Detour An Adventure for Dark Conspiracy from 3 Hombres Games

This is the first offering from 3 Hombres Games, the publishers of the upcoming Dark Conspiracy 3rd Edition. Their first product, besides the free fan emagazine Protodimension, is an adventure suitable for the Dark Conspiracy 1st or 2nd editions. This is a visit to the more dangerous side of DC, with a journey outside the megasprawl of BosWash and into the uncontrolled lands surrounding it.

The adventure surrounds the PCs linking up with a security and salvage company to act as extra muscle, or reinforcement, while they go to get a desired vehicle. This plan will go south in a zombiesque fashion when a Dark Minion called a Bhuta is found to be behind the entire offering.

The adventure is laid out in a nice simple linear fashion. The potential for contacts and follow on interactions with Salvage, Inc. a worthwhile addition to a party of characters. The characters once contact is made with SI, are able to join them on a convoy protection run with the caveat they help out with a sidetrek along the way. That is when things will go wrong and the bullets will really start to fly.

The actual adventure layout is a series of what are called Scenes, where plot points, characters, actions, or explanations all take place. This helps to keep it all unified. It is a pretty straightforward premise,and keeping it within that premise allows it to work.

The ending is a little rushed, and some GMs will have to flesh out the final encounter a little bit. Other than that, Detour should be easy for a new GM to run with little prep work. Needed books are either the 1st or 2nd edition rules, along with the Dark Races Compendium Book. There are two NPCs detailed along with a new firearm and piece of armor. There are plot hooks at the start and end of the adventure, along with some awesome ideas in the Market Location its self. With some original art and good layout, this is well above the curve for new products from a small enterprise.

One truly excellent element to the adventure are the paragraphs devoted to the street markets and the trash situation in the metroplex. There are some real gems in there, inspired and more than useful to jumpstart an entire campaign centered about their structures, or to pull into another game system or setting. This of course adds to the use value of Detour by a long shot.

The Good It has the same feel as the adventures published by GDW when the game first came out. It has a nice almost throwback feel which is appropriate for the game conventions and genre. I am glad I purchased it. With this being the first new product for the game system in many years, it bodes well for the future of one of my favorite game settings.

The Bad A lightly rushed ending, along with a few minor editing items, a couple of extra spaces in carriage returns,nothing that materially detracts from the adventure.

The Great Look at that cover. It is awesome how the monster has the steering wheel in its hand and there is an active pursuit of the people in the car in front of it. A superb piece of detail in the art. The Urban Ecosystem is pure genius and an excellent take on what be reasonable in the setting, as well as applicable to any other game world set in a near future setting. This is one to purloin for other games and systems gents.

Breakdown For $7 bucks, you get a nice sized adventure. There is good art, awesome ideas, and it is a great introductory scenario to the setting of Dark Conspiracy. Go ahead spend the money, you know you want to.

For more information on Dark Conspiracy visit Protodimension Magazine at www.protodimension.com