DR Live

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The Story of Downfall

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Howdy Vados!

It’s Jonathan here with another signature DR:TX Rules Ramble, leading up to the start of our new sixth Season and the first DR Live National Event! This week, I’ll be introducing the story of our upcoming National Event and give some teasers about what to expect when you get to visit Bastion!

Our photos for this post were taken from previous DR:TX events by the talented Lauren Guzaldo.

Testing a new system and earning XP is a great reason to attend Downfall, but some folks want to know a bit more about the story and why their characters might make the trip to the San Saba region. Let’s cover the details below.

THE PREMISE

“Every settlement in the wastes has a similar story – a spark of hope amidst the irradiated wasteland, trying to survive in a hostile environment that is the product of too many nukes, too many raiders and undead, and too much conflict.  Now, a new hope for survival has arrived – a way to cure the threat of radiation.

The Wells Society, a group of Sainthood that survived the fall of the Trade Union, have emerged with a solution — a breed of mushroom that feeds on radiation itself.  With the help of the Grave Mind scholars known as the Servants of the Undying, they have developed the “Liberum Radicalis”, or Glow Shroom, and promise that they can “cure” irradiated areas across the wastes.  In a few short months, the Society claims they can return an area back to a state where crops can grow and new settlements can form, free from the plague of the green glow.

Their first test of the strange blue mushrooms on a large scale has happened at a Fallow Hope fortress called the Bastion of New Dawn.  Built atop the wreck of a massive crashed airship, Bastion has been surrounded by lethal radiation and massive ZOMBIE HORDES that continue to emerge from the destroyed generator at its core and has served as an impenetrable fortress during the recent wars in the area.  The soldiers of the Mustang Loyalists, loyal to the one and only GENERAL MUSTANG, have opened the fortress to new settlers and travelers, with a promise that the radioactive threat is no more.  

With the help of the Wells Society, the first proof of concept for their new mushroom is ready for others to visit, collect spores to take home with them, and see for themselves what the Sainthood have brought forward for the greater good.  Invitations have gone out to every major settlement across the wastes, to visit Bastion and see the revelations of the great work that has been completed, and how it can benefit their own communities.

But their opponents with the Temple of Evolution suggest that the radiation is itself a reason for the survival of so many settlements.  Without the mutation of the Infection, none of the Strains would exist.  What will happen to the Infection that runs in your veins when not constantly bombarded with radiation from the wastelands?  What will happen to the Mortis Amaranthine when the source of its creation is gone and it is allowed to expand unchecked?  Even if the Glow Shrooms are safe, who will control these new fertile lands and decide who will benefit from the homes that are created in the absence of radiation? 

Come and witness the birth of a new era of the wasteland, survive the zombie hordes, and gather the promise of salvation to bring home to your settlements, courtesy of the Wells Society and the Bastion of New Dawn.”

Radiation, Mushrooms, and Zombies? Sounds like a great Dystopia Rising event!

Inspiration & Tropes

For the Downfall story, we have focused on bringing some new elements of Survival Horror to the forefront of the story. In our tradition of Radical Trust, we want to share some of the inspirational bits of media and movie magic that we feel help capture the themes and feelings of our upcoming event. If you are looking for a movie to inspire your role play for this event, here’s a list of our favorites to get ready for DOWNFALL 2024:

  • Horizon Zero Dawn

  • Westworld

  • Minority Report

  • Gremlins

In Horizon Zero Dawn, Aloy is given a choice to restore technology from the ancients, but has to contend with this tech becoming new and terrible weapons in the hands of her enemies. While the glow shrooms could be a powerful way to restore the wasteland, they could lead to dangerous mutations or worse if not properly used.

Similarly, Westworld and Minority Report explore unintended consequences of technology. As a new resource is introduced to the wasteland, so too does the power struggle around new technology. While the glow shrooms can be a powerful tool to help a settlement, new land and new resources means there could be a contest for who gets to claim these new advantages.

The Wells Society can be a valuable ally for your settlement, but the glow shrooms they offer need to be properly cared for, like the movie Gremlins. Just like you wouldn’t feed a strange creature after midnight, it will be important to really research and understand what is being offered. If the players follow the instructions for the glow shrooms it should work well, but we know that they don’t always listen to sound advice.

The Themes of Downfall

Every game in DR:TX has a few themes we want to reinforce in the story. Here’s a few to watch out for during the National Event.

Greater Good vs Individuality

  • While solving a problem of radiation can present a benefit for the greater good across the wastes, as the Mortis is strengthened so does the sense of self fade into nothingness.  The Wasteland is a balance of radiation and death, and picking one or the other could be catastrophic.

Radiation vs the Grave Mind

  • Radiation is a useful tool against raiders and zed alike, offering powerful weapons and a natural enemy to the Grave Mind.  As radiation wanes in danger and the Grave Mind gets stronger, so too does the threat of undead.  If the glow shrooms are truly an answer to radiation, could this even remove the protective elements of the Infection such as quick healing and beneficial mutations?

Faith vs Order

  • The opposing faiths of the Darwin and Fallow Hope are placed in conflict during this story.  Mustang has a solution to help their people with new farmland, new safety, and the ability to help their faction grow.  The radiation leaks from Bastion have been a bane on the nearby settlements, and even the Darwins have precepts against unchecked evolution.  But, the glow shrooms represent the anathema of the Darwin faith, and a way to remove their faith’s holy focus from being a force of survival.

Breaking down the premise

For those that haven’t attended a DR:TX event before, we normally introduce our events with a bit of player-facing content to understand a bit more about what is going on. In the narrative description above, I’ve highlighted a few key points, and I want to make sure you have some context. This premise will introduce a few key concepts, some of the themes of the event, and some of the proper nouns and characters you might need to know for the story.

During this event, we will be running a lot of material inspired by the wonderful DR Live Plot Kit, “Illusions of Civility”. If you want spoilers, you can read ahead on the DR Live website, but our event will still have some surprises in store, even if your own game chooses to run this plot kit.

We’ve put together a longer list of Frequently Asked Questions about Downfall over on our website, but here’s a few of the questions you might have about the story of Downfall.

TL;DR - What’s the story?

A group of Sainthood called the Wells Society wants to share a new resource to help settlements across the Wastes, a mushroom that eats radiation. They’ve invited you to the place called Bastion where they have tested the mushrooms and can show you how they work. If you attend, you can even take some of the glow shroom spores home to share with your home settlement.

When is the game taking place?

DOWNFALL, a four-day event, kicks off on the evening of Thursday, October 10, featuring workshops and social activities. The story begins the morning of Friday, October 11, through the afternoon of Sunday, October 13.

Where is the game being set?

Bastion, a rival settlement near Bravado. While the game will take place on our usual campsite at Bluebonnet Shores, the story is set in a nearby town run by the Fallow Hope soldiers that follow a demagogue leader named GENERAL MUSTANG. Bastion is built on the wreck of a massive airship, and there is plenty of mystery left to explore inside.

Who is General Mustang?

General Mustang was first introduced in the 2.0 book Embers of the Irradiated Wastes (p. 42). They’ve been a powerful NPC in the Lone Star area since the start of DR:TX, and have been tied to a number of machinations over the years. This will be the first time that you can interact with this character in live play!

who is the wells society?

The Wells Society is a new National-level faction that is part of the plotkit Illusions of Civility. They are mostly Sainthood folks that want to help build a better tomorrow for the wasteland through mutual aid and support.

The Wells Society emerged from the vacuum left by the Trade Union’s withdrawal and stands as a testament to the potential for collaboration across diverse factions, each bringing unique perspectives and resources to a shared vision. The Wells Society’s mission goes beyond just survival; it seeks to reclaim and rehabilitate the ravaged earth, fostering conditions where life can flourish anew. You’ve probably heard stories about the Trade Union from 2.0 - this is where the ubiquitous Trade Note comes from after all.

What is at stake?

There’s been a few too many nukes used during our DR events over the years. The Glow Shrooms are a powerful new resource that could help your settlement clean an area of radiation, helping with new farm-able land, clean water, and an area free of irradiated threats. Every town in the wastes could benefit from something like this, provided it works like the Wells Society says it does.

Who else is involved?

There are a few major NPC groups that have a stake in what is happening in Bastion.

  • The Mustang Loyalists are a DR:TX militant faction of the Fallow Hope that follow the leadership of a demagogue named General Mustang. They have claimed the city of Bastion as their own after a recent war, and have deployed a powerful military force into the settlement. They offer safety and security to those willing to swear allegiance to their rule, and have invited settlements across the wastes to their home as part of the Wells Society initiative.

  • The Servants of the Undying are a sect of mostly Natural Ones that worships the Mortis Amaranthine, the Infection, and the role the Mortis plays in the cycle of creation and destruction. In the eyes of the Servants of the Undying, the Mortis is an aspect of existence that should not only be respected and revered, but also propagated and expanded whenever possible. You might have first read about these faction in the 2.0 book, Overgrowth of the Undying (p. 26).

  • The Temple of Evolution sees radiation as the light of truth in a false world created by the Mortis. Under the guidance of Curie Pierre, the Temple of Evolution believes that the Mortis gives the wasteland strength to survive, and it will eventually turn all of creation into a single organism. Free will, individual exceptionalism, and evolution does not thrive in a single organism environment without reason to evolve. You might have first read about these guys in the 2.0 book, Overgrowth of the Undying (p. 96).

what will we be fighting?

It’s a zombie game, so you can expect to face a LOT of zombies. We want to show off as many of the DR Live threats as possible, so you can expect to run into basically any of the undead variants outlined in the Zombie Threat Guide. There will also be the usual array of raiders, cannibals, critters, and your fellow survivors to contend with as well. The primary enemy outside of zombie will probably be other Strain threats, like the Mustang Loyalists.

Why would a player want to attend Downfall?

The easiest answer to this one is that you want to play with the new DR Live rules during a full weekend event. This will be the first National Event to use the new rule set, and one of the first chances you will get to get new blueprints, a special new currency card, and the first chance to build new DR Live gear that you can keep for your characters.

  • Test run your character build. Because the launch of DR Live will also involve a complete character reset, anything you build for this event will be temporary. This is a great time to test out your killer build or try some skills you don’t usually grab. Try out something new like being a psion or try out a new profession before the official launch of the game.

  • You’ll be able to collect a brand new collectable currency - The Wells Society Membership! This unique, foiled currency card will be available at our National Event for the first time ever. If you collect rectangles, you won’t want to miss out!

  • You can buy up to 10 XP for each of your characters. If you have an Advanced Membership, you’ll get the XP boost on all of your characters. This will be a nice way to get a boost of power for your characters before DR Live launches officially.

  • You can keep your gear. Anything you can make, craft, loot, or steal is yours to keep after the event. It’ll be available to use once DR Live launches, but the expiration dates won’t start until then. Get a head start on the new edition and enter armed and prepared for survive the apocalypse!

  • Get a head start on the National Plot Kit. The Illusions of Civility plot kit has been released to every chapter in the network. Your character could be the reason for the glow shrooms to get back to your settlement, or help establish a great connection with the Wells Society in advance.

  • It’s risk free! Even if you lose all your infection, no permanent damage can happen to your character during this event, unless you chose otherwise. If you end up dying your last time or gaining too many fractures, you’ll simply be able to play your character again at the next live event, wounded but whole. If you are worried about losing a favorite PC in the first DR Live game, you’ll be able to test the new system with confidence.

Our storytellers are hard at work crafting fun mods, interesting NPCs, and unique experiences to enjoy while you attend Downfall, but we have three major in-game events that you might want to experience for yourself. We want to share a bit of the uniqueness of the DR:TX experience when you come to visit, and we have some fun events that we think you will enjoy:

The Siege of Bastion

One of our culminating events of the weekend will be a massive fight, in true DR:TX style. Our team loves boffer combat and we really want to test your mettle with the new DR Live rules. You’ll need to survive an intense meat grinder of a fight over several hours, using teamwork, leveraging and rationing your precious Impact Skills to the best of your ability. We want to create a fight that will leave you exhausted and accomplished, and let you make a name for yourself on the battlefield.

morgue collapses & Grave Dives

Do you want to dive into the Mortis to face dangerous undead and help the town avoid a catastrophic morgue collapse? Do you want to try out new Necrology items and procedures for the first time? You can experience the Grave Dives described in the Grave Divers plot kit and A Grave Place books in the live space, and face the terrifying denizens of the Mortis Amaranthine. Grave Heads rejoice, as you can dive in the depths to save the day.

Liquidation Runs

A unique DR:TX experience, you’ll be able to brave the deadly radiation of the Exclusion Zone around Bastion to forage for new scrap and herb, the important glow shrooms, and face challenges as a team against the clock. You’ll face off against several kinetic challenges that can’t be solved by throwing Mind points or Impact skills at the problem. You’ll need to be quick, organized, and efficient to make it out in one piece with your prize, lest the radiation end your run with certain death!

Man, that sounds like a blast!

Why would my character want to attend Downfall?

This is the real important question for quite a few folks. Sure, you can buy a ticket easily enough, but WHY would your character want to travel all this way to see a mushroom? What’s in in for you, after all?

Here’s a few prompts to consider for why your character would attend:

  • A new hope for your settlement. The glow shroom can fix a lot of problems that face most settlements. Simple survival is tough in the wasteland, and being able to clean up important resources like food and water from the threat of radiation would be useful for any settlement. The Wells Society has promised samples of the glow shroom spores for anyone that wants them, and the Sainthood group is a bunch of charitable sorts that don’t even want money.

  • You have an opinion on curing radiation and the Mortis. What the Wells Society has suggested is bound to have some side effects. The Mortis exists in a delicate balance with radiation, and these glow shrooms may stand to create unfortunate consequences that could eventually spread to your settlement. Better see the research for yourself, in a controlled environment, so you can put your unique academic background to the test.

  • It’s all about the rectangles, baby. A new settlement opening their doors means new money to be made for the canny traveler that can make the trip. New blueprints, new gear, new marks.. ahem, new trade partners, and lots of folks to trade currency with. Plus, if a few things go missing from the Fallow Hope’s pockets, who is going to notice?

  • You’ve heard of dangerous new threats in the wastes and want to make sure your town is ready. In the last few months, the Grave Mind has been churning forth more and more dangerous threats. You’ve heard of deadly raider clans acting with more organization than ever before. If the Mustang Loyalists have some useful tools to help combat this threat, your hometown would benefit from the training and the chance to understand more before it reaches your door.

  • The city of Bastion is a trove of old relics and scrap. The airship that was once known as Waking was powered by a massive steam engine, and the wreck might have some useful treasures hidden inside. Maybe you can find some useful scrap in the radioactive husk to upgrade your ride or help with your most recent science project. The Exclusion Zone is covered in bits of discarded crazy future metal, steel, and other important metals for those willing to brave a liquidation run into the dangerous irradiated wasteland.

  • It’s a matter of faith. For the Darwins, a group of Fallow Hope claiming to have a cure for radiation sounds suspicious at best. There’s no better person than you to make sure these folks don’t leave a bad name for your religion. For the Fallow Hope, curing radiation sounds like exactly what the Lord Commander inspired their followers to do. This could be a new weapon in your arsenal against the hated Hellfire. For everyone else, your faith might have an opinion on what the Wells Society has offered. New farmland sounds great for the Sainthood and Tribes, but reducing suffering in the wastes sounds like something a Final Knight needs to have a say on. Maybe you want to make sure the hospitality of a neighbor is respected as a Nuclear Family, or you just want to show those Fallow Hope a good time through song or sin. Regardless of your particular faith, there’s plenty of reason to want to travel to Bastion.

  • You have a score to settle. General Mustang and the Loyalists have been a threat to the Lone Star for quite some time. They have been an enemy of Bravado for years and have only really recently buried the hatchet with their nearby rival. Getting invited behind enemy lines is a great time to get a bit of reconnaissance done, find out more about how the Loyalists function, and get a first set of eyes on what has changed inside Bastion. Or if you don’t have a grudge against the Loyalists, maybe you are more concerned about the connections between the Wells Society and the Trade Union and need to understand more about where they came from.

There’s so many reasons and more to attend DOWNFALL, and we hope you will join us in October for the first chance to experience the story in person!

wrap up

That’s it for today Vados! We have a lot planned for the next few weeks as we lead up to the start of our new season and the first DR Live National Event. Next week, we will cover some changes you can expect to see in our upcoming Season 6, and we will be continuing our Downfall coverage up until the event in October on our Downfall Blog.

You can purchase tickets for our DOWNFALL event today! Will you outrun the dead, or join them?

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DRL: Where to Start

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Howdy Vados!

It’s Jonathan here with another signature DR:TX Rules Ramble, leading up to the start of our new sixth Season! This week, I’ll be breaking down how and where you can get started on understanding the new edition of our game, DYSTOPIA RISING LIVE!

Our photos for this post were mostly taken from the DR Live website, with permission. You can find the artist accreditation for each of these pieces inside the front cover of the books.

A living Rule book

If you’ve had a chance to visit our Most Improbable partners at the Dystopia Rising Live website, you can find the complete listing of the available source books for the next edition, handy dandy download links, and a timeline of when to expect the next books in the series. Michael, Catie, and their whole team are hard at work building content for the new edition, and this is THE place to find the books. They’ve done an awesome job so far, and it’s a lot of neat material.

Unlike previous editions that you downloaded from places like DriveThruRPG or ordered physical copies of the book, this next edition is envisioned as a living rule book. The edition that you can read right now is the BETA version of the rules, and the next major update is due after July 15th. After that, we won’t see a major update until after our October event to allow the team to prepare the stuff we need to run DOWNFALL.

What does that mean?

Well, instead of needing an entire edition update to make changes to the rules, Michael and his team will be able to update the file on this website as those changes happen in real time. Once we launch DR Live, if some rule is found to be problematic or there’s some error we missed, they can just upload a changed book and fix the problem right then and there. No more typos staring you in the face years after the book was printed!

I’ll still strive to have some paper versions of the rules available for our October event, but digital is going to be the way to go for most folks, so you can make sure you always have the most updated version of DR Live.

These books have been updated fairly regularly so far, but as we approach the launch of DR Live those updates will slow a bit to be a bit more seasonal in nature. Once we’ve hosted our DOWNFALL event in October, we can expect to see some updates based on the feedback we provide from that event.

That’s a Lot of Books!

You can find the full list of the books for our new edition that can be downloaded on the Dystopia Rising Live website, found here: DR Live Books. However, that’s a LOT of books.

A common concern I’ve heard is being confused on where to begin, so the main focus of this blog is to help understand a bit about what is in each book, and how important it might be to your game play experience. Luckily, while Michael and the Most Improbable team have prepared a LOT of content for DR Live, you don’t have to read it all at once.

A quick reminder:

  • Pace yourself. This seems like a LOT of content, but it’s not necessary to try to read hundreds of pages at once. You don’t have to binge this content like some Netflix show, and we still have a LOT of time before the DR Live launch. If you don’t want to start into these books right away, that’s okay. No one is judging you.

  • This is the entire new system. Not everything is player side focused. A lot of these books are really meant for the staff so we can run games in the DR Live system, or are super narrow in focus. If it’s not something specific you are involved in, you can probably skip it and read it later.

  • There’s more resources coming. We will have some new guest micro blogs and my traditional Rules Rambles over the next few weeks, and our DR Live Workshops on the Thursday night of DOWNFALL will help you kick start learning the new rules. You’ll also be able to read over several of the blueprints as they are released over the next few months. There will be many more resources to come to help ease this process of learning a new system.

Start Here - The Player’s Guide

The Player’s Guide should be your first stop in your DR Live reading. This is a book you probably shouldn’t skip, but it’s only about 80 pages or so. That’s not nearly as long as core books have been in the past, and it’s a fraction of the size of rule books like D&D or Vampire.

Not only does this book have the full list of Impact Skills, Development Skills, Professions, and more, it also has a lot of the detailed rules for building a character in the new system, as well as the core rules for play.

NOTE: I’ve included some page numbers here, but they may be slightly off as the books are updated next week or in future updates. They should still get you close to where it will be in the book.

  • A lot of the material about experience points, mind, body, resolve, and the core stats of your character start on page 13.

  • There’s some good pages to bookmark - On page 8, you can find a quick reference to building a character and some short descriptions of the strains, lineages, and where to start with a brand new character. There’s also a great table on page 14 that details how much all the skills and professions cost in XP in the new system.

  • Lineages start on page 20. One thing to note is that Infection and Resolve are no longer tied to your Strain, and some of the Lineage abilities have changed. There is a lot of extra content about Strains that used to be in the core book that can now be found in the Strained Ancestry book that I’ll talk about below.

  • Skills start on page 31. These are broken into three categories - Default Skills are ones every starts with like weapon skills and basic lore, Impact Skills are active skills that refresh every 20 minutes out of combat, and Development Skills are most of the crafting and faith skills that use Mind points to fuel their use. I’ll be covering these in detail in a later blog post.

  • Professions start on page 52. These are advanced purchases that require you to meet a few prerequisite of Skills to unlock, but you can only learn three (3) total per character. These will require you to have a bit over 100 XP to unlock, so if you are just starting out you can probably leave this section until last. These are great things to work towards as you play the game, but you don’t have to take a Profession right away. Professions have two brand new Skills each, and don’t require item cards to function like the PFAs of 3.0.

    • There will also be some additional Professions arriving in future books, according to Michael’s posts on the Discord. When these release, you’ll have the chance to rebuild your characters entirely to take the new Professions if you want, but these won’t be coming soon. There’s a whole lot of other books to finish first.

  • The core Combat rules, CVC rules, and Item Card rules start on page 61. This is one of the must read sections in my mind, so don’t skip this part. That’s only 7-8 pages or so, but this is the stuff that you will use every single game.

  • Page 68 introduces the concepts of Fractures and Diseases, but the full rules for these mechanics are in the Guide’s Guide. This is a quick version of the rules, but you can save this part for later if you want.

  • The complete Lexicon is on page 70. This is a list of keywords, mechanics, and more that will come up regularly in the course of the game, now in the rule book instead of hosted on a webpage. This has rules for stuff like Agony, Knockback, Mangle, and even a few Threat Skills that you’ll probably be on the receiving end for. This is a really important section, and definitely one worth bookmarking. This will also continue to expand as the game evolves, so it’s a great place to find the quick reference for all those cool keywords.

I hope this quick breakdown makes it a bit less intimidating to read. You don’t have to read the whole thing in one sitting, and I recommend breaking it up into smaller sections as you go. This should be a book you read a few times if you really want to master the new mechanics, but it’s very streamlined and easy to understand.

Recommended, but Optional - Guide’s Guide

While it’s not entirely required to read this book as a new player, there are some useful parts I’m going to recommend below. A big chunk of this book is directed at your Storyteller and Guides and details a lot about designing stories for DR, building the world, and a lot of setting material.

If you are a staff member, I recommend reading this book entirely, but this can be mostly optional for others.

same page number note as above applies to this one.

Here’s the important stuff to consider if you want to skim the best parts:

  • The Genre and Technology summaries are on pages 7 and 8. This details a look at what to expect in the setting, and it’s a good reminder for your backstories and understanding the limits of the post-apocalyptic setting we share.

  • Anti-Aberrant Mechanics are on page 25. This details some of the disadvantages for being a psion in the world of DR Live, and if you take psionic skills this is worth reading. It’s only two pages, so it’s short and sweet. Psions - know what you are getting into!

  • Fractures are covered on page 52, and Necrology starts on page 54. These cover some common mechanics if you want to explore the Grave Mind, and are worth including in your reading. Grave Heads and Doctors should pay attention.

  • Diseases are covered on page 59, but I’d consider this section a SPOILER if you’d like to instead experience this in person. Doctor and researcher types will probably want to be familiar with this section.

  • Crafting begins on page 74, and this is a super important section if you want to use Development Skills like Artisan and Culinary. Notably, the Travel Buy List is on page 82, and the global Expiration Date list is on page 83. If you are at all interested in Econ in DR Live, you should definitely read this section.

As you can see, most of this book is aimed at the Storytellers. It’s still worth reading if you have a chance, but I only really recommend the whole thing to the members of staff, like Guides and Storytellers.

Recommended, but Not Quite Ready - Strained Ancestry

The released book on the DR Live website is only a Sample, and it covers the DEVOTED Lineage only. This book isn’t quite finished yet, but will be one of the next books to be released for DR Live. This might be ready for our October game, but probably not. There’s a good chance it may be delayed until later.

  • One neat thing about this sample is that it details two new variants of Strains, adding to the one in the Player’s Guide. Each Strain will have a Civilized and Wasteland variant in the future, along with the Common variant in the Player’s Guide.

  • While the Player’s Guide Common variant will be the standard for most players, this will allow you take on additional costuming and role play challenges for your character with a Strain Variant, in exchange for slightly different Strain Advantages. Some even have a mechanical disadvantage, similar to Strains back in 2.0. If you aren’t super interested in the Lineage Advantage for your character in the Player’s Guide, this could open up a LOT of new options to consider instead.

  • This book also includes your first details of the Fall of Man and what exactly started the zombie plague that wiped out the world. This is an AMAZING bit of lore, and I highly recommend reading this part. This is probably the single best bit of new lore that has been released, in my mind.

Save for later - A killer’s Mind

This isn’t actually new. Michael and the team released this one last year for their Dead Waters event, and it details the shadowy organization known as Murder, Inc. I’d consider this book SPOILERS if you aren’t part of this group.

If you are a member of this group, or want to join the murder game, this is a wonderful book to consider reading. If you don’t want anything to do with MI, then you can skip this one entirely. You can always read this one later, and a big part of this book is designed as a sandbox to inspire how each game runs their version of Murder Incorporated.

  • The Rules of Engagement start on page 27. This covers the creed of the masked killers and some important role play tips for your assassin.

  • The Hierarchy of Rank starts on page 30. This details how the organization chooses leaders and the internal hierarchy they use.

Mostly optional - Everything a Grave Head Could Want

The last few books of note that you might want to read concern the mysterious Grave Mind. These books can kind of reveal some of the mystery behind death and dying in the world of Dystopia Rising, so I’d consider them a bit of a SPOILER in general. Some of this stuff is fun to experience for the first time in game, so if you prefer that route, I’d consider these ones Optional.

  • A Grave Place isn’t new, as it was released several months ago. You might have already read this one, but of the two Grave Mind focused books, this is the one I recommend most for optional reading. One cool thing about this book is that it details the Timeline of the Apocalypse and exactly when the zombie plague first began. This is an important book to read if you like the lore of the world, and it details a LOT about the Grave Mind. If you plan on engaging with Necrology at all, this is a must read.

  • The Grave Divers is a organized mostly as a plot kit, and it details what happens when you encounter a Corrupted Morgue. Good thing that won’t happen in Bravado, right? Seriously though, this book should be considered SPOILERS for all but the most engaged with grave plots. If you are the Grave ST, this one is for you. Otherwise, this could be saved for later.

optional, except for staff - Behind the Scenes

These next few books are ones that I would consider SPOILERS, but matching our DR:TX tradition of Radical Transparency, have also been made available to everyone, including players and staff alike. These can provide an important glimpse behind the scenes of Ops and the NPC Shift, but these are entirely optional to read for most players. If you are on Staff, particularly as a Rules Guide or Storyteller, the Zombie and Raider guides should be recommended reading.

  • Zombie Guide - This covers all the Year 1 zombies you can expect to face off against, including new Impact Skills for the monsters, and brand new threats you’ve never seen before. There’s a few more monsters to come — including Aberrant threats and some of the Rank 3 zombies that aren’t included in here yet. If you want combat against zombies to be a bit of a surprise, I’d hold off digging into this one, but this is a great look at the common threats of the DR Live world and what to expect. If you appreciate boffer combat, it could be helpful to consider what the most common threats of the game look like. Zombies have gotten a LOT more dangerous!

  • Banners of Blood, the Raider Guide - This covers all the Year 1 raiders you can expect to face off against, including new Impact Skills, a hint of new raider types, and a LOT of history and lore about where raiders come from. Raiders have been stepped up considerably in difficulty and won’t be the common threat they were in 3.0. These threats are no longer push overs, and when raiders come to town it might be worth considering if you’ll run or hide instead of getting hunted by these fearsome new threats. The lore parts are really neat in this one if you don’t mind SPOILERS.

  • Illusions of Civility - Heavy SPOILERS. This is a Plot Kit that we are starting during our DOWNFALL event featuring a new resource in the wastelands, the Glow Shroom. You can read ahead if you like, but be warned that this covers a lot about the different factions you’ll get to interact with in person during our October Event. This is a bit of a sandbox style plot kit, so we’ll still have some secrets we can share during the national event, but I’d hold off of this one if you want to experience it for yourself. This is aimed primarily at Gamerunners and Storytellers, particularly our DR:TX team for DOWNFALL.

Coming Soon

The last line of books to consider are the easiest choice to exclude from your reading, because they haven’t been released yet! Michael still has several more books planned for the DR Live line up, including the three listed below. I’ve put a few of my guesses below, but these books are still being written so a lot can change.

  • Apocalyptic Control - This book will cover Factions that are national in scope, with organizations and subgroups across the wasteland. I’d expect we will see more about folks like the Trade Union, the Ottoman Institute, the ARK Society, the Red Ledger, and other similar large-scale factions. The exact list of what will be in this book is unknown, but you can probably expect to see groups like the Wells Society, the Servants of the Undying, and the Temple of Evolution from the Illusions of Civility plotkit in here as well.

  • Illicit Business - This is meant more as a companion to the Murder Inc. book released last year, and will delve more into the Criminal side of things, like the Dead Market and all the various organizations and materials needed to understand the shadier side of life in the wasteland. This will be a must read for Criminals once it releases.

  • Devotion & Faith - This is the book that will cover each of the various faiths of the wasteland, detailing their history, lore, tenets, subfactions, and all the various cults you might find in the world. This is probably going to be a much-anticipated book, as we have a lot of players that are super excited about Faith in our games.

    • If your character is a Priest or member of one of the many faiths of DR, this will be a must read. I’d consider this one as important as Strained Ancestry when it comes out, and I’ll probably be one of the 3 books I recommend to new players in the future.

    • The DR Live books don’t have a lot about faiths inside, unfortunately. To help out, I’ve created a list of the current documentation for faiths on our DR:TX website, that you can read for yourself. I’ve listed out the descriptions, tenets, and subfactions from the two most recent books, so this is a great stand-in resource until this book is published.

    • Read more about Choosing a Faith in DR Live

Wrap Up

That’s it for today, Vados!

I hope this has been a useful resource for your exploration of the DR Live mechanics. By next week, we should have the most recent update to the Player’s Guide and other DR Live materials, so I’ll be able to start into our blog series on the major parts of the new edition. I’ll be helping out with a deep dive into stuff like Impact Skills, Professions, and more.

Take a look at our Downfall website for more information, including a plot synopsis, an FAQ, site information, and more!

Don’t miss out on your chance to be one of the first to experience the DR Live rules in a weekend-long event during out October game, DOWNFALL! If you pre-register by August 30th, you’ll unlock some cool extra items and swag!

The Power of Feedback

Howdy Vados!

It’s Jonathan here with another signature DR:TX Rules Ramble, leading up to the start of our new sixth Season! This week, I’ll be covering some useful tips for leaving better feedback, both for games you attend here in Texas, or as part of the global DR Live process that’s happening right now!

Our photos for this post were taken from previous DR:TX events by our talented Photo Team, including Max Pohlmeier, Lauren Guzaldo, Sidney Betzina, and Jason Dumas.

Feedback on dR LIve is now open!

While the rest of the country was getting ready to celebrate July 4th, our Network Support Team was hard at work releasing the next edition of our game, Dystopia Rising Live. This is a BIG project, and it includes multiple books that make up the new edition. Over on the National DR Discord, they’ve started a section for feedback on the new edition where you can share your thoughts, praise, and concerns about the new edition. It’s a very neat opportunity to have a say in the rules and offer suggestions for improvement.

The following books will be available to read and provide feedback on:

  • Player’s Guide

  • Guide’s Guide

  • Sample Zombie & Raider Threats & Support Materials

  • A Global Plot Kit - "Illusions of Civility"

  • A World Kit - The Grave Divers

  • A sample from the book in progress "Strained Ancestry" which includes how strain variants work (with the Devoted written as a sample).

Feedback will be closing for the first round of player-driven feedback on July 15th, so you only have about a week left to get in your messages. After that, Michael Pucci and the Network team will be hard at work helping us get content ready for our national event in October, DOWNFALL! There will still be opportunities to provide feedback on the Discord, but they won’t be making any further changes to the books until after our October event.

The Network Team has been really responsive to messages on the Discord, and they’ve already made some significant changes to the rules based on direct player feedback and discussion. Here’s a short list of just some of the recent changes:

Player Feedback Changes

  1. Update to Faith skills to provide more AoE impact as well as a way to spend more to target individuals not of the same faith.

  2. Rewording for clarity A La Menthe

  3. Addition of basic creature type identification to “Basic Wasteland Lore”

  4. Addition of in character language to determine how much someone needs to be healed with Basic Medical (not total numbers)

  5. Update of Line of Sight to 50 feet

  6. Adjustment to Life for a Life to reduce total potential infection loss and making the timing scope for when the roll needs to be done more adaptable to the scene

  7. Adjusted mechanics for Interfere to provide a short protection to the Target of interfere

  8. System for new player (not new character) improved initial experience points

  9. Rewrite on the Cerebral Scourge disease

  10. Massive improvement for Piercing Strike

  11. Corrected content to updated design that Resolve is not what is lost every time someone is damaged in Mortis scenes, but it is used in Zones of Mechanics specific to Mortis

  12. Adjustment on defenses on Ground Shatter

  13. Addition of a limited research lore ability in addition to the specific questions option provided by Master Education

  14. Removal of the 25% XP loss on character XP carries from character to character, as long as all blueprints, item cards, resources, and currency are turned over. The XP loss was a mechanics fix for what was a “bad apples” issue. The xp loss is removed, games will treat people who do not turn in materials as cheating.

As you can see, there’s been some great changes based on player discussion and preference, and there’s still more coming. If you feel up to the challenge and have feedback on the new books, we encourage you to speak your mind and participate in the conversation.

With that feedback in mind, we’d like to share some of our best practices for how to give better feedback and some suggestions for improving how it will be received.

How to Give Better Feedback

While our team at DR:TX strives to present a great game, full of story, horror, and action, we love to hear from our players after each event. We love to hear if you experienced something really amazing, exciting, or tragic happen at game, because we want to make more of the content you love and enjoy. Conversely, if there is something you did not enjoy, or something which needs to be addressed, we would really like to hear about that too.

  • After each event, or just whenever you feel like it, you can submit your feedback to the Admin team on our official DR:TX Feedback Form. This is a free form submission that goes right to our inbox, so we can respond to it in a timely manner.

  • If you are participating in the DR Live Feedback, you’ll want to submit your comments and conversations at the National Discord. You can chat in the #dr_live-discussion channel, and you can submit your individual posts via the #itemized-dr-live channel. Make sure you check the channel for open topics, as another player may have already started a thread on your feedback topic!

  • For DR Live feedback, remember to include a page number and book name (such as the Player’s Guide or Guide’s Guide) of where the topic is referencing, so you can help others follow on on your feedback. It’s also help to check the books first to see if the answer is in there before asking your question or submitting feedback. You might find the answer is in another book like the Guide’s Guide or a setting book like Grave Places.

With these two places for feedback submissions in mind, let’s talk about a few ways you can improve the feedback itself.

  • Good feedback is smart

You might have heard this acronym for feedback - S.M.A.R.T. This goes way back to an article by George Doran in the November 1981 issue of Management Review. This simple but useful framework for organizing feedback reminds you to consider several important points before you begin. I’ve found this to be a help tool in my day job, and I think you can apply it well to DR feedback too!

  • S - Specific

    • Be specific, and not too generalized or vague. Provide evidence to support your feedback and include any necessary details that might be useful.

  • M - Measurable, or measured

    • Decide how you could measure the success or define how to proceed with your feedback, and this is especially important for constructive feedback. What does a resolution look like, or how could they improve or fix the problem?

  • A - Actionable, or achievable

    • Be realistic and offer attainable feedback given their skills, resources, and constraints. Make sure it’s something they have some control to fix, and something that can actually be resolved or addressed.

  • R - Relevant

    • Stay on topic and narrow the feedback to the more important parts. Try to avoid too many topics at once and stick to the most important bits of feedback.

  • T - Timely, or time-based

    • Give the feedback as soon as possible and set a clear and specific timeframe for followup. Be understanding that a response to feedback might not happen right away, especially after an exhausting DR event or pages and pages of online feedback.

As I cover below, this isn’t the only thing to consider while giving feedback, but it can be a great place to start. Here’s some basic ways to apply this framework to DR feedback, and with a few other suggestions outside of the SMART framework.

  • Good feedback is Specific

It’s easy when giving feedback to default to generic, broad statements. Try to avoid broad and unspecific words like “always”, “usually”, “everyone” and “never”. When you can use personal statements like “I feel” or observations like “This is what I saw or read”, you can speak from your own perspective instead of a vague concern that might lead to your feedback being dismissed. Instead, stick to the specific facts and feelings that impacted YOU directly to describe the situation. How does that rule or situation impact you, or how did it make you feel?

Be careful about assuming the ‘bandwagon’ approach, and assuming that everyone else shares your opinion on that rule. Try to stay away from terms that assume others have the same experience, like "everyone has said", “everyone had this experience” or "everyone does". Own your own feedback, speak for yourself and let others speak for themselves.

Before giving DR Live feedback consider if the feedback you are giving is a mechanical issue, a preference, or something specific to our game. If it is a preference, please think about what style of play you engage with and express how the feedback interacts with that style of play. This means being receptive to new ideas and different opinions. Often, there is more than one way of doing something and others may have a completely different viewpoint on a given topic. You may learn something worthwhile, as there are a lot of different games out there!

  • Good feedback is balanced

While we want to hear all of your feedback, it’s important provide us with feedback regarding the things you like as well as the things you didn’t like. It’s easy to point out mistakes and problems, but don’t forget to include all the things you enjoy as well. When you balance the feedback with good feedback and constructive feedback together, you can help maintain the self-esteem of our writers and staff, and help make sure they can appreciate the nuances of your topic. If all you post is negative or constructive feedback, it can lead to challenges with getting heard on the feedback.

It’s okay if you want to offer advice or ways to improve — we want to hear ways we can make your experience better. But don’t forget the human beings behind the game and behind writing the new DR Live system. We love this game just as much as you do, and a little kindness goes a long way. We want to hear about what you like about the new system just as much as they want to hear your suggestions for fixing the spots you don’t like.

  • good feedback is actionable

The best feedback not only lets us know how you felt about a rule, a situation, or an experience, but it also offers a suggestion for how we could improve, or a way to fix the problem. One strategy is to open by stating the behavior in question, then describing how you feel about it, and ending with what you want. Don’t stop with just the part you want to see different, but think about how it could be fixed in way that would feel good to you or others.

For DR Live feedback, try to include examples to illustrate your statement. How would you fix that problem, or what is a resolution that would solve the problem? What could be an alternative action that would produce a different alternative result? Offering alternatives rather than just giving advice can also allow the receiver to decide what to do with your feedback.

  • Good feedback is realistic

Feedback should focus on what can actually be changed. It can be frustrating for staff or players to get comments on something over which they have no control. Remember, other player’s behavior is rarely that consistent, or it may not be something that we have control to change. Try to focus on ways that we can respond to your feedback in a practical way. We will always strive to control what we can control, but we need to be realistic about big changes. It may not be possible to make that change, or go back in time to fix the mistake.

For DR feedback, also consider the scope of your request. With a lot of the books mostly finished, will that suggestion mean rewriting dozens of blueprints or updating multiple books with the change? Consider if your suggestion would require rewriting whole sections of the book or designing brand new skills from scratch. If so, it may be harder to implement that kind of feedback before our event in October. Additionally, consider if this is something that can be solved by a local rule that we implement in Texas, or is it something that needs to change in the global rules?

  • good feedback considers tone

One big challenge of providing feedback is that written communication loses most of the tone and body language that makes up over 90% of our communication. When we have a conversation in person, a lot of those subtle cues can help us understand the tone and emotions of the person we are talking to and written text has none of that easily included!

People tend to respond best to feedback that’s candid, empathetic, supportive, encouraging, constructive, and respectful. By contrast, most people respond worse to feedback that’s interpreted as sarcastic, cruel, accusatory, condescending, disrespectful, pessimistic, or patronizing. It’s important that you let the person you are providing the feedback to know that your feedback comes from a place of caring and not one of judgment or anger. For example, especially critical feedback might be best delivered in person, where tone can be more thoughtfully regulated.

Always start with the assumption that folks are trying their best. Assuming — or worse yet, saying or writing — things in a negative way is a lose-lose scenario.

Responding to feedback

If you engage on the Discord for the DR Live feedback, you might eventually get a response from one of the Network Support team or even other players. If you send in feedback to our Feedback Form, you’ll eventually get a response from one of our team with followup questions or comments on your feedback. When that happens, you’ll have an opportunity to respond to that feedback yourself!

Here’s a few helpful tips for when the feedback is directed your way:

  • Actually READ (or listen to) the feedback given. This means not interrupting, assuming, or skipping to the end to make your comment. Hear the person out, read the whole response, and think about what they are really saying, not what you assume they will say or inferred from their writing. You can absorb more information if you are concentrating on listening and understanding rather than being defensive and focusing on your response.

  • Understand the message. Make sure you understand what is being said to you, especially before responding to the feedback. Ask questions for clarification if necessary. Listen or read actively by repeating key points so that you know you have interpreted the feedback correctly. In a group environment, ask for others’ feedback before responding. As well, when possible, be explicit as to what kind of feedback you are seeking beforehand so you are not taken by surprise.

  • Consider your response before you hit send. Read over your response before you hit ‘send’. How would you read that if it was directed at you? The National Discord has a time delay to allow you to think about a response before you can even send another message, and this can help create a better discourse rather than just one person dominating the conversation with quick, successive messages. Assess the value of the feedback, the consequences of using it or ignoring it, and then decide what to do because of it. Your response is your choice. If you disagree with the feedback, consider asking for a second opinion from someone else.

  • Be open and non-judgemental. This means being receptive to new ideas and different opinions. Often, there is more than one way of doing something and others may have a completely different viewpoint on a given topic. Other games may be smaller, or have entirely different experiences with that mechanic or story. Remember, DR:TX is one of the largest games in the network, and we often have a much different culture than some of the other games across the network.

  • Concentrate on the behavior or feedback, not the person. One strategy is to open by stating the topic in question, then describing how you feel about it, and ending with what you want. Avoid personal attacks against the person, and instead focus on the content of their feedback and suggestions. Can you find any places you agree, or what are they really trying to get across? Remember that they are people too, and they love this game as much as you do.

  • It’s a dialogue, not a monologue. Ultimately, your comments are part of a broader, ongoing conversation with the other players in Dystopia Rising —not your one chance to get everything across. You need not say everything that you’d like to, either positive or negative. You can even offer other players the chance to talk to you directly via instant message or chat about further questions they might have.

wrap up

That’s it for today, Vados!

It is an exciting time for the next edition of our game! While the formal launch of DR Live is still on the horizon, our event in October will be the first time you can experience the rules for yourself over a weekend event. We will have some fun workshops on Thursday of our event, as we continue into the extra-long game that starts Friday morning!

Take a look at our Downfall website for more information, including a plot synopsis, an FAQ, site information, and more!

With the end of the first round of player feedback, we are at a point where the rules are stable enough to start digging a bit deeper. Over the coming weeks, we will be sharing a series of Rules Rambles on the next edition, in short, bite-sized bits of content that will help you further understand the new rules. Our goal is to arm you for the October event with the information you’ll need to understand the rules and be able to dive into the DR Live experience!

See you next week!

Dystopia Rising Live

Howdy! It’s Jonathan here with an important Summer update! We are still hard at work on preparing our next season and will have our team selection announcements soon. But, for now we have a special announcement about the next edition of our game, Dystopia Rising Live!

On Monday, July 1st, at 1:00 PM CST, we will be launching our tickets for the upcoming National DR event hosted by Texas, Downfall 2024! We are super excited to share further details about our event on our brand new homepage, which you can find below. You can find updated information if you will be traveling to our event, a synopsis of the story you can expect, and an introduction to the setting for the event, the Fallow Hope fortress of BASTION.

DR Live beta Rules released!

Additionally, Monday is also the release of the Beta DR Live rules, and you can finally read through the new edition for yourself! This will be the rule set we use for the National event in October, so you have plenty of time to catch up on how it all works. I’ll also have a series of blog posts over the next few months introducing the new system in my classic Rules Ramble style.

The majority of the DR Live Books will be released to the public on July 1st, 2024, with the Blueprint Sample List following soon.

You can download the new books on the Dystopia Rising Live website.

The following books will be available to read, with feedback to follow at a later date:

  • Player’s Guide

  • Guide’s Guide

  • Sample Zombie & Raider Threats & Support Materials

  • A Global Plot Kit - "Illusions of Civility"

  • A World Kit - The Grave Divers

  • A sample from the book in progress "Strained Ancestry" which includes how strain variants work (with the Devoted written as a sample).

We recommend starting with the Player’s Guide, but Michael Pucci has echoed our DR:TX tradition of Radical Transparency by making ALL of the books available to read for EVERYONE, including a sample threat guide. While we sometimes conceal certain elements of the threats until you encounter them in game, you’ll get to see for yourself that dangers that you will be facing in October. This is very cool, and we are so excited for a new edition.

Important Considerations for a new edition

Before you get started with the reading, let’s cover a few of our suggestions for the new edition to set proper expectations.

The is not the official launch of DR Live, just an early look

While we will be running the first ever DR Live event, this won’t be the launch of the new rules across the network. We will still have several events using the 3.0 Rules, starting with our season opener in September, THE FALL OF THE SAN SABA BOARD. While we hope that the official transition to the new edition comes soon, we want to make sure we are ready for the change!

Preparing for Change

A new edition is very exciting, but it can also be a LOT. You don’t have to read this right away, and I’ll be working on a series of DR Live Blog Posts to share some of the changes, dive into some important Rules You Should Know, and help provide some context in the style you’ve come to know and love. But, with change comes some uncertainty too. It’s okay to be unsure of the new rules, or to worried about a new rule set. While the new edition does bring some big changes, I’ve been working on feedback on this edition since early this year and I’m so very excited to share why I think this is the best edition of Dystopia Rising yet!

Read First, and Write Down Your Questions

It’s exciting to read all the new rules, but I encourage you to actually READ the content that has been released as much as possible. Many of your questions may actually be answered in the book, so you may find the answer to your question as you read ahead.

We recommend starting with the Player’s Guide, as this will be where you reference most of the rules for your characters. You’ll find all the details there about Skills, Professions, and how to build a character. There’s a lot of detailed info about item cards, Fractures, and Diseases in the Guide’s Guide, but this is mainly a peek behind the curtain on how to run an event. If you want to keep a few surprises for yourself into the new edition, the Threat Guides and the National Plotkit may have some spoilers if you decided to take a look.

If you encounter something that you don’t understand, jot down a note on a piece of paper or in your Notes app on your phone or tablet, so we can help answer any questions you may have.

Ask Questions!

We already have some Discord channels set up on our DR:TX Discord for discussion on the DR Live rules, so we can already start fielding your questions. We will have some upcoming Discord hangout events as well, giving you a chance to ask your questions directly to us, and we will do our best to answer any concerns you have. Once the National Feedback opens up, you’ll even be able to share your constructive feedback on the National DR Discord in the coming months.

official FEEDBACK HASN’T STARTED YET

Michael and his team are planning on opening up official feedback channels in the near future, but for now we’d like you to really take time to absorb the new material and take notes. We’ve done a few passes of the books at the Director and Owner levels, and while we’ve caught most of the typos and layout issues, there might still be a few mistakes in the books. If you notice something you’d like to suggest changes for, take some notes and prepare for the announcement of when these feedback channels go live. I’ll have a blog post soon about some ways to craft effective feedback, so stay tuned!

Don’t try to rebuild your 3.0 character exactly, but capture the vibes instead!

The new edition has some dramatic changes to how you build your character. Because basically everything about skills has changed, every person will get to rebuild their character from scratch once the new edition arrives, using your entire pool of XP to re-imagine your character in the new world of DR Live. This means you can complete reset your character, including Infection, Resolve, and you can even take some different Professions or psionic skills!

I’d like to share probably my most important advice: Don’t try to simply recreate your character skill-for-skill in the new edition.

This was a learning lesson some folks learned the hard way during the transition from 2.0 to 3.0. Not every skill or profession made it into the new edition, so some stuff you used to be able to do will be different. Additionally, because some of the XP costs have changed, you might find it difficult to have every single skill you had in 3.0.

Instead, try to think of the core identity of your character, and what is most important to you. Are they a frontline soldier and want to invest into Impact Skills? Do you want to try your hand at crafting with the new easier to access Development Skills? Do you want to try a balance of both? There are loads of brand new skills, brand new abilities, and brand new professions. Instead of trying to recreate it exactly, try to capture the essence of what you want to do in the new edition instead.

Try something new!

A new edition is a perfect time for a BIG change for your character. Maybe it’s time to dust off that extra character you’ve been saving for a rainy day, or pick a brand new goal for your current character. Is it time for your character to have a crisis of faith and explore a different religion? Have you suddenly awake psionic potential you never knew you had? Maybe you have a new backstory update in mind for the new edition, or want to consider a new crew? Part of embracing the change of the new edition is going to be embracing that change with your characters as well. Don’t be afraid to try something new!

Five Cool Things to Look For in DR Live

As you get ready to dive into the new edition, here’s a few things I recommend looking for:

Impact Skills are awesome!

You no longer use Mind points to fuel your combat skills like Avoid or Break. Instead, you buy ‘uses’ of the skill that refresh every 20 minutes outside of combat. This means that you’ll be able to do that neat combat trick EVERY single combat. You won’t have to make the hard decision between using an Avoid to stop that big hit or saving the mind for making a crafted item later. This also really mimics the NPC experience as well, so it’ll be a great way to learn the new rules as you play the threats during your NPC shift.

Less Arbitrary Restrictions

The previous edition has some rules like limiting new Professions to one every 6 months, or requiring you to build expensive equipment before your PFA did anything at all. In 3.0, you couldn’t buy a Proficient ability until you had spent a number of XP, but now all of that has changed. The only restriction is how much XP you have - this means that even a brand new player can unlock a Master Developmental skill using only their starting points! And once you’ve purchased the right skills to unlock your chosen Profession, you’ll simply be able to learn it from an in-game teacher. No Action Request needed.

New Profession Skills

There are some crazy new abilities that you can unlock with a Profession. While you will be limited to three total choices of Professions, they now do a LOT more. Each Profession has two core skills tied with it, giving you some BIG abilities that can completely shift a combat in your favor, or unlock brand new ways to use your skills.

More Dangerous Threats

If you thought that DR was a bit too easy, you are in luck. Each of the threats, even Shamblers, have gotten a major glow up, adding brand new abilities and dangerous new attacks. There are even some brand new types of enemies to encounter, including scary Apocalyptic Threats! These new threats really bring the survival horror theme of Dystopia Rising back in style, and now you’ll need to be tactical about how you engage with monsters in the world. Make sure to bring a friend, ‘cause it’s dangerous to go alone!

Necrology!

There are a lot of new ways to interact with the Grave Mind, including brand new Necrology items. This is a whole new branch of crafting that can only be done INSIDE the Grave Mind. You’ll be able to descend into the Mortis Amaranthine to unlock this new level of crafting, as well as creating using new procedures, gizmos, and more. There are even GRAVE DIVES, that can result in encountering the most dangerous types of enemies, the WAHEL class-threats.

The future is so bright, you gotta wear shades!

Wrap Up

That’s it for today, Vados! We can’t wait to hear what you have to say about the new edition, and we are so excited to reveal more about our upcoming National event. I wrote a LOT of stuff for our new Downfall webpage, so check it out — you might even find a few surprises!

Tickets for the National event are on sale now, so don’t miss your chance to try out the new DR Live system in person, right here in Texas! See you soon, Vados!