| Dark•Matter | |
| Designer: | Wolfgang Baur, Monte Cook |
| Publisher: | TSR, Inc. (Wizards of the Coast) |
| Date: | 1999 |
| Genre: | Science fiction, near-future conspiracy |
| System: | Custom (Alternity) |
Dark•Matter is a science fiction/conspiracy theory campaign setting set in the modern day. It was originally published in December 1999 by Wizards of the Coast as the second campaign setting for the Alternity science fiction role-playing game.[1] [2] It was written by Wolfgang Baur and Monte Cook. It was later converted to d20 Modern rules as a stand-alone book in 2006.
Wolfgang Baur did considerable research into the occult, UFO, and government conspiracy theories in preparation for writing the Dark•Matter game.[3]
The Hoffmann Institute investigates strange creatures and phenomena. Players take on the roles of members of this organization, and delve into the supernatural and mysterious. The premise of the game is that nearly every strange or supernatural story ever widely told is true, but a web of conspiracies and secret organizations hide this truth from the average person.[4] The premise was not unique to Dark•Matter and had first been used as the basis for a role-playing game in Bureau 13.
The original book was hardbound with 288 pages illustrated in color. It was divided into chapters covering the background of the Dark•Matter setting to include an introduction to the Hoffmann Institute, hero creation, magic and psionics, history of the setting, the Illuminati, and places of interest. Highlights include:
There were four accessories produced for the setting. Three of them were published in perfectbound paperback format and one was published as an electronic PDF file. There were also various articles published in Dungeon magazine, Amazing Stories, and Dragon magazine.
The last supplment, provided as an electronic PDF, is The Final Church. It is a combination sourcebook and adventure which provides information on the organization known as The Final Church and pits the characters against them.
Some of the material has since been incorporated into the d20 Modern role-playing game and its d20 Menace Manual supplement. Dark•Matter was first converted into a d20 Modern campaign in Dungeon #108/Polyhedron #163 as Dark•Matter: Shades of Grey. In September 2006, saw the publication of d20 Dark•Matter.
In 2000, Dark•Matter won the Origins Awards for Best Graphic Presentation of a Roleplaying Game, Adventure, or Supplement of 1999.[5]
In a review in the February 2000 issue of InQuest Gamer, Dan Joyce stated that Dark•Matter is "one of the best campaign settings" ever published by Wizards of the Coast and its subsidiary TSR, Inc.