The Inside Scoop on Gaming

The supernatural has always been secondary part of Conspiracy X, allowing GM's to give the players a break from the staple diet of aliens and conflicts with the Black Book, the "villans" in this murky world. The main book presented a creative, if a little confusing, set of rules and background, and with these it was quite possible to bring a little spookyness to your games. However with the release of Forsaken Rites, that has all changed.

This book is a veritable supernatural tome, containing rituals (spells), manifestations, the effects of corruption, corrupted beings, history, theory and all the rules for using them in your games. It puts the supernatural on a par with the other menaces the PC's face, and gives the PC's themselves several new choices for character generation. The most used rules are presented in clear, concise tables and the longer versions are all never more than a few pages away from those brief descriptions. At least a summary of every rule, as usual, is highlighted by being written in white inside a black box, making it very easy to find the rules you need in game.

The book is, as usual, of a high standard of quality, with some of the best artwork in the series. The information is written in a compelling and creative way which reflects the weird and warped nature of the topic, and just reading it gives exactly the mood every GM wants in his/her games.

A short adventure in the back of Forsaken Rites helps to introduce characters to the supernatural and could easily be used to set the tone for a campaign. Adventure ideas are available all through the supplement, and may of the background suggestions presented are offered along with other options, to give the GM complete control over their gameworld, without all the extra work you would normally associate with this.

The book is split into chapters which are available for the players to read, and those reserved for the GM. This excellent idea allows the GM to tell the players to read the first four chapters, so s/he can get on with the game without having to worry so much about what the players know. Also included in the introductory section is a short chapter summary and instructions on what the players should read, and what should be reserved for the GM, which makes life very simple indeed.

All in all this is the highest quality product Eden have put out yet. My personal favourite touches were the multiplicity of sources used in the background, since as well as drawing on real life works the author has included background from the view of many different groups and people, and the detail on the new organisations.

Conspiracy X is a fantastic game, and if it continues to be supported by products like these then there is little chance it will fail to achieve the status it so rightly deserves.

Style: 5 (Excellent!)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

Forsaken Rites: The Supernatural Sourcebook. <
Author: John Snead. Category: game Company/Publisher: Eden Studios Inc Cost: £10.95/$17.00 Page count: 112 ISBN: 1-891153-65-X Playtest Review by Ian Barber on 06/01/98. Genre tags: none	The supernatural has always been secondary part of Conspiracy X, allowing GM's to give the players a break from the staple diet of aliens and conflicts with the Black Book, the "villans" in this murky world. The main book presented a creative, if a little confusing, set of rules and background, and with these it was quite possible to bring a little spookyness to your games. However with the release of Forsaken Rites, that has all changed. This book is a veritable supernatural tome, containing rituals (spells), manifestations, the effects of corruption, corrupted beings, history, theory and all the rules for using them in your games. It puts the supernatural on a par with the other menaces the PC's face, and gives the PC's themselves several new choices for character generation. The most used rules are presented in clear, concise tables and the longer versions are all never more than a few pages away from those brief descriptions. At least a summary of every rule, as usual, is highlighted by being written in white inside a black box, making it very easy to find the rules you need in game. The book is, as usual, of a high standard of quality, with some of the best artwork in the series. The information is written in a compelling and creative way which reflects the weird and warped nature of the topic, and just reading it gives exactly the mood every GM wants in his/her games. A short adventure in the back of Forsaken Rites helps to introduce characters to the supernatural and could easily be used to set the tone for a campaign. Adventure ideas are available all through the supplement, and may of the background suggestions presented are offered along with other options, to give the GM complete control over their gameworld, without all the extra work you would normally associate with this. The book is split into chapters which are available for the players to read, and those reserved for the GM. This excellent idea allows the GM to tell the players to read the first four chapters, so s/he can get on with the game without having to worry so much about what the players know. Also included in the introductory section is a short chapter summary and instructions on what the players should read, and what should be reserved for the GM, which makes life very simple indeed. All in all this is the highest quality product Eden have put out yet. My personal favourite touches were the multiplicity of sources used in the background, since as well as drawing on real life works the author has included background from the view of many different groups and people, and the detail on the new organisations. Conspiracy X is a fantastic game, and if it continues to be supported by products like these then there is little chance it will fail to achieve the status it so rightly deserves. Style: 5 (Excellent!) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

Forsaken Rites: The Supernatural Sourcebook. <