By Steven Creech, Exec. Chairman

Available at FRP Games
Spycraft RPG 2.0: Conspiracies
Retail $19.99 Sale $15.99

Initiative Round
Conspiracies is a supplement fpr Spycraft 2.0 by Paradigm Concepts. It is the first print supplement (to my knowledge) for the new Spycraft 2.0 originally published by Alderac Entertainment Group (AEG) and now supported by Crafty Games. Conspiracies is written by Lee Hammock, who is a very talented writer but somehow flies under most people’s radar. Additional material and assistance is provided by Eric Weiner, Andrew “Fish” Popowich and Scott Gearin (a familiar name among Spycraft fans). Veronica Jones, who has provided the cover art for every single print Spycraft product to date, once again gives us a fantastic and fitting cover piece. The book retails for $19.99 and is 80 pages in length.

In a nutshell, this is a book about conspiracy theories. There are ten different theories presented that cover government plots, cover ups, and historical beliefs. Each theory is laid out in the same structured format:

• Description: what most people think it the real story behind the theory.
• True History: the actual facts behind the theory.
• Structure: hierarchy and operational details of the conspiracy.
• Campaign Hooks: how to insert the theory into your game.
• Links to other Conspiracies: how to bring two or more theories together.
• Important NPCs: significant individuals such as leaders, field operatives and agents.

Government conspiracies are almost tailor-made for Spycraft. The Alternative Conspiracy deals with a plan to save the world’s elite in the event of a worldwide catastrophe, and to reduce the remaining world’s population to a more manageable and profitable level. The plan came about during the Cold War and was a joint United States and Soviet operation. The roots of this theory extend back to the end of World War II and Hitler’s eugenics program.

The Shadow Government deals with a plan by the United States to keep the government functional in the event of a nuclear war or other catastrophe. FEMA has the authority to declare martial law and step in with a backup government at a moment’s discretion. (Yeah, I know it sounds funny after their mismanagement of Katrina relief.)

MK-Ultra is the CIA’s primary mind control and drug experimentation program. Specializing in the use of hallucinogenic drugs for interrogation and the development of mind control/torture techniques, MK-Ultra has perfected the art of creating moles for espionage.

The Men in Black theory has its roots from the 1950’s and not the popular movie done a few years ago. Men in Black are tied so closely to UFO sightings that the two are incongruous. It is their job to keep the public unaware of an alien presence on Earth.

When one speaks of historical conspiracy theories there is none greater than the Freemasons. Little is actually known about this organization other than the membership is shrinking. The Freemasons are not open about their rituals, history (their existence was made public in 1717) or even their goals. There is a link to the Knights of the Templar and evidence of an extensive network of contacts. But yet, Freemasons exist at nearly every level of government both in the Untied States and United Kingdom.

The next biggest historical conspiracy deals with The Illuminati. It is almost the “mother-lode” of conspiracies because nearly every conspiracy theory can be traced back to the Illuminati. Nearly every conspiracy organization can be tied to the Illuminati in some manner. The Illuminati seek to establish a New World Order (heard that term before?) where they control what information people have access to. One of the provisions in their plans is to start Work War III and reduce the world’s population to a manageable 5.5 billion people. They tried to do this in 1956 with the Suez War but were foiled when the United States and Soviet Union became involved. They will likely make a new attempt within the next ten years with the Middle East being the tinderbox.

The Priory de Scion conspiracy reaches all the way back to biblical times and Jesus Christ. Thanks to the DaVinci Code, more people are aware of this conspiracy and the belief that the bloodline of Christ remains to this day. In short, Jesus and Mary Magdalene had children before his death. Descendants of those children now wait for the day when one will take his place as the divinely chosen king of the world.

Science fiction conspiracies have always been rich fodder. Area 51 is deep in UFO mythology largely because of the events surrounding July, 1947. Outside of Roswell, New Mexico a flying saucer reportedly crashed. One of the results was the recovery of several alien corpses. Another huge matter of importance was the large number of eyewitnesses, both civilian and military, who saw the UFO that night. Area 51 is also the site where most of the experimental aircraft has been tested which further fuels the Roswell conspiracy theories.

If you bring up the Philadelphia Project (or Experiment), most folks around 40 will likely remember a movie starring Michael Pare (called The Philadelphia Experiment). The project took place during World War II in Philadelphia. The USS Eldridge was the site of a scientific experiment in an attempt to develop a “cloaking device” rendering ships invisible. Supposedly, two separate tests were conducted. However, the unexplainable happened during the second test. The Eldridge vanished from the Philadelphia harbor only to reappear at the naval yards in Norfolk, Virginia three seconds later. The ship vanished again only to rematerialize in Philadelphia. All of the crew were disoriented and nauseated. Five were fused to the hull of the ship, as though they were momentarily incorporeal before solidifying and dying instantly. The remaining survivors either went insane or suffered various illnesses.

The survivors also suffered from the effects of “slipping out of time” where they would literally go into a waking coma where only the touch of another survivor would bring them out of it. Additional government research programs worked with these survivors to discover what happened. Project Pheonix was formed to study the dimensional phasing space that was discovered by the Philadelphia Experiment. The space in this dimension was found to be dangerous and the reason why the men of the Eldridge suffered.

Majestic 12 is an old friend to an Delta Green player. Majestic 12 has long been at the center of UFO research and conspiracies. This organization is responsible for all communication, diplomacy, and technological exchanges with all alien contacts that the government establishes a relationship with. They literally are “Men in Black”.

Majestic 12’s roots extend to the late 1940’s under the Truman administration. It is a black book operation that most presidents are informed as a “need to know” basis only. During the Eisenhower era, a treaty with the alien “grays” was signed allowing them to establish underground bases, conduct limited human experimentation, and exchange personnel in return for technology. However, the grays soon showed their real desire to dominate and Majestic 12 became the front line to combat this alien menace and forcibly remove them as a threat. The war has been ongoing ever since.

The final chapter is where all of the new rules are located. New talents, specialties, classes, feats, gadget mechanisms, vehicle rules, and weapon rules are all here. The new classes are advanced in nature and include the ennobled scion, G-Man, and Phase Agent. I happen to like the Phase agent because of his ties to Project Phoenix.

Critical Hit
The broad spectrum of organizations makes this book useful for not only Spycraft, but also d20 Modern. Most of the organizations can be used for any campaign era ranging from current day to the of World War II where many of the conspiracy organizations have their roots. The science fiction based organizations are some of my favorites.

Another really strong aspect of this book is how the author ties the real truth into the conspiracy. A perfect example is how the various presidential and congressional acts have given FEMA tremendous authority under the right circumstances. (Yes, I realize that FEMA and “authority” are oxymorons.)

Critical Fumble
The level of truths to some organizations is lacking. While the amount of truthful background information is substantial (see the FEMA example), many other organizations are of “I don’t knows”. More detail would make things more intriguing.

Coup de Grace
Spycraft: Conspiracies delivers exactly what it sets out to do, rich conspiracy theories. Spycraft is all about intrigue and it’s a natural fit to include one or more of mankind’s favorite conspiracies. After all, it’s not every day that one finds out that Majectic 12 was behind the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

Review Scores:

Overall Total (Does not include OGL Rating): 107 (85%)
Final Grade: B+