It’s Jonathan here again with another Rules Ramble! Each week, I’ll introduce a topic that will be important in an upcoming game, explain some new mechanic or system for DR:TX, or discuss a particular rule from the DR Corebook. In each ramble, I’ll focus on explaining that topic in more detail than the book alone can provide and help provide one place to reference all the various errata or rulings that might be relevant. Sometimes I’ll even drop a few Story Teasers or provide a summary of the last game in a Game Recap.
This week, we are continuing with our countdown to our first combined virtual AND in-person NATIONAL EVENT of 3.0 - THE NECROPHAGE!
Today we will be covering some National Event Expectations! National Events have a LOT more players involved, and that means some different logistics than a normal game, for things like the Post Office, sleeping arrangements, LIT inventory, NPC shifts, and such. I’ll try to cover some realistic expectations about logistics and what to expect at a National Event, so you can be ready to hit the ground running.
Photos used in this post are from the talented Lainey Weiss and Max Pohlmeier, from our September event, VALLEY OF FEAR.
Tickets are still available for pyroclasm, and you can find out more about what you get for an advanced ticket on our FAQ page:
FAQ - Pyroclasm — Dystopia Rising Presents
We also have a wealth of information on our website, so I encourage you to explore and see what fun things you can find. I’ve updated a few things this week, so a few of you perceptive folks might see something intriguing on the site.
National Event Expectations
Let’s cover what I consider some of the big differences of attending an in-person National Event. I’ve been to several National Events over the years, and the same kinds of things tend to happen at each one. So, let’s talk about what you should expect at a National Event that may be different than a normal home game of Dystopia Rising.
Lots of Players!
This seems kind of obvious, but it’s a big thing that has an impact on every part of the game.
More players can mean longer Post Office wait times for those Econ players. More players means that usual bunk you grab may be taken by time you get to site, and you might have to find a cabin or sleeping area in a place that isn’t familiar to you. The parking lot will fill up faster, and it might take longer to wait for a cart to be free to help unload or pack up on Sunday. More players might mean more crowded restrooms, kitchens, and other out of character necessities too. Everything we do in a game can be complicated by having TOO many people, just like it can at smaller games that don’t have ENOUGH people.
My zen for National Events is to go in KNOWING that these things will be happening, so you can be prepared emotionally, mentally, and physically. Its up to you to enforce your own boundaries.
If you prepare for these kinds of events in advance, you can save yourself some heartache and misplaced expectations. For my part, I’ll be bringing a battery pack for my CPAP machine, just in case I don’t have a convenient power plug nearby, I’m going to plan on a few emergency meal items in case my plans for food get too crowded, and I’m going to make sure I add a few extra water bottles to hand out to visiting players that might not have room to pack extra hydration. I’ll have an extra boffer or two in case a visitor got their weapon lost in the airport, and I’ll double and triple check to make sure I have all my item cards and gear for the game early. I’ve also made sure to leave more time to get off the campsite on Sunday, in case things take a bit longer than usual.
However, having lots of players leads to a lot of GOOD things as well!
There are more players to participate in that cool faith ritual. More people to lead through that grave dive into the mysteries of the Mortis Amaranthine. The packs of roaming zombie hordes will be LARGER and SCARIER. We have bigger parties at the Swaying Anker bar, more access to cool blueprints and great deals to be made for scrap and herb. We have more opportunities for CvC in the Wasteland (if that’s your thing), and even more chances to meet new friends. The DR Network stretches across the nation, and you’ll have a chance to interact with more people from different games than you ever have before. You’ll get to see more cool costumes, see neat boffer weapons, hear different war stories. and have better moments of camaraderie and friendship that come from experiencing the horrors of the Necrophage alongside new allies and friends.
It’s gonna be AWESOME.
Culture Clashes
I’ll be going over a bit of the DR:TX Culture in a future post, but I want to touch on a big thing that can be a bit of a shock during a National Event — the inevitable CLASH that comes from blending different games and different cultures into one event.
We all have this unspoken social contract of what we expect from a DR game, and when we don’t experience the things we expected, it can cause a conflict. It’s easy to assume that things will work the way they always have, and when they suddenly don’t, we can be left surprised, shocked, and upset. Unmet expectations breed frustrations.
Our staff might do something different than your home game, or maybe that visiting player to Texas did something you didn’t expect. A player might be playing that Faith or Strain differently than you are used to. Maybe you just assumed that’s how that rule works everywhere. You might have a different way of playing the economy game than some of the other players you encounter. Your role-play might seem odd, or hostile, or humorous to someone or provoke an out of character question or request for steering you didn’t expect. Your opinion of how CVC should happen might be different than how they normally run CVC in your home game. You might be asked to check your swings in a tough fight.
That’s okay.
The trick to surviving this inevitable culture clash is to EXPECT this kind of thing to happen, and COMMUNICATE your expectations early, and often. And that requires transparency and trust.
For our part, the Social Contract in DR:TX involves RADICAL TRANSPARENCY and RADICAL TRUST. We will trust you to do the right thing, and we will trust you to know your own limits and when you need to enforce your own boundaries. We will provide you the tools to be successful, and we will always attempt to give you the information you need up front. We will assume the best from you, particularly when it comes to rules in the field, on zones of mechanics, or during our fights.
We have a saying in DR:TX — It’s everyone’s first game sometime
Be kind to one another.
We are going to make mistakes, and it’s the first live game for someone out there. No matter your experience, no matter who you meet in the field, assume it’s their first game and give them the benefit of the doubt, grace when someone makes a mistake, and assume positive intent always!
However, this mantra ALSO applies to your friendly local GAMERUNNERS and GUIDES too. This is the first live National Event for Texas in 3.0, and one of only a few live events of this size ran since the start of the pandemic in 2020.
Most of our staff are volunteers, and those Gamerunners don’t get paid what you think they do. We will have some visiting directors and national staff present as well. All of our staff are people too! Many games right now aren’t even running live events, as the pandemic has cost games players, staff, and even game sites. Running a live event in a post-pandemic world is a big ordeal, and it can be a little unforgiving sometimes on our end too. We are hoping to create a unique experience that you will be telling stories about for awhile, but we also need your grace and the benefit of the doubt, especially during a National Event.
We are definitely going to make some mistakes. That Guide might make a rules call you don’t agree with. That Post Office line might be longer than you expected. Your favorite bunk might already be taken. But, if we have a little faith in one another, we can weather those differences and remember we are here for the same goal — to have fun with our friends, new and old.
We also have a number of safety tools and role play guides available to assist:
We publish a list of things to expect at a DR:TX game in our Content List. Our story for this event involves diseases, loss of control, and there’s always the normal game content like mutated fauna, spiders, snakes, blood, nighttime attacks, simulated drug use, death, and more.
I wrote an article on the 10-Foot Rule & Steering that can help you understand how to change your role-play to be a better player. The 10-Foot Rule is a great place to start to have a better time in big games.
The OK Check-In System is there for a reason. Use it! We want to players to be ENTHUSIASTIC about their consent, and this is a great tool to leave a scene you don’t want to be part of, even unwanted CVC.
CVC Expectations
Big games mean there are going to be some in-character clashes too. CVC can be an amazing experience, but it’s not for everyone. And it’s definitely an area where unvoiced expectations lead to resentment, anger, and anxiety.
I’ve written a couple of articles on CVC in Dystopia Rising, and some Best Practices. The rules in the book can be a bit convoluted too, so I’ve tried to break them up a bit and provide some other context. I hope you’ll give this a read.
Before planning on CVC at a National Event, make sure you consider BOTH sides of the interaction.
Outside of the Wasteland, CVC in 3.0 is very limited, and even inside the Wasteland the OK Check-in System trumps all unwanted CVC. All major CVC requires Consent in 3.0, but even outside of the Wasteland there are some opportunities for things like Larceny and unattended item theft.
We use the Survival Ethos System (SES) during our games and have the first chapter of the Red Ledger in the network in our game, introduced at our last National event, Dead Man’s Hand. We even have a fancy new Red Ledger BUY LIST here in Texas. Half of our site is Wasteland, and we’ve certainly tried to provide outlets for this style of play in DR.
Before you sign up for SES this game, make sure to ask yourself: am I okay with ALL CvC that I might experience this weekend, even if it’s from a player that doesn’t normally attend my game?
We might have a “armed and polite” society in Bravado, one that embraces casual violence, and a rough and tumble culture, but just because you are okay with the CVC risks during a normal game doesn’t mean you’ll enjoy all the CVC risks at a National event.
Maybe don’t leave that folder of blueprints or Brass unattended this game. Carry that Supply Bag a little closer. Use the OK Check In System early, especially for aggressive roleplay scenes or shouting. Be careful provoking that in-character argument that could turn bloody with folks you don’t know. Make sure you are familiar with the Laws of Bravado, so you don’t end up on the wrong side of a pair of Law Dog Manacles or an Arrest Warrant. Take a buddy with you into the Wasteland. Make sure your weapon is close by at night, especially if you sleep in a Wasteland cabin. (But honestly, with crazy Lifers and Grandfather Nichols about, that’s just good advice ALL the time…)
We’ve taken a few extra steps to make sure this part of the game is enjoyable for everyone:
I wrote a LOT about better CVC and understanding the rules. Seriously, the best thing you can do is to actually READ THE RULES FOR CVC. Many people have a lot of misunderstanding when it comes to CVC, and it’s mainly not understanding the rules.
We’ve provided in-game Artisan, Culinary, and Agricultural crafting zones that are NOT in the Wasteland on our camp, and ALL of our climate-controlled cabins are outside of the Wasteland. You don’t have to enter the Wasteland if you don’t want to.
Our SES List will be posted at the General Store after check-in, so you know which characters have given enthusiastic consent for CVC interactions.
Our Guides will be available throughout the weekend of CVC interactions, so when in doubt grab a Guide before you start that scene.
Shared Spaces
We are a community that LARPs together. The responsibility to prevent the spread of any disease rests with each of us.
All players attending DR:TX events, including PYROCLASM, must show either proof of Covid-19 Vaccination or a negative Covid test result from within 72 hours prior to the event start. You can email those to info@dystopiarisingtx.com. You will also need to sign agreement to this policy and agreement to our liability waiver before entering play. You only need to do this once!
Read our full Covid-19 Policy here
However, we still have some expectations of these shared spaces at a National Event. To that end:
Don’t come to game if you don’t feel well, or have recently been exposed to someone who is ill. We have non-attending tickets, and can switch your attendance if you need to cancel due to illness. Don’t risk your or your fellow player’s health just to attend game.
To your comfort level, we encourage you to bunk with your household or regular groups. We have many open-air cabins available, though the Texas climate means we will still have indoor and weatherized cabins available as well.
Make sure to eat, drink, and sleep during the event. Self Care starts with good behaviors like hydration and making sure to listen to your body.
Take reasonable hygiene precautions including washing hands and showering. Camp Kachina has installed a very nice shower facility near the Dining Hall. And uh, keep your fluids to yourself.
Use and discard makeup applicators instead of touching makeup sticks directly. We will keep many extra foam wedges and plates at our makeup station in Ops. We will be using more makeup that you can dispense onto a separate palette (liquid colors etc) instead of the mehron sticks.
Bring your own tattered zed and dark colored NPC clothing for NPC shift if you can! We will allow the substitution of your own post-apoc clothing for our simplest NPC roles to prevent unnecessary clothing swapping. We also will be washing soiled clothing throughout the weekend.
Post Office Expectations
With more folks comes some different expectations at the Post Office. This might not be your hometown Public Works, but we think we’ve built a really efficient system for helping players with all their item card needs. We’ve pre-printed some common item cards like Rover’s Tea and Crystal Candy, we’re working on new illustrated card versions of our Faction Buy List items, and we are updating our Bulletin Board that sits outside the window at the PO. We strive to get better each game, and we definitely appreciate your feedback and patience!
Most importantly, expect longer lines than usual at the Post Office during game and at check-in. We can do a lot to help mitigate this, but it WILL HAPPEN. Please remember that our Guides are volunteers, and be kind.
Plan around it if you can. If you have a big player event coming up, it might be worth it to delay that trip to the Post Office until later. Look for moments where the line is nonexistent if you can, and make sure you have a water bottle or snack handy if the line is longer.
Let’s talk about some big things to expect:
The Post Office is going to be busy, especially during check-in. The biggest time saver you can do is to PRE REG! If you get your ticket early, this lets us have your character sheet pre-printed to save you time in line.
We have a Bulletin Board posted outside of the Post Office that lists all the Skills that you might need to use in the game. This can save you a trip through the line if all you need to do is plan out a Criminal Influence purchase, for instance, or remember what the rules for that gathering skill does.
We will have copies of our “DR:TX Mostly Correct Cheat Sheet” available to help with rules questions at check-in, and in the General Store.
Our STs will be limiting mechanics that require a trip to the Post Office for this game (like Supply Orders or Zones of Mechanics), and we will have pre-printed disease pamphlets to describe the effects of Necrophage available. Research mechanics for the event will be kept self-contained through the Library in the General Store, and we are striving to avoid any additional stress on the PO through our ST team.
If you have items in LIT Inventory, PLEASE EXPLICITLY ASK FOR A LIT ITEM LOG during Check-In. These LIT Inventory sheets will be printed for folks that request it with items in their online inventory during check-in, and you will be able to mark transactions off your totals on the sheet. At the end of the game, you can simply turn in this sheet to record your item uses. If you can use these sheets for your item card needs, this is the BEST way to do so.
We follow the One Job Crafting Policy from the book (p. 174). This prevents one player from taking up too much time at the window, as you need to limit your total crimes against the Post Office in one go.
Players will have some limited ability to remove items from your LIT Inventory that you will need during this event. We will have Joscelyn and Lauren in the Post Office from the hours of 10am - 2 pm on Saturday to help with LIT transactions. Please be kind and patient, as this is one of the most time-consuming tasks the Post Office has to do for a player. Rumor has it, being mean to a Postal Worker is the leading cause of Grandfather Nichols visiting your cabin in the middle of the night…
Sleeping Arrangements
This webpage explains more about the areas of our campsite and what sort of bunks are available. The Camp Kachina site easily sleeps at least 150 folks, plus tents brought by players. All bunks are first-come, first-served, with the exception of the Medical Sleep Cabin where priority should be given to folks who need electricity for CPAP and other machines, or who must be undisturbed during sleep. The medical cabin, labeled The Dogrun/Wigwam on our camp maps, is also a non-combat zone after dark due to the large amount of rocky terrain around this building.
Because we can’t guarantee medical cabin bunks will be available, players who need to sleep out-of-character can get a note on their character sheet at check-in. We recommend placing a sign above your bunk with a green or orange glowstick at night to indicate that you would prefer not to be targeted during nighttime combat and other modules. If you require additional accommodations, there are several hotels and airbnb locations nearby in Belton.
Some cabins have limited access to electricity. Plan to have a battery pack for your phone, or bring a surge protector for multiple devices. Have a plan if power is not available nearby your sleeping areas or crafting zones.
The Kachina bunks have a camp pad or mattress on them, but it’s useful to have a set of sheets or a sleeping bag to use as well. I heartily recommend additional blankets or padding past the mattress, if you can afford the space in your vehicle or packing.
We have limited buildings with AC available, but there is always floor space in the Depot to sleep indoors if it gets too hot or cold. Depending on the weather, Texas can be especially hot, or surprisingly cold.
There are no RVs allowed on the site, and the parking lot does not have a lot of room for larger vehicles. Please plan accordingly.
We will have an NPC shift starting at 3:00 PM on Friday to help with managing the Parking Lot as players arrive. Please follow the directions of the staff to ensure that everyone has a place to park their vehicles. Carpool if you can, or plan to share a ride with a friend!
Tenting Incentives
In order to help ensure that there are enough bunks for the people who need them, we are incentivizing bringing your own tent. Anyone who sleeps in a tent for the weekend will receive the following:
“You don’t know where I sleep, Dr. Nichols…” Once during the Pyroclasm event, you can declare “Never Here”, as per Master Stealth without spending a Resolve or needing the skill. Write this as “TENT ADVANTAGE” on your sheet when used.
1x Mysterious Ore you can pick up at check-in.
1x Basic Faction Buylist Voucher you can pick up at check-in.
50 CAPs written on your sheet at check-in. That’s enough for a full Mind Refresh meal!
You can set up your tent in most areas of the camp but please do not set up in the following areas: The Maw, the Lakeshore, Widow’s Walk, or the Zipline Field. Please mark all tent lines with LED wire or glowsticks or other comparable lighting. Please do not place your tent where it will block paths through the site. If you would like to stay where the main tenting areas are, Delvedown Camp and Anyport are excellent locations.
Vehicles are only allowed on site with specific permission. If you have a particularly intensive tent setup and would like to be able to bring your vehicle on site to setup, please email use at info@dystopiarisingtx.com or talk to Aesa at check-in. All vehicles should be used for drop-off/pick-up only. Please do not drive off the asphalt road and leave room for our U-haul truck to get past.
Kitchen USE
With lots of players comes the need to FEED lots of players. However, the food culture of Bravado is unmatched in the network. We have many players that will have food offered for sale at the game, and there are a few folks organizing meal plans on Facebook already. It’s often easy to find some goodies and snacks for a few Brass, but I recommend planning on having some food just in case these kinds of plans fall through. If you are hungry, please ask someone, and don’t just steal food or drinks from fridges and cabins. We have many folks that will gladly assist, so simply ask!
The Kitchen at the Depot will be crowded, but let’s talk about some commonsense things you can do to prepare yourself for the rush.
Remember, the industrial kitchen located in the Dining Hall requires a Food Handler’s License to use the equipment.
You can email food handling licenses to info@dystopiarisingtx.com.
Storing your food in this fridges and using the microwave is fine without a license. There are limited fridges to store cold items in, so bringing your own ice chests and coolers are a good idea if you have a lot of stuff to store.
Currently, Bell County (where our game site is located) is under a BURN BAN. That means no open burning is allowed on our site, so you’ll need to plan for some other method of cooking than a campfire.
You will need to plan on bringing your own plates, silverware, etc. for meals on site. There are limited access to pots & pans for the folks with food handler’s licenses, but plan according for meal plans with paper plates, cups, and napkins.
Clean up your own trash and dirty dishes immediately. Don’t leave stuff in the sink hoping someone else will clean it up for you. We don’t need the wildlife investigating your leftovers. Plan to clean up after meals and don’t leave it sitting around. Our Safety Guides will be checking on our kitchen use throughout the event as well.
NPC Shifts
This is honestly one of my favorite parts of game. I always have fun playing my character, but it’s always a blast to dress up as the monsters and hunt our friends in the dark. NPC shifts will be loud, and a little chaotic, so it’s important to remember the NPC Shift rules we share at the start of every shift:
It’s everyone’s first game sometime - Be kind to one another. We are going to make mistakes, and it’s the first live game for someone out there. No matter your experience, no matter who you meet in the field, assume it’s their first game and give them the benefit of the doubt, grace when someone makes a mistake, and assume positive intent always!
Future Fun and the NPC Role - As an NPC, you are meant to LOSE. Period. The other characters are the heroes of this story. You don’t “win” at an NPC shift when you kill a character, you “win” when folks are having fun. When you are on shift, your goal is to provide a memorable and fun experience for your friends, so that when it comes time for their turn as a NPC they return the favor and provide that fun in the future.
Everyone Shambles - While it can be fun to be the Big Bad Monster, those bad guys are given context by the minions around them. You’ll get your chance to be that special monster, and we’ll try our best to make sure everyone has that opportunity. So for that reason, everyone, no matter your experience, rank, or preference gets to be a Shambler at some point!
VEGASIA RULES - What happens in Ops stays in Ops. Once you leave the shift, don’t talk about what stuff happened on shift. Save the surprises for later, after the game is over. Make sure you also don’t take any frustrations or challenges from the shift out into the world with you when you leave, and don’t bring it with you when you come to shift.
Clean Up as You Go! - After every fight, clean your space. Disinfect masks, clean up the make stations, and discard any trash that has accumulated. Try to leave your area better than you found it!
That’s it for today folks!
I’ll be posting a few more blog posts this next week, so make sure you are following along on Facebook, and on our website here. We have under two weeks until our event, and we are so excited to have you visit our friendly town of Bravado!
Also, check out some of the new Blueprints we’ve teased this week:
