This
campaign setting by TSR takes place near modern day, in the early 21st
century. Unlike Star*Drive, it revolves
more around conspiracy, secrets, and the paranormal. While the information
in the Dark Matter book is easily enough to duplicate The X-Files,
the main organization that players will belong to is the Hoffmann Institute
(not the FBI).
The Institute is a private think tank (and, in fact, if you go to their website you can see what the "front office" does). As Hoffmann agents, however, the characters will soon learn the truth behind the organization. This campaign world is quite detailed, very well made, and exciting to play.
We don't want to reveal too much of what is behind Dark Matter because we have found that the less the players know, the more interesting the game can be (that's just the nature of a setting based on secrets). Our only major complaint about the setting is that if a player reads the entire Dark Matter book, the most interesting secrets of the game world are exposed. We feel the players should have this information revealed to them through role-playing.
Now that Alternity has been canceled, there will be no more Dark Matter products published. However, you will have all you need with the campaign book. The "New Recruits" adventure in the last chapter is a great one to get a campaign rolling and give the GM a feel for how the setting should work. "The Killing Jar", the first Dark Matter module, is also a great adventure. It gives an excellent feel for how to design a game in the modern day, with characters using the internet, cell phones, automobiles, and the like.
Dark Horizons--an add-on setting for a Dark Matter campaign involving vampires (for Gamemaster's only).