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!
Tickets are on sale now for our National Event in October! Don’t miss out on your chance to join the first full DR Live event and earn some cool items for registering by August 30th!
Our dates for Season 6 are posted on the website! If you need to ask over time in advance for your work, check it out!
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
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.
Rewording for clarity A La Menthe
Addition of basic creature type identification to “Basic Wasteland Lore”
Addition of in character language to determine how much someone needs to be healed with Basic Medical (not total numbers)
Update of Line of Sight to 50 feet
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
Adjusted mechanics for Interfere to provide a short protection to the Target of interfere
System for new player (not new character) improved initial experience points
Rewrite on the Cerebral Scourge disease
Massive improvement for Piercing Strike
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
Adjustment on defenses on Ground Shatter
Addition of a limited research lore ability in addition to the specific questions option provided by Master Education
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!
