Dystopia Rising Live is a full-immersion, live-action roleplaying game set in a post-apocalyptic, zombie infested wasteland. We are just one of a network of independently owned branches that share the world and setting of Dystopia Rising Live, with each branch in the network featuring its own local settlement, factions, and story that connects to the shared Dystopia Rising Live world.

We are the Wisconsin branch of the broader Dystopia Rising Live network, meeting once a month at Camp Sinawa in Valders, WI. Welcome to Steel Horse Crossing!

1. Learn About the Game

A lot happens in a weekend at a Dystopia Rising Live event, and there is a lot of information packed inside the books and websites that can be overwhelming or difficult to fully grasp without the context of attending your first event. While you can (and should) download the New Player Quick Guide and Player’s Guide to begin reading about all of the details, we find it helps to get a broad overview of what experience you can expect when you show up to play.

The core Pillars of Dystopia Rising LIVE

There are three general categories of play that take place at Dystopia Rising Live. You can think of them as pillars of the experience, supporting all the various activities, moments, stories, and experiences that make up an event. You may find one or two pillars are more suited for what you want out the game, and that’s very common, but everyone participates in all three of these areas of the game to some degree by participating. That shared experience enables us all to have the most fun possible at Dystopia Rising Live: Wisconsin.

SOCIAL

A weekend is a long time, and there will be downtime where game-runners and NPCs are not actively giving you something to do. However, we still spend all weekend roleplaying as our characters while we eat, sing, play games, and hangout, and many players create things to do during this time for our characters to build lasting relationships even when not fending off hordes of undead. There are some who sell food or drinks, host monthly faith gatherings, put on musical performances, participate in the local government, or even play sports unique to Dystopia Rising Live. Our community, both in and out of character, is why this game exists, so this pillar is the most important and supports all the other things we do in Steel Horse Crossing every month.

Physical

Dystopia Rising Live is an inherently physical game. We are physically portraying our characters and physically fighting or fleeing the dangers of the wasteland that threaten them. That doesn’t mean that you have to be an athlete to play (we’re all nerds, after all), but there’s a reason that comfortable footwear is one of the first things recommended when assembling your gear. You will be walking, our campsite has hills, and the zombies don’t discriminate. There are many ways that Dystopia Rising Live: Wisconsin works to accommodate all sorts of different people’s capabilities, such as alternative combat rules for non-combatants to convey that they cannot be struck or ensuring there are also non-combat focused encounters planned for a weekend, but even us nerds have the most fun when romping around in the woods hunting or hiding from the things that go bump in the night.

Mechanical

The rules for Dystopia Rising Live are simple enough, and the community welcoming enough, that you don’t need every single skill and item memorized to participate. Learning the basics gives you all the knowledge needed for the most important part of the hobby: immersing yourself in the stories, experiencing the emotions, and creating the moments in this shared world that we all play in. However, you’ll find that the more you dig, the more choices for self-expression exist within the game’s mechanics as well as within its world. With a crafting system full of blueprints to collect, resources to gather, and equipment to build that gives you access to unique and powerful effects, there are always new mechanical aspects of Dystopia Rising Live for the type of player who likes to explore that part of a game.

Does this game sound like a great fit for you? Good! We can’t wait to have you.

2. Activate your account

We want to make sure you get the help you need from our New Player Team while starting your journey into the wasteland. When you join our Discord server, a friendly and experienced player will work with you to setup your account in the database. Our Discord will introduce you to the game, some of our players, and start your journey — at whatever pace you want. We’re here to help!

3. Make your character

Once you have an account in the database, you can finalize your character’s strain and skills prior to your first event.

4. Assemble your kit

Your LARP kit includes:

1. A good pair of shoes - you’ll be on your feet a lot

2. A costume for your character - underlayers appropriate for the weather are crucial

3. Neutral dark clothes for NPC shifts - black, grey, or brown blend in well with our provided NPC costuming

4. A pillow and blankets - our cabins have bunks, but no bedding

5. Toiletries and personal hygiene products - don’t forget to brush your teeth or take a shower

6. Food for yourself - we do not provide food, so make sure you have a plan for every meal

Your first costume

Your first costume doesn't have to be anything fancy. Over time, you’ll figure out what you’re missing and collect trinkets and pieces to add to the kit. However, it should be comfortable, have pockets or a bag for your character sheet and a pen, and appear genre appropriate with some amount of visual wear and tear. Go to your local thrift store and get some clothes to beat up and make your character unique!

Below are some pictures from Dystopia Rising Live: Wisconsin to get inspiration from the variety of different looks in the wasteland.

5. Come to your first game

Your first game is free! When you’re ready to attend, you’ll:

1. Check in through the database

2. Pay for your ticket online or at the door

3. Review event information

4. Arrive early to settle in and change into costume before 9pm

What is NPC Casting?

When you check in and purchase a ticket, you choose an amount of NPC casting time. This changes how many hours of NPC casting you do and what times you are assigned to.

Why are you assigned to NPC casting? Because everyone— you included— helps make our world alive by taking turns as the non-player characters you’ll interact with over the weekend. These can include merchants, travelers, and, of course, the undead enemies we fight.

Shifts are:

• 2 hours long each

• Periodically throughout the weekend

• Based out of the NPC Ops location

When your shift is over, you then return to play as your character. Other players will take your place to provide entertainment in return. We all do our part to tell a shared story together and have fun all weekend.