Charlie Dunwoody (CD): Thanks for speaking with EN World and me once more, Matthew. I actually loved Darkish Conspiracy. What about Darkish Conspiracy excites you probably the most and satisfied Mongoose Publishing to accumulate the license and convey again this RPG?
Matthew Sprange (MS): Nicely, there are sort of two sides to this. First, once we acquired Traveller early final 12 months, we had already expressed an curiosity in different GDW properties, together with Twilight: 2000 and 2300AD. These two had been tied up later within the 12 months, and we had all the time stated that Darkish Conspiracy can be fascinating however figured it was one thing for the longer term. I used to be chatting to Mr Miller about one thing unrelated this 12 months, and simply occurred to make a sideways point out about Darkish Conspiracy, and that we might nonetheless be excited by it in some unspecified time in the future – you recognize, if something had been to occur, we wished our hat thrown into the ring. The very subsequent day (!), Marc received again to us, mainly saying ‘You need Darkish Conspiracy? We are able to kind it out subsequent week!’ Which is in regards to the quickest now we have seen something like this occur! Critically, inside about ten days, every little thing had been signed and wrapped up. By comparability, Traveller took a couple of 12 months to organise (as an IP, it was much more fractured, and every little thing needed to be checked and double-checked – after which triple-checked). Second, we noticed a golden alternative in Darkish Conspiracy. We’ve got had an thought for a recreation (working title: Codename Veil) for nigh on twenty years now and, regardless of going again to it occasionally, there was a component to it we might simply not determine. So, again into the drawer it goes, hoping for inspiration to pop up someplace. As I used to be pondering Darkish Conspiracy and what may very well be executed with it, it instantly dawned on me that Darkish Conspiracy was the lacking element for the sport we had been engaged on. The whole lot simply slotted into place reasonably neatly after that!
CD: Darkish Conspiracy had quite a bit happening: ecological and financial catastrophe, otherworldly evil, cybernetics, and alien invasion. What theme or themes will probably be within the within the latest model?
MS: At any time when coping with science-fiction, particularly if it is vitally near-future science-fiction, there’ll all the time be commentary and evaluation of our personal world – that, in any case, is admittedly the purpose of science-fiction. So, the brand new Darkish Conspiracy will definitely be carrying that ahead. The unique recreation’s themes of ecological and financial catastrophe are much more related at the moment, as is the approaching of AI, the way forward for capitalism, the rise of fascism, the commercialization (and militarization) of area… Principally, the world of Darkish Conspiracy is just not going to be a really comfortable time to dwell in! Nevertheless, possibly the gamers will have the ability to create slightly mild at the hours of darkness and, maybe, usher in a brand new world.
CD: You might have acknowledged that Darkish Conspiracy will use the identical recreation system as Traveller. So far as the setting goes, the sport was set within the USA with international catastrophe, otherworldly demons, and alien invasion. May you describe the deliberate setting within the upcoming model: is it much like what got here earlier than or do you could have any modifications you may share?
MS: I can – not less than, by way of what now we have now. Please perceive that every little thing I’m about to say has the large caveat that that is what we’re doing… except a greater thought comes alongside. As I kind this, now we have about 100 pages written of the core guidelines and descriptions for the remaining… so an awesome deal can nonetheless change. Nevertheless… The essential thought is that this: We may have not one Core Rulebook however (over time, probably 3-6 years) three Core Rulebooks. Every covers a unique period. The primary, tentatively titled Darkish Conspiracy: The Unseen Conflict (or The Hidden Conflict, or Bellum Occultum… this venture actually is in its early phases!) will probably be set within the current day, or maybe only a handful of years forward. There are a tiny few folks conscious of the approaching of Darkish Minions however nobody actually is aware of who or what they’re, or why they’re right here. The gamers have been recruited (by powers unknown) right into a small cell to search out out what the menace is and, in particular person circumstances, neutralize it. Nevertheless, there are already less-than-wholesome folks and organizations who’re attempting to take benefit, so the broader world can’t know what’s going on. Because of this the gamers may even must create cowl tales and manipulate occasions to maintain every little thing secret – they would be the ones creating the darkish conspiracy. The second Core Rulebook will probably be Darkish Conspiracy: The Open Conflict. Set 12 to fifteen years later, the world has kinda damaged down and other people at the moment are conscious of Darkish Minions. The gamers may have much more company in operating their aspect of the conflict, having management of their very own cell and deciding what to do and find out how to do it as they develop into true defenders of humanity. Of the three, veterans will discover this one closest to the unique recreation. Lastly, set maybe eight years after that, we may have the third Core Rulebook, Darkish Conspiracy: The Closing Conflict. On this, the gamers will probably be answerable for the general human resistance, and may have the prospect to defeat the Darkling Masters, one way or the other mix them into humanity… or lose completely. On this manner, gamers may have the selection of which period to play in, or… they’ll have the ability to create characters in The Unseen Conflict, and play by way of a majorly-epic marketing campaign that spans all three eras, beginning off in close to whole ignorance of what they face and ending up in a remaining showdown that they themselves have engineered. Must be fairly the marketing campaign!
CD: Wow. That sounds superior. Within the upcoming model of Darkish Conspiracy, what kind of characters will the gamers run and what kind of opponents, challenges, and monsters will oppose them?
MS: That can rely on which Core Rulebook is being performed. In The Unseen Conflict, the gamers have been actively recruited into the trigger, and so will probably be specialists (be that navy, intelligence, scientific, and so forth). Nevertheless, because the world begins to interrupt down, by the point we attain The Open Conflict they’ll come from all walks of life, and Traveller works very nicely with gamers because the ‘everyman’, peculiar folks doing extraordinary issues in extraordinary conditions. That may even be true in The Closing Conflict, however issues will probably be… slightly extra on the market… As for opponents, the main target will clearly be on Darkish Minions, although there will probably be loads of human antagonists who see a bonus to siding with them. We will probably be beginning ‘gradual’ right here, step by step unveiling extra because the storyline progresses, so in The Unseen Conflict gamers will probably be looking for out the character of Darkish Minions and not likely getting all of the solutions. Because the timeline advances, extra will develop into recognized (and methods to defeat them improve). In the case of the precise nature of Darkish Minions… that is what we’re engaged on proper now, and it’ll finally be what makes or breaks this recreation. We’ve got some very free concepts in the meanwhile… however will probably be defining them slightly later within the 12 months, after copious quantities of idea artwork and discussions! I discussed that we had about 100 pages of the primary Core Rulebook written proper now – that’s all of the ‘player-facing’ aspect of issues. To finish it, we’d like the Darkish Minions, so they’re actually the subsequent activity.
CD: For a GM beginning a brand new Darkish Conspiracy marketing campaign, what help and recommendation will within the new guidelines with regard to kicking off a marketing campaign, the anticipated tone/model, journey design, et cetera?
MS: We want a broad church for play types, and won’t be locking folks into one or the opposite, even inside particular eras. For instance, in The Unseen Conflict, it is possible for you to to do X-Information-style gaming… or X-Information with Weapons, or fashionable Indiana Jones, or full-on navy operations, or something in-between. The perfect strategy for referees could also be a mixture of all of those. Nevertheless, anticipate horror, anticipate creepiness and, finally, anticipate participant company.
CD: Past a core rulebook(s), what help does Mongoose plan to supply for Darkish Conspiracy GMs?
MS: The straightforward factor to say can be that Darkish Minion Catalogues and DarkTech guides will probably be current – they usually probably will probably be, with every of the eras forming their very own ‘sub-line’. Nevertheless, anybody accustomed to our Traveller books will probably be conscious that whereas such titles are current, they don’t actually type something apart from the ‘core’ of the sport – most of our Traveller titles are centred round exploring the universe and creating campaigns for gamers. You realize, doing a narrative! It’s all about constructing a strong basis for a recreation that can nonetheless be round within the subsequent decade, and the one after that, reasonably than pumping out flashy books that gamers will choose up, after which maybe not do all that a lot with. I think about Darkish Conspiracy will probably be a lot the identical. The Core Rulebooks will probably be very full, and there will probably be supporting titles for them that concentrate on the extra mechanical aspect… however for us, the enjoyable lies in exploring new universes and telling tales inside them (or, reasonably, offering the instruments for others to inform tales), so releases will probably lean closely on that aspect.
CD: Please share some insights into the sport design course of. How does Mongoose Publishing take an RPG with numerous editions from numerous publishers and switch that into a brand new RPG?
MS: The trick is to not merely republish previous works or reskin them with a brand new set of core mechanics. On the identical time, you have to respect what has gone earlier than and never honk off the veterans of the sport who’ve spent an excessive amount of time and emotional power in that universe. For instance, once we began work on the Empathy guidelines for the brand new recreation, our start line was the psionics guidelines in Traveller – at first look, they’d appear to be a simple and logical conversion. Nevertheless, as we delved into them, we noticed all of the ways in which a) psionics would not likely translate all that nicely and b) we might do a significantly better job. What now we have (right now, every little thing topic to vary at this stage!) now’s a set of mechanics which are very near psionics (you’ll acknowledge the affect instantly) however are very totally different in play. Empathy can also be a shifting goal throughout the eras – in The Unseen Conflict, they’re frankly a bit pathetic, not working all that nicely or all that always. Nevertheless, as a result of no different people can do this stuff, that in itself makes it very highly effective. Empathy is likely one of the issues that can (significantly) develop throughout The Open Conflict and The Closing Conflict.
CD: I’ve to ask, any likelihood of Larry Elmore artwork on this newest model?
MS: Nicely, the artwork is what an excessive amount of this recreation will probably be resting on, and we’re as a result of embark on the Nice Conceptualizing Occasion that can outline the Darkish Minions, their masters, and the Darkish Dimensions. We’re actually trying ahead to that. So, now we have not settled on artists as but. It might, nonetheless, be very straightforward to think about that certainly one of our frontline Traveller artists, Nikita Vasylchuk from Ukraine (he really works in Kyiv, so… yeah) will probably be entrance and heart through the idea work and an awesome deal will spring from that.
CD: The rest you want to share with EN World in regards to the upcoming relaunch of Darkish Conspiracy?
MS: If every little thing goes in accordance with plan (ha!), we hope for Darkish Conspiracy: The Unseen Conflict to seem round summer season subsequent 12 months, hopefully with a full marketing campaign you can instantly dive into. I think about idea artwork will begin being revealed early in 2026, giving folks the prospect to see the place we’re going and remark. We are going to run previews, so everyone seems to be invited to swing by and see what’s going on!
