The DR Live Transition
Howdy Vados!
In February 2025 we will be completing the transition to a brand new rule set, Dystopia Rising Live. This edition is a complete reset of our game mechanics, so that means that the biggest challenge facing us is transitioning every character and item into the new rules. Let’s cover a bit how this is going to go, and prepare you for the game in February.
Where to Start?
The best place to start is to actually READ THE BOOK. I know, sorry.
However, there are many, many books released for this new edition, so it can be a bit overwhelming. I’ve prepared a guide on Where to Start, detailing what book to read first, and what each book offers that might be worth reading. I’ll have many Rules Rambles on Dystopia Rising Live planned for the future, but for now it will be helpful to actually read the books to get ready for February.
TL;DR, focus on the Player’s Guide first, as it covers most of what you need to play the game and build your character.
The Basics
Everyone gets to rebuild their character from scratch. You get all the XP to use as you want, and you can rebuild every bit of your character, including Strain, Faiths, etc. This is a great time to make some changes to your character, start a new chapter of your story, or just make a new character for the new edition. We have some fun story reasons for big changes, but it’s always great to get a fresh start!
Every character will gain 50 XP to start, on top of any XP you had from 3.0. In the new edition, you earn 10 XP per game for your first 10 events, so you’ll quickly build up a pool of XP to use for your character. If you attended Downfall, you’ve already received this bonus XP.
Item cards will be swapped out to DR Live versions. The only items that won’t be changed over are Scrap, Herb, and Currency. We will have some more details on how to swap items as the Blueprints get released publicly. We won’t be using the new DR Live cards until we run out of our existing cards, but we plan on using stickers to quickly swap your existing cards over to the new rules.
You won’t be able to make your character exactly as it was in a previous edition. Not only are the rules for stuff like Skills different, some former professions and skills no longer exist in the new edition. Instead, we recommend trying to focus on the CORE CONCEPT of your character, and build around that. You’ll be able to freely rewrite your character over the first few DRL events, so don’t worry — if you want to make changes later you can!
We will be hosting several “Character Creation Nights” on Discord as we get closer to the February game. My team and I will be available to answer all of your questions about the new system and to offer advice on building your characters. Come hang out on Discord and get an early start for February!
Check in to the February Event (and Buy a Ticket!)
Registration for our February event, “Cradle’s Lullaby” is now OPEN!
If you are an existing player from 3.0, the first thing you need to do is to CHECK IN to the first DR Live event. Because the rest of the network is switching over to the new system over the next 4 months, there’s a bit of homework you’ll need to do to get ready.
Basically, if you didn’t attend our preview event DOWNFALL, you’ll need to get a “Experimental Slot” created to start building your character. I’ve written a guide for exactly how to do this, but it will take about 12 hours or so to process. Be patient!
For this event, you can go ahead and Check In before you buy your tickets. We want to get as many people converted over to the new Juno Database, so we need your help to get your character slots transferred.
Our tickets for the February event, “Cradle’s Lullaby”, will go live on January 13th, at 1:00 pm CST.
Create your DR Live Character
The next thing to do to get ready for February is to build your character! While you can technically do this on site, we recommend getting it done in advance. Once your character is done, we will be able to print your character sheets, help you make changes to your character, and save you time at Check In on site to share all your stories from Winter Break.
You can find the complete rules for creating a character for DR Live in the Player’s Guide.
I’ve also written a guide for how to Create Your DR Live Character, and it even has an in-depth character creation guide with some suggestions for what Skills and abilities to start with if you aren’t sure. Check it out!
Item Card Swap
If February will be your first game, you don’t have to worry about this part. If you are returning player, we will need to convert your existing stash of items into new DR Live items.
Items will be a bit different in the new edition. Gone are the multi-step items with Basic, Proficient, and Master levels all on one card. Now, everything is a bit simpler and more compact, but that means that most items have changed in a pretty dramatic way. Let’s cover what that means for most folks:
Any item that has a 1 to 1 named equivalent will be provided a new card. This will count as if it was crafted on February 1st, 2025. The item will receive the lesser of the two expiration dates (the original, or the new February crafting date). In general, stuff other than scrap kept similar expiration dates to 3.0, but there are a few differences.
We will attempt to convert the item to the nearest equivalent in the new rules. Some items have changed the names slightly, but it’s pretty easy to tell which ones are which, or what they used to be. Our team will handle the hard parts here, but I’ll try to have a guide to item card changes up as soon as the items are released.
If an item does not have a 1 to 1 match, it can be replaced with a similar item. Not every item will make the transition, sorry! Some items became Skills instead or were part of stories from 3.0 that are no longer relevant in DR Live. If you had a cool sword that no longer exists in DR Live, you’ll be able to swap that card for another weapon item. We will try to keep this to a similar item match, so gizmo for a gizmo, brew for a brew, etc.
If the item is something you can no longer use, you can choose to keep the item to trade or get a “refund” of the materials used to make the item. Many items are now tied to Professions, so that item you get in exchange may no longer be as useful. However, lots of players will be a similar place, so you may be able to trade these items for Brass or the like with other players in Feburary. Note, if you choose the “refund”, these materials are based on the NEW cost to make the item, not what it cost in 3.0, so expect to get a bit less scrap if you choose this route.
Any item without an expiration date (scrap, herb, produce, etc.) will be given a one-year expiration date. Scrap and herb can stay on the old cards, and you don’t need to have them rewritten. This date will be starting from February 2025. This does not apply to expired items, clearly.
If that Blueprint no longer exists, you can swap it for another Blueprint of your choice. Some items no longer exist in the DR Live universe, but you may still have a blueprint in your collection. You’ll be able to swap these for another print choice or get some Basic Herb back if you prefer. This can be a great way to update the collection for the new edition!
Currency stays the same. While we are working on a new 20-note and an updated Brass note for DR Live, these are still a work in progress. All of your Brass and Trade Notes are still usable in the new edition. Shards of the Red Crown will eventually have a way to trade them for the new Steel Note, but that’s a plan for the future. If you still have unique 3.0 currency items like Amaranthite and War Supplies, these are no longer used — sorry!
You’ll have plenty of new items to craft in the new edition! There are LOTS of new items in DR Live, including new weapons, armors, gizmos, brews, and more. There’s hundreds of new items, and I’ve consolidated a list of the items by category on our DR:TX website, in my Blueprint Checklist. Take a peek!
We will be collecting a list of item cards in the near future if you want to get a head start on this transition, so stay tuned!
What’s Changed in DR Live?
There’s been some big changes in the new edition! While we recommend reading the books to find out more, here’s a few of the major changes to be ready for in February:
Impact Skills are awesome! Impact Skills (p. 33, Player’s Guide) are the bread and butter of DR Live characters. These are quick use skills that reset every 20 minutes if you’ve not used other Impact skills or weapons in that time frame. These are fun, reusable skills that you can access for basically every single fight over the weekend. Gone are the days where you needed a Mind brew just to participate in the big fight — you’ll have everything you need to make an impact!
There are no more 12s. You no longer restore your Mind at noon and midnight in DR Live. Since you don’t need to use Mind to power most items, Mind Points are only really used by crafting skills and the new Development Skills. However, there are several ways to restore your Mind points for free with a power called Skilled Assistant, and most Mind refresh brews are much cheaper to craft!
Monsters are WAY more deadly! All of the threats got some pretty big glow ups, and if you don’t mind spoilers, you can read more about them in the new Animal Almanac, Banners of Blood, or the Corpse Catalog. Some of the threat skills like Cannibalism and Rise Again changed a bit in the new edition, and I’ll be covering these in future Rules Rambles. Even basic Shamblers can be deadly in the new edition, so make sure you bring a buddy to the game!
PFAs are gone, replaced by Professions. You no longer have to apply for a PFA or wait 6 months to buy a PFA. Instead, you can unlock up to THREE Professions by purchasing a few uses of Impact Skills, Body and Mind, or Development Skills. These have powerful new abilities that don’t need equipment to use and are great goals to work towards during your character’s story. Some professions may be added in the future, but there are several new and cool options to consider!
There are brand new NECROLOGY items. These powerful items delve into the mysteries of the Mortis Amaranthine and can be used in dangerous GRAVE DIVES. These are epic, end-game style items that don’t expire and offer some new ways to interact with the Grave Mind. These items use materials that can ONLY be produced by players, so expect them to be a bit more expensive than the usual gizmos and weapons.
There are new Strain Variants, including Standard, Civilized, and Wasteland options. You can read more in the book, Strained Ancestry, but each Strain has some new lore and options, and you can even opt in to some advanced rules that include some spicy new advantages and disadvantages. There are even some new base Lineage abilities for certain choices in the Player’s Guide.
Items aren’t as necessary as in 3.0. Overall, DR Live focuses what you can do into your Skills and Professions. You don’t really need a fancy sword anymore, as your Impact Skills will do most of the work for you. If you didn’t like collecting rectangles, the game got way easier!
The in-game economy is going to be WAY different. I’ve updated my guide, Turbo’s Guide to the Economy, for the new edition, so check it out if you are interested. There’s going to be a few growing pains at first as folks figure out the new normal, but my guide can help you be ready for changes!
That’s it for today Vados!
