History TabletopGame / ConspiracyX

* KillSat: "[[SovietSuperscience Project Rasputin]]" has a ''psychic'' Kill Sat. It's a gigantic amplifier for a crew of psychic characters, letting them use their powers on anything from one building to several square kilometers. In that area it can do things like read minds, alter memories, or yes, kill people.

* {{Ghostapo}}: The Watch, the predecessor of both Aegis and the National Defense Directorate (NDD, or the Black Book, see below), was founded to counter the Nazis' occult power.

* SoYouWantTo/WriteAConspiracyTheory: The supplemental ''[[GratuitousLatin Sub Rosa]]'' sourcebook outlines game mechanics for creating new conspiracy/secret society factions by participating players or gamemasters, a resource that puts theoretically any time period in play (Ford's Theater and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, for example), rather than just late 20th to early 21st century.

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 still later the setting was tapped for a TabletopGame/{{GURPS}} sourcebook.

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 the party'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 party of military specialists might have an armored outpost stocked with high-powered weapons and a fully-armed attack helicopter, while a party with more scientific professions might have a private supercomputer, a legitimate hazmat lab, and a team of trained engineers in ''their'' base.

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 the party'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 party of military specialists might have a armored outpost stocked with high-powered weapons and a fully-armed attack helicopter, while a party with more scientific professions might have a private supercomputer, a legitimate hazmat lab, and a team of trained engineers in ''their'' base.

* TheSpearOfDestiny was held by many powerful figures from history including Constantine, Otto the Great, [[UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte Napoleon]] and [[{{Ghostapo}} of course]] [[UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler Hitler]] (with the implication that [[WeDidntStartTheFuhrer it caused some of Hitler's megalomania]]). The Watch retrieved it shortly before Hitler's death. Of course, the question of whose hands that ultimately put it in is left deliberately vague.

* ShoutOut: In the Extraterrestrials Sourcebook. one of the illustrations is a [[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS5E123NightmareAt20000Feet scared guy looking out of an air plane window at a Grey ripping stuff out of the plane wing.]]

* CreatureHunterOrganization: While Aegis is primarily an alien-fighting organization, some cells also investigate the various monsters produced by Earth's Seepage (the byproduct of humanity's nascent psychic powers).

* BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy: Remember that famous general or religious leader or mythological figure from human history? There's a not-insignificant chance that they were actually an Atlantean involving the local humans in some grand plot... or just toying with humanity for their amusement.

* 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 are actively selling humanity out to 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.

* CryptidEpisode: Cryptids are a major part of the setting, they even get their own sourcebook.

* SecretWar: How all the factions operate. None of the aliens have the numbers (yet) to openly invade Earth, and both Aegis and the Black Book dread what would happen if the public were to become aware of not only the aliens, but of how deeply humanity's governments have been subverted by conspiracies.

Often called "''Series/TheXFiles'': [[TabletopGames The Tabletop Game]]" by fans, ''Conspiracy X'' presents a world superficially identical to our own, yet in the shadows lurks a vast multitude of paranormal conspiracies.

Often called by fans "''Series/TheXFiles'' as a [[TabletopGames tabletop game]]", first published by Eden Games for the UsefulNotes/{{Unisystem}} and later adapted for TabletopGame/{{GURPs}}, ''Conspiracy X'' is a world superficially identical to our own, yet in the shadows lurks a vast multitude of paranormal conspiracies. The players are agents of one of these conspiracies, Aegis, whose mandate is to protect humanity from malevolent aliens by any means necessary. 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.

* AliensAmongUs: Atlanteans, Saurian Men In Black, and Meta-humans (Grey/human hybrids) all walk among us. The latter are [[HumanAlienDiscovery not necessarily aware of their extraterrestrial lineage]].

Often called by fans "''Series/TheXFiles'' as a [[TabletopGames tabletop game]]", first published by Eden Games for the UsefulNotes/{{Unisystem}} and later adapted for TabletopGame/{{GURPs}}, ''Conspiracy X'' is a world based around the concept of some or all of the conspiracy theorists being onto something, though what that something ultimately is, customizable to both the times and the participants.

* AliensAmongUs: Atlanteans, Saurian Men In Black, and Meta-humans (Grey/human hybrids) all walk among us.

!!!Aegis provides examples of:
* {{Area 51}} is the base of operations for Aegis containing their attempts into reverse engineer alien tech, their [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora_%28aircraft%29 Aurora aircraft]] and HERMES, a massive computer system and database for relaying messages and information amongst Aegis cells.
* BenevolentConspiracy: Aegis' self-appointed mission is to protect humanity from supernatural and alien threats by any means necessary. The National Defense Directorate (NDD, or Black Book) has a similar mandate but its government backers want returns on their investment meaning that it concentrates on acquiring technology as well as knowledge. This means that Black Book has made more deals and worked with aliens like the Greys and the Saurians. The moral dubiousness of these actions has led to Black Book being portrayed as pretty much the EvilCounterpart to Aegis. [[NotSoDifferent On the other hand]], Aegis itself has no qualms about committing any ethically questionable act if seen as justified by its mandate, including the execution and/or assassination of anyone who knows too much and won't work with them...[[spoiler:including [[WhoShotJFK Presidents of the United States]].]]
* TheMole: Security leaks are always a concern for Aegis. When they can't keep people from betraying the organization, the HERMES system and cell structure are designed to limit the amount of damage that traitors can do.
* MasterComputer: In the 1950s, Aegis built a massive computer system and database based in {{Area 51}} dubbed HERMES that handles communication amongst the Aegis cells and serves as a repository for any information that the cells have gathered.

!!!The National Defense Directorate (Black Book) provides examples of:
* BlackHelicopter: The NDD has two types of black helicopter, their standard transport, the Raven Stealth Helicopter and the Ghost Surveillance Helicopter which handle their spying needs. Not only can they both fly silently, they have [[CloakingDevice biomimetic sheaths that allow them to blend into the surroundings]].
* LesCollaborateurs: How Aegis sees the NDD and their various deals with the aliens, although the NDD's leaders would insist that they're doing what is best for humanity.
* NecessarilyEvil: The NDD's own leaders readily admit to new initiates that much of what they do would very likely be called reprehensible by the very population that they are ostensibly charged with protecting, but likewise maintain that [[IDidWhatIHadToDo existential necessity]] [[SadisticChoice does not allow for better alternatives]]. Given [[CrapsackWorld the setting]], Aegis [[GreyAndGrayMorality can be similar]].
* NoSuchAgency: The NDD is a secret part of the US military, with its existence known only to a few top officials and its funding coming through the portion of the U.S. military budget assigned to covert or "black operations", leading to its other name, the "Black Book".
* NotSoDifferent: Despite being arch-enemies, both Aegis and the NDD operate very similarly, subverting government agencies and major corporations for their own ends -- and they both believe that they are only doing what is best for humanity.
* VillainProtagonist: If and when players don't want to play as Aegis operatives, the very first alternative offered, in ''The Hand Unseen'' sourcebook, is the NDD. To be fair, the first page of the book presents the NDD's view that their [[AmbiguouslyEvil purported villainy]] is "[[AboveGoodAndEvil a comforting myth]]" told to Aegis recruits.

!!!Tropes particular to each alien race (warning un-marked spoilers):

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Atlanteans/Adlan’ns]]
* TheAgeless: Thanks to nanotech, to the point if they want to pass as human for any significant length of time they need to use more nanotech to give them the odd wrinkle or grey hair.
* AncientAstronauts: The Atlanteans who created/enslaved humanity made the humans worship them as gods. Atlanteans still made use of GodGuise to manipulate humanity after they rebelled even though the Nameless Priests outlawed it (they want humanity under only a few religions; Confucianism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Etc. Easier to manipulate a few big religions than lots of little ones).
* {{Atlantis}}: The aliens from "Adlan’ns" who came to our planet decided to build a city in the middle of the sea called Atlantis (and another called Lemuria) to rule over humanity. They then scuttled their own cities after the [[TurnedAgainstTheirMasters humans rebelled]] and decimated the Adlan’ns population on the earth.
* BigEater: They need to eat a lot of calories to power the nanomachines in their bodies.
* BroughtDownToBadass: Detonated a nuclear device on top of an Atleantean so that the EMP knocked down the nanites keeping them immortal? Good for you! Now you just have to deal with a perfectly normal, mortal being who has [[SuperStrength bones and muscles made of diamond]], bulletproof skin, [[SuperSpeed nerves coated in room-temperature superconductor]], and a quarter-''million'' years' worth of combat experience. And better do it quickly, because in five minutes or so their emergency systems would've kicked in and restored them to normal, at which point, given that you've just [[BerserkButton endangered their immortality]], you'd be lucky if they don't just decide to make a point by ''obliterating'' you with a [[KillSat particle accelerator shot]] from their orbiting spaceship.
* CasualInterstellarTravel: Subverted. For all of their godlike technology, the Atlanteans could never create a faster-than-light vessel, their fastest ships peaking around 70-80% of lightspeed. This makes interstellar journeys last decades, sometimes centuries, and while the physiological difficulties are, for them, negligible (they ''are'' immortal), a century of isolation in space is still a century of isolation in space. They literally invented AI so they'd have companions for these journeys.
* {{EMP}}: One of the surest ways of permanently dealing with an Atlantean, as their nanites aren't 100% radiation shielded. A powerful enough EMP, such as from a nuclear detonation, stands a better than 50% of temporarily shutting down the nanites keeping them immortal, giving you a small time window within which to kill them before their emergency systems kick into actions and bring them back online.
* EndlessDaytime: The Adlan’ns planet was placed between its system's star and a stellar cluster, meaning that it was never darker than Earth's twilight.
* FlyingSaucer: It is noted that while Atlantean ships are designed to the personal taste of the Atlantean, most are saucer shaped or spheres for ease of movement through the atmosphere -- and for aesthetic reasons.
* FromASingleCell: As long as an Atlantean has [[BrainUploading Memory Preservation System]] intact and some [[HealingFactor Blood Surgeon nanites]] they can regrow their entire body and conscience. They even have a malleable spherical implant about the size of a golf ball called a Emergency Nanite Reserve that rests somewhere deep within the body shielded from most things containing back-ups. This makes them really really hard to put down permanently.
* GeniusBruiser: Being hundreds of thousands of years old and enhanced head-to-toe with ridiculous levels of nanotech, the average Atlantean is both superhumanly intelligent ''and'' incredibly difficult to kill.
* GreyGoo: The Nameless Priests, Adlan’ns spiritual leaders, decided that the population had [[WeHaveBecomeComplacent grown too soft]] and deliberately made nanotech that deconstructed any organic matter. Unfortunately, the destructive nanotech worked ''too'' well and ruined the entire planet, forcing the few Atlantean survivors to flee into the galaxy.
* HealingFactor: The Atlanteans can heal the most grievous wounds thanks to "blood surgeon" nanites.
* HumanAliens: [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in that ''they'' are the {{Precursor}} AncientAstronauts with a hand in human evolution, even splicing in their own DNA, though with increased levels of psychological malleability to make humans easier to control. Atlantean psychology, by contrast, is practically Nietzsche's {{Ubermensch}}, or even predatorial.
* KillItWithFire: Burning an Atleantean is one of the most efficient way of dealing with them, as the nanites' comparatively low heat tolerance destroys the clusters around the injury and halt regeneration until the Atlantean can reach safety.
* MadeOfIron: Between skintight armor that laughs in the face of modern human weaponry, nano-augmented skin that can stop bullets dead and survive exposure to outer space, bones and muscles made of diamondoid fibers, and blood surgeons which can repair any wound in a matter of seconds and render them immune to poison, diseases or aging, taking down an Atleantean takes to require some combination of fire, alien technology and possibly ''nuking them''.
* {{Nanotechnology}}: Most of the tech Atlanteans have is based on nanotech. Humans can use it but due to physiological differences it's more dangerous for a human to enhance their bodies. It is also vulnerable to powerful {{EMP}}.
* NeverGetsDrunk: Their nanotech neutralizes alcohol (and all other toxins), so it is difficult for Atlanteans to stay drunk unless they drink continuously.
* PunctuationShaker: The Atlantean languages use a lot of apostrophes and dashes though it supposed to be rendering their language in a way that humans can read.
* TelepathicSpacemen: Notably {{averted}}, as they specifically do not have any psychic powers or even understand how psychic powers are possible. This led to the animosity between them and the Greys, as the Atlanteans want to believe that their own species is the pinnacle of evolution, yet the Greys command powers that no Atlantean has ever had.
* TheManBehindTheMan: The Atlanteans' modus operandi. Most of them loathe getting involved in a plot personally, instead preferring to [[TheChessmaster work through multiple levels of human pawns Illuminati-style]]. As an example, they were behind the foundation of both Aegis ''and'' the NDD, orchestrating the conflict between them and carefully managing it under the belief that it would stimulate humanity's technological progress to prepare them for the return of the Saurians.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:TheGreys/Reticulans]]
* AlienAbduction: The Greys have been abducting humans since 1903 to study them, trying to figure out how to stop the [[BrownNote psychic static]]. As part of the alliance with Black Book, the Black Book agents help pick out the abductees, [[CleanupCrew clean up any evidence]], help out with researchers/facilities if needed and sometimes do the abducting for the Greys (though Greys prefer to do it themselves rather than be spoon-fed humans by Black Book).
* AliensNeverInventedTheWheel: Since Greys have their psychic powers, [[OrganicTechnology shaped coral devices]] and can change their bodies to do all their tasks, things like the wedge, pulley, and lever are relatively alien to them. They just never developed the need for mundane tech so they rely on their Black Book allies for that sort of technology.
* BrownNote: When the Greys have contact with the psychic "static" that humans create, it [[DrivenToMadness drives them mad]]. To be fair to humanity, the Atlanteans gave humans psychic powers as a weapon against the Greys... and this ploy is [[GoneHorriblyRight already working far better than the Atlanteans even realize]].
* DyingRace: The psychic static that humanity generates is slowly killing the Grey as a species, even across interstellar distances. This is the motive for their plot against Earth.
* FlyingSaucer: The Grey ships are like this.
* KeepingTheEnemyClose: The Greys and Black Book see their alliance as such with both trying to get the most knowledge out of the other fully aware that both are exceedingly dangerous to the other.
* HalfHumanHybrid: They are making Grey/human hybrids termed "metahumans" since they don't produce static with the added bonus of being easy to mind-control with the Greys' psychic powers. Though since humanity was created as a hybrid of Atlantean DNA, Grey DNA and a native earth monkey the percentages of their ancestry are somewhat complicated. In most ways, the metahumans have the best of both worlds, with heightened psychic powers as well as the ability to understand human technology, blend into Earthly society, and resort to violence.
* MentalFusion: Greys can combine their powers and thoughts boarding on {{Hive Mind}}s (Greys do it voluntary).
* OrganicTechnology: Greys use coral shaped by their PsychicPowers both to enhance said powers but also to build things like their spaceships. Most of their machines and devices are simply the grown coral wrapped in a metal cover to protect it. They even shaped their own bodies to better suit them. The Grey mindset is such that they barely even ''understand'' the concept of non-organic technology.
* PerfectPacifistPeople: A rare villainous example! As the world centered around psychic dominance, the Greys never had a concept of physical violence until they encountered the Atlanteans. Even now, the average Grey is psychologically incapable of throwing a punch or firing a weapon even to save its own life, and can only use their powers to flee or disable attackers. At the same time, the Greys care absolutely nothing about the well-being of the humans that they experiment on, and are working to psychically enslave all humanity.
* PsychicPowers: While Grey psychic effects are not much more ''powerful'' than what human psychics can do, their psychic power regenerates with a speed that human psychics can only dream, allowing the Greys to use their powers far more flagrantly than a human psychic would be able to.
* [[SapientCetaceans Sapient Alien Cetaceans]]: The Greys were similar to terrestrial cetaceans before making contact with the Atlanteans which caused the Greys to decide that arms and legs were more useful for manipulating tools and getting around.
* TelepathicSpacemen: Greys are the only aliens (at least involved with Earth) who have supernatural powers.
* TurnedAgainstTheirMasters: The Grey metahuman project went so well that the Greys decided to also uplift dolphins, who as a species have much more in common with the native life of Greyworld than any human. It didn't go so well, and now the Bermuda Triangle is the home ground of "Blues", aggressive Grey/dolphin hybrids who are far more a conduit for psychic static (and supernatural corruption in general) than any human.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Saurians]]
* AlienInvasion: A Saurian invasion of Earth is inevitable, as most of the Saurian race is only now beginning to escape the time warp that ensnared them 65 million years ago. The Gna-Tall Saurians (the ones who allied with the NDD) escaped the warp first, but are painfully aware that it is only a matter of time until the Coalition Saurians (the much stronger archrivals) also emerge from the warp. When this happens, an apocalyptic war will erupt on Earth -- and the Gna-Tall are desperately manipulating the NDD to build humanity into a force that will give them an edge in that war.
* EnemyCivilWar: Even hidden on Earth, the Gna-Tall and the Coalition Saurians fight with each other behind the scenes, to the point that many of humanity's modern wars have been driven (or at least exploited) by the Saurians, who take advantage of the chaos to fight their own battles where humanity's clashing troops won't spot them.
* MatterReplicator: Matter replicators are a cornerstone of Saurian technology, but they aren't anywhere near as convenient as their [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Star Trek]] counterparts. The most sophisticated items can take the replicators days or even ''weeks'' to fully form.
* TheMenInBlack are Saurians that have had their bodies transformed in a human's to the point that the only way to tell them apart from humans is an invasive CAT scan.
* TheReptilians: The Saurians are warm blooded reptilian humanoids that originally evolved from the dinosaurs well before humans.
* TheSpock: While the Saurians do have emotions, they are not very strong, making it hard for Saurians to pretend to be human (they prefer their human forms to be bulky DumbMuscle types so people don't expect much emotion from them). A faction called the Dreamspeakers has gained a higher range of emotion through their dreams, but were persecuted by mainstream Saurian society.
* {{Ultraterrestrials}}: The Saurians, in all their subraces, were Earth's first sentient beings -- and they are generally unhappy that humans have taken over while they were gone.
* {{Whatevermancy}}: The Dreamspeaker have learnt to manipulate Seepage with their limited emotions, calling it dream magic or hypnomancy.
[[/folder]]

* SovietSuperscience: Project Rasputin was established under UsefulNotes/JosefStalin to research psychic phenomena and the occult, a subject of purportedly extensive RealLife Soviet investigation in the [[TheFifties 1950s]]. They managed to create psychic power enhancers and a psychic KillSat. After the fall of the Soviet Union, Aegis co-opted much of Project Rasputin's resources for themselves. [[spoiler:Meanwhile, although many who refused join were [[DesignatedHero executed by Aegis]], others who were able to escape went underground to eventually form an even more clandestine organization, [[TakeAThirdOption Directorate X]], that intends nothing less than the complete elimination of coercive alien influence on the human race, [[IDidWhatIHadToDo by any means necessary]].]]

* TheSpearOfDestiny was held by many powerful figures from history including Constantine, Otto the Great, [[UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte Napoleon]] and [[{{Ghostapo}} of course]] [[UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler Hitler]] (with the implication that [[WeDidntStartTheFuhrer it caused some of Hitler's megalomania]]). The Watch retrieved it shortly before Hitler's death. Of course, the question of whose hands that ultimately put it in is [[ParanoiaFuel left deliberately vague]].

* BenevolentConspiracy[=/=][[DesignatedHero Designated Heroes]]: Aegis' self-appointed mission is to protect humanity from supernatural and alien threats by any means necessary. The National Defense Directorate (NDD, or Black Book) has a similar mandate but its government backers want returns on their investment meaning that it concentrates on acquiring technology as well as knowledge. This means that Black Book has made more deals and worked with aliens like the Greys and the Saurians. The moral dubiousness of these actions has led to Black Book being portrayed as pretty much the EvilCounterpart to Aegis. [[NotSoDifferent On the other hand]], Aegis itself has no qualms about committing any ethically questionable act if seen as justified by its mandate, including the execution and/or assassination of anyone who knows too much and won't work with them...[[spoiler:including [[WhoShotJFK Presidents of the United States]].]]

* ParanoiaFuel: Gamemasters are specifically encouraged to develop session and campaign settings that blend in as much [[SecretHistory historical]] and [[RippedFromTheHeadlines contemporary realism]] as possible, just to keep the players guessing.

* TurnedAgainstTheirMasters: The Grey metahuman project went so well that the Greys decided to also uplift dolphins, who as a species have much more in common with the native life of Greyworld than any human. [[Understatement It didn't go so well]], and now the Bermuda Triangle is the home ground of "Blues", aggressive Grey/dolphin hybrids who are far more a conduit for psychic static (and supernatural corruption in general) than any human.

* BrownNote: When the Greys have contact with the psychic "static" that humans create it [[DrivenToMadness drives them mad]]. To be fair to humanity, the Atlanteans gave humans psychic powers as a weapon against the Greys... and this ploy is [[GoneHorriblyRight already working far better than the Atlanteans even realize]].

* EndlessDaytime: The Adlan’ns planet is placed between its system's star and a stellar cluster meaning that it's never darker than earth's twilight.
* FlyingSaucer: It is noted that while Atlantean ships are designed to the personal taste of the Atlantean, most are saucer shaped or spheres for ease of movement through the atmosphere and aesthetic reasons.

* GreyGoo: The Nameless Priests, Adlan’ns spiritual leaders, decided that the population had grown too soft and deliberately made nanotech that deconstructed any organic matter. Unfortunately, the destructive nanotech worked ''too'' well and ruined the entire planet, forcing the few Atlantean survivors to flee into the universe.

* NeverGetsDrunk: Their nanotech neutralises all toxins including alcohol so it is difficult for Atlanteans to stay drunk for more than an hour unless he/she drinks continuously.

* TelepathicSpacemen: {{Averted}}, they specifically do not have any psychic powers, which led to the animosity between them and the Greys.
* TheManBehindTheMan: They were behind the foundation of both Aegis ''and'' the NDD, orchestrating the conflict between them and carefully managing it under the belief that it would stimulate humanity's technological progress to prepare them for the return of the Saurians.