Get Ready for This Weekend: August 2026

Get Ready for this weekend!

Everything you need to know before game is all right here, ready to go.

Early Registration Is Closed

If you haven't checked in yet, don't worry! 

You can still check in on the events database, but we ask that you pay at the door on Friday.

In case you missed it

A Beautiful Wasteland summer

There's still time for things to change, but it’s looking like a beautiful summer weekend in the Wasteland. Pack appropriately, and be prepared with layers for cool nights to shed during the heat of Saturday.

As we get closer to the weekend, keep an eye on changes and plan accordingly.

times AND events

Zone Changes
Agricultural Zone - Near Squirrel Cabins

Game Timeline

• Friday 6PM - Check In Begins

• Friday 9PM - Opening Announcements

• Friday 10PM - Game Begins

• Saturday 2AM-8AM - NPC Ops & Public Works Closed

• Saturday 4PM-6PM - NPC Ops & Public Works Closed

• Sunday 2AM-8AM - NPC Ops & Public Works Closed

• Sunday 12PM - Game Ends

Module Schedule for OOC Planning

• Blake Tide Hunters - Fri 11PM

• Black Market Meeting - Fri 12AM

• Murder Inc Meeting - Fri 12AM 

• Ossuary Society - Sat 1PM

• Rocket Ball Scrimmage - Sat 2:30PM

• Wells Society - Sat 11PM

Union Break - Saturday 4PM-6PM

Player Run

• Town Council - Fri 11PM

• TV Cartoons - Sat 10:30AM

• Roadhouse Bar - Sat 4PM-6PM

• Rover Nachos - Sat 4PM-6PM

• KQC Party & Inductions - Sat 8PM

Schedule is Subject to Change

Rumors around town

"What do you think is up with Trout Warden? What’s he got that his Black Tide squad can’t handle?"

"I came across some kind of zed I’ve never encountered before, nasty and blistered. And other zed, something’s off about them. Are they mutations coming out of the Corrupted Morgue?” 

"There’s some kind of circus in the area and from the sound of things, they’re hiring. Sounds like interesting work."

"Be careful out there. They’ve noticed a strange influx of raiders that way. Might be starting to hole up in some of the old abandoned buildings and I don’t want you getting caught out."

"So we found the ‘flesh pit’ and folks went after Miette. Now they’re dead, or they’ve skipped town. What’s the likelihood that this is the end of the problem?"

"I’ll be honest, I thought Gill and their polycule was some kind of grift. But they seem happy enough and just living normal lives. The only wild part really is that we had any Nuclear Family in town for them all to find."

Letter from the Ossuary Society

Hey Steel Horse. Its me, Tony Fucker.

Remember me? One of the weirdos at the Helldive. Not Sweeney. The other one. Work is still going at the borehole. Couple of hiccups but nothing too catastrophic but we're on the final approach before we need to act. 

Lets meet to discuss the town preparations. A lot of people are working on this on and there are a lot of moving parts. Best to sit down and get it all laid out and make sure we're on same page. I'm sure we all prefer adequate planning instead of winging it, yeah? Everyones invited, even if you aren't a pro diver or have no idea whats going on.This affects all us, success or fail, so, like, don't be shy.

tdlr

Town Hall, 1pm

Talking about next month's Morgue Diving

Also keep an eye out for worms. We think they've breached the cordon and they are nasty shits.

Anyway, love ya

Letter from the Blacktide Hunters

To Steel Horse Crossing

They used to say when it rains, it pours.

Given the rumors, I imagine you all have enough on your plate right now. I’m coming to add to it, because I’ve now got a situation on my hands and need more hands and eyes. Runners, Prospects, and everyone else too are all welcome to help. All hands on deck.

I am requesting time to speak at this trademeet’s Council Meeting. Come join me if you’d like the deets. If you can’t make it, talk to someone who can. I hate repeating myself.

Trout, Warden

Blacktide Hunters

July 2026 Recap

Join our discord to be notified when registration for August opens!

What's been Happening at Steel Horse Crossing?

An abandoned Flesh Works hideout had been discovered and occupied by Dread Surgeons. Guess they do have similar hobbies.

Miette had been trying to make new Full Deads, and wound up with a strange flesh pit instead. Turns out they weren't as friendly as they came across and folks had to put them down. Hopefully they come back like the Miette that hosted Gorger Tea and fundraisers and not more murder-y.

Quite a few former collaborators of the Flesh Works came through looking to turn over a new leaf. Alex, yeah the guy from the bar, has been admitting to a lot of stuff. Sounds like there might be a trial about it.

Folks have been preparing for tackling the corrupted morgue this fall. In the meantime, people keep dying quite a bit. Someone from out of town even permed. Does that make the morgue worse?

Slizard...

please give us feedback!

While we are hard at work on August's event, please take some time to give us some feedback about your experiences at July's game with the button below if you attended.

As a reminder, we are looking for specific feedback as well. Please let us know your thoughts on removing our indoor masking policy.

Plot requests are back!

Our writers miss hearing from you.

We made a form to facilitate requests for specific story arcs, visits from factions or faiths, or give notice for procedures that require a month’s heads up. We cannot guarantee that it will be used, or that it will be in the immediate next event if writing has already begun, but it will be looked at and someone will respond if you would like us to.

You may continue emailing customerservice@dystopiarisingwi.com, and must still do so for plot involving character retirement, but this form makes your request immediately available to the writing team. The link in the form will always be available on our website’s Contact Us page.

PHOTOS FROM JUly

We've included some photo highlights from this past month below, but please also check out the full Flickr album and share your favorites with us on Facebook or Instagram!

Upcoming events

August 7th-9th

*September 4th-6th

October 2nd-4th

November 6th-8th

*Premiere Events

Get Ready for This Weekend: July 2026

Get Ready for this weekend!

Everything you need to know before game is all right here, ready to go.

Early Registration Is Closed

If you haven't checked in yet, don't worry! 

You can still check in on the events database, but we ask that you pay at the door on Friday.

The Heatwave & Potential Rain

There's still time for the forecast to change for the dryer, but we may be getting wet again. Pack appropriately, and be prepared for hot days as the heatwave wraps up the end of the week.

Keep an eye on changes as we get closer to game, and plan accordingly.

times AND events

Zone Changes
Agricultural Zone - New Trail Crossroad

Game Timeline

• Friday 6PM - Check In Begins

• Friday 9PM - Opening Announcements

• Friday 10PM - Game Begins

• Saturday 2AM-8AM - NPC Ops & Public Works Closed

• Saturday 4PM-6PM - NPC Ops & Public Works Closed

• Sunday 2AM-8AM - NPC Ops & Public Works Closed

• Sunday 12PM - Game Ends

Module Schedule for OOC Planning

• Black Market Meeting - Fri 12AM

• Murder Inc Meeting - Sat 1PM *

• Ossuary Society - Sat Morning

Union Break - Saturday 4PM-6PM

Player Run

• Town Council - Fri 11PM

• Blacktide Hunters: 1st Practice - Sat 9:30AM

• TV Cartoons - Sat 10AM

• Roadhouse Bar Hours - Sat 4PM-6PM

• Rover Nachos - Sat 4PM-6PM

• Blacktide Hunters: 2nd Practice - Sat 4:30PM

• KQC Listening Party - Sat 5:30PM

Please be aware that there will be fireworks over the lake Saturday Night around 9:30pm.

*edited since posting

Rumors around town

"You heard him when he came in with that last Ossuary researcher. ‘We’re fucked. Its Corrupted.’ And you know what that means, Darren? I’m going on a long vacation. Bug Island sounds lovely."

"I found this… thing. I don’t what it is but its not right. Might have been alive, at one point. Thought it could be the Fleshworks doing but they all got murdered pretty hard last trade. Like really hard.” 

"Those rad rabbits are going to come back this year and fuck up the harvest again, aren’t they?"

"Nah, I ain’t worried. I have a handy shotgun and they’re delicious. I’d be more concerned with those worm things."

"Sounds like disaster struck those suitors that came looking for romantic advice. No, yeah, like… ALL of them. Isn’t that wild?"

"I’m glad they’re trying to keep on top of things but I saw a Helldiver come out of that borehole last night with a case of Gravebloom so bad I thought they were an Unstable."

"A couple of us have taken up on waiting for the caravans on the road in, just in case trouble shows. I think its been helping but we can’t stay out there all the time."

June 2026 Recap

Registration is Open for July’s Event!

What's been Happening at Steel Horse Crossing?

Local fisher recovered wedding ring and most of their fingers, rating the success a 4 out of 5.

People traveled from all across the Wasteland, from as far as Bravo and Mercy Pointe, to help the Ossuary Society with research into the local Mortis Amaranthine.

The Ossuary Society, along with the Helldivers, got help digging a big hole and researching what's going on down there. They found a lot of dangerous zed and critters, a fair amount of disease, and research seems to be pointing towards signs of a Corrupted Morgue!

Rocket Ball™ started the sporting season off with the biggest game yet, resulting in a 2-1 win for the Mother Cluckers over the Darwin 2.

The Flesh Works' criminal necrology operations were tracked down and finally destroyed, and the guy in charge seemed desperate to list names of his alleged accomplices before being killed.

While we are hard at work on July's event, please take some time to give us some feedback about June's Premiere event with the button below if you attended and haven't already.

As a reminder, we are looking for specific feedback as well. Please let us know your thoughts on removing our indoor masking policy, as well as how you feel about our September Premiere Event's plans for a Sunday before Labor Day. Do you want game as normal and leave on Sunday, game as normal and have an extra night for OOC socializing, or a 4 day game?

PHOTOS FROM JUNE

We've included some photo highlights from this past month below, but please also check out the full Flickr album and share your favorites with us on Facebook or Instagram!

Upcoming events

July 3rd-5th

August 7th-9th

*September 4th-6th

October 2nd-4th

*Premiere Events

Get Ready for This Weekend: June 2026

Get Ready for this weekend!

Everything you need to know before game is all right here, ready to go.

Early Registration Is Closed

If you haven't checked in yet, don't worry! 

You can still Check In on the Events Database, but we ask that you pay at the door on Friday.

In case you missed it

the weather looks wet, but warm

There's still time for things to change, but we may be getting wet on Friday night into Saturday. Pack appropriately, and be prepared for cool nights, warm days, and intermittent showers.

As we get closer to the weekend, keep an eye on changes and plan accordingly.

times AND events

Zone Changes
Agricultural Zone - Trailer Field

Game Timeline

• Friday 6PM - Check In Begins

• Friday 9PM - Opening Announcements

• Friday 10PM - Game Begins

• Saturday 2AM-8AM - NPC Ops & Public Works Closed

• Saturday 4PM-6PM - NPC Ops & Public Works Closed

• Sunday 2AM-8AM - NPC Ops & Public Works Closed

• Sunday 12PM - Game Ends

Module Schedule for OOC Planning

• Black Market Meeting - Fri 12AM

• Murder Inc Meeting - Fri 12AM 

• Helldiver Picnic - Sat 3PM

Union Break - Saturday 4PM-6PM

Player Run

• Town Council - Fri 11PM

• TV Social Fundraiser - Sat 10:30AM

• RocketBall™ - Sat 3PM

• Swamp of Surprises - Sat 3PM-5PM

• Ace Sears Retirement Party - Sat 4PM

• Fallowship - Sat 7PM

• KQC Bonfire - Sat 8PM

• Church of Bacon - Sun Morning

Rumors around town

"The Ossuary Society have been investigating our Morgue more thoroughly… and now they got the Helldivers building a drill at the edge of town."

"That ‘Necrology clinic’ was abandoned in a rush. Gotta keep going after them to find the real heart of Fleshworks infection operations so we can raze them to the ground. Just make sure that Norske priest don’t drink out of those necrogen cylinders."

"There are two diners next to the brothel now? And they both want to serve Dragvines and deep fried Mantis?"

"Gotta get out on the lake as soon as we can. Trotley says the fish are really biting out there."

"Someone in town has to be on these fuckers side. At least one. I don't wanna trust anyone too much right now if I'm honest."

"I mean, what even is a spark plug? Why are we using DJ junk? Can't even melt it down into something actually useful."

"The Littletons went one whole month with their new scraphole before someone tried roughing them up. Big surprise there."

Currency: News from the Bank

A Letter from the First Bank of Steel Horse Crossing

To the Citizens of Steel Horse Crossing and its surrounding environs:

Recently, I visited with your Town Council to provide information about concerns that the First Bank of Steel Horse Crossing had regarding the locally used currency of Lug Nuts, Spark Plugs, and Pistons. I am sure the Council would be happy to discuss the matter with you at length, but the crux of it boils down to the Bank having concerns regarding the valuation of a currency that no longer holds value to its current citizens beyond that of Tradition, as the originators of the currency have long since left the area. Compounding this, there has been additional distrust as criminal manipulation and trickery has created a mercantile loss of confidence in a medium of exchange for which we hold no real control over.

For these and other reasons, not excluding the recent difficulties regarding widespread starvation due to scarcity of produce and trade goods, the Board has moved to divest itself of assets backed by the aforementioned Lug Nuts and begin an orderly transitional shift to a new note issued and backed by this Bank, supported by a tangible good that provides a lasting sense of stability, nourishment, and sustenance to the community that we support: Cheese.

The First Bank of Steel Horse Crossing will begin issuing ration vouchers, backed by the Bank and through a partnership with a local monastery. An individual ration voucher will be worth 1 Cheese Curd, with greater quantities of course being equal in value to appropriately sized pieces of Cheese.

To keep this transition orderly and all those who need food to get it, currency exchange services that do not involve Trade Notes will be suspended. Lug Nuts will still be accepted by our offices at this time.

Regards,

Thomas Maddox

Vice President, First Bank of Steel Horse Crossing

---

Out of Character Transparency

Hi, everyone. You probably have questions, so I’m going to do my best to answer them preemptively. Since Live, we have been unable to order Lug. Everything we’ve done since then, every module that sent Lug out, and every zombie you looted has been running off of existing/recycled inventory. Developing a new Currency is not a fast process, and we had delays while we prioritized our time working on other things (like running game each month). My thanks to our Team, including Dan who has since stepped back, for all the work that went into this project.

The recent narrative involving the Bank and the Town Council’s Bank Account was not really intended to be interacted with in the usual ways. The Bank Account getting frozen originally was part of a Black Market plot gone sideways at the time, and the current narratives involving crime and Dangerous Routes is 100% plot that’s designed to be interacted with, but All This™ also gave us a nice story insertion for the Bank choosing to transition from one object that was seen of arguable value to another that held more intrinsic value. We wanted to provide some narrative basis for *why* the Currency was going to change. We hope you enjoy that part, rather than something less fun like a handwave and an OOC “Ope”; we’ve tried to interweave this with other ongoing plotlines (which are designed to be interacted with!) so it felt more organic. But in the end, we needed to switch Currencies.

Narratively, the Bank has never really been the issuer or backer of Lug. Lug was issued primarily through two (mostly NPC) factions back during DR: WI’s creation, and those groups have been long absent from our setting. The Bank dealt in it because everyone else did. In short, we’ve all been using a fiat currency, partially because OOC we had all these cards that we wanted to keep using. So we created a narrative where the Bank looks at the existing situation, decides it’s going to create its own, make it a currency backed by actual trade goods, and continue operating as a Bank with much more faith and trust in a currency that hasn’t been propped up and dragged along.

We will be disbursing the new Currency organically and naturally, and not doing Lug-Cheese exchanges at Public Works. Trade Notes for Cheese will be exchanged as normal, but in general we are intending a more gradual transition. Lug will still be accepted by NPCs and Public Works for now; if/when that changes, we will give you a headsup. I do not intend to even *consider* that decision until the end of the 2026 season. At the end of the day, ordering a Currency from scratch is pretty expensive and we want to see how our initial order holds up over the rest of the year.

TL;DR
- We had an OOC need to change Currency
- Lug will be accepted as norm, for at least awhile
- You will have to obtain Cheese within normal mechanical means; no exchanges

2026 June Premier - The Helldive

Hello! Our Summer Premier Event is traditionally the Steel Horse Crossing Annual Helldive. All of our Helldives have been unique, with different themes, threats, and objectives, so we have some more information about what that’s going to look like this June.

Backstory: What is the Helldive?

Approximately 40 years ago, the sealed and largely abandoned mines under Steel Horse Crossing caught fire. Lascarians were largely considered a scapegoat at the time for most of the local troubles, and more than a few dangerous Critters were known to live underground, so to most of the town’s residents having the entire underground mysteriously catch fire was largely considered a net benefit. Unfortunately this did not last, as the increasing heat and pressure under the earth began to threaten the settlement itself.

Thus the Helldivers’ Association was born: An organization of former miners, dangerous ruin explorers (singularly referred to as a Jones), and volunteer firefighters, all willing to risk their lives in service to the community by jumping into the fiery unknown. Every summer, Helldivers would enter the underground in an effort to curb the fire and safely vent some of the pressure lest the town itself explode like a geyser. Many of them did not return.

Roughly 8 years ago, together the residents of Steel Horse Crossing and many distant travelers managed to collapse many of the tunnels and put out the fire for good. Lascarians began to move back into town, and the local Gorger Parliament has expended great effort in normalizing relations between the Gorger and non-Gorger Strains. The Helldivers, initially feeling lost without a Greater Purpose, shifted focus as a local institution utilizing their experience in both dangerous relic acquisition and knowledge of the underground.

Which brings us to today. The Helldivers Association has recently undergone a leadership change, but their values still remain the same: Community, Self-Sacrifice, and Doing What Needs Done.

Check In: Things to note For your NPC Shift

You’ll note that some of our NPC shifts are marked with different focuses. While we cannot always accommodate every preference all the time, and many shifts will have a mix of both combat and non-combat options, we also wanted to provide some guidance for those who vastly prefer one over the other.

We will also be having a sign-up sheet for those Characters who wish to go on a “patrol” of the town. Steel Horse Crossing has had some significant problems with its trade routes for the last several months, and this is a way to help address some of those complications. Each “Patrol Route” will be a 2 hour chunk of time as a NPC, at very specific times. You may notice that these times happen to coincide with NPC shifts that are marked as “Combat Intensive”…

Our Town: What’s Where and Notable Site Changes

The trail system across the road is extensive and gorgeous and we love to use it for various Away Modules. However it is also considered public access, and so the bulk of the actual Helldive will be happening along the gravel road between the Stage and the Boathouse. This means that the gate at the cul-de-sac where Eagle and Woodchuck will mark the beginning of our Module Zone territory. Please do not enter this area if you are not supposed to be there; we don’t want to spoil anything for you!

The Meadow behind the Eagle/Woodchuck cabins, all the way to the Tree, is reserved for those who wish to bring tents and camp. This will also be the location of the Annual Picnic, where characters are welcome to setup merchant booths to sell goods for in-game currency, carnival games will be held, and our local sport of Rocket Ball™ will have the season’s opening game!

The area near the Stage, down the hill from the Meadow Tree, will be the entry point of the Helldive Module Zone and marks the beginning of the Module Space. Again, please do not enter the Module Space unless you have been asked to do so. The entry point may still be interacted with; NPCs will be there periodically to oversee the ongoing module.

The Picnic: Welcome to the Midwest. We like food

The Helldiver Picnic started originally as a means for Helldivers to spend a last bit of downtime with their families before diving. Traditions being what they are, this has carried forward even if the original reason for its existence is no longer needed.
At approximately 3pm, locals will begin to congregate near the Meadow for games, food, and laughter. Carnival games, merchant booths, and other forms of preferred lawn entertainment are more than welcome! We recommend bringing a blanket to sit on and a dish to pass! After all, what would Wisconsin be without a potluck?

Helldivin’: How this is going to work

The Helldive itself is intended to be an ongoing, repeatable “dungeon” with an emphasis on team work. As the Helldivers operate the drill creating a borehole into the earth, they will occasionally reach several “caverns” that require extensive sample collection and field research.

Each cavern will be open and available for runs for no more than 1 hour, at set and posted times. A team with a limited number of player characters will descend a pulley-operated lift into the cavern, where they will begin the research tasks laid out for them by the NPC sending them down. These tasks are expected to last the Team approximately 5 to 15 minutes, give or take. Upon finishing, the team will need to ring a bell signaling the lift to come pick them back up and then wait patiently until it arrives to carry them back to the surface. Upon arrival, they may then deliver research samples and debrief with the NPC overseeing the Research Tent at the borehole’s entrance.

There will be no limit on the number of times you can go down the lift, but we want to encourage as many people as possible to visit as many of these caverns as they wish.

A Message From The Ossuary Society

LETTER #1:

To the Citizens of Steel Horse Crossing and others residing in the region,

I apologize for my absence from last trade meet; my work became rather pressing at short notice so I was required to drop all plans in order to adapt. So is the life of a member of the Ossuary Society and others who work with the Mortis Amaranthine.

You may already be aware of the recent prevalence of Grave Bloom at your settlement. What you may not be aware of are the causes and origin of this disease: an overactive Mortis Amaranthine. In this case, it would appear that a number of recent occurrences at Steel Horse Crossing have intensified one another leading to an unsustainable amount of infection growth, such as a recent uptick of deaths due to the Society of Raider Research (SORR) and associated fallout, as well as alleged infection farming and elevated levels of psionic activity. However, we have reason to believe there are further factors not yet accounted for.

Upon meeting with my colleagues among The Helldivers, it has been decided that a number of exploratory expeditions into the tunnels below town are necessary to research the corruption we are dealing with. At this time it is unclear which factors can be mitigated, which have cemented their influence within the Mortis Amaranthine, and how best to navigate the situation going forward. 

As such, we are requesting aid from the people of Steel Horse Crossing, members of the Ossuary Society who are not currently occupied, and any other brave individuals across the Wasteland willing to endanger themselves to help protect the settlement.

Sweeny of The Prognostic Order of the Ossuary Society

Letter #2:

Wow that sure is a lot! For those of us not fluent in “Morgue Nerd”, I have a quick translation.

Steel Horse Crossing is in a bad way. So bad, they don’t know how bad it is yet. Their local Gravemind is overactive, or sick, or both. These guys are looking into how sick (or overactive) exactly and what to do about it, but to do that they need help. 

There are plenty of reasons why the Gravemind is sick: psions, fanatics, infection farmers, but that’s just a lot of surface level information. It doesn’t tell us how bad it actually is, or how to fix it. 

Sounds like they want deeper info. Like literally deeper.

But if you live here don’t panic yet. You probably have at least a week or two to leave before everything hits the fan. 

From the desk of Igz, assistant to Sweeny