The folks at Protodimension magazine have done an incredible job on the new issue.
This sucker is crammed with all kinds of old school Horror rpg goodness!
The whole award winning magazine is available for free! Tad Kelson does some really sold articles in this one and The Thoughts Run Wild piece from Geoff Skellams is very good. The From Under The Floorboards Retrotek could be adapted to many different old school horror games. Did I mention that the mag is a free digital download? Much of the material could be adapted to your favorite old school games with little work. I've got a few pieces of fiction and such in this issue as well.
Protodimension Magazine,Volume 5 Summer 2013 through Spring 2014. Issue # 16 Get It Right HERE The free premiere horror rpg continues with another issue geared towards the wilds of rpging!
This issue features my short story 'Slices' set in the world of Dark Conspiracy Third Edition! The contents of this issue features :
Dithering in the Dark, Words from the Top by Tad Kelson
Creativity Contest Winners, We Got Some Great Words
Submitted for Your Approval, The Kazanjian Art Contest WINNER By Dave Schuey
Drop Zone, Inc., Inspirational Fiction by Herb Severson
Welcome Home to the Chateau, A Kazanjian Art Contest Runner Up by Tad Kelson
Audrey in the Grave New World, Gameplay-based Fiction by Becky Panovich
The Haunted Heart, A Ghostly Adventure by CW Kelson III (Tad) for Call of Cthulhu & Dark Conspiracy
A Real Opportunity, A Kazanjian Art Contest Runner Up by Captain Obvious
Castaway, Socotran Fiction by Norm Fenlason
Stasis, A Calm Proto-Dimension by Norm Fenlason for Dark Conspiracy III
Breshingridge Center, A Location and Organization by Ron McClung for Dark Conspiracy
Slices, Minion Hunting Fiction by Eric Fabiashi
Small Town Dark USA, Small Towns in the Greater Depression by Ron McClung for Dark Conspiracy
Prancing Ponies, A Closer Look at Colt Pistols by Jason D McEwan for Dark Conspiracy
The Next Creativity Contest, Beastie Designs ‘R’ Us, er, ahem, You…? by Norm Fenlason
Shuffling in the Shadows, Words from the top by Tad Kelson
A Creativity Contest, To put some words to a great picture by Jim Kazanjian A Contest!!!
Forty-Four Days Ago, A tale from the Badlands by Captain Obvious
Extreme Sports Splinterlands, Radical Proto-Dimensions by Mitchell K. Schwartz for Dark Conspiracy, 2nd Edition
Too Much Coffee, A real-life story by Mike Minihan via Captain Obvious
Alley Encounters, An Encounter Set by Norm Fenlason for Conspiracy Rules and DC3
Izhmash International, New small arms from Russia by Lee Williams For Dark Conspiracy/CoC
A R, A short story of the near future by Michael Lanzinger
Elsewhere for Inspiration, Adventure Creation Advice by Tad Kelson For Call of Cthulhu
You’re Nicked!, A British 70’s setting by Linden Dunham For Mini-Six
Courier Ayes, New fiction by Tad Kelson
My So-Called Life…Sort Of, Life in the Greater Depression by Norm Fenlason For Conspiracy Rules and DC3
From Under the Floorboards, Reflections from the underside by Lee Williams Commentary
Protodimension Magazine is the free horror E zine that could the mag cranks out some of the more interesting and off beat rules, and suppliments for horror that are out there. The magazine is slick,reliable, and free. Its also part of a very active community of horror gamers who support Dark Conspiracy 2nd edition but also a number of other horror themed rpgs over the years. Issue #15 is no except to the above. The mag takes us deep into the world of Dark Conspiracy which is an errie future very similar to the world we live in now 29 seconds in. The action gets hot and heavy with Forty-Four Days Ago, A tale from the Badlands by Captain Obvious. Its very well done and kinda engaging in its own off beat way. We're shoved into the weird worlds of Extreme Sports Splinterlands, Radical Proto-Dimensions by Mitchell K. Schwartz for Dark Conspiracy, 2nd Edition and this is my bread and butter. The strange twilight zone other worlds of DC were a high point of the game for me and anything that expands this is welcome at my table.
Too Much Coffee, A real-life story by Mike Minihan via Captain Obvious is taken from real life and generates another direct game use story. That's something useful right there. Alley Encounters, An Encounter Set by Norm Fenlason for Conspiracy Rules and DC3 Izhmash International, New small arms from Russia by Lee Williams For Dark Conspiracy/CoC are two articles which combined can be used to generate a black market encounter that won't be forgotten by players. The expansions of weapons in games is welcome by players. Alley encounters wretches up the DM's arsenal of encounters for the game. The organization and articles are well thought out and solid.
R, A short story of the near future by Michael Lanzinger is a very interesting little story that has some conotations into your favorite near future or cyberpunk game. Elsewhere for Inspiration, Adventure Creation Advice by Tad Kelson For Call of Cthulhu is obviously an article by a veteran CoC DM and author. Its very useful for the CoC enthusiast. You’re Nicked!, A British 70’s setting by Linden Dunham For Mini-Six is a very 70's mini campaign setting. Courier Ayes, New fiction by Tad Kelson is one by an author always stretching his horizons and expanding his fiction. Very interesting stuff.
My So-Called Life…Sort Of, Life in the Greater Depression by Norm Fenlason For Conspiracy Rules and DC3 is an article which really expands on the world and setting of DC. The thing is that world isn't often talked about in rule books. It often seems like rpg companies want to get to the "cool" stuff without expanding on the "real world" of the game. This is a very useful article and a welcome one. From Under the Floorboards, Reflections from the underside by Lee Williams Commentary is a heart felt eulogy for two of gaming innovators who are no longer with us. Very respectful and heartfelt from an author whose loss and friendship was truly felt. All this and a slick presentation make this mag a must have! Best of all its free! Get and download this bad boy right over HERE
My favorite Bug eyed Zombie Cheap Schlock flick! I used to slip this one in the VCR when things got slow at the video store and watch the crowd gather. The usual response was "WTF is this movie?" Its one of my old standbys folks!
Here's another film that I've used at conventions and local old school horror games for adventures. Chill,Kult,WoD,and many others. This isn't a mere trashtasic film no this is a trashtastic classic! Harris, a playboy author of adventure books that read more like trashy romance novels, is invited to accompany his agent to Voodoo Island in the Caribbean-it would make a great setting for his next novel, he is told.
So he takes the most rickey prop plane in the universe down to Voodoo Island. There he is attacked by our first zombie . Then he puts the moves on the local scientist's daughter.
Seems the local "Voodoo" cult Necromancy cult has been messing around with the scientist's latest cancer drug. Here's the actual plot according to wiki:
William Joyce. An author en route to the mysterious Voodoo Island crashes on a desolate beach, but soon discovers he's not alone-the island is filled with bikini-wearing zombies, a mad witch doctor and radioactive snake venom !
It gets better from there. The local cult leader has been using the bug eyed zombies to murder anyone who gets in his way. Be warned this is a terrible tiki torch dime store movie with all the charm that it entails!
Here's a trailer for the movie. If your into this sort of Grind House movie then watch the full movie.
This is without a doubt, my favorite bug-eyed zombie movie!
There isn't any skin eating in this movie at all.
The Full Movie
Using I Eat Your Skin For Your Old School Horror
Alright right off the bat here I'll admit that I used this entire movie as a gate way drug for numerous campaigns. There's just too much to mine in this one. Alright lets start at the top. Del Tenney was either a mad man or genius depending on how you look at it. William Joyce, the hero of the film is a tough, macho, sex maniac, and later becomes the head of a pulp publishing company which churns out endless Men's adventure novels in my campaigns.
Voodoo Island has been the start of a local zombie plague out break in the Chill rpg. The last remains of a cult of Stygian necromancers in Marvel Super Heroes. The beginning point for another zombie outbreak in Kult where the process of death is breaking down and the hiding place for a Death Lord.
In Dark Conspiracy, Voodoo Island is the starting point for an investigation into the trepidation of a local Dark Lord.
The scientist and his radioactive snake venom have been the source of numerous zombie plagues across the world. Darkest Key West has provided the origin point for super heroes, mutants, and other PC's throughout Connecticut!
Voodoo Island has also shown up in every retroclone around. Its origin hasn't changed one bit accept that the alchemist is seeking a cure for the black plague. The witch doctor and company stays the same.
" Voodoo Island Zombie "
Armor Class: 8(11),7(12)with trash can shield
Hit Dice: 2
Attacks: Weapon, Strike(1d6), or Infectious Bite (1d3)
Special: Immune To Sleep and Charm, Carriers Of Zombie plague
Move: 7
HDE/XP: 3/30
The creation of an unholy combination of mad science and sorcery these zombies are quick moving and carriers of the dread zombie plague. Those bitten must save vs death or slip to the tragic plague like zombie undeath state. A necromancer of greater then 2nd level may take command of these vile things and give them simple commands.They may be turned like any other undead. They still remember their dim humanity and may use simple weapons and some tools. These unholy undead things will feast on the living as the various stages of zombification begin to affect their minds and organs. They are immune to all mind effecting magic except the blackest of necromancy. After the atomic wars these monsters have been seen roaming the ruins of South America and Florida as well as parts of mexico. Like any other zombie a head shot will kill these monsters.
Voodoo Island Notes
Voodoo Island is one of those mythical locations that crops up from time to time in super market tabloid news papers and upon the scream sheet apps. The place has a vile history among the natives of Key West and refugees from Cuba. The history of the place goes back to the time of slaves when weird rites were reported by Missionaries to the island. They reported a vile strain of Voodoo unrecognizable among any other African or Congo peoples. This is because the cult upon the island is one of the last bastions on Earth of the hated Stygian Witchcraft. This once healthy and very dangerous cult has cropped up no where else in the entire world.
The arrival of the snake venom research during the 60's and the mutation of the drug research allowed the return of horrid necomantic rites long thought of extinct. It is said that there is an actual supernatural agency at work upon the island. This however has been dismissed by many. The island itself is said to be haunted and there are reports of the place seemly to vanish off of the displays of radar and surveillance images. There have been numerous disappearances of boats, planes, and other craft within the vicinity of the island. Magnetic disturbances abound with a five mile radius of the place.
The Island has been seen as an even more dangerous in many time lines and alternative worlds where the zombie plague has run a muck. Mutated animals, hordes of zombies, and the occasional mutated giant spider have been encountered. A visit to Voodoo Island should only be done by the most intrepid of adventurers armed with the most heavy fire power allowed by modern law.
Back when I downloaded my first issue of Demonground it was the dark days of the internet when things were more wild and innovative. Naw that's simply nostalgia talking. Demonground was/is a professional quality magazine pdf that has some fantastic content while actually covering a wide variety of horror related table top rpg stuff. The premiere issue was no exception boasting some top names in the horror rpg field. You've to register to download the issue but its a small price to pay for another horror resource that you can actually use for both Dark Conspiracy, Call of Cthulhu, Little Fears and lots more.
Vol 1 - October 1998 (Premiere Issue)
Cover Art:
The Devil's Day by Alan M. Clark
Editorials:
Beginning of a New Era by Marcus Bone
A Short History of DC by Lester W. Smith
A Long, Hard Look... by Geoff Skellams
Adventures:
Terror Train by Mike Marchi
House Rules:
Nine New Careers by Geoff Skellams
Dimensional Physics by Mitch Polley
Automatic Fire Table by Moritz Capelle
Equipment:
Slings and Chains by Mike Marchi
Dark Races:
The Gatherers by Marcus Bone
NPCs:
Crazy Charlie by Marcus Bone
Fiction:
Stark Raving Mad by Geoff Skellams
Interior Art:
by James Collins, Eyal Feingersch and Mike Marchi
With the release of Dark Conspiracy Demon Ground has suddenly become a great resource to revisit and age hasn't diminished the quality of the work one bit. This issue has a built in adventure for Dark Conspiracy that actually works, a complete NPC, and another Dark Race. The nine careers are usable but need a bit of fine tuning. The short history of Dark Conspiracy is a bit bitter sweet for me looking back on it now but its informative and complete in what it says and does. The Dimensional physics article is well done but really opens new doors for a Dark Conspiracy DM. Slings and chains are very useful because of the inclusion of gangs, mutants, and the unsettled nature of the world of DC. The automatic Fire Table is now covered in the new DC rules. All in all a very cool horror resource and its very useful for other games as well. About three stars in my humble opinion but your milage may vary You can register and download it right over Here
Some of the badass artwork that appears in the DC rule book by artist Bradley K. McDevitt that appears both in the rule book and exclusively on this blog
Introduction
Yesterday we talked about the Dark Conspiracy Rulebook pdf and its pulpy horror science fantasy goodness today we're going to take monsters, setting,empathic abilities, and much more. What is Dark Conspiracy? To recap its first book of Dark Conspiracy III, an update to the original and in many ways ground-breaking urban horror RPG of the 1990s
Setting The setting of the DC rule book dives into lots of great details about the setting. The Greater Depression is detailed and given more extensive background information. We get greater insight into the causes and what's happening in the world of Dark Conspiracy. The whole thing reads like our world given a bath in pulptastic acid. There's lots of little hints about the retro pulp future of this horror cum ufology game. Even the equipment list gets into the act. As I've stated before this beast weights in at 198 pages. The setting stands on its own or could work with no effort at all in the Twilight 2000 second edition. The post apocalyptic madness of Twilight could use DC to break apart some of the drudge of the setting. Giving a horror sensibility to an already horror game waiting to happen in Twilight 2000. DC has a science fiction bent right up front screaming "Use Me Please" The game setting is our world's conspiracy theory turned to "11" and then given over to the horrors of a 70's grind house horror/science fiction matinee.
Empathic Abilities, Darkling Powers, And Psychic Abilities
One thing that Dark Conspiracy has always had going for it was the weirdness of the powers and abilities of the PCs, NPCs and the monsters. That's all here but its been fine tuned and brought into focus. The PC abilities and the darkling powers work together and dovetail into the combat section. They work easily,quickly, and with little fuss.
We greater attention to the setting and the powers working within that setting. The monsters and powers are very integrated in the setting.
The Monsters Every single monster from every single splat book is right in here. That's right from the Pale to the ETs their all here and given very in depth treatment. You get the legends, urban legends, and the truth about their capabilities as well. The stat blocks are evenly laid out so that the whole package shines. Dark Conspiracy adventures live and die on the monsters and minions. The darkling powers of the monsters make sense and they dovetail into the empathic abilities of the characters. These are simply monsters to blow away but with a bit of background fully realized Npcs waiting for the PCs to stumble into them.
Here we see a network of connections between the overlords and their minions, the aliens, and the "supernatural" elements of the game. The monsters and minions work within the confines of the game giving faster game play and easier access to the entire frame work of the game. This is no accident, the 3Hombres Games group are actually folks behind the original edition of Dark Conspiracy for GDW. That comes across with those "supernatural" elements of the game. These elements are actually alien science and the so called "Dark Tek".
The setting, abilities, monsters, PCs, all work well together and are much more even then in the original edition of the GDW game. All of these elements have a horror/pulpy paranoia running through them. Its nice to have that.
Pros
Fast playing Empathic abilities and a combat system that works
Modified Chargen
Management of Contacts
Clarified rules for automatic gunfire and initiative
Updated weapons
Dark Sensibility to the supernatural/ufology of the game background
A very depressing setting that I want to actually game in.
Introduction As I covered yesterday Dark Conspiracy is back with a vengeance. So last night I picked up the DC rpg rule book pdf from Drivethrurpg. And I was surprised. The whole pdf is packed to the brim. The introduction to the game goes something like this : Conspiracy Rules is the first book of Dark Conspiracy III, an update to the original and in many ways ground-breaking urban horror RPG of the 1990s. This update brings the rules into alignment with Traveller: The New Era and Twilight 2000, version 2.2. The second book in the series, Conspiracy Lives, updates the setting So your basically looking at an overview rule book and the rule book weights in at a hefty 298 pages! There's a lot of ground to cover here. The pdf is layered allowing printing without the background elements common in a lot of pdfs. So I can print what sections I need for game play. This isn't simply a retread or let's add some new artwork and call this a rule book. The pdf while dense is clearly laid out, very well edited, and better laid out then the original.
The introduction of the book sets off the tone of the book and gets you into the heart of the world of Dark Conspiracy. This is the deep end of the science fantasy horror genre. We've got aliens, ufos, and all the things that made the weirdness of television shows like the X files, Supernatural, Friday The 13th series right here. The Character generation is solid with lots, and lots of options, customization, and its fully laid out for the player.We get a nice selection of skills, ideas, and backgrounds for the characters. The PCs in this game are not the victims of a horror movie. Instead these are the backbone of a resistance against a very, very, dangerous world of the Greater Depression. We get a great overview of the options for the PCs with a boat load of new careers, skills, and ideas for making this folks into a fully functioning party. There are open ended character options for further play when the PCs begin to gather more experience. We also finally get a psychic, empathic, and darkling power system that makes sense and adapts to the rapidly changing conditions of game play. This was an issue with the first edition of the game. We also have a very,very, nicely updated equipment and weapons lists that are actually useful for a group and not something that's been tacked on to the game as an after thought. The world of DC isn't our world but it does resemble it. The setting resembles a world gone mad with a strange almost pulp sensibility to the game. Even in the main rule book there's more then enough here to not only run a game but to run a long lasting campaign. The thing that I actually like about the game is the fact that it sees beyond the simple X files mentally. There are plot hooks built right into the game but there is a sense of closure in certain places . There are a lot of talented folks who put their stamp on the game. Featuring internal fiction by Jason L. Blair and Matt Forbeck with original artwork by David Lee Ingersoll, Bradley K. McDevitt, and an original artist from the first edition, Earl Geier. These are some of the folks whose names appear in the Protodimension magazine and they've been keeping the game within the public's eye for many years. Certain issues were fixed in this book. The game features modified character generation something that wasn't working in the 1st edition of DC but has been fixed. The old combat system had issues, those have been resolved and the combat system works with Swiss Watch perfection. We finally get clarified rules for automatic gunfire and initiative that actually works. The book isn't without flaws even though they are minor. The rules lag in certain areas and it sometimes slows down the flow of information to the reader. The book is big and in some respects too big but if the DM is into rules that make sense then this isn't a problem. The game is cross compatible with Traveller: The New Era and Twilight 2000, version 2.2. Which makes me think that we might get new versions of those games sometime down pike. The Twilight 2000 game was horrific in its own right and still brings shudders to my spine. I'm not as big of a fan of Traveller: The New Era but their are personal reasons for this opinion. The game book retails for 40.00 for a pdf but its on sale for 10.00 and as a very dense and formidable pdf filled to the brim. Does the game actually handle horror? I'm happy to report that it does it very well. The whole package allows the Dm to run the game straight out of download if they so choose. Tomorrow I'm going to be diving into the second half of the book with the monsters, setting material, and empathic power sets. From everything that I've seen this is a keeper and the price is nice for what you get. More coming up in Part II including detailed setting info, monsters, emphatic abilities, and more on the Big Bosses of the game! You can purchase the game right over Here
Introduction To say I'm excitied is an understatement! This is the newest incarnation of the game of Dark Conspiracy by the folks who've been keeping the spirit of this game alive all these years. The artwork looks fantastic! Read on. The original announcement is right over Here
New Order
"No one saw it coming. It wasn’t like a couple of uniforms and a suit throwing you and your old lady out onto the street. It’s more like a grifter in the bar, ripping off your rent money – hard to see or seen too late. Because it came at us sideways-like, we can’t even tell if it’s getting better. Are we recovering or still sliding? Is this the New Order everyone was talking about? Does anyone care?
"One thing you can say, these are dark times we live in – no I mean really dark times – like the Fall of Rome kind of dark. Before he started drinking, my Pop was always spouting off about how we’ve entered a new dark age, like in the first millennium. He said it took a couple of hundred years for Rome to fall, and Europe paid dearly. What with internal corruption, decaying social mechanisms, and constant threat of war, it is us that are paying for the fall. The only thing missing is the Barbarian at the Gates ready to move in and pillage...I don’t know. But I DO know that there are a lot of weird things going on and no one seems to care.
"Mom once told me globalization heralded a new age in prosperity. She also told me stories about giant beanstalks. What globalization means is that the multinational corporations get bigger every day. Spurred on by the flow of war capital, the multinationals went on a consolidation spree, merging and acquiring nearly all the small and medium businesses of any worth. Congress assisted their effort by passing a wide range of security-related legislation. The corporations were freed from government oversight and stopped responding completely.
"One of the big problems now is the environment. It always was, only now there is no one regulating or enforcing. I saw it first hand in West Texas where they squeezed the last of the oil out of the ground. It’s a bad scene out there and no one is doing anything, not even the military. The whole of West Texas, once a thriving desert ecosystem, has become an environmental wasteland. The quality of life and the health of the last of the residents has deteriorated.
“'These dark times are the result of our own ineptitude.' Boy, if I had a dollar for every time I heard that line...I used to agree. But so much suffering, so much misery, so much incompetence, and so much greed – just has to have a cause for it all, right?
"What does all this mean, you might ask? I don’t know. But I do know that there is a rising tide of Darkness with a capital “D.” The rising dark must be stemmed if humanity is to survive. The conditions of the Greater Depression make this task extremely difficult, but someone has to step up. Once exposed to the menace it’s a lot easier. Minions seem to know who knows them and they hunt you down. That is why we need a new breed of hero – a new breed that will turn the tables on the darklings and their minions. These heroes are called Minion Hunters. I am one and we are taking the fight to Them...
"Shannon is knocking on the door. She’s here with Tigger and Xiang. I hope I have enough bullets this time. I got my running shoes on just in case." The changes look pretty darn interesting & it seems like its going to be a great trip with this one into the science fantasy horror genre
Conspiracy Rules!
Conspiracy Rules is the first book of Dark Conspiracy III, an update to the original and in many ways ground-breaking urban horror RPG of the 1990s. This update brings the rules into alignment with Traveller: The New Era and Twilight 2000, version 2.2. The second book in the series, Conspiracy Lives, updates the setting.
Featuring internal fiction by Jason L. Blair and Matt Forbeck with original artwork by David Lee Ingersoll, Bradley K. McDevitt, and an original artist from the first edition, Earl Geier, this rules set contains:
Modified Chargen
Management of Contacts
Clarified rules for automatic gunfire and initiative
Updated weapons
Look for the setting book Conspiracy Lives coming soon.
The pdf is already on sale at Drivethrurpg right over Here Can't wait to do a review of this one!
