Logistics

,

Rules You Should Know - February

,

It’s Jonathan here with another signature DR:TX Rules Ramble, leading up to our February live event THE BREAKER OF CROWNS! This is our next event, led by Heather Halstead and Jonathan Loyd. Each week, I’ll discuss in detail an aspect of the upcoming event, compiling the rules and lore into one easy place to read! This week, we are covering some last-minute Rules You Should Know, featuring some Threat Skills that might be useful to prepare for as the Summit begins…

  • TICKET SALES ARE CLOSED ONLINE, BUT YOU CAN STILL GET A TICKET AT THE GATE!

  • We’ve updated our New Player Corner with a lot of great resources for new and returning players alike. This is a great place to start if this is your first game in awhile!

  • We’ve updated the SES Buy List, and we’ve allowed it to use your San Saba Society Memberships instead of requiring involvement with the Red Ledger. Check out what your Marks can earn you if you sign up for the Survival Ethos System last month!

  • You might have missed it, but we updated our Local CAPS list last season. There are some brand new shiny rewards if you bought some items from our Wish List, or if you help our game with extra NPC shifts or spend time as a Guide. Check it out!

  • Did you attend The Great Revival National Event? Unfortunately, the 42 shiny new faith blueprints from this event have not been added to our shared drive yet by the Network Support team. This means that for now, you won’t be able to make copies of these blueprints until we receive these files from the event game runners. If you’ve received your mail package of item cards from that event early, you can craft the items and perform the benedictions as normal, just not duplication of the prints. We will update you at the game if this changes before then!

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

CHOICE POINTS & the Summit

The outcome of THE BREAKER OF CROWNS will not be decided by a vote alone, or by choosing a new leader of the Tribes, or even killing a certain big bad. Instead, YOUR actions will matter over the course of the event. Several CHOICE POINTS will be presented to the town throughout the event, and how you react to these in-game situations will determine how the resolution of this game will end.

Your actions as a player will determine if the Oxkillers decide to pursue a peace treaty, or if the War is doomed to continue into the months ahead, or some unknown third choice is selected... Heather and I have prepared multiple endings based on how these flash points resolve, and you will get to have a direct impact on if the War of Antlers continues or the Oxkillers instead head towards peace. Pay close attention to the story of the Summit, and you will have multiple opportunities to sway the opinions of either the San Saba forces or the Oxkillers.

  • There are at least EIGHT difference CHOICE POINTS to make over the weekend, and depending on your actions during the game there could be more. One decision alone won’t be enough to sway the opinions of the Summit.

  • We will telegraph when one of these events occur by using a clear OOC sign that reads CHOICE POINT. It should be clear to those involved that a choice is being made or can be made, but we won’t always detail exactly how to pursue that choice. Whether your choice will push the various personalities towards peace or war will depend on the choices you make!

  • Some CHOICE POINTS will be decided by role play behaviors alone. Not every Choice Point will be spelled out on a Zone of Mechanics or exactly detailed on a print out. Instead, how you react to certain events or roleplay from the NPCs will determine which direction you sway the choice towards war or peace.

  • Some CHOICE POINTS will be decided by mechanics, usually detailed on a Zone of Mechanics sheet of yellow paper. There will still be a few ways for you to mechanically interact with the plot if heavy roleplay isn’t your style, particularly for those with Society Memberships in the various San Saba factions.

  • Each of the NPCs has a series of agendas, secrets, and leverage they want to use to pursue their goals. If you can discover where each representative stands, you’ll be better prepared to push the Summit towards a path of your choosing. These NPCs will also have item cards, Brass, supply bags, and can be looted, killed, or protected.

  • Your decisions over the weekend will determine the final Battles in the War of Antlers plot that occur on Sunday at the war table, so be prepared for the shifting battlegrounds based on your actions during the event itself!

When is the actual Summit of Tribes?

Great question! While our Choice Points will begin on Friday night, the main affair is scheduled during the Siesta on Saturday, at 3:00 pm, in the Depot. The delegates of both factions will be present to hear arguments for or against peace, in the tradition of the ancient Tribes, so everyone can have a say. It’s up to you what secrets or leverage you might use against one of the representatives, or what alliances and promises you might make to sway them towards your desired outcome.

The Honored Guests

There will be several new NPCs in town that represent the leaders in attendance for the Summit of Tribes. According to the tradition of the Antler Tribes, each of the Houses of the Republic is given an invitation to attend. However, you might notice that the invitation above doesn’t technically exclude enemies of the San Saba. Just remember the new Wartime Powers of the Charter keeps the Oxkillers from enjoying the protections of the law against murder, theft, and worse, and has a few other fun complications.

You’ll see a few of these characters as early as Friday night, but here’s an idea of who to expect.

The Oxkiller War Party will consist of a few new characters that you might have seen on a War Report if you’ve been paying attention to the War of Antlers mini-game on Sundays.

  • The Breaker of Crowns, Leader of the Oxkiller Alliance

  • Carina Astora, the Saltwater Sweetheart, Leader of the Clearwater Rebels

  • Marcus Remington, Minister-General of Star City, Leader of the Mustang Loyalists

  • Ahote the Restless, Oxkiller Mentor

The San Saba Republic will have two major representatives to expect during the Summit. While the third member of the Troika remains on the front lines to defend against betrayal, two of the leaders of the faction will be in attendance.

  • Boss Debs, Queen of the San Saba Republic

  • Malorous Mab, Spymaster of the San Saba Republic

THREAT SKILLS OF NOTE

There’s one last thing to be concerned about during the Summit. Zombies are a key part of Dystopia Rising, and this weekend a few of our classics gain a dangerous new ability. This new threat skill will see play during the February Event:

Blood Scent

  • The [REDACTED] will point at a Target and call “Line of Sight, Downsurge: Blood Scent!”.  This ability may not be Avoided or Resisted.  

  • This Downsurge replaces any Downsurge currently on the Target, and lasts for one hour.

  • All nearby Undead will swarm and try to kill that target, channeling the anger of the horde.  If a character goes into Bleed Out from the attacks of the swarming horde, any member of the horde can call a Killing Blow instead of the Cannibalize skill on the Blood Scented character. Ouch!

This skill means that even a normal Shambler can suddenly become DEADLY. Make sure you have some friends close by, because you won’t have the normal Cannibalize window to rescue them before they die!

Wrap UP

That’s it for this week Vados! We have a great event planned for you and we can’t wait for y’all to decide the next steps for the people of the San Saba as we begin the last half of the season. We hope that you are ready for the challenge of THE BREAKER OF CROWNS. Will you choose a path of peace, or do you want to make the Oxkillers pay by continuing the war? Can you survive the deadly politics of the Summit and risk treason to make your point? We have some some fun and exciting challenges planned for your characters in the nightmarish zombie apocalypse.

See you soon Vados!

,

Breaker of Crowns

,

Howdy Vados!

It’s Jonathan here with another signature DR:TX Rules Ramble, leading up to our February live event THE BREAKER OF CROWNS! This is our next Premiere Event game, led by Heather Halstead and Jonathan Loyd. Each week, I’ll discuss in detail an aspect of the upcoming event, compiling the rules and lore into one easy place to read! This week, we are covering the premise of our event, some content warnings, and some teasers about our upcoming event!

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

The Premise

Here’s the story of our next event:

A lull in the fighting of the War of Antlers has allowed both sides to take a measure of their losses, the toll of the bloody conflict stretching across the San Saba.  With the mounting death tolls, Queen Lucy “Boss” Debs has had enough with the killing of kin and bloodshed, and has called upon the ancient traditions of her Tribe to demand an unauthorized parlay with the BREAKER OF CROWNS. Despite the threat of treason, Queen Debs has decided to call once more the ancient Summit of the Tribes, in hopes of fostering a peace with the Oxkilller Alliance.   

For the Breaker of Crowns, the war has grown larger and her allies more numerous, but so too has the number of concessions she’s made to grow her forces. Promises to the MUSTANG LOYALISTS, the ancient enemies of Bravado from Star City, her kin in the Antler Tribe and Oxkillers, and the newfound allegiances within the traitorous youth of the Lovelace Family make the prospect of a temporary ceasefire seem like a moment of respite, despite the risk of entering enemy territory.

But in the shadows, shrouded from the hope of peace, lurks a hidden threat.

After the terrifying return of the Prince Undying and a strangely quiet Long Night, the forests around Bravado stir once more with the dead.  Hordes of shamblers, boneheads, lost boys, tanks, and worse throw themselves into the fray, as if pursuing some hidden agenda, a strange malevolent intelligence behind their ceaseless attacks.  Some have even spoken of strange hordes of the dead with a driving, unknowable purpose.

Can a lasting peace be achieved even while the dead are at the gates, an eerie reminder of the Stampedes of the Hiway War? Can two disparate and war-torn factions come to peace despite the violence that has been committed in the name of winning?  Will the Board even be willing to stop the fighting as the tide has now turned in their favor? Will the dead intervene in peace talks, and renew the call to war once more?

Sounds like tension that can be cut with a knife!

The Breaker of Crowns, portrayed by Ace

Inspiration & Tropes

This season in Bravado 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 THE BREAKER OF CROWNS:

  • The Outpost

  • Blood Creek

  • 10 Cloverfield Lane

  • Frankenstein’s Army

  • Dead Snow

The themes that inspired this event is the age-old adage of “the enemy of my enemy is my friend”. Despite the real consequences of the ongoing war between the San Saba and the Oxkiller Alliance, there is a new and returned threat that could threaten to overwhelm both sides. In such stressful times, it’s easy to find an unlikely ally in a former enemy, as you both struggle to survive.

Bringing two deadly enemies into the same place at the same time is sure to spark emotions and conflict. Even though it might be in the best interest of both sides to cooperate, even in the times of crisis can find folks taking actions that are strictly selfish and personal. With such big personalities involved in the deadly politics of trying to settle a conflict between two warring factions, it will be no surprise to some if the conflict turns violent.

Let’s talk a bit more about what to expect in February…

Ready for “negotiations”…

CONTENT WARNINGS

The themes of Dystopia Rising often touch close to our real world in ways we cannot always avoid. The DR:TX team believes that we can still tell these stories about challenging topics, but we also believe we need to be transparent about our intentions and set proper expectations for our content. In our tradition of radical trust, we want to also trust in each player that attends our game to know their own limits and be able to choose to avoid topics and situations that make them uncomfortable.

It’s important to watch for descriptions, situations, or events that you might want to avoid. You may find new limits that are unknown to you because the matter never came up. We encourage you to take the necessary steps for your own emotional safety. We want you to be comfortable with the types of horror in our events so you can enjoy the thrill of the zombie apocalypse and the nightmare creatures we introduce into the game space.

It’s one reason we take our OK Check-In system so seriously! We understand that these may not be stories you want to participate in, and that’s okay! Remember, you can always use the OK Check-In System to choose to leave a scene, even CVC!

You can always find a list of our Content Warnings on our website, but let’s talk about some of the specific things you might want to be prepared for during this February event.

War and War-time stories, particularly involving conflict against enemy forces.

  • The backdrop of the February event is a tense negotiation between two warring factions, the San Saba Republic, and the Oxkiller Alliance. The War of Antlers has stretched over the past season and the fighting has really just begun. While much of this has happened “off-camera” during our Sunday war table mechanics, this represents one of the first times the war has entered play into our actual game besides skirmishes.

  • There will be discussions of crimes committed during the war, including bombardment, capture of prisoners, attacks on civilians, and the various attacks that have occurred in the world perpetuated by figures on both sides of the war. While each side has a reason to seek out a potential end to the war, they also have legitimate grievances that must be settled lest conflict erupt in the future.

  • The Oxkiller Alliance is a dangerous enemy for the San Saba, and the figures involved in the Summit will be deadly and powerful members of the enemy forces, including the Breaker of Crowns and her loyal champions. These are the same enemies that killed LCs during the September event, and have been responsible for a number of violent attacks on Bravado. During this event, you’ll have an opportunity to hear their side of the conflict and it could lend to some uncomfortable truths and realizations of the impact of your character’s actions.

Institutional corruption and abuses of power, incarceration.

  • The ever-tightening grip of the San Saba Board continues to inform the decisions to pursue war. For the Board, they see the threat of the Oxkillers as a challenge to their power, and something that must be met with the threat of violence. They cannot easily stand down from the armed conflict without being convinced of the need for peace.

  • Certain events will challenge player’s opinion of those in power, and particularly those that enforce the laws of Bravado. The Law Dog Union and the Justices of Sin continue to struggle to apply an uneven sense of justice in the zombie apocalypse, especially with the punishment of those beloved by the town and certain crews.

Intense emotional situations, where characters may be pushed to their emotional limits.

  • The conflict between the Oxkillers and the San Saba will likely include arguments, yelling, and heated roleplay as the various NPCs and LCs alike will be involved in the fray. This could include CVC conflict, and will likely involve insults, yelling, accusations, and other strong forms of verbal conflict. If you attend the Summit (which will happen during the Saturday Siesta), you should expect some intense emotional situations and arguments. You will be able to avoid this in-game event if you like, and we will have plenty of zombies and raiders to deal with later.

Let’s cover some of the specific major ingredients of the next event and what to expect in game!

DYNAMIC PLOT & LASTING CONSEQUENCES

We have a few things to prepare for as the Summit of the Tribes is set to start. This game, you’ll see a focus on the basic themes of Dystopia Rising — zombies, and the threat of other survivors. While zed are the cause of a number of deaths across the wasteland, far greater crimes are committed by those that share the wastelands with you.

One of the key themes of the February event will be the concept of DYNAMIC PLOT.

The outcome of THE BREAKER OF CROWNS will not be decided by a vote, or by choosing a new leader of the Tribes, or even killing a certain big bad. Instead, YOUR actions will matter over the course of the event. Several CHOICE POINTS will be presented to the town throughout the event, and how you react to these in-game situations will determine how the resolution of this game will end.

Your actions as a player will determine if the Oxkillers decide to pursue a peace treaty, or if the War is doomed to continue into the months ahead. Heather and I have prepared multiple endings based on how these flash points resolve, and you will get to have a direct impact on if the War of Antlers continues or heads towards peace. Pay close attention to the story of the Summit, and you will have multiple opportunities to sway the opinions of either the San Saba forces or the Oxkillers.

  • We will telegraph when one of these events occur by using a clear OOC sign that reads CHOICE POINT. It should be clear to those involved that a choice is being made. Whether your choice will push the various personalities towards peace or war will depend on the choice you make!

  • Not every CHOICE POINT will be decided by roleplay behaviors alone. There will be a few ways for you to mechanically interact with the plot if heavy roleplay isn’t your style, particularly for those with Society Memberships in the various San Saba factions.

  • Your decisions will determine the final Battles in the War of Antlers plot that occur on Sunday at the war table, so be prepared for the shifting battlegrounds based on your actions during the event itself!

You can expect zombies and the usual Dystopia Rising experience during our next event, but the ultimate ending of the weekend is up to you!

DEADLY ZOMBIES

After a long Winter break, it’s nice to return to the familiar and the expected. Our February event will focus on low-complexity overarc stories that are more about the characters involved than some special mechanic. As such, most of the enemies for this event will be the run-of-the-mill Shamblers, Tanks, Bursters, and more. After all, Dystopia Rising is set in a ZOMBIE apocalypse. What story would it be without zombies?

Our goal for February is to keep the nights dark and full of terror, and allow our various STs to feature elements of their own plots and underarcs during the day. While the Summit called by Queen Debs will be happening during the afternoon, you can expect to see a few other stories emerging, and maybe even a few sneak peeks of conflicts to come as the season continues, all set to the threat of being eaten and devoured alive by the zombies hordes that besiege our tiny town.

The threat of being devoured and ripped to pieces by Zombies will be even more prevalent during this. During certain [REDACTED] events and calls, you’ll find even the common Shambler suddenly a vicious killer. While we normally reserve “killing blow active” threats for specific situations, during the February event even the lowly Shambler can suddenly become killing blow active, capable of ending your character’s life with a Killing Blow call instead of the usual Cannibalize call. Yikes!

That means if you get caught alone by the zombie horde, you might not be able to rely on your friends arriving in time to save you from the devouring maws of the undead, or hearing that slow count of “Cannibalize 1, Cannibalize 2…”! Make sure you have an injectable handy, or get ready to run in the face of the deadly zombies during THE BREAKER OF CROWNS!

Solomon isn’t really a zombie, but you get the point.

DEADLY POLITICS

During THE BREAKER OF CROWNS, you will get to meet several different new characters over the weekend. While some of these faces may be familiar to you, like Boss Debs or the Breaker of Crowns, others will be new to this weekend. You’ll have a chance to roleplay with these characters, make promises, alliances, and uncover secrets by using your skill or simply engage them with good old fashioned murder and blades in the dark.

Each of the key NPCs from the weekend will have a character sheet, Body, Mind, and other items they can use. They can be interacted with, attacked, robbed, and will be able to react with their own mechanics. They have Infection scores just like a player, and will be able to come back from death, so make sure you are confident in your abilities to not be remembered should you try for a quick and dirty crime.

But most importantly, you can talk with them, hear their side of events, and watch for cues on how to influence their behaviors. These characters will have goals and agendas (and even a few secrets) for the Summit, but they can be convinced of your cause provided you appeal to their own motivations. As part of the dynamic plot, the NPCs will be available in play for long periods, so if you’d like to be involved simply join in the conversation! Listen to the things they like, dislike, and what their goals are for the Summit, and you will be able to make the decisions that matter during the CHOICE POINTS.

Your ability to influence these key figures will be important to helping the San Saba pursue a future of either PEACE or WAR!

WRAP UP

Tickets are on sale as of Monday, January 15th for our next event, and we are so excited to tell a story of zombies and politics, and to progress the metaplot of the season forward. We hope that you will join us at Camp Bluebonnet Shores, and make the most of the weekend to survive the zombie apocalypse.

Will you pick a side in the conflict? Are you tired of the San Saba Board and think maybe the Breaker of Crowns has started to make a lot of sense? Are you worried about the threat of the Prince Undying and need to make a deal with a sworn enemy for the greater good? Are you simply out for revenge against that Oxkiller that killed your family? Will you be devoured by a horde of zombies before your friends can save you?

Let’s find out together, when the BREAKER OF CROWNS arrives in Bravado!

GET YOUR TICKETS HERE!

,

The Red Death

,

Howdy Vados!

It’s Jonathan here with another signature DR:TX Rules Ramble, leading up to our December live event THE RED DEATH! This is our next Premiere Event game, led by Heather Halstead and Jonathan Loyd. Each week, I’ll discuss in detail an aspect of the upcoming event, compiling the rules and lore into one easy place to read! This week, we are covering the premise of our event, some content warnings, and some teasers about our upcoming key mechanics!

  • TICKETS FOR OUR DECEMBER EVENT ARE ON SALE NOW! GET READY for a macabre twist on the winter lights festival!

  • LIT Cashout! For the next couple of weeks, you can purchase a $0 Ticket to have your LIT inventory cashed out and ready for pickup at the December Premier Event. This $0 ticket acts as your place in line, so just snag your ticket, and we’ll ensure your supplies are waiting for you when you check in on Friday, December 8th. This opportunity is only for players with Texas as their home chapter and will be handled first come first served. We will have 30 tickets open for this next event, and additional opportunities for the cash out if you miss out, don’t worry!

  • If you had a great experience at our last event EMERGENCE or had some suggestions for how we can improve, we’d love to hear from you! Did you enjoy surviving the threat of the Behemoth Parasites? Did you contract “the wiggles”? Did you experience the body horror of the DIGESTION PITS? What did you like best? What memories did you make? How was your NPC shift? Did another player impress you?

Our photos for this post were taken from previous DR:TX events by our talented Photo Team, by Max Pohlmeier, Lauren Guzaldo, and Maddeax Khole.

PREMIERE EVENT TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW!

First off, THE RED DEATH is a DR:TX PREMIERE EVENT.

Premiere Events are special events run by chapters to give their players the Special Event feel in their own chapter and telling their own stories. These are heightened events meant to be used with unique mechanics, one of a kind plot items, and an opportunity to push the limits of the game to give the community something really big to experience. These events are perfect opportunities to involve National level plots, mechanics, and items, and are a way to “blow the roof off the joint and make people’s heads spin.”

WHAT DO THEY OFFER?

  • MORE XP — Premiere Events off more bonus XP options! You can purchase up to FIVE (5) additional experience points for each of your characters during a Premiere Event. This is awesome for saving up for that point of Infection or a new PFA.

  • NATIONAL CONTENT— National items like Festering Crystals, ABCs, ARKs, and other National-level currency can be distributed during these events. Premiere events give out less of these items than a National game, but they will still be available through mods and events.

  • BIGGER PLOTS, BIGGER THREATS — In general you can expect a more intense threat than a normal DR:TX event during a Premiere game, including our very own breed of mysterious threat - the LONGWALKERS and NIGHTMARES.

  • SELF TEACH — You gain the ability to Self Teach ANY non-PFA Skill that you are able to learn, on each of your characters that are checked in. If you have an Advanced Membership, you can Self Teach a Skill for each of your three characters! This is a trick that normally costs 50-300 CAPS to get a teacher, so this is a great value. Have you been struggling to find a player that has that particular Skill you want? Look no further!

  • These events can also be held over 4-days, but we’ve elected to keep our Premiere Events to our normal 3-day duration, both to save our own sanity and not stretch our team thin.

These events can be held once per season, and December is our chosen month! We have a lot of travelers planning on attending this event, so we hope to have a killer experience to share with y’all.

New grab Bag!

For our featured Premiere Event, we have an extra special treat this year for the holidays — a return of a classic t-shirt you might have seen a few of the 2.0 veterans wear, updated for a new generation. In addition, you can some other cool goodies for both you AND your character!

OUR GRAB BAG THIS MONTH INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING FOR $25!

  • Entered into a raffle for a Free Ticket to “The Red Death” ($85 value)

  • Custom pen, sticker, mini-hand sanitizer

  • Free “I’d Rather Be In Bravado” t-shirt

  • San Saba Sundry (of your choice!)

  • Copper Chit: 1 Free Blueprint (redeemable at the Post Office)

  • Festering Crystal

The T-shirt will be available in M, L, XL, and 2XL, and this is your chance to take part in a Texas tradition that dates back to our very first seasons of play!

Now that you understand what a Premiere Event is, let’s talk a little bit about the story of the next event…

The Premise of “The Red Death”

It began in Widow’s Peak, just as the first candles of Winter Lights lit cozy windows. Strange, alien sirens wailed across the Peak, and lantern flames turned red.  Animals began barking at shadows.  And as the lights shifted, the night became deadly.

The Longwalkers, creatures of myth and imprint made reality that haunt the San Saba during the Long Night have changed, transformed into something from our deepest nightmares.  Fleeing Lovelace survivors speak of a terrible malevolence within the once predictable threats.  No longer are they content to haunt the Long Night, but they move from the shadows into a new nightmare made reality.

Now that the ancient Obelisk in Lake Bravo is silent, a new song rises across the San Saba, an echo of the music of the spheres heard months ago.  Changes roll across the Territories, as the red masque of death spreads from the Peak.  The shadows begin to lengthen in Essex, in Waking, and the Clutch, the shadowy figures within marching towards a new destination.

These new monstrous Nightmare Walkers are called by this siren song back to Bravado, to answer the call of their new master, the Prince Undying, the mad architect of Barogue.  His influence spreads across the wastes, warping reality, afflicting zed, creature and raider alike.

And yet the darkness is not only full of terrors. Reports of the long dead rising to bid their loved ones welcome during the Winter Lights spread just as quickly as the crimson mist. But as the truth of the world bends and folds around itself, what is real and what is a symptom of a creeping madness?

If you missed out on our summer online event, we wrote a few bits of backstory about some of the villains and enemies you might face this month:

Sounds like an ancient threat is returning…

Inspiration & Tropes

This season in Bravado 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 THE RED DEATH:

  • The Masque of the Red Death

  • Silent Hill

  • Drag Me To Hell

  • Stranger Things

  • Ghost

The traditions of Bravado are no longer sacred, they have become profane.  The Nightmare spreads across the region as the Prince Undying turns his sights to our town, but this influence spreads to the creatures as well, twisting zed and Longwalkers alike into Nightmarish versions of themselves. The town must find a way to shore up the boundary between the nightmare Realm and this one and push back the Prince’s influence from their land and minds.

You’ll find elements of this story in Silent Hill, where the world changes as the strange sirens begin to wail, as shadowy ghosts like in the finale of Ghost try to drag you screaming into hell, and as the entire world is turned upside down into a bizarre mirror of reality as the Red Death descends upon the town, like in Stranger Things. We will have a movie night over the next few weeks, sharing some of our inspiration for this next event, but this is a good list of movies to check out to get in the right mood.

With that in mind, let’s cover a few of the major ingredients we have in mind for this next game…

CONTENT WARNINGS

The themes of Dystopia Rising often touch close to our real world in ways we cannot always avoid. The DR:TX team believes that we can still tell these stories about challenging topics, but we also believe we need to be transparent about our intentions and set proper expectations for our content. In our tradition of radical trust, we want to also trust in each player that attends our game to know their own limits and be able to choose to avoid topics and situations that make them uncomfortable.

It’s important to watch for descriptions, situations, or events that you might want to avoid. You may find new limits that are unknown to you because the matter never came up. We encourage you to take the necessary steps for your own emotional safety. We want you to be comfortable with the types of horror in our events so you can enjoy the thrill of the zombie apocalypse and the nightmare creatures we introduce into the game space.

It’s one reason we take our OK Check-In system so seriously! We understand that these may not be stories you want to participate in, and that’s okay! Remember, you can always use the OK Check-In System to choose to leave a scene, even CVC!

You can always find a list of our Content Warnings on our website, but let’s talk about some of the specific things you might want to be prepared for during this December event.

Heavy Ritual themes (not linked to any religion)

  • One aspect of the upcoming event is the use of rituals, and ritualistic themes. Dealing with the Nightmare of the Prince Undying has perverted and twisted the Winter Lights traditions of our event into something different, and these themes will come up during our resolution of the event and as part of several in-game rituals and events, including Grave Mind scenes. These are not tied to any specific religion, in-game or out, but we understand the sanctity of the season and how these might connect in unexpected ways.

  • You can also read a bit more about our particular take on holiday traditions, Winter Lights.

Loss of grasp on reality

  • The Nightmares that have descended on Bravado exist in a place not quite the same as our world, as only certain characters with the Keyword “Nightmares” can interact with these threats. Madness, paranoia, and the loss of grasp on reality are important themes included in the Nightmare and this may not be something you can entirely avoid during the event, particularly from roaming threats. These mechanics may include Fractures or other mechanics that simulated this loss of connection to the real world, particularly as night falls.

Loss of mobility, freedom of movement

  • The creatures that hunt you in the darkness as death descends on Bravado will use various manners of abilities that make you helpless or unable to escape their assault as they try to literally “drag you to hell”. The loss of agency as movement is a big part of the horror trope, as folks are “scared stiff” or are unable to move out of fear. These mechanics and situations will be present during this event, but we will always check for consent before touching or moving a helpless target and want to help you buy into the terror of being dragged away screaming by the nightmarish terrors in the night.

If you choose to opt out of these situations with the OK Check In System, don’t worry. There’s still plenty to do during the event, and we will have the usual threats of zombies and raiders, and the continuing story of the San Saba. There’s still a WAR going on, and there will be other mods and challenges during the event outside of the Nightmares. You’ll still be able to complete Liquidation Runs, craft and gather resources, and spend time with your friends. If this is still a bit much for you, don’t worry, we have some more scary stories next year in February.

The Red Death Descends…

We have a few things to prepare for as the Red Death approaches Bravado. This game, you’ll see the return of some classic threats and mechanics, as well as some entirely new changes to reality. I’ll cover the specifics of these in a future blog post, but here’s a sneak peek:

Alone in the Dark

First used by our friends in DR: Virginia, and written by Phil Grau, the Alone in the Dark mechanics provide an interesting challenge for those that try to travel alone across town.

First used by our friends in DR: Virginia, and written by Phil Grau, the Alone in the Dark mechanics provide an interesting challenge for those that try to travel alone across town. We used these last year and Heather has some new and terrifying encounters planned out for what happens if you get caught ALONE IN THE DARK. Hope you brought a buddy to the zombie apocalypse!

The Masque of the Red Death

When darkness falls, Bravado will get LOT more dangerous. Candles will turn red, lights will be disrupted, and strange sirens will begin wailing across the town. While the Red Death lays over the town, DEATH seems both closer and further away as those who die get back up immediately, only to be dragged away by shadowy nightmares at a later time. 

  • Resource gathering will be more challenging at night, and will require the expenditure of RESOLVE, as reality itself seems to bleed away.

  • When a person dies, they Bleed Out and are returned to play immediately.  They stay at 1 Body, lose an Infection, lose a Resolve (with a potential for Fractures), and gain a level of Nightmares. This means they can now interact with the shadowy creatures that will be attempting to draw them deeper into the madness of the Nightmare.

  • Those that die to threats in the darkness will not experience the Grave Mind scene right away, but rather will be pursued by shadowy enemies that will attempt to drag them into hell, where they will face a horrible choice in the darkness.

The Nightmares of the Prince Undying

A few of y’all may have had a terrifying encounter with a giant 15’ threat that lurked in the darkness over the past few events, or other terrifying shades that stalk the night in pursuit of those that have touched the Nightmare. Back during our Barogue online event, THE UNDYING PRINCE, a few folks found a way to stay connected to the mysterious dreams of the Prince Undying. A few more even found a strange Nightmare Altar in the woods (or maybe at the crossroads last game) and made some questionable decisions that drew them further into the Nightmare. I even heard that was a strange rock that seemed to whisper when the shadows drew long…

During the December event, as the pall of the Nightmare grows closer when the Red Death descends upon Bravado, you will find all manners of creatures have become changed. Zed, Raiders, even Murder Goat Deer and Behemoth Polyps have been touched by the Nightmare and have developed strange and terrifying new abilities. Even other Strains have been touched by the Nightmare, leading to some unexpected mutations to Nemesis, Oxkillers, and more. These Nightmares will be particularly deadly to those that are marked by the Nightmare. You can expect not just the world to shift, but the things that go bump in the night to shift into this new reality as well.

Red Lights & Candles

When the Red Death descends upon Bravado, all of the lights in the town will turn RED. While we normally ask our players to bring tea lights to decorate in game spaces and cabins during Winter Lights, but this year we are asking for that same tradition, but with a twist:

  • Please bring RED tea lights (or multicolored versions that can be changed to RED) to decorate your spaces during this event. We will be offering CAPS for donations of these types of lights that you will find our Wish List this month. You can also simply use a red paper bag to place normal tea lights into to change the color to red.

  • Our in-game spaces like the Depot will have the normal lights disabled at night, and replaced with Red Dome Lights or bulbs through the spaces. We ask you to avoid using white lights in your cabins, and instead apply a red filter or gel, or cover it with red automotive lens tape. (In fairness, you should be doing this already, but here’s an extra incentive!)

Candles are an important part of the Winter Lights tradition and will have a few extra uses during this event as all the light turns to the color of blood…

Wrap Up

We hope that you are ready for the challenge of THE RED DEATH. How can you stop the machinations of the Prince Undying? Can you survive a world where death itself is changed and the night is blanketed in red? Will you escape the Nightmare Walkers or worse? We have some some fun and exciting challenges planned for your characters in the nightmarish zombie apocalypse. But don’t worry, it’s not just all about the RED DEATH, you’ll still need to deal with (nightmare) zombies, (nightmare) Oxkillers, (nightmare) raiders and more!

TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW, AND WE HAVE OUR SPECIAL grab bag RUNNING FOR A LIMITED TIME.

See you next time Vados, when we talk about how the dead return, and how you can have loved ones from your backstories enter the game, as a twist on the old legends of Boot Hill!

, ,

October National Announcement

, ,

Howdy Survivors!

There was a significant announcement on the Dystopia Rising LARP National page, but in case you missed it, here’s a synopsis and some stuff to be prepared for.

Here’s the TL;DR:

  • LIT Update: Starting from January 1st, 2024, we're changing how we use LIT. Chapters won't add new items digitally, but LIT remains active, and existing stored items are safe.

  • Online Econ Play: Online events will still feature economic activities like crafting and farming. Instead of digital items, chapters will mail item cards to players.

  • New Ruleset: We're diligently working on a new ruleset, though it's a year away from full implementation. No XP or full Econ reset is planned.

  • Community Involvement: We're committed to transparency and community feedback throughout this process. Let's collaborate to make our game the best it can be.

What does this mean for our Texas player base?

At present, there won't be many immediate changes. The National team has released a statement to give the community a heads-up about upcoming changes that are over a year away from being put into action.

Following the National team's announcement on October 30, we are preparing to settle LIT inventories promptly over the next few months. Stay tuned for future updates!

For online games, the responsibility of mailing out cards in a timely manner will rest with the respective chapters. Online games will not have the ability to introduce new items into LIT. However, you can still utilize and remove items from your inventory as needed.

New DR LIVE Rule Set!

We are actively working on a new ruleset, and it's worth noting that there are no plans for an XP or full Econ reset during this implementation. The ruleset is expected to be rolled out in approximately a year or two, and more information will be shared as development progresses. While the development process appears to allow for feedback, the exact procedures for providing input are yet to be determined.

Our goal throughout is to continue our commitment to transparency and radical trust in the community. We are committed to maintaining open and frequent communication throughout this entire process to address any concerns y’all may have. For now, we are completely focused on our upcoming events: Emergence (Nov 10-12) and The Red Death, our Premiere event (Dec 8-10).  The Dystopia Rising: Texas Storytelling team has put in extensive effort to craft exciting and captivating stories, and we're thrilled to continue delivering them to you.

,

Emergence

,

Howdy Vados!

It’s Jonathan here with another signature DR:TX Rules Ramble, leading up to our November live event EMERGENCE! This is our next ST led overarc of the season, led by Maenad Wilder. Each week, I’ll discuss in detail an aspect of the upcoming event, compiling the rules and lore into one easy place to read! This week, we are covering the premise of our event, some content warnings, and some notes about our upcoming Disease & Death mechanics!

  • TICKETS FOR OUR November EVENT ARE ON SALE NOW! get ready for a creepy crawly good time!

  • We are running our first ever BUNDLE deal for event tickets! If you purchase your Standard Casting tickets for both the November and December events at once, you’ll get a great discount AND access to the unique new Blueprints we will release in December. Check it out on our Tickets page! You’ll still be able to purchase a Grab Bag for the December when tickets go on sale after the EMERGENCE event!

  • Our Slime Promo is live! We have a new reward when you purchase the extra +2 XP for your ticket in November. If you get the additional XP, we will have a container of home-made SLIME ready for you at check-in! This slime may or may not contain bugs (don’t worry, they are fake!) and is guaranteed to be the perfect way to get into the right headspace for this event!

  • If you had a great experience at our last event CIRQUE DE DREAD or had some suggestions for how we can improve, we’d love to hear from you! Did you enjoy surviving the nightmare of the Nemesis? Did you earn a shiny circus medallion? Did you have neat memories from the Eclipse? What did you like best? What memories did you make? How was your NPC shift? Did another player impress you?

Our photos for this post were taken from previous DR:TX events by our talented Photo Team, by Max Pohlmeier, Lauren Guzaldo, and Maddeax Khole.

EMERGENCE

Here’s the premise for our next event, Emergence:

Bloody fissures around the mouth. Extreme fragility. Missing organs.

These were the symptoms of four sailors returning from a leviathan hunt on Lake Bravo. So severe was the internal damage, the sailors were unable to produce coherent sound and died before any medical diagnosis could be reached. Doctors attempting an autopsy before processing developed the same symptoms and succumbed to internal bleeding within 12 hours. Despite no indications of green veins amongst the afflicted, none have returned from the Grave.

Drywater was quick to cordon off the port and quarantine all who had come in contact with the afflicted. But right as it appeared the situation was under control, the Torchlight tribe sent for urgent medical aid as a new grotesque monstrosity began attacking their deepest settlement, spreading a plague of touch. Before anything else could be done, a massive earthquake struck Bravado and a horde of shamblers bearing the same scars and fissures poured from a crack in the Earth. Victims, who have since died of the affliction, reported the Earth bulging just before the quake, as if something was pressing against it from beneath.

The situation grows worse by the hour as more vectors of infection are revealed, more people die without returning, and something stirs in the depths of Lake Bravo. The Board has called an emergency meeting to discuss the disease brewing at the heart of its territory but, while bureaucracy turns with rusted wheels, your saloons fall empty, your friends go missing, and your neighborhoods are locked down, left to fend for themselves. When a touch is deadly, how can you save Bravado?

A threat is building under the surface and if left untreated, Bravado, Drywawter, and the Torchlight Clans will be locked away with the key tossed aside.

Sounds like something is spreading a new disease in Bravado…

Inspiration & Tropes

This season in Bravado 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 EMERGENCE:

  • The Blob (1988)

  • Nope

  • Slither

  • The Strain (TV Series)

  • The Faculty

Basically, if it’s creepy, crawly, and makes your skin crawl, that’s the feeling we are trying to capture. We plan a lot of fun prosthetics, makeup and slime effects to really capture the grotesque and terrifying themes of EMERGENCE! Disease plots also tend to have some elements of loneliness and isolation, as survivors huddle away from the infected and the ranks of the sick begin to outnumber the healthy.

With that in mind, let’s cover a few of the major ingredients we have in mind for this next game…

CONTENT WARNINGS

The themes of Dystopia Rising often touch close to our real world in ways we cannot always avoid. The DR:TX team believes that we can still tell these stories about challenging topics, but we also believe we need to be transparent about our intentions and set proper expectations for our content. In our tradition of radical trust, we want to also trust in each player that attends our game to know their own limits and be able to choose to avoid topics and situations that make them uncomfortable.

It’s important to watch for descriptions, situations, or events that you might want to avoid. You may find new limits that are unknown to you because the matter never came up. We encourage you to take the necessary steps for your own emotional safety. We want you to be comfortable with the types of horror in our events so you can enjoy the thrill of the zombie apocalypse and the nightmare creatures we introduce into the game space.

It’s one reason we take our OK Check-In system so seriously! We understand that these may not be stories you want to participate in, and that’s okay! Remember, you can always use the OK Check-In system to choose to leave a scene, even CVC!

You can always find a list of our Content Warnings on our website, but let’s talk about some of the specific things you might want to be prepared for during this November event.

body horror & Splatter mods

  • Body Horror, grotesque or disturbing mutations, visceral costumes and props

  • Splatter / Gore modules (forewarning will be provided, but these modules will cover players in liquid or debris that could stain costumes)

One major aspect of EMERGENCE will be the themes of Body Horror. Body horror is an important part of the zombie mythos. For example, while elements of mutilation similar to slasher films and monster movies may be present in body horror, it can differ in the zombie apocalypse. These themes might be generally marked by a loss of conscious control over the body through mutation, disease, or other tropes involving uncontrolled transformation. The genre can invoke intense feelings of physical and psychological disgust, or squick, and play upon anxieties of physical vulnerability, contagion, mutation, transformation, disease, mutilation, or other unnatural or violent distortions of the human body.

We have a lot of neat and disgusting props planned for this event, new creature effects, and special effects that will lean towards the gory and disturbing. We will even have a few SPLATTER MODS, events that could include liquid, slime, and debris that could damage your costumes or leave stains. We will warn you in advance of these situations where we can, but the visceral elements of our props and challenges may be something you want to avoid. Remember, you can always use the “thumbs down” symbol to leave a scene or avoid a mess!

disease

  • Disease, infection, and consequences of diseases

The story of the zombie apocalypse is at its heart a story of disease. Zombie stories involve pandemics, viruses, and the deadly consequences of what that disease turns survivors into. You could argue that “fear of disease” is the key trope to any story that involves zombies and the undead. During our EMERGENCE event, we will be introducing a malady that functions as a new and dangerous Disease in the world of Dystopia Rising.

Given the state of the global pandemic and the impact Covid-19 has had on us all, we understand that this topic isn't for everyone. Each of our lives have been impacted by this crisis and each person is dealing with this trauma in different ways. Our goal is not to minimize the impact of this disease nor it’s effect on our community, and given that we have staff members who have lost a family member to Covid-19, we empathize with anyone that has suffered loss during this pandemic.

bugs & insects

  • Mutated and hostile fauna, including spiders, bugs, maggots, worms, snakes, deer, bears, and more.

The last bit is part of our focus on the creepy and crawly. We will have a number of disturbing creatures in this game, and we plan on using bugs, maggots, and worms to represent the larvae of the parasites in the game. We will have some resin and latex props made from casted molds to represent the creatures that are infecting the players during this event. Some of the larger creatures will have headpieces, harnesses, and bigger elements of their costume to emphasize the insect and bugs theme of the story. It will be up to you if you want to use some of these costuming elements to represent the disease on your character, and we want you to be able to engage with the level of squick that you are comfortable with. If the props are too much, you can just stick to mechanics.

If you choose to opt out of these situations with the OK Check In System, don’t worry. There’s still plenty to do during the event, and we will have the usual threats of zombies and raiders, and the continuing story of the San Saba. There’s still a WAR going on, and there will be other mods and challenges during the event outside of the disease. You’ll still be able to complete Liquidation Runs, craft and gather resources, and spend time with your friends. If this is still a bit much for you, don’t worry, we have some more scary stories to share in December.

Death and disease

During our upcoming game, we will be using a brand new in-character disease known as BEHEMOTH PARASITES. This disease has the strong potential to be quick and deadly, especially in the later stages as it can kill your character within TWELVE (12) HOURS. I’ll be going over these specific mechanics in a later blog post in detail, but since death is a possibility I’d like to make sure everyone knows how to avoid this up front.

  • BEHEMOTH PARASITES can be deadly and your character can die from this disease.

There will also be SCs, LCs, and NPCs that will be actively attempting to spread this disease in game. These villains will be trying to purposefully infect your character with this disease as part of our story, so there will be some potential danger of your character contracting this disease during the course of the event simply by playing the game.

I’ve covered some of the basic mechanics of how Disease works in Dystopia Rising in previous posts, and you can read a bit more here about how this will function mechanically during EMERGENCE.

With the basics out of the way, let’s cover some big themes of this disease:

The disease spreads by TOUCH

Behemoth Parasites is an insidious and quickly spreading disease, spread by the simplest of transmission vectors - TOUCH. It’s something so ubiquitous and common, and it’s the primary reason this disease has become so dangerous. A simple handshake, hug from a friend, or even life-saving medical procedure while bleeding out may end up spreading the parasites to a new host.

Mechanics: Any touch between you and another strain triggers “Inflict Disease (Parasites)”. This includes touching prompted by mechanical skill use, like Medical or Enhanced Movement.

However, just because this disease spreads via touch doesn’t remove your consideration of your fellow players. Remember, physically touching another player without their consent is prohibited in Dystopia Rising, so make sure you get the enthusiastic consent of the other person before engaging in physical contact.

Parasites, not an Infection

I’ve used the term “disease” for this upcoming mechanic, but this effect is actually brought about by internal parasites infesting a host. It’s not a bacteria or virus that is spreading amongst the town, but rather actual tiny creatures burrowing in the skin and bodies of the infected, eating them from within. This is a terrifying disease, as it’s more akin to something like mutated tapeworms, fleas, or ticks. If you don’t get medical treatment quickly, you might die a painful and quick death at the hands of the things devouring you from within.

Functionally though, this condition will be treated as a mechanical disease within our DR:TX event. Stuff that interacts with diseases will work against it, and items that help prevent the spread of the disease will still work to contain the infection.

Easy to Cure, Easy to Advance

This disease is very easy to cure, using existing mechanics in our game. The simplest way to deal with the parasites is to eat a crafted Meal that was prepared using the Deep Cholesterol Fry blueprint. There will be other ways to cure this disease with medicine and research, but the easiest way to avoid death via parasites is to get it cured quickly.

Unlike other diseases, this disease stays easily treatable up until the final third stage of the disease. While cures will be plentiful, the bigger strain of Behemoth Parasites will be on Mind points, healing, material resources like herb and produce, and the most dangerous threat of all — the inexorable advancement of time.

If untreated, after 12 hours your character will DIE. This is a three stage disease, and each stage advances after about 4 hours. If you do nothing, your character will meet their untimely end, lose an Infection, and enter the next step our story line after 12 hours.

However, since it’s so very transmissible, it’ll be easy to advance your character to the last stages of the disease. Anytime a ‘Inflict Disease’ mechanic is called, your disease will advanced to the next step. This means you can quickly end up at Stage 3, with a 4 hour timer until you die a bloody death at the tiny mouths of the parasites. Since it’s easy to be reinfected by the parasites, it’ll be important to discover some way to permanently cure the disease before its too late.

death is not the end

While the Behemoth Parasites can be very deadly, remember that Infection means your character can return again and again from death. Death is not the end for survivors in the apocalypse, and in fact it unlocks a new and fascinating side of the game - the Grave Mind Scene. Your character will get a personal scene with a Storyteller, and get a chance to experience the mysteries of the Mortis Amaranthine and the sinister Grave Mind, while getting new opportunities for story, character development, and deep role play opportunities.

However, one of the great mysteries of this event is what exactly is happening to the infected townsfolk when they die. According to the early reports, those that die have not yet returned from the Grave Mind. If your character dies during this event, you will experience a new challenge BEYOND DEATH.

This new experience is sure to provoke some interesting stories and we have a bunch more surprises that await you. Mae and our Gravemind STs have some fun stuff planned, and we can’t wait to show you the horrific fate that awaits your character should they let the parasites devour them alive!

Next week, I’ll reveal the full rules for this BEHEMOTH PARASITES disease so stay tuned!

Wrap Up

We hope that you are ready for the challenge of EMERGENCE. How can you save your friends when a touch can be deadly? What is underneath the ground, and how can you possibly stop it in time? Why are people not returning from the grave when they die? These are some fun and exciting challenges for your characters in the zombie apocalypse. But don’t worry, it’s not just all diseases, you’ll still need to deal with zombies, Oxkillers, and raiders and more.

Tickets are on sale now, and we have our special Winter Bundle deal running for a limited time.

See you next Vados, when we talk the specifics of our new disease, Behemoth Parasites!