Project Bluebook lied to you. They are among us, and they have been here for some time.

Those are the first words to greet the reader of the Conspiracy X (Second Edition) Introductory Game Kit; two short sentences that I suspect convey the core conceit of Eden Studio’s popular roleplaying game of modern-day conspiracy and alien invasion more concisely than perhaps a hundred more paragraphs ever could. They invite the reader into a world of mystery, of lies and intrigue, and hint that maybe… just maybe… they can do something about it.

But does the Conspiracy X Second Edition Introductory Game Kit (hereafter noted as simply the Intro Kit) live up to this tempting summons? Does it deliver as a ‘taster’ of things to come, or does it simply leave a foul tang on the tongue? Well, let’s read on and find out…

This review is written with the assumption that the reader is already familiar with the setting and themes of the Conspiracy X RPG (or Con X as it is often abbreviated). For those of you reading this review who may not aware, the ‘back of napkin’ summary of this game would be – in Con X the players take on the roles of agents within AEGIS, a clandestine organization tasked with hiding the truth of aliens, monsters and the supernatural from the fragile minds of humanity. Think X Files, but where you’re working for the Cigarette Smoking Man!

About the Intro Kit…

Although originally developed as a quick start sample for the ‘Free RPG Day’ event in 2012 (which was held on the 16th of June that year), the 32-page Intro Kit release coincided with the Eden Studio’s The Conspiracies Sourcebook Kickstarter campaign (which, as a note for clarity, was the third, and final, crowdfunding project for Con X). While one can’t be certain, the design and release of this kit seems to have been something of a promotional release, created to support the renewed interest in Conspiracy X Second Edition. This would make some sense, as while the game’s core Second Edition rulebook – now utilising Eden Studio’s own Unisystem mechanics – had been released as far back as 2005, little had been done with the property in the intervening years (barring a PDF copy of The Extraterrestrials Sourcebook). Given that bit of history, promoting the game through the ‘Free RPG Day’ event was understandably a great way of hyping up interest in the new edition, especially as a whole new line of Con X books had become now available.

As an aside, as I’m fortunate enough to own a physical copy of this publication, I should also mention, as a physical artifact, it fits nicely alongside the other Con X Second Edition publications both in terms of its print dimensions and its overall level of design (although it is a soft cover, staple-bound publication on matte paper, as opposed to the more typical hard cover, glossy page core books). Art-wise, while none of the images in the kit are new (all having previously appeared in other Con X Second Edition products), every image is of the highest quality, and all clearly invoke the game’s conspiracy aesthetic. (Then again, I’ve always been a fan of moody black & white ink art so your opinions might vary!)

For the sake of completeness, I should also mention that the Intro Kit was made available as a free PDF on Drivethrurpg.com on the 18th of June 2012 and was then offered as a stretch goal for the final Con X Kickstarter, The Conspiracies Sourcebook. in both electronic and print formats. If you are after a copy, I should also say that it has since become free to everyone via the link above.

As a sidebar… this PDF version of the Intro Kit on Drivethrurpg.com isn’t the best of quality, and in fact looks more like a digital scan version than a native electronic file!? This isn’t too noticeable when viewing the document on a screen, but when printed (as I did for my players) the text can be a bit fuzzy.

So, what comes in the Intro Kit?

Despite coming in at only a brief 32 pages, the Intro Kit is everything you’d expect from a ‘sampler’ for a ‘new’ roleplaying game. In fact, I’d say it more than delivers – both as an overview to the Conspiracy X game and setting, as well as an artifact containing enough information to run your very first game.
Content-wise it is divided into four main sections with an introduction into the setting and world of Conspiracy X; a sample AEGIS Cell of six agents (characters) for use in the sample adventure; a brief summary of the core Unisystem mechanics (highlighting not only the expected basics of the dice system and combat mechanics but also the use of psychic abilities and vehicle chases – both of which are relevant to the scenario provided in the kit); and the scenario ‘Convoy’ itself.

While the majority of the content here barely scratches the surface of the Con X setting and mechanics, it does a good job in providing enough detail to get a curious soul interested in reading more about the game and its background – which I suppose is exactly what it was supposed to do! The standout here is the sample AEGIS Cell and the six pre-generated characters, with all these agents have interesting backstories and compelling reasons to be – as they say in game parlance – ‘the Bodyguards of Lies’. In fact this selection and detail here is so good that I could easily see them becoming a play group’s long term characters with little need for any substantive change.

But what about the sample adventure, what did I think of it?

Taking up on the last eight pages of the Intro Kit, the scenario ‘Convoy’ is a strange yet noteworthy choice for a ‘demonstration’ adventure. On the one hand it really breaks away from the more traditional ‘investigative’ scenarios that you usually encounter in games of modern conspiracy horror (like Delta Green or The Esoterrorists), but on the other, it might give a slightly false impression of what to expect from other Con X adventures (which usually are more investigation heavy). As you can see, I’m actually quite conflicted in my opinion about whether this approach to a sample scenario is good or not, so let’s hold off jumping to too many conclusions just yet.

Let me explain why I say I’m so unsure. In Convoy, the characters are urgently summoned to assist in the delivery of the wreckage of an extraterrestrial vehicle. As the team soon discovers, the original delivery crew has been ambushed (the craft having meant to have been ‘quietly’ transported across the country via truck), and the players are the closest AEGIS agents available to assist. Their mission, therefore, is to ensure this vital asset arrives safely at Nellis Airforce base.

What transpires is a race across South-West America (hence the mention of chase and vehicle rules in the mechanics section earlier), as the agents and their prize attempt to avoid detection and interference from AEGIS’ sworn enemy, the National Defense Directorate (NDD). This government funded ‘black-book’ organisation is also desperate to retrieve the downed spaceship, and while they cannot openly attack the AEGIS convoy, have plenty of obstacles to throw in the character’s way. As such, as the adventure progresses, we see everything from federal law enforcement interference, through NDD sleeper agents, and even a paid gang of aggressive bikers. To successfully complete their mission, the party will need to think and work together to overcome each challenge and ensure their prize is delivered intact.

As you can see this is a very different type of adventure from your usual ‘investigation’ scenario, but one that is undeniably flexible and dynamic. In very few words the author (who I believe is Dave Chapman?) has created a unique situation that is chock full of optional extras and interesting encounters, all of which a Game Master can simply ‘cherry pick’ from, depending on the pace of the game and their session’s timeframe. You know, now that I think of it in that way, I have to say that I really commend the effort and style here; Convoy is distinctive and different, and well worthy of its place as the potential first taste for new and return Conspiracy X players.

My overall thoughts?

As you’ve probably gleaned from my comments in this review so far, I think the Introductory Kit hits all the right notes in the regard to the purpose for which it was created, and while as a long-time fan of the game I can see plenty of the gaps in publication’s detail and background, it doesn’t stop me recognizing the point and purpose of such a product.

So, all in all, in the Conspiracy X Second Edition Introductory Game Kit you have a near perfect gateway to the game, its system and style of play. I think the adventure is unique and interesting, and it provides more than enough for at least one serious night’s gaming at least. And on top of all that, even today, you can still get a free PDF of the kit via Drivethrurpg.com!

Now, if we only just had got more new Con X releases like this…