History TabletopGame / ConspiracyX

The first version of ''Conspiracy X'' was published by Eden Studios and used its own system, but the second edition was adapted for Eden's UsefulNotes/{{Unisystem}}, and at one point the setting was also tapped for a TabletopGame/{{GURPS}} sourcebook.

In other words, a [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou world just like yours, if you could see beyond the lies.]]

As a game, one of ''Conspiracy X'''s notable innovations was the "cell creation system". At the start of a campaign, the players create not only their characters (like every other RPG), but also their cell's secret base of operations. The base's facilities, equipment, vehicles, and staff are all bought with the Influence that each player character brings to the table, and the ''type'' of Influence (military, civilian, criminal, intelligence, etc) determine exactly what the players can spend it on. A cell of military specialists might have an armored outpost stocked with high-powered weapons and a fully-armed attack helicopter, while a cell with more scientific professions might have a private supercomputer, a legitimate hazmat lab, and a team of trained engineers in ''their'' base.

* {{Brainwashing}}: One major difference between Aegis and the Black Book is that the later... ''indoctrinate'' their agents more thoroughly. The Greys take it a step farther, as they can use their psychic powers to completely rewrite each other's personalities -- as well as those of [[HalfHumanHybrid metahumans]], which they're attempting to turn all of humanity into.

* CleanupCrew: Investigating (and combating) the aliens is only one half of an Aegis cell's job -- like [[NotSoDifferent their Black Book rivals]], they are also charged with keeping the public ignorant of the alien presence. (Of course, the Black Book hides alien evidence to make it easier for their extraterrestrial allies to operate on Earth, while Aegis simply fears the apocalyptic crapstorm that would happen if the public were to suddenly become aware of all the government corruption, lethal shapeshifters, mind-bending powers, and world-wrecking alien technology.)

* AncientAstronauts: The Atlanteans have been influencing humanity from the very dawn of our species.

* CleanupCrew: Investigating (and combating) the aliens is only one half of an Aegis cell's job -- like [[NotSoDifferent their Black Book rivals]], they are also charged with keeping the public ignorant of the alien presence. (Of course, the Black Book hides alien evidence to make it easier for their extraterrestrial allies to operate on Earth, while Aegis simply fears the apocalyptic crapstorm that would happen if the public were to suddenly become aware of all the government corruption, lethal shapeshifters, mind-bending powers, and world-wrecking ultra-technology.)

* BlackAndGreyMorality: Aegis knows that none of the aliens have humanity's best interest at heart, and
[[LesCollaborateurs the Black Book]] will do anything to anyone for the merest crumb of alien technology. At the same time, Aegis' own mission is to protect humanity ''at any cost'', and when push comes to shove, they do not flinch at acts that are [[IDidWhatIHadToDo unconstitutional or straight up immoral]].

* BlackAndGreyMorality: Aegis knows that none of the aliens have humanity's best interest at heart, and [[LesCollaborateurs the Black Book]] will do anything to anyone for the merest crumb of alien technology. At the same time, Aegis' own mission is to protect humanity ''at any cost'', and when push comes to shove, they do not flinch at acts that are [[IDidWhatIHadToDo unconstitutional or straight up immoral]].
* {{Brainwashing}}: One major difference between Aegis and the Black Book is that the later... ''indoctrinate'' their agents more thoroughly. The Greys take it a step farther, as they can use their psychic powers to completely rewrite each other's personalities -- as well as those of [[HalfHumanHybrid metahumans]], which they're attempting to turn all humanity into.

* WeirdnessMagnet: A focus is someone who has unusually strong connection to the Seepage. The Seepage concentrates around them attracting all sorts of supernatural creatures and phenomenona.

* {{Orichalcum}}: The discovery of this metal allowed humanities' ancestors to successfully rebel against Atlanteans since it gave them something to fight back against the Atlanteans nanotech. It boosts the Seepage level for rituals just by having on the caster or you can snack on some to give to boost a ritual's power (good thing magic metals don't cause heavy metal poisoning).

* PunyEarthlings: Played with. Stat-wise, few humans could survive going toe to toe with a Saurian warrior, much less an Atlantean, and the rare human psychics have nothing on the average Grey. Yet none of these aliens dare to operate openly on Earth. Moreover, humanity is killing the Grey species just by ''existing'', the Atlanteans (having destroyed their own civilization) have been on their own downward spiral for untold millennia, and the Saurians (having also destroyed their own civilization) suffer from genocidal factionalism that is even worse than humanity's own conflicts.

* TechnologyUplift: For generations, the Atlanteans and Saurians have been feeding technology to humanity (for their own selfish purposes), causing Earth to advance more quickly than we might otherwise.

* ETGaveUsWifi: During the 20th century, the Atlanteans and Saurians both began feeding technology to Earth, causing human civilization to advance more rapidly than we otherwise would have.

* ETGaveUsWifi: During the 20th century (and beyond), the Atlanteans and Saurians both began feeding technology to Earth, causing human civilization to advance more rapidly than we otherwise would have.

* AliensAreBastards: Across the board. The Atlanteans are egomaniacal manipulators who see humans as barely more than cattle, the Saurians are ruthless warmongers, and the Greys (while admittedly non-violent) care nothing about the well-being of the humans they abduct and experiment on.

* ETGaveUsWifi: Humanity's rapid technological progress in the 20th century (and beyond) are implied to be a result of Atlantean and Saurian meddling, which is causing our civilization to advance more rapidly than we otherwise would have.

The players are agents of Aegis, a powerful secret society which has subverted numerous government agencies and major corporations, and whose mandate is to protect humanity from malevolent aliens by any means necessary. The threats to Aegis (and humanity) include no fewer than three distinct alien species, the Black Book (a rival conspiracy of humans who collaborate with the aliens), and a wide assortment of [[MonsterOfTheWeek supernatural threats]]. While the game's secret societies, monsters, and alien factions are well-defined, the setting is flexible enough for gamemasters to add whatever other conspiracies and mysteries might strike their fancy.

* StupidJetpackHitler: Some of the Nazis' historical aeronautical and ballistics breakthroughs are suggested to be the result of beginning to reverse engineer an alien vessel of unknown origin (possibly even to the game publishers themselves, to leave it up to Gamemasters) that crashed in eastern Europe during the early years of the war.

The players are agents of Aegis, a powerful secret society which has subverted numerous government agencies and major corporations, and whose mandate is to protect humanity from malevolent aliens by any means necessary. Set against Aegis are no fewer than three distinct alien species, the Black Book (a rival conspiracy of humans who collaborate with the aliens), and a wide assortment of [[MonsterOfTheWeek supernatural threats]]. While the game's secret societies, monsters, and alien factions are well-defined, the setting is flexible enough for gamemasters to add whatever other conspiracies and mysteries might strike their fancy.

As a game, one of ''Conspiracy X'''s notable innovations was the "cell creation system". At the start of a campaign, the players create not only their characters (like with every other RPG), but also their cell's secret base of operations. The base's facilities, equipment, vehicles, and staff are all bought with the Influence that each player character brings to the table, and the ''type'' of Influence (military, civilian, criminal, intelligence, etc) determine exactly what the players can spend it on. A cell of military specialists might have an armored outpost stocked with high-powered weapons and a fully-armed attack helicopter, while a cell with more scientific professions might have a private supercomputer, a legitimate hazmat lab, and a team of trained engineers in ''their'' base.

* CrapsackWorld: [[Series/TheXFiles Fox Mulder]] only had to deal with one species of alien invaders, while Aegis has to contend with three. As though that weren't enough, Aegis also has to deal with the terrifying products of Earth's own supernatural Seepage ''and'' a rival conspiracy who actively collaborate with all the aliens. With all the mind games, the paranormal horrors, and the apocalyptic level of the threats facing Earth, Aegis agents all too often end up at the DespairEventHorizon.

* DespairEventHorizon: While the setting isn't an outright CosmicHorrorStory, the struggle against the various aliens has broken more than one Aegis operative -- a fact that Aegis Prime is well aware of and implementing guidelines to combat.

* GoodIsNotNice: Again, Aegis. At best, their agents know that while they're fighting to protect humanity, they are ''not'' "white knights" who have to intervene in every injustice and (mundane) conspiracy they might learn about. At worst, they not only commit extortion, assassinations, and bombings when necessity demands, but know how to frame bad guys (or even random civilians) to ward off the law.

* TheMenInBlack: Player characters -- and their Black Book rivals -- are pretty much [=MIBs=] as most people picture them: mysterious badasses with government connections who investigate alien phenomena and keep it hidden from the public. And yes, they often wear nice suits, especially if Aegis actually ''did'' recruit them from a government agency.
** On top of the above, the Saurians have at their disposal bodymorphed Saurian-to-human operatives who are actually ''called'' "Men In Black" in-setting. They have all of a Saurian's combat training and ruthlessness, and they're a vital tool for increasing the Saurians' foothold on Earth.
* TheMole: Both Aegis and the Black Book make heavy use of moles in their operations, ranging from infiltrators who merely gather information to full-on sleeper agents who are unaware that they can be converted into a conspiratorial operative with the right "trigger".

* PunyEarthlings: Played with. Stat-wise, few humans could survive going toe to toe with a Saurian warrior, much less an Atlantean, and the rare human psychics have nothing on the average Grey. Yet none of these aliens dare to operate openly on Earth. Moreover, humanity is killing the Grey species just by ''existing'', the Atlanteans (having destroyed their own civilization) have been on their own downward spiral for millennia, and the Saurians (having also destroyed their own civilization) suffer from genocidal factionalism that is even worse than humanity's own conflicts.

* ShadesOfConflict: Anything [[CrapsackWorld except White]]. Anyone with White morality is likely considered to be part of the sheeple, to be either derided or protected by the characters in question.

The players are agents of Aegis, a powerful secret society which has subverted numerous government agencies and major corporations, and whose mandate is to protect humanity from malevolent aliens by any means necessary. Set against Aegis are no fewer than three distinct alien races, the Black Book (a rival conspiracy of humans who collaborate with the aliens), and a wide assortment of [[MonsterOfTheWeek supernatural threats]]. While the game's secret societies, monsters, and alien factions are well-defined, the setting is flexible enough for gamemasters to add whatever other conspiracies and mysteries might strike their fancy.

* BlackAndGreyMorality: Aegis knows that none of the alien races have humanity's best interest at heart, and [[LesCollaborateurs the Black Book]] will do anything to anyone for the merest crumb of alien technology. At the same time, Aegis' own mission is to protect humanity ''at any cost'', and when push comes to shove, they do not flinch at acts that are [[IDidWhatIHadToDo unconstitutional or straight up immoral]].

* CrapsackWorld: [[Series/TheXFiles Fox Mulder]] only had to deal with one race of alien invaders, while Aegis has to contend with three. As though that weren't enough, Aegis also has to deal with the terrifying products of Earth's own supernatural Seepage ''and'' a rival conspiracy who actively collaborate with all the aliens. With all the mind games, the paranormal horrors, and the apocalyptic level of the threats facing Earth, Aegis agents all too often end up at the DespairEventHorizon.

* DealWithTheDevil: How Aegis views the Black Book's collaboration with the various alien races. The Greys ''explicitly'' see their agreement with the Black Book as this -- as far as the Greys are concerned, the Black Book has sold them the entire human race.

** On top of the above, the Saurians have at their disposal bodymorphed Saurian-to-human operatives who are actually ''called'' "Men In Black" in-setting. They have all of a Saurian's combat training and ruthlessness, and they're a vital tool for increasing the Saurian race's foothold on Earth.

* PunyEarthlings: Played with. Stat-wise, few humans could survive going toe to toe with a Saurian warrior, much less an Atlantean, and the rare human psychics have nothing on the average Grey. Yet none of these aliens dare to operate openly on Earth. Moreover, humanity is killing the Grey race just by ''existing'', the Atlanteans (having destroyed their own civilization) have been on their own downward spiral for millennia, and the Saurians (having also destroyed their own civilization) suffer from genocidal factionalism that is even worse than humanity's own conflicts.