Pyroclasm: Logistics Reminders!

Today is the day for our first in-person NATIONAL EVENT of 3.0 - THE NECROPHAGE!

Let’s cover the last minute Logistics Reminders for travelers and Vados alike. We are going to cover LIT inventory, our Vaccination policy, a run down of the weekend itinerary, how and when people can come on site, and some other important reminders for game including a special guide on how to get better PHOTOS of your character during this event!

I wrote a bunch for this game on preparing for the event, so check out my previous blog post on National Event Expectations for a full list of some things to keep in mind, as well as my post on the Culture Differences in DR:TX.

Let’s get started!

Schedule of Events

The link above covers the standard start times and such of our game, but here’s the basics:

friday

• 3:00pm Site Opens and Players may enter site from the Parking Lot. Note: You cannot drive your car onto site. There are a limited number of carts on site that you may use to transport your items, or just carry them to your bunk.

• 4:00pm Logistics Check-In Opens for Pre-registered players at the Post Office/Kiva

• 5:00pm Logistics Check-in Opens for Everyone at the Post Office/Kiva

• 6:00pm New Player Guides are on hand to help New Players in Kiva

• 9:00pm Opening Announcements on the porch of Kiva

• 9:20pm New Player Orientation and Module begins immediately following Opening Announcements

• 10:00pm Bell Rings for Game On! Past this point, all spaces in camp are full-immersion and in-character except for bathrooms/showers, the Parking Lot, The Grave Bureau Annex | Logistics, and the side check-in window in the Post-Office.

• 10:00pm Post Office opens for in-character transactions

Sunday

• 12:00pm Bell Rings for Game Off, Post Office Closes

• 12:15pm Closing Announcements for everyone at the Bell at the Crossroads. Guides meet after Closing Announcements for Cleanup Assignments.

• 12:30pm - 1:30pm Personal Site Cleanup Everyone cleans up their sleeping areas and moves all their stuff to their transportation in the parking lot. This is done by area and group. Once everyone in the area is done, a Guide who stays in your sleeping area will inspect the area and sign off on your Character Sheet that you have completed your personal cleanup. Then the group will proceed to the Porch of Kiva for Camp Cleanup assignments.

• 1:30pm - 2:30pm Camp Cleanup With your sleeping area group, you will help to clean up a general space of the camp. Once you have finished, you will have your sheet signed off by your Guide and you will turn your sheet in to the Gamerunners. After this point you are free to go!

Parking Lot

We will have some volunteers helping out in the parking lot starting at 3:00 PM, but please remember to be courteous when parking your vehicles.

• Please follow the directions of the staff to ensure that everyone has a place to park their vehicles. Carpool if you can, or plan to share a ride with a friend!

• Do not double park, or block in other cars. We might have players attempting to leave site early or they may have to leave for emergencies.

• We cannot block the main road into camp. You can park on the side of the road, but you must leave space for an emergency vehicle to get onto site.

• Please practice safe driving in the parking lot and watch for pedestrians!

smoking policy & Burn ban

Camp Kachina is a non-smoking campus. Players cannot smoke cigarettes, pipes, cigars, or charcoal hookahs while on the camp grounds, which includes the parking lot. Players are able to smoke if the means is electronic, such as a vape or an electronic hookah.

If you want to smoke otherwise, you must completely leave the property and go ALL the way to the main road entrance off Morgan’s Point Road. We recommend taking friends, cause it’s a long hike.

In addition, Bell County (where we are located), is under a BURN BAN until the end of October. That means no open burning is allowed on our site, so you’ll need to plan for some other method of cooking than a campfire.

kitchen policy

• Remember, the industrial kitchen located in the Dining Hall requires a Food Handler’s License to use the equipment. You can email food handling licenses to info@dystopiarisingtx.com.

• Storing your food in this fridges and using the microwave is fine without a license. There are limited fridges to store cold items in, so bringing your own ice chests and coolers are a good idea if you have a lot of stuff to store.

• Please do not take up too much in the space in the fridge. Save room for others!

• You will need to plan on bringing your own plates, silverware, etc. for meals on site. There are limited access to pots & pans for the folks with food handler’s licenses, but plan according for meal plans with paper plates, cups, and napkins.

• Clean up your own trash and dirty dishes immediately. Don’t leave stuff in the sink hoping someone else will clean it up for you. We don’t need the wildlife investigating your leftovers. Plan to clean up after meals and don’t leave it sitting around. Our Safety Guides will be checking on our kitchen use throughout the event as well.

MEdical information

If there is a medical emergency during game, we use the words "SAFETY HOLD" to pause all action in our immediate vicinity. We use an OOC symbol of our hands on our heads to indicate we are out of character and anything we say out of character is effecting the 'real world' and should be taken seriously. So if my friend falls and hurts themselves, I will yell "SAFETY HOLD!" and place my hand on my head. Then I will send myself or a runner to get the nearest Guide and say 'This is a real-life emergency. Someone is hurt.'. If there is no Guide nearby, send someone to Ops. Where possible, never leave the person alone. If the injury is serious or life threatening, find the nearest phone and call for emergency services.

Limited Medical and First Aid supplies are available in the Med Room, located in the back room of Kiva. This is also a rest, recovery, and decompression room as needed. A copy of our Emergency Handbook is available in this room as well, and in Ops.

covid-19 Vaccination policy

All players attending DR:TX events, including PYROCLASM, must show either proof of Covid-19 Vaccination or a negative Covid test result from within 72 hours prior to the event start. You can email those to info@dystopiarisingtx.com. You will also need to sign agreement to this policy and agreement to our liability waiver before entering play. You only need to do this once!

Read our full Covid-19 Policy here

If you are feeling sick, please stay home!

LIT Inventory

If you have items in LIT Inventory, PLEASE EXPLICITLY ASK FOR A LIT ITEM LOG during Check-In. These LIT Inventory sheets will be printed for folks that request it with items in their online inventory during check-in, and you will be able to mark transactions off your totals on the sheet. At the end of the game, you can simply turn in this sheet to record your item uses. If you can use these sheets for your item card needs, this is the BEST way to do so.Players will have some limited ability to remove items from your LIT Inventory that you will need during this event.

We will have Joscelyn & Lauren, and others in the kitchen WINDow in the DEPOT from the hours of 10am - 6 pm on Saturday to help with LIT transactions.

This LIT inventory window is at a DIFFERENT place than the usual Post Office, in the small kitchen window within the Depot by the back door. Please be kind and patient, as this is one of the most time-consuming tasks the Post Office has to do for a player, and we have several visiting directors helping with this task. Rumor has it, being mean to a Postal Worker is the leading cause of Grandfather Nichols visiting your cabin in the middle of the night…

Sleeping Arrangements

This webpage explains more about the areas of our campsite and what sort of bunks are available. The Camp Kachina site easily sleeps at least 150 folks, plus tents brought by players. All bunks are first-come, first-served, with the exception of the Medical Sleep Cabin where priority should be given to folks who need electricity for CPAP and other machines, or who must be undisturbed during sleep. The medical cabin, labeled The Dogrun/Wigwam on our camp maps, is also a non-combat zone after dark due to the large amount of rocky terrain around this building.

Because we can’t guarantee medical cabin bunks will be available, players who need to sleep out-of-character can get a note on their character sheet at check-in. We recommend placing a sign above your bunk with a green or orange glowstick at night to indicate that you would prefer not to be targeted during nighttime combat and other modules. If you require additional accommodations, there are several hotels and airbnb locations nearby in Belton.

• Some cabins have limited access to electricity. Plan to have a battery pack for your phone, or bring a surge protector for multiple devices. Have a plan if power is not available nearby your sleeping areas or crafting zones.

• The Kachina bunks have a camp pad or mattress on them, but it’s useful to have a set of sheets or a sleeping bag to use as well. I heartily recommend additional blankets or padding past the mattress, if you can afford the space in your vehicle or packing.

• We have limited buildings with AC available, but there is always floor space in the Depot to sleep indoors if it gets too hot or cold. Depending on the weather, Texas can be especially hot, or surprisingly cold.

• There are no RVs allowed on the site, and the parking lot does not have a lot of room for larger vehicles. Please plan accordingly.

• We will have an NPC shift starting at 3:00 PM on Friday to help with managing the Parking Lot as players arrive. Please follow the directions of the staff to ensure that everyone has a place to park their vehicles. Carpool if you can, or plan to share a ride with a friend!

Tenting Incentives

The Survivor’s Guide to Wasteland Modeling

By Poeregard

It’s a National Event! You’ve spent a metric Oxload of time working on your kit, you’ve been working on your character posing, possibly traveling for MILES out of state and you’re ready to kick-ass at a huge game! Now what?

You want to get that sweet-sweet kit caught on camera, preferably while interacting with some other cool kits and rad players in the Wasteland, of course!

So many of us love photography time, and with the help of Max Pohlmeier, Lainey Weiss and Crystal Louise Remy this upcoming trade, you’ll have the chance to do just that.

However! There are some ways you can make that moment even better for you AND the photographer.

• Slowing down!

  • Getting the right photo takes time, getting the angle, getting you and others in the scene interacting. If you see a photographer lining up a shot near you, take a few moments to slow down your movements, hold that pose a little longer, make that expression a little longer. This will help get that perfect shot of you and those around you.

• “Cheating the Camera”

An example of some of our AMAZING players “Cheating the Camera”

• Cheating the camera is a modeling term, where your body is kept mostly forward while your head is turned towards your subject. This helps get more of you, your kit and include others in the scene!

• On the note of posing, if you want to seem like you’re looking into the distance, look at about 15 degrees to the right or left of the photographer. This will make it seem like your character is looking somewhere off in the distance, either at a friend, a looming threat, or contemplating if they should grab their next drink at the Swaying Anker or the Sin-Sa-Bar.

• Food and Drink

  • Eating and drinking during game is GOOD, and self-care is GOOD. You’re a survivor and surviving in the wasteland is what we do- but! If you see the photographer around, they may avoid grabbing a shot of you while you’re slamming back that cup of hot brown or chompin’ on those Beaver Nuggets. If you see any of our photographers coming through, place any food to the side, and continue the scene until the photographer has moved on. It will only be a few moments though, so don’t worry about your Saturday Morning Cartoon cereal getting soggy!

  • Also! If you see the cameras coming through moving cans, modern food containers, and other non-genre’d bits out of the frame does WONDERS for a shot and immersion. Please do so if you have the chance!

• Facial Expressions!

  • There is a LOT of drama out in the wastes, and it’s AMAZING when it happens. Pushing that moment can be amazing for the camera, so ham it up! Whether it’s in the heat of an argument, crying over the loss of a loved one, or weeping in joy over that DELICIOUS bowl of elote a couple of folks in the Depot just sold you, pushing that expression looks AMAZING on camera! Your characters are POWERFUL and their expressions can be too. This isn’t just for your face either- if you play a masked character, or anyone with a covered face, bring that expression into your body! Drop your shoulders, gesticulate with your hands, get big, get small - let that moment show with your WHOLE self. It’s amazing for both the scene, and the photo, so don’t be shy!

• OPTING OUT OF A PHOTO

  • We know that not EVERYONE wants their photo taken, and that is 100% okay! If you see a photographer lining up a shot of you, show them a thumbs-down. This will tell them that you don’t want a photo, and they will do their best to make sure you aren’t the focus of a shot! It is completely okay to be uncomfortable with having your photo taken, and we will do our very best to respect that.

  • Thank you so much to everyone coming out this weekend, we’re excited to have you and have the opportunity to mark your kit in wasteland history.

See you on site Vados for the PYROCLASM!!!

Killhouse Has Fallen

Two late night missives begin to broadcast across the San Saba:

NOTICE OF PUBLIC EMERGENCY

Shareholders of the Great Territory of the Lone Star,

Recent reports from San Saba Republic scouts indicate that the Ox bearing prisoners from Brownstone Island did safely arrive at Prudence Penitentiary in the early hours of Wednesday morning. However, in the hours and days since its arrival, we have heard little from Warden Moriarty or his thrice-struck Lifers. It would appear that something regrettable and rotten has occurred within the Penitentiary’s walls since Grandfather Nichols and his cadre of criminals descended.

Therefore, it is the opinion of the San Saba Board and its Justices that all shareholders should make preparations to brace for something Vile and Villainous to emerge from those venerable gates.
Lest you forget what is written into our Laws:

“The spilling of Blood and Bone is the prerogative of the Wastes,
But to steal the Infection of the Body, or the Work of the Hands is forbidden.”

This disease named the Necrophage is an pestilence upon the progress of Civilization and those who engineer and embolden its contagion are hereby labeled Breacher.

Warden Moriarty has chosen to terminate the sacred celebration of the Indulgence. I am sure that is working out very well for him, but in matters of Law and Order, the Law Dogs, the Red Ledger, and Justices of Sin enact the will of the Board as their Voice and their Vigor, empowered to wield Death and Duty in their name.

In lieu of that sacred holiday, we shall raise a Gauntlet instead. Until the threat of the Necrophage is stopped, a new era of Justicalia shall rise. We shall render Justice for these Sins, or be swept away in the Pyroclasm of affliction.

Render unto the penitent their pardons and the unrepentant their retribution. Make Pride your Protector and Wrath your Wisdom. Find guidance in the glory of Greed and Gluttony. May you be exalted in the Envy of your enemies. May your Lust for the Law lead you in your litigation so that when sunrise comes, you may sleep the serene somnolence of the sacrosanct Slothful.

In Jurisprudence,

Tabitha St. Mercy
Justice of Sin

NO CONTACT WITH KILLHOUSE SINCE ARRIVAL OF OXLINE

SPECIAL REPORT: Contact has been lost with Prudence Penitentiary earlier this afternoon. Witnesses report a black miasma emanating from within the facility. Law Dogs and Justices of Sin in the area are non responsive and no contact has been made with Warden Moriarty since the arrival of the Oxline carrying Grandfather Nichols. Has this institution finally met its end?
Story Continues on Page 2.

Could this have something to do with this recent telegram sent to the Law Dogs?

Direct to Law Dog Central Office from Deputy Cline for Distribution

All Dogs- Stop - New Disease from Wailing Shore- Stop -Black scar mark X pattern- Stop - Victims incredibly strong- Stop - Will not bleed-out - Stop - Final beat large incendiary explosion stay out of range- Stop- Orders unless countermanded by Boss Wyatt or Sheriff Alela restrain and contain- Stop - Repeat Restrain and Contain- Stop - If fleshmutant use fire- Stop Nichols Weapon- Stop - Nichols and his agents to be charged with all deaths associated with this disease- Stop End Message

The Consternation of Doctor Nichols

It’s Jonathan here with a special distraction from all of your last-minute packing for PYROCLASM!

Tonight, we have a brand new TEXT ADVENTURE from Lind Shanin, called "The Consternation of Doctor Nichols". This story takes place shortly before our game, and is from the perspective of one of the inhabitants of Killhouse on a particularly fateful night of the Indulgence.

Instructions:

This file is a .html file made with an app called Twine. The file opens in a browser and requires Javascript to view, so we recommend downloading the file, and opening it on a PC. We did this kind of file before for our Lonestar Skies events, and it will open on PC, Mac, or Android phones. If you have an iPhone, it will not load as it cannot recognize the file type. Sorry!

Click the link below, and enjoy! (I promise it’s not a malicious file.)

The Consternation of Doctor Nichols, a DR:TX Text Adventure by Shan Lind.

See you tomorrow!

Pyroclasm: Rules You Should Know

It’s Jonathan here again with another Rules Ramble! Each week, I’ll introduce a topic that will be important in an upcoming game, explain some new mechanic or system for DR:TX, or discuss a particular rule from the DR Corebook. In each ramble, I’ll focus on explaining that topic in more detail than the book alone can provide and help provide one place to reference all the various errata or rulings that might be relevant. Sometimes I’ll even drop a few Story Teasers or provide a summary of the last game in a Game Recap.

This week, we are continuing with our countdown to our first in-person NATIONAL EVENT of 3.0 - THE NECROPHAGE! This week, we are going to discuss Rules You Should Know for the upcoming game this weekend, including Abyssal Discharge, Devour, Poison, Murder, Mysterious Ore, and more!

Tickets are still on sale at the door for PYROCLASM! See you this weekend!

I also did a few website updates this week, and if you are a Blueprint hound like me, I added a great resource to our website: The Blueprint Checklist. This page collects the names of all currently released blueprints in game in one place and provides a handy way to keep track of your collection. I hope you find it useful!

Photos used in this post are from the talented Lainey Weiss and Max Pohlmeier, from our September event, VALLEY OF FEAR. You can also submit official Feedback about our events through our Feedback Form.

rules you should know

The week before game I like to release a series of specific rules that might come up during the PYROCLASM event. We will talk about some common rules that might be important, new Zones of Mechanics, new Plot Items, and new Threat Skills you should save some Mind points to Avoid!

The Necrophage

Your guide to your doom!

The most obvious rule you should know is that there is a DISEASE called “Necrophage” in play this weekend. A few of our players got to experience the Necrophage first hand during the virtual event this weekend, but suffice it to say it is… spreading.

We’ve also had some resources for Disease in Dystopia Rising posted for the last few months, and we mentioned this in our content warning after last game.

The good news is that we have a nifty Disease Pamphlet designed by the talented Aesa Garcia that will be available this weekend. If you end up contracting this plague, it will contain all the rules you need to know on one sheet, much like a big item card or blueprint.

I covered the specific details of this a few weeks ago in my blog post, and you can read it in my Anatomy of Disease Plotkit post. Be warned, this has direct SPOILERS for how the disease works, so if you want it to be a surprise, then wait until you get to game!

There is also an easy way to simply OPT OUT of the plot, by declaring that you have a Natural Immunity to Necrophage. The unique conditions of Bravado have made the residents hardier than most versus disease. I’ve included the rules for this condition here.

mysterious ore

This weekend will be the second game where you can acquire this new type of limited currency in DR:TX. There will be a finite amount of these items in play, so they will have some value by scarcity alone. Mysterious Ore has no specific function by itself, and is the only Illustrated Item Card this weekend without rules on the card.

People that attend our NECROPHAGE National Event will have even more opportunities to gather Mysterious Ore as well. In fact, every person that pre-registered for PYROCLASM will get one of these items at Check-In!

The primary way to find Mysterious ore this weekend is by interacting with a zone of mechanics, posted near the morgue

Guides, STs, and Players alike can participate in a new Zone of Mechanics that will be in the world for Pyroclasm. The ZOM: A Vein of Mysterious Ore has a few changes from last month. While there will still be ways to go out of character and spend additional time as an NPC while you are “mining” inside the Morgue, now that the vein has been opened the mining came be done a bit easier. Hopefully, you can get your share before the vein runs dry!

redfield invention exchange

One of my favorite ZOMs is making a glorious return, just in time for several shiny new blueprints! The Redfield Invention Exchange allows you simply draw a picture of what you THINK a blueprint item looks like and how it works, and you’ll get a brand new blueprint in return. No mind cost, no herbs, just a new blueprint.

It doesn’t have to be an actual item in game so if you have a nifty idea for a new gizmo, show me what you got! We got some simply fantastic submissions last month and I can’t wait to see what you turn in this month.

Here’s the rules for how it works:

Effect: Spend 1 Resolve, and spend 20 minutes drawing a picture of an Blueprint item or describing how you believe a blueprint item would function. At the end of this time, you may submit your invention idea to the Post Office in exchange for a copy of a Blueprint of your choice. This ZOM may only be completed once per event, per character.

This ZOM will be posted inside of the General Store, in the Kiva Lodge.

Threat Skills of Note

I’m sure it’s just a coincidence that I’m describing these completely unrelated Threat abilities before the game. You probably won’t encounter monsters with these abilities. Probably.

murder

Damage Modifier. Countered as the accompanied call; Avoid if a Strike or Ranged Attack. Murder is an effect that can be added to a damage call. An example call would be ‘10 Body, Murder’. If the damage attached to a Murder effect is sufficient to put a target into bleedout, it is also considered a killing blow. Effects that would normally trigger on either bleedout or a killing blow will trigger on a Murder effect in this situation.

Good ol’ Murder. Do not pass go, do not collect $200. Hope you have a Striker’s Coat!

Unrelated image. I promise.

abyssal discharge

This is a horrific power possessed by those that have nearly succumbed to the NECROPHAGE disease

The character may call “By the Sound of my Voice, Abyssal Discharge, 500 Body.” Following this call the character has 1 minute during which their body is torn apart from the inside out, consumed by their own inner Mortis until all that remains is a desiccated corpse. After 1 minute, the character is reduced to 0 Infection and is permanently dead. They cannot be returned to life by any means and the Mutant strain advantage to avoid death from disease does not apply.

This power is tied to Necrophage, but for some reason it seems familiar…

CONSUME

Skill Call. This creature will spend 15 seconds roleplaying draining a nailed, stunned, or otherwise restrained target. This attack reduces their Body to zero, and starts a 1-minute Bleed Out. The attacking creature then heals all Body. This attack has no effect on a character that is not subdued or restrained.

Things that tie you up and drain your fluids? Definitely none of those in Bravado.

Devour

Skill Call. This delivery modifier causes the attacker to be healed for an equal of Body as the attack deals. For instance, a creature might call “Devour 50 Body!”, which will deal 50 Body as the attack and heal them for 50 Body. This call can drain Body, Mind, Resolve, or Infection.

This is a terrifying skill, as it can even drain your very Infection! Yikes!

Compulsion

Effect. When an NPC calls “Psionic: Compulsion, All <KEYWORD>, [Insert Command]”, the affected target must follow the next single command until the task is completed or nullified (such as being compelled to defend someone who then dies). The target must complete the command to the best of their ability. When the target enters Bleed Out, the effect immediately ends. Characters under the effects of Compulsion remember the actions they take, but are not in control of them. This ability is normally resisted by Mental Endurance, but some effects may prevent this resistance.

Hope you have Mental Endurance, or you’ve bought one of those fancy Grave-Bell Shards!

Mind damage (Poison)

Damage Modifier. This is type of damage normally associated with POISON and poisonous creatures. Regardless of the source, a successful hit with Mind Damage causes you to lose that amount of Mind instead of taking damage. So, if a monster swings for “5 Mind Damage!”, you would lose 5 Mind!

The insidious thing about this ability is that’s the same amount as an Avoid, so even if you jumped out of the way you would still be down the same amount of Mind. Yikes!

sound of my voice

This is an effect that targets EVERYONE within a 50-foot radius who can hear the call. Sound of my Voice ignores walls, doors, and all other barriers, and may represent gas, shrapnel, psionics, or other effects that ignore barriers. Sound of my Voice cannot be Avoided. The only effect that can prevent a Sound of my Voice call is the Phalanx Doyen PFA use of the OOPH Barrier. This is the largest range of most Threat abilities in the game.

And remember, that’s 50-feet in every direction from the Threat, so that’s a HUGE area to impact.

Mark of mammon

Keyword. A character with this trait is vulnerable to skills, abilities, and items that specifically target the Mark of Mammon keyword. This is a condition gained by interacting with a particular series of unique items in the play space.

That’s all you get. If you get this Keyword, you know what you did.

Unrelated Final Knight bullshit.

wrap up

That’s it for today!. Tomorrow, we will have some Logistics reminders and last minute details to help you get into game easier. We will also release the last part of our story teasers for the weekend! See you soon Vados!

Pyroclasm: What's Different in DR:TX?

It’s Jonathan here again with another Rules Ramble! Each week, I’ll introduce a topic that will be important in an upcoming game, explain some new mechanic or system for DR:TX, or discuss a particular rule from the DR Corebook. In each ramble, I’ll focus on explaining that topic in more detail than the book alone can provide and help provide one place to reference all the various errata or rulings that might be relevant. Sometimes I’ll even drop a few Story Teasers or provide a summary of the last game in a Game Recap.

This week, we are continuing with our countdown to our first combined virtual AND in-person NATIONAL EVENT of 3.0 - THE NECROPHAGE! We have a lot of travelers coming out to our first live game in a while. Let’s talk about some culture expectations of our game, some major differences between our game and what you might see at your local events, and some resources to help you understand the differences.

Photos used in this post are from the talented Lainey Weiss and Max Pohlmeier, from our September event, VALLEY OF FEAR.

A new player can be identified by the blue armband they wear. In game, we call our new players “Dusters”.

Welcome to Bravado!

First, let’s talk about the basic story setting. We have a LOT of information about our story, the characters, and the setting on our website. I encourage to explore and see what cool stories you can find online. We have fiction, we have local rules, and we have more information about our factions too. You can find out about places of note in the San Saba, major NPCs, and even our metaplot stories for the season.

Here’s a short blurb describing our setting’s core story:

New Bravado is a boomtown built on the promise of wealth, status, and discovery. The Blastlands that make up the San Saba Territories; the greater municipality upon which New Bravado resides, are irradiated and unforgiving to the fragile Survivors who brave them. Built by its own citizens, Bravado is a frontier town whose identity and relevancy are staked almost entirely on The Ox, the territory’s first locomotive built from the detritus of broken construction equipment, several
derelict train cars and a single jet engine that empowers the Ox to rocket across the Greater Wastes at ludicrous speeds to deliver raw products and finished goods to their respective markets.

Beneath the city, in the ruddy clay of yesteryear, lie the bones of an ancient Facility - fossilized in the stratum below the surface by eons of disuse and quietude. Rare metals, blueprints written in arcane script, and weapons beyond the mortal ken of the Survivors of this Era rest uneasily in their tombs, waiting to be exhumed by the Delvers and Diggers working for the various holding companies who compete for the lion’s share of the whole operation. Below them all, below the bustling streets of New Bravado, beneath the Facility where the secrets of the world hang in delicate stasis, and below what lurks beneath that, the Mortis Amaranthine churns with all the whirling surety of a meat grinder, and it waits inevitably for its time and its turn.

It is the pith of man’s existence to be defined by what came before him. New Bravado has entered a tenuous epoch during which its future is unsure, but its potential is vast. It will be up to the citizens of this young town to shape the Blastlands around them, for the betterment of the Greater Wastes - or themselves.

radical trust

Our philosophy in DR:TX involves RADICAL TRANSPARENCY and RADICAL TRUST. We will trust you to do the right thing, and we will trust you to know your own limits and when you need to enforce your own boundaries. We will provide you the tools to be successful, and we will always attempt to give you the information you need up front. We will assume the best from you, particularly when it comes to rules in the field, on zones of mechanics, or during our fights.

We have a saying in DR:TX — It’s everyone’s first game sometime

Be kind to one another.

We are going to make mistakes, and it’s the first live game for someone out there. No matter your experience, no matter who you meet in the field, assume it’s their first game and give them the benefit of the doubt, grace when someone makes a mistake, and assume positive intent always!

combat is tough!

One common bit of feedback we hear from travelers is something we take pride in: our combat can be tough! Texas has a vibrant culture of “stick jocks”, as we have many of players that also participate in Amtgard, Dagohir, or other high-energy boffer LARPS in the area. This means that some of those zombies and raiders you face in the field might be more talented than you’ve come to expect in your local game. Texas is also one of the older games in the network, so some of our folks have been playing Dystopia Rising for 10 years or longer!

We also have a high combat tempo. We take pride in building our mod schedule around making sure there is always a “bump in the night”. While the daytime hours tend to be a bit lighter than normal, the nights can be deadly. Buildings aren’t always safe either. Often (and especially at night), threats can interrupt crafting, break through doors, and intrude on player spaces.

During a shift, we have regular combat threats we dub WHITE NOISE. These regular groups of threats are often in play with a turn around time of about 30 minutes. We cycle our NPCs to allow rest breaks and such, but we strive to have content for combat characters as well as roleplay characters. We might even have multiple groups of monsters in the wastes or longer lasting fights, with multiple spawns each time, or extremely dangerous local threats.

We do have one window of time that is completely safe - the SIESTA. From 12 pm on Saturday to 2 pm, we will have NO combat NPCs in play. While there can be a few individual Casted Characters that can still be dangerous, there will be no roaming hordes or raiders during this time. It’s a perfect time to enjoy a meal with your friends, take a quick nap, or complete that expensive Artisan project in relative peace.

“DO WORK, GET PAID”

One phenomenon of DR:TX is an embrace of the capitalistic hellscape of the wastes. The phrase “do work, get paid” is a common saying in our game, and it reflects that the folks of the area value the labor of a hard day’s work and the skills they can bring to the table. From contracts and taxes, to political intrigue, it dominates life in the San Saba. It’s even in our Laws:

Brass and Contracts are our Sacred Currency.

We’ve always had a vibrant in-game economy in Texas, harking back to tradition of “pulling ourselves up by our boot straps” in 2.0. We run various money sinks, Zones of Mechanics, and plots that work to remove Brass and items from the game, so players have had to become a bit more self-sufficient. You might find prices here different than you’ve come to expect in your home game. You might get asked to tip a crafter for a Repair, asked to pay up front for healing services from a medic, or even find additional ways to spend money with the Post Office. However, most forms of payment are accepted, and while folks might prefer Brass Notes, other currencies and Trade Notes are commonly accepted by our players.

There are always a few Sainthood or others willing to help a Duster, but barter and trade is the nature of the world in the San Saba. So, maybe you didn’t make a crafter, or an Elitariat, or maybe you are just new to town. What’s the best way to get by?

Simply participate in the game! We have neat Contractor Work Orders that can help any player earn some local currency, and we have various Financial Zones of Mechanics, merchants, and other ways to earn a living in the wastes. There’s always a way to earn a Brass for those willing to work!

casual violence & CVC

Another aspect of Bravado is a tradition of Casual Violence. In the spirit of the old westerns and outlaw stories, folks in these parts tend to walk around ARMED. The phrase “talk shit, get hit” is a common soliloquy, and non-deadly CVC is not only allowed, but encouraged! A good old fashioned tavern brawl can erupt, but just as often those folks are back at the bar afterwards buying each other a drink after the fun. After all, in Bravado, a “polite society is an armed society”.

Feel free to throw up a “C” to ask for consent, and be ready to defend yourself! You can read more about the rules for CVC in the Moment in an article on our website, and you can always use the OK Check-In system, but friendly duels and fights are part of our culture. In general, as long as you don’t break the laws, combat is simply another way of getting to know the residents of town.

We have the RED LEDGER, a National DR Faction, in town that even encourages and rewards this kind of play with a unique buy list, in game events, and casted characters like Gustav Glasseyes. Our Wasteland is also HUGE, covering almost half of the game site, so there’s plenty of opportunity to embrace CVC in the Wasteland as well.

However, in game theft does not happen in game as often, as a whole. That’s not to say it doesn’t happen, but it’s worth making sure you have the rules and the laws of the settlement in mind. We have several in-game Law Dogs, and characters capable of enforcing the laws of the town should a thief be caught, and those consequences can often be deadly. Thieves and assassins can attract the wrong type of attention quickly. Make sure you remember the rules of CVC regarding theft — I wrote a few sections on this in my guide on CVC Theft.

zones of mechanics & interactive play

We have a number of ways in our game of interacting with a “silent Storyteller” in the form of Zones of Mechanics, or ZOMs. These will be found throughout play, in modules, and even posted publicly in a few places on high-visibility yellow paper. This is a mechanic we use frequently, and we’ve developed some fun ways to interact with the story without needing Guides or NPCs.

These ZOMs will offer ways to interact with the story from a mechanical perspective and might require you to complete a certain task, spend Mind with a Skill, or gather certain items. The instructions for how to use these will be included on the sheet, and we’ve added a few lighted clipboards for those ZOMs out in the field at night.

We also have a number of crafting areas that have props and tools for kinetic roleplay while using skills like Artisan, Culinary, or Agricultural. Each of these zones has some neat things to incorporate, and we hope that you enjoy the hard work our Props and Settings team has put into bringing these areas to life.

Our Food culture is great!

We have some AMAZING culinary artists in Texas. Following that focus on economy and the idea of “do work, get paid”, another pillar of this type of play is frequently found in Bravado — FOOD. One of the surest ways to earn money and get rich in Dystopia Rising is to provide food, drinks, and treats in game in exchange for currency.

Turbo’s 3rd Rule of Getting Rich - Grilled Cheese Sandwiches Make Millionaires

“The single greatest way to earn money is by supplying food and drink in a moment of need.  The richest folks I know got there not by farming herb or gathering scrap, but by selling a grilled cheese sandwich to a hungry survivor.  I’ll spend way more Brass over a weekend on hooch and food that I ever will on scrap and herb.”

If you find a vendor for tasty snack in game, save a few Brass for a pick me up in the middle of the day, from ice cream, popsicles, pizza, cookies, pickles, and more. Make sure to compliment the character, pick up after yourself after you are done, and enjoy!

An actual charcuterie board from one of our games.

grave bell & groundskeepers

In Texas, we use a team of trained Guides to run our Gravemind Scenes call Groundskeepers. These Guides will lead you through your death scene just like an ST would in another game, help you calibrate the scene to your character and your comfort level, and provide you the tailored roleplay experience of the Mortis Amaranthine.

In game, the Groundskeepers of the Grave Council are responsible for the common task of helping guide an unfortunate soul through the Mortis Amaranthine and provide the support necessary to complete the transition in one piece. When a person sinks into the Mortis, the Grave Bell at the Crossroads tolls three times. This alerts the Groundskeepers, and the town, that someone is imminently passing through the Morgue.

If you yourself sink into the Mortis, please proceed out-of-character to the Grave Bell and ring it three times, then proceed to the Grave Council Annex (Ops) to await Groundskeeper (and/or Storyteller) assistance.

When the Groundskeepers help you emerge unscathed, the Grave Tax is assessed. This fee is assigned based on the nature of the death, and can also be deferred or transferred by the Justices of Sin. If the death was unpreventable or accidental, the fee is negligible and normally absorbed by the Pauper’s Fund, a collection of Brass maintained by the Widows of the Lone Star. Collection of the Tax is normally deferred until April every year during Collection Day, and failure to pay the Grave Tax is considered a heinous crime.

The Laws of the San Saba

Like many of the settlements in the wastes, our town has several Laws in place. These laws are enforced by both NPCs and PCs, so be warned about participating in deadly CVC. We talked a bit about the casual violence of the setting and our town, but the cardinal sins of murder, theft, and tax evasion are also things to consider.

• The spilling of Blood and Bone is the prerogative of the Wastes, But to steal the Infection of the Body, or the Work of the Hands is forbidden.

• Brass and Contracts are our Sacred Currency. Thems that break a Contract are a Breacher and are subject to the Gauntlet. Anyone not holding a Contract is a Vagrant and has no voice in Company Affairs.

• None shall interfere with the Delivery of the Post, Nor the Collection of the Grave Tax.

• In matters of Law and Order, the Law Dogs, Hell Hounds and Justices of Sin enact the will of the Board as their Voice and their Vigor, empowered to wield Death and Duty in their name.

• The growth, harvesting, trafficking, and consumption of psionic crystals and their byproducts is hereby considered dangerous to San Saba communities and is forbidden.

Generally, don’t steal, don’t kill, and pay your Grave Tax and you’ll be fine.

The San Saba Trade Network

Local Plot Items from any participating San Saba Trade Network settlement are generally approved for use in connected settlements. We have several linked games that are part of this in-game and out-of-game network, in addition to the other in-character settlements in the San Saba:

• Bravado (DR:TX)

• Requiem (DR:NY)

• Mourning Glory (DR:MI)

In addition to the standard buylists for Criminal Influence, Trade Connections, and Sailing, in Bravado the Public Works Office has additional Buylists available. These produce “San Saba Sundries”, “San Saba Social ZOMs”, and “San Saba Keystones” items, local plot items that generally last a few months. Some require Basic, Proficient, or Master level Society Memberships with DR:TX Factions, but other items are more universally available.

While traveling characters won’t have access to Master Society Memberships unless you are a frequent guest, you can earn a Basic Society Membership with a faction of your choice by completing a Contractor Work Order in game. This will allow you access to both the Sundries and the use of the San Saba Socials other players put into play.

Note that due to the illegality of trafficking in psionic crystals and byproducts, Crystal Candy is only available through criminal connections and cannot be purchased normally at the Public Works. You must attend a Criminal Influence meeting to be able to purchase this item.

Wrap Up

That’s it for today folks! Tomorrow, I’ll have the usual “Rules You Should Remember” covering a few teasers, a few mechanics, and few threats to watch out for during the event. See you soon Vados!