Monsters in the Dark is an engaging history of not just X-COM, but of Julian Gollop’s path to creating one of the cornerstones of strategy gaming. -Soren Johnson, lead designer of Sid Meier's Civilization IV
Reading Monsters in the Dark was like traveling back in time to one of the great periods of PC game development. –Chris Taylor, creative director of Total Annihilation and Supreme Commander
Monsters in the Dark is wonderful and well told, and I am so glad this piece of our history has been captured and preserved for us to enjoy. -Ed Fries, former vice president of game publishing at Microsoft, and general manager of 1Up Ventures
A must-read for any developer past or present. –John Johnson, producer/creative director of Company of Heroes and Age of Empires: Castle Siege, and CEO of Smoking Gun Interactive Inc.
Craddock writes exhaustive and fascinating investigations into how games are made, and Monsters in the Dark is no exception. -Erich Schaefer, co-creator of the Diablo, Torchlight, and Rebel Galaxy franchises
An absolutely fascinating story worthy of a Netflix original. -Rick Goodman, co-creator of Age of Empires
Through a tight biographical lens, Craddock offers a compelling glimpse at the infancy of a genre—and an entire industry. -Maximilian Olbers, content design lead on Stellaris and Crusader Kings III
Craddock is able to tease out not only the story of a favorite game, but, more poignantly to me at least, the story of the beginning of the industry we all love, that we have given our lives to, and that has changed entertainment forever. -Seamus Blackley, father of the Xbox
A thorough retelling of the early career of one of gaming's most important figures, with deep insight into one of the greatest games ever made. -Troy Goodfellow, game developer and strategy game historian
David has written the definitive account of one of the greatest PC titles of the 1990s, distilled in an easy-to-read style that pulls you right in. -Jamie Lendino, author of Attract Mode: The Rise and Fall of Coin-Op Arcade Games
"Project We Love" -Kickstarter
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Monsters in the Dark: Cover art for standard edition paperback.
What is Monsters in the Dark?
Monsters in the Dark: The Making of X-COM: UFO Defense is a narrative-style book that chronicles the early career of Julian Gollop, legendary designer of the original X-COM. The book reached its funding goal on Kickstarter in only 24 hours, and finished at 206% of its funding goal! After receiving requests from individuals who missed the first round of funding, I brought the campaign to Indiegogo to continue its momentum.
In Monsters, you'll walk alongside Julian during his boyhood, from spicing up the mechanics of chess and creating pen-and-paper games, to cutting his teeth on programming Sinclair's ZX Spectrum. From there, you will learn how Julian partnered with his father and brother to develop X-COM with MicroProse UK, an off-shoot team eager to prove themselves to U.S.-based parent company and Sid Meier's Civilization juggernaut developer MicroProse.
X-COM wouldn't have become a classic if Julian Gollop hadn't learned valuable lessons from the games he made before it. You'll discover those lessons with Julian as he makes formative games such as Time Lords and Chaos, and gradually built a reputation in the United Kingdom as a strategy pioneer thanks to early hits like Rebelstar Raiders, Laser Squad, and Lord of Chaos. Managers and designers from MicroProse UK add to the story by sharing details like how Julian Gollop's pitch to create Laser Squad 2 became X-COM: UFO Defense—known in the U.K. as UFO: Enemy Unknown—how the game's setting changed from futuristic spaceships and far-flung planets to alien invaders, and what inspired the atmosphere of creeping dread that received made players break out in a cold sweat every time they caught a glimpse of aliens scuttling through the darkness.
Interested in a sneak peek of Monsters in the Dark? You can read excerpts from the book on:
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About Me
Hi! My name is David L. Craddock, and I've been an author and freelance writer for over 17 years. You can find my work at outlets such as Waypoint/VICE Gaming, Shacknews, Paste magazine, IGN, Wired, Ars Technica, Kotaku, and many more. My publishing credits include Stay Awhile and Listen: Book I and Book II—which raised over $13,000 on Kickstarter—Shovel Knight by Boss Fight Books, Arcade Perfect, Dungeon Hacks (soon to be re-released in a beautiful new edition by CRC Press/Taylor & Francis), and Break Out: How the Apple II Launched the PC Gaming Revolution, among a dozen or so others. In 2022, CRC Press/Taylor & Francis will publish my narrative-style book on the making and history of the Mortal Kombat franchise. (More news on that front soon!)
As an editor at Shacknews, I write long reads—book-sized features you can read for free. Some of the most popular are Bet on Black: How Microsoft and Xbox Changed Popular Culture, Rocket Jump: Quake and the Golden Age of First-Person Shooters, and Beneath a Starless Sky: Pillars of Eternity and the Infinity Engine Era of RPGs.
Besides nonfiction about video games, I write fiction for young adults. Heritage and Point of Fate are the first two books in The Gairden Chronicles series. The Dumpster Club, a contemporary novel, received praise from Kirkus Reviews, one of the industry's most prestigious literary magazines. Finally, Arthur and the Knights of the Cafeteria Table is being serialized for free on Wattpad.
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Some of my books!
What's the Difference Between Standard and Special Edition?
Monsters in the Dark's standard edition paperback contains the full story. The special edition paperback features a different cover that flows from front to back, and bonus interviews that go deeper into lateral topics of the game's development. You'll read about the making of the game's strategy guide, my full interview with soundtrack composer John Broomhall, and hear from a QA developer on the process of testing X-COM.
You'll also read a lengthy interview with Julian Gollop and MicroProse UK designer/producer Steve Hand about X-COM: Apocalypse, the third game in the series (the second game, Terror From the Deep, was made by an in-house team at MicroProse UK), and the many trials and tribulations faced during its development.
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Stretch Goals
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When Will Backers Receive Monsters in the Dark?
Monsters in the Dark has been written and edited. Once we hit our funding goal and the campaign runs its course, backers who pledge at the Digital Book level or above will receive their e-book copies after all funds have been collected (approximately one week after the campaign ends).
The paperback will go into production at the same time. After printing and receiving the books, I'll package and ship them to backers who pledge at the Paperback level or above. Shipping is slated for July, so backers should start receiving physical copies by the end of that month.
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Cover artwork for Monsters in the Dark's special edition.
Why am I writing Monsters in the Dark?
Three reasons. First, writing about games made from the 1970s through the early 2000s is my favorite era about which to write. With few exceptions, games released during this period didn't ship with documentaries or tell-all books chronicling how and why they were made. Oftentimes, developers didn't think to document their processes. They're not thinking about how the game they're making could become one of the greatest of all time. They're in the trenches, pushing to hit milestones and finish a product. That's where I come in. Telling those stories is my honor, and I love doing it. More on that later.
Second, X-COM is one of the most influential games ever made, but no one had written it down. After Julian Gollop was gracious enough to read an early copy of the first Stay Awhile and Listen, I asked if he'd be open to interviews with me about his career. He agreed, and we got to work. I also spoke with his brother and fellow programmer Nick, several developers from MicroProse UK, and colleagues of Julian's associated with his pre-X-COM titles such as Laser Squad and Islandia.
Finally, I love to write, especially about games that have made an impact on me personally, professionally, or both. The fact that I've spent hours talking with designers like Julian Gollop, John Romero, John Carmack, David Brevik and Max and Erich Schaefer, the co-founders of Yacht Club Games, the teachers who made The Oregon Trail, and countless others never fails to boggle my mind. Little Kid Me never would have dreamed he'd have the opportunity to talk to his gaming heroes. They're legendary figures, and I'm the humble scribe cataloging their deeds. I'm living a dream.
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How Will Funding Be Used?
Writing a book is easy relative to the publishing process: I just sit down and start banging on keys. Monsters in the Dark is finished, but several stages of production still remain, and they're the most costly. First, I'll put the book through its paces by double- and triple-checking line editing (prose, word choice, continuity) and copy editing (grammar, typos, and so forth).
Next, the book needs to be printed. Print runs can cost thousands of dollars, and when books are damaged in shipping, I send them back and have to wait (and often pay) for another batch. I've already paid for cover artwork out of my own pocket, and it'd be nice to have that reimbursed. Finally, shipping domestically and abroad costs a pretty penny.
Calculating the fees involved, I arrived at a funding goal of $12,000—the same funding amount that covered the costs of my previous crowdfunded book. I've limited this campaign to a few pledge tiers without any frills like t-shirts and coffee mugs. That stuff is nice, but inflates funding goals. My job is writing, printing, and delivering high-quality books, and this funding goal will enable me to do that.
Risks and challenges
Monsters in the Dark is written and ready for printing and distribution. The only risk I foresee is delays associated with my printer. I plan to negate this risk by sending the books out for printing as soon as I receive funding from the campaign's successful first phase By doing this, I hope to receive all the books around the time the campaign ends and the funding reaches my account, and can ship and distribute the books immediately.
