Have you ever played a conspiracy-themed game? Where/when was it set?

For me, the most memorable game of GURPS I ever ran was GURPS Illuminati.

Quote from: RPGPundit;1033236Have you ever played a conspiracy-themed game? Where/when was it set?

For me, the most memorable game of GURPS I ever ran was GURPS Illuminati.

Depends on what you mean under "conspiracies".
Does it count if it's just "all the myths you knew turned out to be right, and there are things in the night that do unholy things to you if you stray for the light, but society wanted you to ignore them in order to be more docile"? How about conspiracies to summon the Elder Gods, or to rule the city?
If not, I can't say I have played or run any;).

Long ago, in the days of Exalted 1e, I ran a two-year-long conspiracy-themed game of that. I've also played in some conspiracy-heavy (old) WoD games, but the GM just couldn't hold back from blabbing out too much info between sessions. I tried running Conspiracy X, and my players couldn't wrap their heads around it not being a cinematic game (bullets can be a great killer of both characters' bodies and players' moods). I also had a great Star Trek campaign that had a long-running Setion 31 conspiracy subplot.

Yes, several. TFT & GURPS, like most of the RPG gaming I've done. Mostly I run GM-created worlds in fantasy settings, and they tend to have some sorts of conspiracies going on. Out of the three TFT campaign/adventure modules published for TFT, I think they all contain conspiracies. Of course, there tend to be many more conspiracies going on than the players know about or get very involved with.

Other games I've run and played in that had heavier conspiracy elements were in modern, near-future, WW2, and sci fi settings.

I was a player in The Watchmen RPG back in the day. The campaign involved the death of JFK that was different than in the comic book. So long ago though. I would like to do something similar again using Conspiracy X, but without the GURPS part.

Alternity's Dark*Matter setting.
Aberrant's setting is pretty much made of this. Though when I DMed it none of the players ever delved into it.

Couple of others. But those two are the most memorable to me.

I love the concept of mysteries and conspiracies in my RPG settings, but they are so hard to plan out. I have Dark*Matter and some other books of that sort, but somehow I can never quite get a good grasp on how to make this stuff work right in my games.

I'd love to see some plot-arc threads where folks details what groups are involved, what they are doing long-term, and how this impacts a setting short-term.

Quote from: AsenRG;1033297Depends on what you mean under "conspiracies".

Well, you know, I mean stuff where there's big secrets in the world, and shadowy groups who keep those secrets while engaging in sinister plots.

Quote from: RPGPundit;1033619Well, you know, I mean stuff where there's big secrets in the world, and shadowy groups who keep those secrets while engaging in sinister plots.

Yeah, but how big of a secret it must be to count? Because if "X is backing Y by intermediaries" counts, all of my campaigns should be there. And probably all of the ones I've played in, too:).
(My Fates Worse Than Death campaign began by the simple news that the Skin Borgs are swelling their numbers and attacking. It turned out someone was providing them with a discount on body armour "skins", which all of them need in order to be accepted. Of course, this upset considerably the balance of powers in the city, but does that count as a Big Secret just because it was the deed of an illegal super-computer controlling a crime syndicate:p?)
 
Or must it be like our Ogre Gate campaign, where it turned out one of the most powerful and righteous sorcerers is plotting to allow the Demon King a way back to the setting's world? Then probably only 80% of the ones I've run would fit;)! Sometimes I do run campaigns where an extremely competent bureaucrat is just that, and not the representative of a hidden cult.
And then, of course, there are the other campaigns, too. The ones where nothing should be taken for granted, and shadowy interests are everywhere:D!

So, depending on how you count them, between 80% and 100% of my games would fit here;).

Quote from: RPGPundit;1033619Well, you know, I mean stuff where there's big secrets in the world, and shadowy groups who keep those secrets while engaging in sinister plots.

Would Call of Cthulhu count?  If so, yes, lots.

Quote from: wombat1;1033744Would Call of Cthulhu count?  If so, yes, lots.

Well, some versions of it would. Many Delta Green campaigns, for example.