years ago, then I would have done a number of things different with both my writing and the relationships involved in the publication Of Gates and Gods and Demonground, and I suppose it those events that lead me to develop a professional toolset that has seen me become a successful Information Technology leader.

More importantly, it showed me that I can’t do everything myself. Back when The Gamer’s Conglomerate held the licensee for Dark Conspiracy, I thought I had to do everything – write a new game system, publish lots of new material and build a social network. That was impossible to do as a single person unable to dedicate more than a few hours a week to the game. If I had my time again, I’d outsource the writing of the system (based on some clear guidelines), have others provide a collection of scenarios, articles and the like and finally pay someone to be the ‘social cheerleader’ of the game… honestly the cost in all that would be minimal and I could focus on the thing I enjoy most – the creativity and the programme leadership.

So there you go, I’ve revealed why DC has shaped me, and shared a few secrets I’ve been hiding away for way too long… I promise the next Parts won’t be so introspective (or will they?).

CALL OF CTHULHU

Sure, Dark Conspiracy – as I detailed – is the game that means the most to me personally, but on reflect Call of Cthulhu has probably done more to influence my writing and game development skills. Creatively, I’ve probably spent more time writing, thinking and developing ideas for the Call of Cthulhu roleplaying game than all the rest of the RPGs in my collection combined: I’ve written scenarios; published a fanzine; and even done some official playtesting!

In a narrative common to many, I was introduced to the writings of Lovecraft (umm, in this case August Derleth in the guise of Lovecraft) well before I even knew of the existence of an RPG. I’m always thankful that my gaming mate – Mike Ross – lent me that first book (The Lurker at the Threshold, I think it was called), as it ignited an interest in the horror genre that’s never been extinguished. This ‘enlightenment’ occurred way back in my mid-teens, when I was living in a small New Zealand town that has since been called ‘the dullest place in the country’ – a statement I can attest to²! But while the community offered little in the way of excitement for a growing lad, it did have an inordinate number of second-hand bookshops (none of which, unfortunately, survived the town’s ‘revitalisation’ in the early 2000s). Hunting through those myriad of shelves and forgotten boxes I was able to get a fair selection of real Lovecraft’s stories, usually in short-story collections, like the Del Ray editions. To this day I remember how I consumed them with such interest and wonder, and can readily see how they influenced my creative interests. (In fact, as I write this I’ve had flashes of memory – of me tucked-up in bed, braced against the cold, reading At the Mountains of Madness, and on the downstairs couch, in the bright Saturday morning sun, flicking through The Case of Charles Dexter Ward.)

In those days I wasn’t interested in writing Call of Cthulhu scenarios, as I didn’t even own a copy of the rules until I was in my 20s, but rather I just wanted to write like Lovecraft. Thankfully none of those first terrible pastiches survived my moving away from home a few years later, but my love of the Mythos and its nihilistic approach to humanity and our future was ingrained.

Why to I love Call of Cthulhu so Much?

The People…

That probably sounds weird, but my interest in Lovecraft, which – obviously – soon morphed into a love of Call of Cthulhu, has led me to meet with so many great people – from authors such as Tim Wiseman (creator of the most ‘mythos’ of all Call of Cthulhu adventures – Tatters of the King) and Chaz Engan (co-author of the fantastic Beyond the Mountains of Madness) through to the old guard such as Mark Morrison and Richard Watts³. I even got to chat with the likes of Lynn Willis (the grandfather of Call of Cthulhu) and Keith Herber (who I think is a bit forgotten, but who was the driving force that really grew the game in the late 80s and early 90s) at one time or another…

Everyone I’ve ever spoken to has had some insight into the game, why they loved it and why they created for it. Like me, they all saw Lovecraft and his writings for what they were – good, simple horror with a tinge of something different – and how each, in their own way, was influenced by these ideas and concepts. I have to say it was an honour and pleasure to what spend the time I have with such talented people!

The Creative Experience…

For me Call of Cthulhu is the easiest and simplest game to come up with ideas for. I prefer the 1920s and Gaslight settings and avoid the more modern eras, but I never seem to be short of yet another idea for a campaign, scenario or adventure seed. Now, let me temper that by saying that while the ideas come quick and fast, closing the loop on them – and actually finishing what I’ve started – is a bit more difficult. I must admit that I feel a certain level of pressure in creating for Call of Cthulhu, because in my own way I know I’m stand on the shoulders of so many giants. Not only that, but they bring with them a horde of fans and critics that I often get, what I think of as, ‘stage fright’ as I edge nearer the conclusion of my creations. I start to become more critical and begin to out-think myself around what others might read into the story, this piles on the pressure and with it the pleasure of writing goes… which means I never get near to a finished product!⁴

That said, when the going’s good and the words flow there’s nothing better than creating a Call of Cthulhu adventure, because at its heart you can write about ‘real’ people and ‘real’ motivations, even if they are doing strange and wondrous things. Hell, even if none of the hundreds of thousands of words I’ve written over the years for this game ever see the outside of Word – Right now I’ve got to say I’ve enjoyed every moment!

The Community…

Of all the games I’ve created for, Call of Cthulhu has the best community. To this day I still get positive comments on Monophobia (the one serious product Mark Chiddicks and I produced), and places like Yog-sothoth.com and BRP Central are always talking and speculating about all things Cthulhu! I think especially we need to thank Paul Maclean for his efforts with YSDC, as I suspect the game mightn’t have survived the dark years of the 00’s and early 10’s so well without his site’s support!

I’d also have to extend my thanks and love to everyone who has played in one of my games – especially those poor souls that playtested one of my unfinished abominations… oh the humanity!

Why Has Call of Cthulhu Shaped Me?

I think everything I’ve ever learnt about writing roleplaying material comes from reading and running Call of Cthulhu scenarios. In particular these have shown me how to structure my writing – especially on how to take an idea and turn it into something usable. They also taught me about tension and horror, and how having the threats remain hidden is always best approach; The Crack’d and Crook’d Manse is a perfect example of this, as is Michael Wood’s ‘Rise of Xnaaki‘. Like good-old Lovecraft himself these types of scenarios are more about the mystery than the reveal, and the fun is in discovering what and why events are taking place rather than just the ‘fight’ at the conclusion. I think in some ways this is way 7th edition doesn’t quite have the same appeal to me as the ‘classic’ edition, but I’m sure some campaign will come along to change my mind some time soon!

Finally, Call of Cthulhu shown me that there is no ‘perfect’ way of creating a roleplaying scenario – and just like any good battleplan – no adventure survives contact with the enemy… I mean players! As a writer, the best thing you can do is create an atmosphere and the aspects you want to guide the Keeper/Referee/GM with – the outcome is – regardless of your well-honed plot, epic storyline or urge to tell the platonic ideal of a story – out of your control⁵. This is why I think Masks of Nyarlathotep is such a classic, it has a simple plot and yet provides myriads of unique and interesting concepts that can be drawn on as required; nowhere does it try and railroad the players down any one path of action! Let’s be honest, the best experiences at a gaming table always come from the players themselves, and the game/setting/scenario is simply the sandpit in which they act – I will always recall running Horror on the Orient Express for exactly this reason; not exactly for the story as written but rather for the way the players engaged – in the guise of humour, fear, anger and even romance – with each other and its plethora of NPCs!

I love writing for Cthulhu, and I know that when I shuffle (kicking and screaming/quietly?) off into whatever waits for me in the beyond, I will still have umpteen unfinished Call of Cthulhu adventures awaiting for some bugger to purge off my PC. Sucker!