The Inside Scoop on Gaming

I have to admit that I was a little disappointed with this book. So much seemed to have been cut out. There were references to rules later on that had simply been omitted, some of which I remembered from First Edition. It wasn't until I read the back of the book and visited the DPI website that I understood.

The books available in the stores - the Basic Edition - are heavily edited versions of the actual rules - the Masters Edition. The Masters Edition books are both over 400 pages. Over half of the material has been cut out to leave the Basic Edition books at 180 pages each. These digests give enough info to play the game, but leave out substantial parts of the setting. The careers (used in character generation), empathic powers, and equipment lists are a fraction of their Masters Edition length. The rules section is, however, intact.

The Handbook itself compiles rules from the First Edition rules, the PC Booster Kit and The Empathic Sourcebook. These rules are all updated to the d20 system introduced in the Empathic Sourcebook, and any GM-only material has been removed and put in the Referees Guide instead.

For a game like Dark Conspiracy, the splitting of rules and background into two books makes a lot of sense. Not only does it help preserve the air of mystery (and thus horror) about what exactly it is that the PCs are struggling against, but all the separate rules are now in two volumes - one covering character generation and core rules, the other covering the secrets of what's really happening and the rules relating to that. Finding the right reference no longer requires a hunt through several different books, while the PCs sit back and think "Uh-oh - He's flicking through Dark Races. This NPC isn't human".

Apart from the editing necessary to bring all the source material into the one rules system, much of the text and artwork is lifted directly from the original books. A small number of the pictures are visibly blurred or pixilated - signs of having been scanned at low resolution or enlarged. The text is however clear and easy to read, and the number of typos and inconsistencies in rules are relatively small.

Despite the flaws and disappointments of a savagely cut version of the rules, what I saw was enough to prompt me to contact DPI about their upgrade program. If, like me, you've bought the Basic Edition and realised it isn't all you thought it would be, you can get the Masters Edition for just US$10 more (plus postage and handling), if you tear of the back cover of your Basic Ed rules and post them in. For my review on this process, and my impression of the Masters Edition, you can read my review of the Masters Edition Players Handbook.

Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 2 (Sparse)

Dark Conspiracy Second Edition Player's Handbook - Basic Edition
Author: Lester W. Smith Category: game Company/Publisher: Dynasty presentations, Inc. Line: Dark Conspiracy Second Edition Cost: $18.OO Page count: 180 ISBN: 1-892886-00-6 SKU: DPI-1001 Capsule Review by David Lucardie on 08/02/99. Genre tags: Science_fiction Horror Conspiracy	I have to admit that I was a little disappointed with this book. So much seemed to have been cut out. There were references to rules later on that had simply been omitted, some of which I remembered from First Edition. It wasn't until I read the back of the book and visited the DPI website that I understood. The books available in the stores - the Basic Edition - are heavily edited versions of the actual rules - the Masters Edition. The Masters Edition books are both over 400 pages. Over half of the material has been cut out to leave the Basic Edition books at 180 pages each. These digests give enough info to play the game, but leave out substantial parts of the setting. The careers (used in character generation), empathic powers, and equipment lists are a fraction of their Masters Edition length. The rules section is, however, intact. The Handbook itself compiles rules from the First Edition rules, the PC Booster Kit and The Empathic Sourcebook. These rules are all updated to the d20 system introduced in the Empathic Sourcebook, and any GM-only material has been removed and put in the Referees Guide instead. For a game like Dark Conspiracy, the splitting of rules and background into two books makes a lot of sense. Not only does it help preserve the air of mystery (and thus horror) about what exactly it is that the PCs are struggling against, but all the separate rules are now in two volumes - one covering character generation and core rules, the other covering the secrets of what's really happening and the rules relating to that. Finding the right reference no longer requires a hunt through several different books, while the PCs sit back and think "Uh-oh - He's flicking through Dark Races. This NPC isn't human". Apart from the editing necessary to bring all the source material into the one rules system, much of the text and artwork is lifted directly from the original books. A small number of the pictures are visibly blurred or pixilated - signs of having been scanned at low resolution or enlarged. The text is however clear and easy to read, and the number of typos and inconsistencies in rules are relatively small. Despite the flaws and disappointments of a savagely cut version of the rules, what I saw was enough to prompt me to contact DPI about their upgrade program. If, like me, you've bought the Basic Edition and realised it isn't all you thought it would be, you can get the Masters Edition for just US$10 more (plus postage and handling), if you tear of the back cover of your Basic Ed rules and post them in. For my review on this process, and my impression of the Masters Edition, you can read my review of the Masters Edition Players Handbook. Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 2 (Sparse)

Dark Conspiracy Second Edition Player's Handbook - Basic Edition