2025 October - Transparency

Hi, everyone!

So, at the end of the September trade, Steel Horse Crossing was overrun by Raiders as the town fought a lengthy retreat across the Dixie Rose Memorial Bridge. In the month that passes, the Steel Bloods and other folk who live across the river provide sanctuary for those displaced in order to heal up, make repairs, and plan how best to retake the town. There are plenty of ways in and out of their side of town for those attending other games in the meantime, so no worries if your character is traveling elsewhere.

In October, that offensive to retake Steel Horse will occur. You’re probably wondering how that’s going to work on an Out of Character level, and so we have this post to help with many of the most important questions!

• Any characters who were stuck behind enemy lines at the end of September’s game will be assumed to have somehow escaped. We know more than a few of you were hiding out in the woods, with or without working legs, when Game Off was called. Nobody is assumed to have died, and we will not be starting October with Characters behind enemy lines. Realistically, it’s pretty difficult to survive for a month in occupied territory that’s inhabited by murderous cannibals, and it’s way less fun when Characters die off-screen. Feel free to write short stories about your character’s escape! We’ve been enjoying many of the fiction pieces, that we often call “bleed posts”, that you all have been posting so far.

• Before Game On and during Setup, please unload your gear and claim sleeping space as normal. It is our goal that at least the main portions of town be retaken by the end of Friday night. We all like beds, flushing toilets, and running showers. Please don’t set up tents in the parking lot. If you need to go to bed before the initial excitement is over, please feel free to put on a green headband to mark you as Out of Character and do so. Most cabins and sleeping spaces are by default Out of Character anyways, so this should mostly feel like what you are used to.

• Opening Announcements will occur at Fogle (aka, Town Hall) as normal. Once we finish, we will all head out to where the road exits into the parking lot (In Character, the River). From there, we will engage in the first step of retaking town by taking back Town Hall. Public Works will not open until this first step is completed.

• For better continuity, Engineered Spaces that were left behind should be setup where they were left in September. If you are traveling to other games over the next month, we would like to encourage, but not require, you to not take those Engineered Spaces to other games. Instead, we would like to encourage you to use it as a cool story moment to complain to literally everyone about how many things were left behind in “lost” Steel Horse Crossing.

• This also means that the Upper Meadow will still be our Agricultural Zone in October. Normally we would rotate it each month, but we felt this provided a better story especially since the Wells Society hasn’t been able to assist with continuing their crop field treatment work with so many Raiders living there.

• Additionally, if you have physical representations of Items, such as weapons, armor, blueprint books, etc that were left behind in the hurried and rather chaotic retreat, please talk to us right during Pre-Game Setup if you are interested in the extra story of recovering them during the course of Friday Night. We thought actively recovering your personal belongings piece-meal might provide a bit of cool, extra, and personal story over the course of the evening. This is entirely opt-in, and any such items should be tagged or otherwise marked with identifying information. We don’t want them to get permanently lost on you!

• Once Town Hall is retaken, we will be using it as a central planning area to dispatch the retaking of the rest of town. There will be a NPC to help facilitate this, rather than having to get direction from either an Out of Character Guide or just winging it as a committee. We are currently planning a variety of missions, with different focuses for different gameplay styles, to retake town in manageable chunks. This also allows team-based play in group sizes smaller than “Everyone.” Each Crafting Zone will unlock for use as its associated mission is completed. 

We hope this answers some of your most pressing questions, and there will be more announcements (both In Character and Out) over the next month. If there’s something important that we didn’t cover, please let us know in Discord. We want everyone to have the next month to not only prepare, but also to tell your friends to come visit and help you take back the town! 

We’re very excited to see you in October as we culminate this story arc.

2025 March - Pre-Game Announcements

As we go into the Live Ruleset, and leave 3.0 behind us, we’ve got a lot going on. For the sake of readability, we’re just going to post it all here in one, tidy place.

Agricultural Zone

March's Agricultural Zone will be in/near the area between the disc golf basket and totem pole, near the Squirrel cabins. If that sounds confusing, we can probably make way more sense once we get to camp and see it.

There are several trees that came down in a recent storm. While the Camp certainly does not expect us to deal with the actual fallen trees, there's a lot of small branch debris that can be picked up if you're looking for something to do while "Farming." Please pile it on the nearby firepit, or if folks want to light a fire over the weekend we can't imagine they’d mind it going up in smoke.

Camp Weather

Sinawa reports that the site is likely to be very muddy with possible standing water in areas. They've had a lot of rain this week, even before the midweek storm.

Change & Self Care

Change can be hard for many folks, and things can take time before they feel more natural. Please keep in mind that we're all doing this together, and to be kind to each other. We'll have to make rules calls in the field, that may or may not turn out to be correct afterward. Guides will be learning new workflows and processes. Some things may be frustrating; some things may not make sense; some things may take longer than you're used to. We say Be Kind often as a reminder, but we're also all adults, and we would like to set that expectation now. The world's shitty enough these days; please don't add to it in a moment of frustration. 

If a Guide needs to make a Rules Call in the field, the Guide overseeing the NPCs has jurisdiction and final say in the moment. Please roll with that decision so the scene can continue, and we can all go look it up afterwards.

Crafting and Coord and You

When you are being actively helped at the Public Works, you are technically OOG and are safe from being murdered so you can get your cards and go back to playing. However, because it's more fun, Public Works will still be staffed by your absolute favorite NPCs. It is preferred if you stay In Character for RP purposes as much as possible. Give Wrigley shit; make fish faces at Tetra; tip your favorite Intern. It's LARP; have fun with it!

Those still in line, waiting to be helped, are not OOG, and are welcome to leave the line and help defend Town Hall and/or die as they see fit. The job was finished once you finished your crafting RP, so it's cool.

Live Cards

We may be using a mix of 3.x and Live cards as we transition over to only Live cards. Mostly because we can't get past how incredibly wasteful it feels to just trash the thousands of cards we already had on hand. The Public Works has label printers now, so we can attach the new mechanics to existing cards. Way faster, too!

The new Live cards look different and are more streamlined for writing in many places. Their expiration date fields also include a spot for the day it expires on. In order to address a large amount of rounding inconsistency across the Network, Live was written so that expirations would be consistently exact across the Network and not rounded off to various end of months. Example: A 6 month Item created on March 8th, 2024 would expire on September 8th, 2025; ie, 6 months.

Please double-check your Cards for accuracy before leaving the Public Works desk.

3.0 LIT Debts

As mentioned in previous announcements, these need to be cleared if you still owe Items from another online game. I will accept expired cards, IF they were valid for the Event where the debt occurred. We can also deduct it from your transitioning items. 

We reserve the right to withhold transitioning some or all of your Items to Live until those balances are settled.

The Live (Juno) Database does not support 3.0's LIT. You won't see any old balances there. You'll have to look at the old Database at https://characters.dystopiarisingnetwork.com/ to see what your 3.0 LIT balances are.

Live Virtual Inventories

Going forward in Live, when you craft or produce an Item you have the following options:

• Public Works gives you the relevant card, like normal

• You can choose to deposit the Item into your Live Virtual Inventory, for use in online games you may attend

This deposit is one-way. Only the pre-game Crafting in virtual games can now result in physical cards, and those will be mailed to you by the hosting game. 

Check In - Transitioning Items and Prints

When you arrive on site, please bring your Item Cards and Blueprints to Fogle/Check In as soon as you can. It would be most helpful if you separate them by character. We will baggie them with your name, begin processing, and get you your things as fast as we can. Transition Form Submissions will have priority. For those who are not at game this month, we will reopen the Form for next month.

So, What happened since December?

The high levels of radiation seen after the helldive have now largely vanished due to the active clean up efforts, the embracing of Liberum Radicalis- the glowshroom, and the destruction of an irradiated zed-filled cyst that threatened to degrade further into a corrupted Morgue if left intact. 

The Wells Society has continued its work in this area reclaiming irradiated agrifields over the winter and undoing much environmental damage, seeing many through a cold starving season. Their more extreme members however, particularly the Servants of the Undying, have become emboldened by the good will and lack of oversight present over the quiet winter month to act less conservatively than the rest of the faction. These disagreements seem to have become severe enough to form a hard split, with the Servants parting ways though they both remain present in town.

The Wells Society is working with Bloom and local farms to continue improving things. Slightly ironic that it now includes spore mitigation initiatives to keep areas from being overrun by the L. Radicalis they developed themselves.

Even while the supply of excess radiation dwindles, the Servants continue to spread and cultivate the glowshrooms including integrating them further with the local 'Friendmoss' and within local Morgues directly. They also fight against those attempting to remove them. Some tracts of land are choked with glowshroom spores to the point of becoming seas of blue light at night.

But, for what it's worth, under their care the Mortis Amaranthine is thriving and there have been no new reports of folk emerging from the Morgue with parts missing for a couple of weeks now. No word on ‘Charlie’, the half-formed body that emerged in Town Hall though. They seem to have gone missing.

In other good news, the recently finished dam and power plant has weathered the cold months without incident. After the aging Ironworks-era furnace failures of the previous winter, plans were drafted for a new system. After months of negotiation, and digging, explosions, and the effort of many townsfolk, a hydroplant was built in the local Lascarian tunnels allowing Steel Horse Crossing to keep the lights on and supplementing the underground's supply of fresh water. The whole contraption is certainly not impervious to problems but regular maintenance and diligence will keep it in good shape as long as no one gets, well, power hungry.

Deep-rooted factions and institutions like the Helldivers and the Labor Union and newer influential faces like DA Hunting Lodge all still remain in Steel Horse but their structures and agendas have begun to change.

Election Results

Congratulations and Condolences to our newly elected government!

Town Council: Alex, Boz, Grace, Hester, and Juice.

Sheriffs: Mallard and Yemi

Judges: Jimothy and Yara

Eternal Unquestioned Mayor: Tofu

OTHER USEFUL INFORMATION AND REMINDERS AND STUFF

Story

We are continuing to utilize the Illusions of Civility plotkit alongside our other local plots so you may see mechanics that are not part of the core rulebooks including threat options and zones of mechanics specific to IoC, a temporary route for changing strain narratively, and a disease called Spore Sickness. 

• The full plotkit is available at dystopiarisinglive.com if you wish to review it.

Information Gathering

• DRWI’s Local Research mechanics are no longer in play. Instead your primary options will be Limited Research and Focused Research. There are forms available in Town Hall. These require possessing Lore and Master Education respectively. 

• There is an option specifically for researching Diseases (Guides Guide 74)

• Occasionally in general play space and/or on mods you might come across Lore cards. They will come in the form of slips of paper inside goldenrod colored coin envelopes about the same size as Item cards. The requisite Lore to access will be written on the envelope.

• A number of other abilities may yield useful information depending on your situation including Basic Medical, Master Medical, Master Lockpicking & Security, Basic Biokinesis, Spoilers, Malicious Discussion, the Civic Landsmen traits, Benedictions and other items

• Writing to NPC individuals or organizations is also still an option. Sometimes they know things!

Currency/Items

• NPCs may only use or accept local currency, Lug, except where Trade Notes are specifically permitted by the Rulebooks. Player characters are still free to utilize whatever currency they wish between themselves.

• Bank accounts are no longer available to Societies, except for the funds used by Town Council.

• Items on 3x5 index cards from December’s playtest are not valid.

Zones of Play

• All of in-game space is Wasteland

• We are trying out different placements of mechanical zones. These are subject to change. If you have suggestions for a better configuration, please let us know.

• Culinary - main Fogle kitchen, require

• Artisan -  Dorms common area and porches.

• Morgue - Whitetail cabin

• Agriculture - Near field in front of Town Hall. Specifics will be given at Opening Announcements. After March this will rotate to another area.

Public Works Proxy System

For the crafting Zones, such as Artisan, Culinary, and Agriculture, we are offering a proxy system for those who may have short or long term difficulties making the walk to the Public Works to get your Item Cards. Instead of taking the walk yourself, you may instead send your character sheet, Resource Cards, and the Blueprint (if necessary) with a proxy to take the walk for you. You may not begin crafting a new Item or use any Development Skills until they return with your sheet and Item Cards.

2024 December - Doin' it Live

Hi, everyone!

As you likely have figured out by now, we are hosting an Early Preview of the Dystopia Rising: Live rule system for our last game of the season on December 13th - 15th. After the last year+ of its development, we’re pretty excited to sit down and play with you all together. We know many of you have questions about how we’re going about this, and hopefully this will help!

Overview

We will be using the DR: Live Ruleset, all of which is publicly viewable at https://www.dystopiarisinglive.com/books. This means that all characters, items, etc will need to be converted. The more that can be done in advance, the easier and faster it will be to jump into having fun on Friday night.

We will be running a modified form of the usual game weekend. Opening Announcements will still be at 9pm on Friday Night, followed by Game On at 10pm. However, we will set aside a specific OOC zone in Fogle Hall (“Town Hall”) for those who will need assistance making characters or with other logistical things. If other players would like to volunteer to help with assisting others, that would be awesome and appreciated.

On Sunday, we will then call Game Off at 8am instead of the usual Noon. The intent is for players to be able to sleep in, ease out of game space via soft RP, or even cook breakfast as they wish. We will then be hosting an Out of Character group discussion at 10am in Fogle/Town Hall, before proceeding with cleanup as usual.

We will be “taking” Infection from your experimental DR: Live character over the course of the game, should you lose any, so you can see what that mechanic will look like in play. By which, we mean that we will still write the appropriate numbers on your printed character sheet. In the end, however, it will not truly matter. All Live characters will need to be rewritten for March’s Season Opener anyways, at which point your Infection Pool will reset. If you are choosing to speed-run your Infection Pool in order to narratively “perm” your character so that you can make a new one for March, please talk with us when that time comes so we can give you the extra bells and whistles for that Last Walk like any character deserves.

As we will be expecting travelers potentially arriving after Game On, we are asking everyone who is able to to please use the cabins deeper into the camp. We would like to leave the Squirrel cabins in particular open and available for both late-arrival travelers as well as those with mobility issues. If we get many players and sleeping space gets tight, we may also ask you to share kindly.

With the recent changes in the Live crafting rules, this is also an excellent opportunity to try out something that many of our players have been asking about for awhile: Extending the CvC Wasteland areas. Since Items and Infection both will not truly matter outside of this game’s story, we are going to experiment with an “All Wasteland” game. There are a couple things to keep in mind with this. In the event that anyone takes Infection from anyone else, we will be doing a full sheet audit. In Character Theft also requires a Guide to prevent Real Life Theft of props. We also strongly encourage you to remember that each character is piloted by a fellow human being, and to treat them as such Out of Character by doing things such as checking in, guiding scenes and conflicts, etc.

TL;DR

• Friday Night Game On as usual; Designated OOC space for those who need it

• Sunday Game Off at 8am

• Sunday Group Discussion at 10am in Fogle

• Infection loss will not truly matter, unless you want it to. Please let us know if you are intentionally perming your character

• We are asking for the Squirrel cabins to be left available for late arrivals and those with mobility issues.

• This will be an All-Wasteland Game for Character vs Character Conflict purposes. Yes, even Town Hall. No, not the bathrooms; they are still Out of Character. Rule #1 always applies.

Your Characters

All characters will need to be made using the Live ruleset. All characters will have their Current XP in each slot to play with, plus the 50 Starting XP that all characters get. You will be able to do this yourself!

Character Swapping for those with active Advanced Memberships is allowed per the usual (“ABA”, or “ABC” swaps). We would like to encourage you not to, so that you may get a better feel for the full experience of one character in a given weekend.

If you wish to remake your existing characters under the Live ruleset, that’s cool. If you wish to make a one-off, starting build character, that’s cool too. We’re looking to present a low-stakes game with a high-stakes story; have fun with it. :)

Your Items

As this is an Early Preview of DR: Live, this game will be economically “silo’d.” Items crafted or looted during the weekend will not transfer outside of this game, whether back to 3.0 or carry over into March. We will therefore not be using Dystopia Rising Item Cards for this game; all Items will be written on 3x5 inch index cards instead. The only exception is Local Currency (Lug) and Trade Notes, which will exist as normal.

You will be writing your own Index Cards on the honor system. This will save us all time in the end and allow you to get into enjoying game faster. 3.0 Blueprints may count as-is, as long as there is a similarly named Live Blueprint for it to translate to; we will not be able to facilitate blueprint copying, unless you want it written on an Index Card for just this game. We are asking that you only write cards for the Items that you wish to import, and not write cards for things you want to play with but do not currently own. We would like to give the Artisans, Culinarians, and other crafters an opportunity to engage with their own gameplay loops as well.

It is our hope that Blueprints and related Item information will be available in the Dystopia Rising Database in time. If so, we will be using that information. If it is not, then we will default to an early preview of the Blueprints, as compiled by one of our local players and found here: The Long Goddamn List

TL; DR

• All Items will be written on 3x5 index cards and may not be exported or converted outside of this particular game. Currency will be an exception, and may be gained, lost, or traded to each other as usual. NPCs will only accept Local Currency (Lug).

• You may import your existing 3.0 Items for the purpose of this game, by writing them on individual 3x5 index cards before game. You do not lose your existing 3.0 items in this process; they exist as normal for the remainder of 3.0. This is on the honor system, and we are asking you to please not write cards for Items that you do not already possess. 

• 3.0 Blueprints will count as Live Blueprints, as long as the Item names are similar.

• Our plan is to use the Item Blueprints and Mechanics that will be released in the DR Database. If their release is delayed, then we will use “The Long Goddamn List” instead, linked above.

The Plot

Our weekend’s story will NOT be a fever dream or any other sort of “It was all an illusion!” story. Instead, we will be continuing with the story of Steel Horse Crossing from whence we left off. Events that occur to characters will have actually happened to those characters. There will be no skip, jump, or other passing of time except for the usual month between trade meets.

It can sometimes create a weird disconnect to bring up in an In Character conversation, things such as “that time the World broke/shifted.” Rather than call attention to it in your conversations with others, we would like to encourage you instead to portray your character in a way that simply accepts or minimizes calling attention to the new changes in mechanics.

Check In

Check In and Registration for our Event is now open! As this month will be a little different in many ways, there’s some special steps you will want to take!

1. Check In via https://juno.dystopiarisingnetwork.com/dystopia-rising/events/1162/ Make sure to Sign In to the NEW DR Database! For those with an Advanced Membership, you should even be able to select which characters you wish to have sheets printed for; great for those with alternate characters that we don’t play often!

2. Pay for your ticket at https://dystopiarisingwi.com/ticketsales also as normal.

3. In the Juno Database, you should see at least one slot labeled (Experimental). It may take up to 24 hours for this to occur, especially if you have not attended a DR game in the last few months. If it’s been more than 24 hours and you still don’t have one, please send us an email along with your player number and let us know!

4. You should be able to spend your XP on your Experimental Character Slots as you wish. Don’t forget to Unlock the Editing Padlock in the top right corner! The last day to do this will be Sunday, December 8th; after that, we’ll be printing sheets before game.

5. Make sure to read up on the Rules, write up your Index Cards for any IG Items you wish transferred in for the weekend, and pack some warm socks!

If you run into any other problems, or have additional questions, please use our #questions channel in our Discord and one of our Guides can assist!

2024 Helldive - Weird Weekend WhatsIts

There will be a variety of custom mechanics that you may encounter this weekend. Many of them will not be used past this weekend, but if you’re coming to visit and looking to go Helldiving, you’ll want to know about these!

General Custom Mechanics

Here are some calls or keywords that you may hear over the weekend.

Abduct - “Abduct, [Target Name]. Never Here Plus One.”

User stands over a Subdued or willing Target with both boffers on or over them. After 10 seconds, unless interrupted, User goes Out of Character, per Master Stealth, with Target. Where the Target respawns will be dictated by mod or environment with final say by the Guide overseeing the scenario.

• Countered by ‘No Escape.’

• Redirection through the Benediction of the Chiroptera applies.

Absorb - “Absorb, Enter.”

Delivered by Melee Strike. This will be obvious in the moment and clarified if needbe.

• Countered by Avoid

Command - “Psionic: Command, [Three Word Instruction]”

Delivered by white psionic packet. If not defended against, Target must attempt to follow the instructions to the best of their ability. Effect lasts until the Target is put into Bleed Out.

• Countered by Mental Endurance

Flora - A Keyword that applies to some custom threats encountered over the weekend. There are currently no calls or effects that specifically interact with the Keyword Flora, but this may change over the course of the weekend based on player actions.

Blight - A Keyword that Player Characters may gain, and lose, over the course of the Event. Blight has no effect on its own, but characters with it may be vulnerable to other calls that target the “Blighted.”

Underwater Mechanics

This hopefully shouldn’t be a surprise, but a major part of the focus of our event involves diving underwater. This will not be the entire event’s focus, and is entirely opt-in via away modules.

Remaining Underwater without an Air Source

If swimming underwater without a source of air, you can hold your breath for a set amount of time before you begin to take damage. For ease of use, we will call this amount of time your “dive cycle.”

Under 50 XP Spent - A dive cycle is 4 minutes per current Resolve total.

Between 51 and 150 XP Spent - A dive cycle is 2 minutes per current Resolve total.

Over 151 XP Spent - A dive cycle is 1 minute per current Resolve total.

Mechanics:

• If you reach the end of your dive cycle, you may choose to spend 1 Resolve to start a new dive cycle

• Returning to a source of air for 1 minute will reset your dive cycle timer.

• If you cannot, or choose not to, spend Resolve, you will begin to take 10 Body every 30 seconds until you reach an air source.

• Resolve spending mechanics, per the 3.0 Rulebook, still apply. If you reach 0 Resolve during the Event, you may not spend Resolve (including Resolve-costing Items) for the rest of the Event, even if you no longer have 0 Resolve.

• All Full Dead and Saltwise can remain underwater indefinitely without taking damage. Some specific conditions may interfere with this, and will be clarified when they arise.

Sources of Air and Other Defenses

Diving Bell

This submersible has some very limited propulsion in localized areas but is primarily reliant on a ship for navigation. It is not a submarine, and cannot navigate the entirety of the Dead Zone on its own. Its supplies of air and power are limited, which may limit how long it is useful for on a single trip before needing to be replenished.

“Ace Sears Brand” Air Cylinder

This single-use Gizmo provides up to 60 minutes of breathable air for 1 person, but does not provide protection from other environmental hazards. Once ‘opened’, it cannot be resealed in order to save the remaining supply. It cannot be shared with others.

Helscape Deathmask

This Gizmo can provide some limited protection from environmental hazards, but does not count as a source of air.

Deadzone Dives

We are including a Content List as well as a rough start time window for each Dive we plan to run over the weekend. All Dives other than the last will have a limit on how many characters may undertake the voyage. The last Dive will have no limit on participants. All Dives are currently planned to occur in the forest across the road.

Content Warnings and Estimated Start Times for All Dives

All Dives have a chance of featuring thalassophobia, environmental hazards, and the threat of simulated drowning and/or suffocation. All Dives will also take place in the Wasteland (Character v Character Conflict possibility).

Saturday Midnight - 2 am

This Dive may feature themes of underwater exploration, the Mortis Amaranthine, Coordination, Kidnapping, and Zombies.

Saturday 9am - Noon

This Dive may feature themes of Stealth, Larceny, obscured or low vision, and the threat of simulated implosion.

Saturday Noon - 3pm

This Dive may feature themes involving Medical and Wasteland Science, as well as possible hallucinations, themes of unethical behavior, lack of empathy, and limited but avoidable splatter effects.

Saturday 7pm - 10pm

This Dive may feature close quarters areas, claustrophobia, Lineage threat, and themes of revenge.

Saturday 11pm - Sunday 1am

This Dive may feature submechanophobia, temporary isolation or helplessness, temporary loss of agency, and large-scale coordination

Custom Disease

In order to strike a balance between the idea of numerically-limited teamwork while on dangerous away missions, while still enabling each person who wishes to go on one of the smaller preliminary Dives being able to do so, we will be implementing a custom “Disease” to help facilitate that. This mechanic represents being thoroughly exposed to the dangerous chemicals permeating the Dead Zone, and in that regard is not truly a “Disease” in the usual Dystopia Rising sense of the word.

Peacemaker

Transmission Vector: Significant, and sometimes repeated, exposure to the Peacemaker chemicals.

Description: More a debilitating condition than an actual disease, this condition occurs when a character is exposed to significant levels of the toxic chemicals known as “Peacemaker” such as full-body immersion in the waters surrounding the Dead Zone. As internal levels of the chemical increase, their side effects quickly worsen. There is no cure, although the Infection inherent in each Lineage will purge the substance over time once exposure has ceased assuming that exposure stops early enough.

Stages:

• Stage 1: Feelings of contentment, serenity, and lethargy. Occasionally distracted with moments of calm. Ingested Brews and Meals take twice as long to consume.

• Stage 2: As Stage 1, but increased. Lack of fear or aggression. All Injectibles require 2 minutes to take effect.

• Stage 3: As Stage 2, but increased. Inability to attack or inflict harmful effects on any Target that has not done the same first. Must spend 1 Resolve to initiate aggressive actions against a single Target. This is not required once the Target attacks you.

• Stage 4: As Stage 3, but increased. Inability to run or feel pain. May not move faster than a slow walk or use Enhanced Movement. Bleed Out Timer reduced to 2 minutes.

• Stage 5: Painful and agonizing immediate death. Please report to Ops.

Duration Between Stages: This Disease cannot progress on its own. Each significant exposure (ie, a Dive) increase the Stage by 1. Mutants do not have an innate resistance to it, and cannot defend against it. Stage only progresses after exposure has completed (ie, after that Dive has concluded).

Resolution:

• Identifiable with the Basic Medical Skill.

• Not currently treatable. Disease is automatically cured at End of Event.

• Return from Mortis cures Disease: No.

Helldiving in Wisconsin - Local Mechanics, Intro Mod, and Literal Diving

Hi, everyone! You’re probably wondering just what the heck we’ll be doing next weekend, as we take you deeper for our June Helldive event. Especially if you’re traveling, you may be unfamiliar with how Dystopia Rising: Wisconsin does certain things that can vary from other chapters. We have a very specific paper form for conducting Plot Research, for instance. We also use a custom variation of Radiation Sickness for when your characters have been exposed to excessive radiation or certain irradiated threats. On the other hand, that variation of Radiation Sickness and other specific mechanics only exist here while attending Wisconsin events. When you travel elsewhere, it no longer ‘exists’ or affects your character unless your local chapter has said otherwise. We also have quite a few Items that only exist locally, whether crafted or purchased from our local Financial Institutions.

Local Mechanics

We will not be opting into any other branch’s Local Items or Custom Mechanics for our Premier. This includes other Plotkits that we’ve opted into in the past, such as NY’s Red Line and the Network wide Plotkit that introduced Black Fungal Disease to the Wastes. We instead would like to use our Premier to highlight all of the crazy things that make our Wisconsin branch very Wisconsin. Die Wisconsinbly!

This also means that we’ll have our own Local things going on! We’re very fond of Critters and their ecosystem, as many of you might have noticed, and “Bug Island” is aptly named. We will also be introducing a custom “Disease” for just this event. (Don’t panic! Keep reading!)

Local Mechanics, Items, or Rulings are just that: Local to that chapter. While multiple chapters may choose to work together to create a shared story, and often do, most of the time we’re all pretty focused on crafting our local stories for our players. All of those local bits and bobs help to flavor a given branch’s story in ways that are very particular to that game and help promote that game’s story, setting, and culture. Indiana has several Local Items for faith RP, Texas has a lot of different mechanical interactions with their Factions, New York created a fun puzzle game out of a new drug, and Wisconsin has a group of Final Knight librarians that make cheese in their dungeon. Taking all of these different factors into account can be tricky for crafting and balancing a given event, especially if you’re only partially familiar with them as a gamerunner.

Game On

Because our Premier will be set on the uninhabited Bug Island, all characters at Game On will be undergoing a travel mod together, unless you have a mechanical method of bypassing it such as the Nomad Advantage or spending Mind per Proficient or Master Trailblazing. Those physically incapable of participating will not be required to do so. As mentioned in a previous Facebook post, the Great Lakes Trading Company will otherwise be hot-dropping PCs onto the shores of Bug Island, and they will have to travel through the forest to “Site FOB” where several prefab buildings have been literally dropped from airships. Players who are not on this Introduction Mod will be asked to wait in a specific location, out of play, as some last minute setting up will be occurring during the travel mod. They will be allowed to enter play once the Intro mod has concluded and PCs have reached “Site FOB.” Characters entering play after the Intro Mod, whether arriving late or having NPC shift or otherwise, will have had an uneventful journey to the island and its rustic camp.

Players wishing to install WI Room Augments that had been installed in Steel Horse Crossing proper will need to have them transported in during this mod. We will have several carrying containers (IE, storage totes) to act as physical representations, and they will require a two-person carry. The card for the Room Augment should be placed inside of this container, but no other props are required to be physically carried. Props may be staged at their intended install locations before game to make things simpler, and you may choose to install your Room Augments at locations that are not “the usual”. PCs helping to transport an Augment only need to have one hand on the container to help carry it; one-handed weapons, shields, projectile weapons, etc. may still be used as normal.

Upon arrival, an Artisan only needs to spend 15 minutes “installing” the Room Augment. No Mind or other resources will be required. Additional Artisans helping may shorten the installation time by 1 minute each, to a minimum of 5 minutes per Room Augment. Only Basic Artisan is needed to perform this task. You do not need to install the Room Augment in the same Out of Game location as it existed in Steel Horse Crossing, and we encourage putting them in other areas to help give that feeling of being “elsewhere”.

The Dive(s)

While the PCs will be setting up a base camp in the wild wastes known as Bug Island and exploring their surroundings, many may wish to make excursions down under the water to a ruined research facility that has caught many folks’ attention. There will be more than one of these Dives, mostly along the themes of exploring and gathering information before eventually leading up to that last Helldive.

Each of these preliminary dives, other than the last one, will have a maximum number of participants and have set launch times. As is our tradition, we would like as many folks who wish to participate in that last climactic Dive to be able to do so. In order to promote as many people as possible getting a turn at the smaller Dives leading up to it, we are introducing a “Disease” that begins to impose negative mechanical effects for every dive your PC makes. It cannot be spread to others, cannot be inoculated against, and is entirely an environmental side effect of diving into the poisoned waters that make up the surrounding Dead Zone. Time and rest (the end of the Event) will cure it. That first Dive is free!

To help with transparency and Player planning, we will have an Out of Character Sign-Up Sheet with both Dive Times and blank slots for everyone to coordinate. It is our goal to release a list of those Dives and their respective Content Warnings this week before Game, so you can think about which ones you’d like to attend. This sheet will also list the mechanics for what happens when your character is immersed in the “Peacemaker” chemicals that permeate the surrounding waters, so that you can make those delightfully difficult choices as to whether to go on that next dive yourself or to share what you’ve learned with the next team. A Helscape Deathmask may help you against the worst of the immediate exposure effects of the Peacemaker poisons, but full body immersion in the waters of the Dead Zone will begin to take its toll if you continue diving multiple times. Taking too many people at once may also have disastrous consequences, as diving bells and air tanks can only supply so many people. We will have the Sign Up Sheet at Town Hall, near the Job Board.

For more information about our Local Items and Mechanics, please see the following links on our webpage:

Local Mechanics, including our Radiation Sickness variant: https://dystopiarisingwi.com/local-items-mechanics

Local Financial Institutions, including the Items available if you Affiliate with them: https://dystopiarisingwi.com/financial-institutions

November Quarterly Marketplace

The Great Lakes Trading Company proudly presents:

The Steel Horse Crossing Quarterly Marketplace!

After years of prosperity and growth we have a whole host of talented crafters available to show their wares and tempt the wasteland with their delicious foods. Bring your own merchandise and set up your own stall! No taxes will be levied on your sales, no Ironworks to demand their share. Just farmers, artisans and foodies providing goods and services to the broader wastelands!

To register for a booth, let Captain Maggie know where you plan on setting up, and what you plan on selling and she will make sure the area is cleared of debris (and zed and zed debris) before trade begins.

OOC Information:

Folks are encouraged to create “Vendor Booths” in safe locations anywhere on site with space in Town Hall so long as it doesn’t interfere with the workstations or cause fire hazards. Folks are encouraged to promote their businesses, skills and wares in a genre setting to represent the economic growth of SHC.

No real money transactions during game, this should be for IC money only, but you are free to make a list of folks to catch up with after game if need be.

An example: The Corvids will be creating a grab & go counter at their Wayside for the Quarterly Marketplace, selling hot beverages, soups, stews, and pastries. They will be providing eco-friendly, biodegradable to-go containers for convenience.

Be aware of the weather when planning your booths, it will get chilly and you may need a way to stay warm.

You can contact Captain Maggie by emailing CustomerService@dystopiarisingwi.com. Please let us know where you plan on setting up your stall and what you plan on selling. As always, areas are first come first served.

3.0 Updates

Good morning folks!

Some updates for you now that I have had a moment to sit and breathe. You are going to want to read this. ^_^

1. Please wait to update your characters in the 3.0 database as we won't be porting over the 2.0 changes to XP totals until the 14th. Please wait until the 15th to update your characters. If you have already begun creating characters in the 3.0 database you will need to recreate them on the 15th as everything will be wiped with the update. IF YOU DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO THE 3.0 DATABASE EMAIL ME ASAP SO I CAN GET YOU ACCESS. All the emails have been sent so if you don't have one yet, you aren't going to get one, just email me and I'll get you set up. ^_^ Customerservice@dystopiarisingwi.com

2. I am expecting a flood of emails from folks who didn't know what they wanted to spend their transfer points on. You have until the 20th, end of day, to get me those emails or you will walk into October's game with starting gear only. (Yes, I will be reminding you regularly!) If you need to adjust something for your spreadsheet (add cards you found, add AP you forgot) please let me know asap and I'll get you sorted so you are ready to go on the 21st. Customerservice@dystopiarisingwi.com

3. Many of you have already submitted, but if you have feedback from the last game you can submit it here.

4. Please, Please, Please use the customerservice@dystopiarisingwi.com email to ask questions about the conversion. I am trying to make sure I don't miss anyone's question, but having questions sent to 4 different locations means someone is going to get missed and I don't want to do that. Thank you!

5. Pre-registration for October's game will wait to open until the final 3.0 database port after the 14th. Please bear with us as we learn the new database and get the webpage set up to handle the new way of doing things. This month will not be a normal month as we figure out how 3.0 is going to work on the back end of things. If you have questions or concerns, email and I can get you sorted.

6. We have time skip stories coming soon! Real life stuffs have thrown off our timing. Rest assured we are working to catch up as fast as we can. Thank you all for your patience and I can't wait to see where your stories go from here!

Heather - Logistics Coordinator

The Elder Council and You

As we start gearing up for a time jump, and what that means for the game, there’s been a lingering question from folks that seems easy to address:  What is “The Elder Council”?

When we put together the Wisconsin game years back, we looked across all the games in the network to see how their models worked (or didn’t work) for the game we wanted our players to experience.  One of the things that we took away from that research was the need to have an NPC setup in which the game runners had control over issues that directly impacted the play, well-being and fairness for all players across the game.  The concept of the Elder Council was specifically placed into use for that purpose – when we saw the potential for abuse, or instances where players could inadvertently change the experience for players in a way they hadn’t considered, we had the option of stepping in and having the more nebulous NPC group use certain plot and drivers as course corrections. The aspect was built into history that the original families (and specifically their strains) would keep control over their land with enough input to ensure the Ironworks was appeased, and that the core interests of those groups were a general undertone.

Fast forward a while, and we’ve not only leveraged the original purpose, but also have used the NPC group to advance plot, offer unique opportunities that weren’t easy to build in otherwise, and course correct when things went beyond the bounds of the game we had been running.  We’ve always been open to player agency, but at the same time, we’ve been particularly up front that certain aspects of the world around your characters have their own life and will impact the game just as much as the characters in those cases.  So what does that have to do with today?

If you’ve been to game recently, you’ll know that the town has been given a lot more freedom with the Ironworks mostly out of the picture. (Maybe? For now?  Forever?)  The aspect of building a small portion of the larger ‘city’ area that is Steel Horse has fallen to individual zones, and this game exists in one particular zone, while NPC factions (see 3.0 for more detail there) will exist alongside them in various capacities.  The chance to govern the specific area in question – the place where characters live, gather, and otherwise experience game – means everyone gets a chance to help guide that part of the world.  That also opens the door to options that the game runners will need to keep an eye on.  Are our new players being treated just as fairly as our veterans?  Is there a way that a single person or small group is taking advantage of that system in order to make the game experience worse for others?  Is a core principle of our game’s background disappearing without NPC input?  All those items and more will still require an eye on the general ideals we want to ensure remain true in our play space.

What this doesn’t mean is that the game runners want to run your game and part of town top down.  We aren’t interested in the micromanagement of how the players and their PCs want to play the game aside from providing a fun environment.  We are definitely not going to look at every law a council of PCs would pass and say “Nah, don’t wanna” when it doesn’t impede, or cause problems for, other players.  These NPCs aren’t going to show up for no reason and take over the game.  They are there solely for the constructive well-being and longevity of all players, and when otherwise specifically engaged, to enhance the roleplay of characters.  You can have any number of interactions with them, but they should not be expected to be regular visitors or iron-fisted rulers.  Within some small boundaries, they are there for story and gentle nudging.  Think of them as a kind of NPC landlord: as long as things are going reasonably well, you won’t see them.  As with any NPC, they will also have a life of their own, and respond to PCs accordingly if they are so engaged.

Localizing 3.0 and Downfall 2019

Long ago, just after the Fall, there were only a few Dystopia Rising games.  Those few games grew into a small network, where things worked for the collective groups involved.  During that time, those large national events we’ve seen over the years worked really well.  As the network grew, those events were harder to work into every branch’s schedules, and it was harder to get everyone into one place to have fun together.  

Today, we have so many branches running every weekend that the concept of a single national event conflicts with the goals of having so many local games available.  Players must decide where to spend their time, money and weekends already – a national event just added to that strain.  Each branch voted on whether to change that format up in order to better serve our community, and we unanimously decided to implement a new format for the network.  Today, we’re announcing a change to how things work with PREMIER EVENTS!

Premiere events are special games held once a year by each game.  Those games are now split into regions, so that each region can have these special games available to them.  Each premiere event is a blend of a larger game with nation-wide plot arcs and local flavor.  Regions look like this today:

Region One
Current Games: Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey
Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut

Region Two
Current Games: Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas, Florida, Georgia
Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee, North Carolina

Region Three
Current Games: Wisconsin, Michigan, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio
Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, West Virginia, Virginia, Minnesota

Region Four
Current Games: Washington, Oregon
Wyoming, South Dakota, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota,

Region Five
Current Games: Northern California, Southern California, Colorado, New Mexico
Nevada, Utah, Arizona

These events will replace the national event format we’ve see in the past, and opens up the door for us to dig into our plot arcs locally and share our flavor with visitors.  At the same time, we’ll still have plot running through the network that we’ll also have access to in these events so we can continue to tie all the chapters together.

Additional information about these events includes:

• Premiere events can be three OR four day events.  A fourth day would add $25 to the overall cost of the event.

• Premiere events offer an optional five (5) additional build, similar to other event games.  That build would $50 to the overall cost of the event.

• Premiere events start in 2019, scheduled with every effort to not overlap other event games.  In the case of DR: Wisconsin, our Premiere event for 2019 is the November game at Camp Evelyn.

• In 2020, all branches may run 1 Premiere even per year as long as they keep up with all the obligations in their contracts.  We will announce the date for a 2020 Premiere game as soon as all branches schedules are submitted, and we have that date!

• Premiere events help tie regions together with plot, opening the door to having players work across multiple games to invest in story and activities even beyond the premiere events.

Overall, this opens to the door to a lot more opportunity, both in focusing on our local communities and our interactions between each branch, which will hopefully bring all our players closer together as well!  We won’t be ignoring branches and regions beyond our own – we can absolutely work with them too – but we want to ensure our focus is on our local communities and the quality we can provide you each game.

This shift also opens the door many future options to focus locally and allows our players to directly support their local branches!  A few more changes that you’ll see as we make this shift include:

• Advanced Memberships will be sold locally, starting around the mid-September time-frame.

• All branch merchandise will shift to the branches directly, and will be sold locally and online, with expanding options for customization.

• Other changes may occur, and we’ll keep you up to date as any new information rolls out!

With the above changes shifting our current practices, it was also decided to cancel the 2019 Downfall event.  More information can be found in the link below, which will also include instructions for anyone that pre-registered for the event.  The goal of every branch, and INC as the company presenting this event, is to ensure you have outstanding customer service through this process.  Please read the link and follow any steps that apply, and know that we will ensure you do not suffer due to this change.  If you have any questions or concerns, we will help you navigate whatever comes up – please do reach out to us for assistance at any point.

http://www.imaginenationcollective.com/downfall2019

We hope you see the benefit and potential for these new changes, and join us for new ways to tell stories with you and your friends as our continued focus.

Heather and Mike Surma

3.0 Questions & Answer Session #2

Q: By my reading, there is no longer FIRE and POISON damage types. Fire simply deals body, but will green packets also go extinct? If not, will Shields still stop poison/green packets? Should we assume that shields only stop blue packets and throwers then?

A: Until more blueprints come out to change the answer, yes.  Shields only stop blue packets and throwers.  We do not currently have green packets in 3.0.  If that changes we will let you know.

Q:  Are the workshop spaces going to have tool props, or should we still carry them ourselves?

A: The workstations will have everything you need, however, if you would like to still carry tools to reinforce your costuming concept you are welcome to.

Q: Particular psionic abilities are incredibly powerful, particularly @ lvl3 (e.g. pyrokinesis)  and there doesn't seem to be any counters available to non-psionic using PCs. Is this power imbalance being evaluated?

A:  Master Mental Endurance gives you the ability to negate all psionic effects, there are also some blueprints that allow you to negate psionic effects as well.  Not to mention how difficult it will be to get Master level skills to begin with.  There is also the aspect of consensual CvC.  If you need to use it against another player, you will need to get their consent.  Yes, that skill is very powerful, but it already has balances in place.

Q: Are having to carry the 12oz bottles a must?

A:  Currently you must phys rep every brew you carry.  3.0 doesn’t change that, but if you are not carrying 6 brews, you don’t have to phys rep those brews.  The supply bag can be totally empty outside of your cards if the weight is a concern. But all brews you plan on using/selling must have a phys rep, just like 2.0.

Q: Can you describe anomaly powers as variants, i.e. instead of base pyrokinesis, my character does the same mechanical effect, but as cold?

A: Not at this time.  The effects are very specific and though there might be blueprints to adjust this in the future but as it stands now, the skill is exactly what it says in the book.

Q: There seems to be disparity between the differences between exotic items and guns. under the Florentine skill it makes these distinctions:

1. "...combination of two melee weapons, exotic weapons, or firearms..."

2. "This six strike flurry only applies when using a combination of melee and exotic weapons (guns fire as fast as they will)..."

So are exotic weapons flurry based or reload based?

A: Exotic weapons are both melee and ranged, so they can be either.

Q: Will concentrate fire and sniped shot be added as blueprint powers?

A: We do not have that information at this time. 

Q:  Do you need to be master level exp to use master level items? To clarify - a base 1 damage can can be still called by any one wilding a master level weapon, right?

A:  Anyone can pick up any weapon and swing for 1s.  If you have the skill to use the master level effect, then you can use that too.  If you do not, then you cannot and it will still swing for 1.

Q: I’ve seen a lot of complaints that the strains have been largely homogenized, particularly Red Stars and Ascensorites, both benefits and detriments. While I can see this as a leveling of the strains, it is at the cost of a great deal of flavor. What was the thinking, here? They aren’t required to defend their own people, anymore, for instance.

A: The 3.0 book was created to help new players come into game as easily as possible.  It cuts back on a lot of the flavor of each strain because that tends to overwhelm new players who just want to jump in and try stuff out.  The flavor is still there and can still be a part of your role play if you wish it to be, it just isn’t a required mechanic anymore.  Want to make it important to your character to defend your own people?  Do it!  It is your role play and that is a totally viable way to tell your story.  The splat books are still cannon.  3.0 doesn’t really cut back on the flavor, but rather removes the mandatory mechanics of playing the strain.  Your role play can still maintain most of what it has today.

Q: Regarding cult Faiths, do we need to maintain ten, or just start with ten? Do we need to replace one if someone dies or starts playing?

A:  When the cult is approved it must have 10 players.  If something happens after that to lessen the numbers we aren’t going to immediately disband the cult, however, we will be requesting you start looking into a different faith if it falls below a sustainable number because at that point it becomes an issue.  But no, we won’t immediately disband the cult for falling below 10 if someone can’t make it to game anymore.

Q: What kind of turnaround time can we expect on action request responses? For example, my ascensorite ascends in November, should I request in October?

A: Giving us more time means you get a better mod to help you with your action request.  We must have the action request at least two weeks prior to game if you aren’t looking for something that requires props or face NPCs.  A month in advance is preferable.  We want to give your request as much time and effort as we can to make the best experience we can.

Q: How much blood (in body points) does a semper need to drink per game?

A: They need to drink once per game.

Q: Will I not mention my characters slave background any longer in 3.0?

A: Your background remains the same.  We simply won’t be allowing new players to enter with slavery in their background going forward.  We are not going to remove your story from play if you were playing during the time slavery was a thing.  We will be asking folks to not focus their role play on that aspect of their character, however.  We will be giving story prompts for the 3 year gap that will give the players a reason to focus on the value of freedom, rather than the hardship of their time during slavery. 

Q: Will there be an approved national blaster list anymore?

A: There will not.  All weapons will be safety checked at every game and will need to be one pull, one dart. 

Q:  Should we change a character's approved background based on things that change in 3.0?

A: If you have questions about your background feel free to email us and we can discuss it.  Generally, the answer is no, but we are happy to go into details with you if you have concerns.  Toss Val an email at val@dystopiarisingwi.com to discuss in more detail.

Q: Will there be an announcement as to which areas of each campground are “civilized” zones and which “cvc-heavy combat” zones?

A: Yup!  We will announce it at opening announcements AND we are planning to have neat little genre’d signs to put up for in game.

Q: Will previously open strains have new costuming/background requirements?

A: They might, we will let you know as we get closer to the date.

Q: A concern I’ve heard (though I don’t suffer it) is requirements for reclaimers to have contacts, full stop. Some folks apparently can’t wear contacts. Is it possible to have a doctor’s note to bypass some of their requirements instead of losing resolve?

A: There is a lot you can do with costuming to meet the required needs however, there are some strains that simply won’t be playable by some folks due to the costuming requirements needed to play the strain.  There are plenty of others to choose from that won’t have the same requirements and we encourage folks to make decisions based on their own costuming limitations.

Q:  How will losing Resolve based on strain traits work? If I'm playing a Solestros., do I have to be obviously and outrageously competitive? How would you make the call for trait-based resolve loss for traits like DJ's lack of smell sense or a Saltwises dry skin?

A:  If a mod tests that strain trait and you don’t follow it, the guide on duty will tap you and discuss it.  Otherwise it is trust based.  You tell us when you feel like your character isn’t following it, or if it is super obvious, we will follow up with you out of character.  But we aren’t going to stalk you to make sure you are playing up your strain 100% all day, every day.

Q:  This may have been asked but is there any idea where or how big the Wasteland (CVC) area will be in SHC? Will it be like outside of the buildings are Wasteland or will it be like (IE. over by the lake this area is the Wastelands?

A: We will have an announcement on that soon!  It depends on the campsite, obviously, but there will be maps!