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. This week, I have a special edition concerning the new March Blueprint Update, particularly discussing some of the notable changes and errata. I’ll also try to cover how we will be handling this change with DR:TX.
Blueprints are one of my favorite things about our game. I love the Blueprint collecting mini game within Dystopia Rising (as you may know), and any time there is an update there’s a lot of theory crafting and planning before that next event to prepare for the changes. The March Update is one of the more significant updates to the Blueprint system in 3.0 since the Augment releases last year.
You can check out a complete list of changes in the Blueprint Changelog. I’ve also catalogued some of the updates in my Blueprint Checklist that I maintain on our DR:TX website, and once these new prints are finally added to the database, you’ll be able to check the individual items for yourself on the Character Database.
This is a long post, and if you don’t care about Blueprints you might find some of this boring. I’m always happy to chat about this aspect of DR anytime, so I’d love to hear your feedback.
The former design of the Seasonal Blueprints. You’ll notice each was marked as a “2021 Season Print”.
A summary of the Changes
Let’s cover the basics of what changed in the March Update. A total of 36 blueprints were updated during this change.
Seasonal Blueprints no longer exist. This was a category of temporary blueprints released before the pandemic that were supposed to expire after 6 months, but that expiration kept getting extended for the next several years. This is a big change that has been a long time coming, so it’s no surprise to see these changes.
Six blueprints were removed from play. I’ll go into more detail on each below, but most of these were either online prints, items that used problematic mechanics, or ones that were rarely used.
Grave Diver’s Remedy
High Adventure Beyond Compare
High Roller’s Unfair Advantage
Imprint Harvested Avonturr Map
Smoke and Mirrors Parlor
Temple Room Checker
The remaining Seasonal Blueprints are now normal blueprints instead. The prints formerly-known-as Seasonal Blueprints were mostly changed to full National Blueprints or “Open Use” Blueprints like the majority of blueprints in the game.
Most of these Blueprints were edited and changed. While all have a new template and layout, a few got new material costs, some have edited abilities, and some have simply been cleaned up to be easier to understand. Many of these changes were simply updating formatting, fixing typos, and correcting a lot of rules disputes.
All “Cheat” Mechanics are gone. As the person who wrote most of these prints, these were beset by a lot of problems and were way too wordy. These will need a big reworking if they are ever to be reintroduced, but these were a product of a time before Keywords. For now, enjoy your poker games and games of chance free from (mechanical) cheating!
Most of the Murder Inc. Blueprints were updated. These prints were first released during the Dead Water event with the introduction of the shadowy assassin guild. These were updated for some mechanics changes, material costs, and now most require the Society Membership in Murder Inc. to use and craft.
A lot of these items are still very popular or iconic items that many, many players have built in game. While most of the major changes have been listed on the Blueprint Changelog, I’d instead like to talk about how we will be handling this change within DR:TX.
How will DR:TX handle this change?
We will be taking the same stance as our friends at DR:NY to handle this change over. Here’s how you can prepare for this change to item cards and blueprints:
Destroy your “Removed From Play” Blueprints & Items. If you have an item card or blueprint that has been removed from play, go ahead and discard it. You probably didn’t have any of these items anyways. You can find a list in this blog post, or in our Blueprint Checklist.
Any existing Item Cards that were changed stay in play until they expire, but may not be extended. If you have an item card made from a seasonal blueprint, you can continue to use it as a "Legacy” item until the card expires. You may not extend the expiration date in any way — once it’s gone, it’s gone. Most of these items had short life spans, so these items will be out of play by time we start Season 5.
All Murder Inc. items must be replaced with a new card. If you have an item card made from a Murder Inc. blueprint, you must have the item re-carded before you can use it. You cannot use old versions of the card. Please turn in your old item card to the Post Office at a DR:TX event and we will issue a corrected version.
The Post Office can reprint updated Blueprints. Simply turn in your old blueprints at the Post Office during a DR:TX event, and we’ll replace them with new ones. As a courtesy, please limit yourself to five such blueprints at a time if there is a line.
Pretty simple! Please be courteous of our Post Office guides, as this is a big change to implement in play and it might lead to some delays.
Jonathan’s Unofficial Commentary
DIRECTOR’S NOTE: The following part is just my interpretation of the changes to some of these prints, and should be taken as nothing more than hot takes and opinions. I’ve love to hear your opinions and hot takes too!
The original Seasonal Blueprints were first introduced at the National Event “Dr. Ottoman’s Lab”. These were the first Augment prints, and introduced a number of very powerful and very needed updates to some key aspects of play (particularly HEALING!). The original intention for many of these blueprints was to be temporary items as a way of play-testing new blueprints, but they were meant to phase out within 6 months. The pandemic changed all that, both delaying the planned expiration and introducing new online-only Seasonal prints.
These Seasonal prints also introduced two new National resource items, Mortis Fern and Imprint Crystals. The ability to get these items was limited to National events and Premiere games, so many of these items were very difficult to craft unless you traveled to big events, if you could even find a way to harvest these items. Some of the other blueprints had extremely expensive materials and it limited their use to characters with lots of scrap and currency. Overall, something had to change.
The March Update to these prints not only removes these National scrap and herb from play, deletes a few problematic or unnecessary prints from play, but it balances out several very powerful meta-defining items.
This has been a change in the works for a while, and most of these changes were to be expected. Many of these Seasonal Blueprints were simply TOO GOOD. As new Augments were released, many of these items were still superior choices to new blueprints and this change levels the playing field a bit. Some of the changes are just common sense updates to wording, changes to material costs and such, but a few were significantly reduced in power.
I’ve included some of my notes on the blueprint changes below. I’ve tried to clarify some of the changes that were not clearly reflected in the Blueprint Changelog or in the Item Database unless you are ADHD like me and compared the differences. Enjoy!
SEASONAL BLUEPRINT UPDATEs
NOTE: The notes in Italics are from the national Blueprint Changelog. The normal text portions are my comments and notes.
No updates listed in the Changelog.
Outside of minor formatting issues, the big unlisted change here is that it no longer requires any Necroinfluencer to use, just Resolve. If you enjoyed using this procedure, you’ll appreciate the savings.
No updates listed in the Changelog.
This print didn’t really change much. The wording on the effect is much clearer now and should prevent a lot of the confusion with this item. It’s a subtle change, but much appreciated.
Brain Disorientah is now a trap that cannot be augmented.
Previously, this item was a Gizmo that needed Exotic Weapons to use. Changing it to a trap just makes sense to me — it always felt like a trap item. The new version is a bit cheaper, as it no longer needs a Fuel System to build, but stays mostly the same. Because it’s a trap, it will take a bit longer to set up, but it’s a Container Trap so you can keep it as a portable bomb. The ability to shut down “Never Here” simply by opening a box means this item can dramatically affect big bad guys as well. Storytellers and CvC-inclined folks need to be aware of this change and consider it for mods and CvC fights. Be careful of anyone lugging around a big box into a fight!
Crystodyne Regalia now restores 10 Mind and may only be used on a Target once every 30 minutes.
This was a pretty big change, but closes an exploit that some folks were abusing. The 30 minute cool-down fixes that issue pretty nicely. Some of the unlisted changes - the Mind cost to make this went down to 15, from 30. This is a nice change, as it makes it easier for a new player to build. The damage you take from the feedback increased to 5 (from 2), and the PFA ability changed slightly. To self heal a mangled limb on yourself you can now either spend Resolve or 20 mind. The heal on another player stayed the same. It also no longer requires a Psionic Crystal to make a copy.
Crystal Candy Nucleation now removes the Target’s ability to use Anomaly skills until the next 12s or 4 hours, whichever is longer and may only be Targeted once per 12s.
In addition to the change above, the effects changed in a small, but significant way. If you don’t spend a Resolve to stay alive, the procedure now inflicts 20 Body on the target instead, but it is no longer a Killing Blow. This means you are less likely to accidentally kill a patient, especially since you can’t harvest Candy from them over and over. The added penalty of losing access to all of your Anomaly skills means you probably won’t be using this on a friend to make cheap crystal candy.
No updates listed in the Changelog.
This was a weird pseudo-augment before, and it is now officially an Armor Augment. It no longer requires Imprint Crystals to make, and there’s a slight change to the wording of the ability to let it work on ANY target. This is an important change, as it can now target Archons (who have their own sub-type that is not Lineage, Undead, etc.).
The Dead Man’s Hand the basic ability was removed from play and the PFA ability became the basic ability.
This was formerly a Cheat item, but the PFA was my favorite part. It is now officially an Augment and the material cost on this item significantly decreased. It only needs one Basic Culinary Crafting Component (a Simple Adhesive) to make versus three. The Mind cost to craft decreased to 5 mind, and it now requires Proficient Larceny to use. This is a great improvement overall for an iconic item, and I’m really happy about this change.
Doc Ottoman’s Disease Control Kit
Dr. Ottoman Disease Kit had its proficient mechanics updated.
There are a few slight wording changes here, but the main change is listed above. This mechanic now deals only with understanding the Vectors of the disease. This is a significant change as it leaves the “ask a question about the disease” function to the basic research mechanic in the Disease section in the DR Corebook. The previous version was probably TOO fast at uncovering facts about a disease and this change should allow some more time for disease plots to unravel. I don’t think many people will really build this anymore unless it’s needed for a plot.
While the overall cost remained the same, this no longer requires a Proficient Artisan Crafting Component to make. This means that a brand-new character with Basic Artisan can fully construct these items. All of the Doctor’s items now require Lore Medical to duplicate the blueprints.
No updates listed in the Changelog.
While the overall cost remained the same, this no longer requires a Proficient Artisan Crafting Component to make. This means that a brand-new character with Basic Artisan can fully construct these items. All of the Doctor’s items now require Lore Medical to duplicate the blueprints.
No updates listed in the Changelog.
While the overall cost remained the same, this no longer requires a Proficient Artisan Crafting Component to make. This means that a brand-new character with Basic Artisan can fully construct these items. All of the Doctor’s items now require Lore Medical to duplicate the blueprints.
Essex Entertainer’s Kit reworded for clarity and brevity.
No longer requires Lore Faith to copy, and the text is much improved. It is no longer a Container though, and can’t be trapped. Solid changes here, and it’s much more clear how it interacts with the Dive Bar, instead of that effect being listed on the Room Augment.
Focus Overload Crystal has had the fracture removed and no longer Targets anyone other than the user and Raiders/Undead Targets.
Only minor changes here, but most of this is simply changed wording. The part above about fractures was on the original print, but it’s much more clear how it works. The biggest impact you’ll see is that it improves the blast radius to an Area of Effect range instead of the 3 Steps in the Master Pyro skill. Slightly more expensive to craft and still a nasty tool to use against Full Dead.
Clarified that the proficient ability only works for the person activating.
This was updated on 3/22 based on a National clarification on Discord, but changes how the Proficient ability functions pretty severely. The Proficient ability was confusing and many players assumed it was not limited to just one target. Now, it is clear that a person can spend Resolve to speed up crafting for just themselves, and not everyone at the Crafting Area. I’ll definitely miss the previous edition, as I liked the interpretation that let you buff a crowd of crafters rather than make one person a super repair bot.
OOPH Bullet Plates now only blocks base damage from firearms and exotic firearms.
This is a painful change for one of my favorite Augments, but it means it’s no longer immune to a skilled Marksman with better attacks and it resolves most of the rules questions about Line of Sight attacks. The Augment is slightly cheaper to make, but it’s overall power is much closer to the other Shield Augments. I don’t know if I’ll rebuild one of these for the future, but it still should be very useful versus NPCs with Firearms.
No updates listed in the Changelog.
This no longer requires Imprint Crystals to make! Hooray! This buff item gives an alternative to the AA Mess Kit for regaining Mind points, and now more clearly allows you to double Hallucinogen brews as well as Recovery brews. Great change here and I think you’ll see more folks using these in the future.
Shredzilla Grindgears can now be used with any melee standard and only works on the Proficient Activation.
Another painful change. Now the difference between this and the Superior Weapon Balancing is only the speed of the damage being dealt, and not the efficiency. You can deal 15 damage in three swings for 5 mind, versus 25 damage over 5 flurries with the other augment. While it got considerably cheaper to make, I think you’ll see folks choosing other Augments than this one in the future.
Street Nobles Cap is 5 Mind, 5 damage, No Avoid.
This is a little cheaper to make, but it’s a big step down from the previous version. Previously, this did “5 Damage, No Avoid” for 10 Mind, but had no other restrictions. The new version now has limits the effect to once per minute instead. This is now on par with other similar effects, and no longer a superior Brawling tool.
Striker’s Coat’s basic ability makes the wearer immune to the murder call.
This is a dramatic change, though it may seem subtle at first. The protection from ALL Killing Blows is gone, replaced by immunity to Murder. This means that a counted out Killing Blow will still kill you and brings a use back to Proficient Faithful Spirit for the former protective effect. The Striker’s Coat is still very good, but no longer the best Armor choice, in my opinion. If you expect to run into a lot of Murder effects this will be amazing, but if CvC and criminal activity isn’t your normal experience you might find other armors to be a better investment for scrap.
The Dive Bar can now be placed away from the Shipyard.
This is a positive change for game sites that don’t have immediate access to water. Previously, you’d have to build both Room Augments and it would need to be “near water”. This is now a full Room Augment by itself, and no longer requires a second expensive item to use. I love this change, and I think you will see this Augment used in a lot more low places, where the whiskey drowns and the beer chases...
No updates listed in the Changelog.
This item now has a big disadvantage that isn’t listed in the changelog. When you use the Killing Blow effect, you now add a “Self: No Escape for 10 minutes”. Ouch. This means you’ll need to stick around after causing that guaranteed Infection loss and you might end up with consequences of your own. It’s slightly cheaper to build though, and now requires Master Projectile to use.
The Moulen Rude the No Escape call is now only 10 minutes.
The materials to make this changed slightly, but the big change is the No Escape call went down from 1 Hour to only 10 minutes. It is still a very powerful poison, but a much needed change in my mind. The previous effect was probably a little too good.
Next, we will cover the changes to the Murder Inc. items first released during the Dead Waters event ran by DR: Connecticut…
Murder Inc Blueprints
Most of these blueprints gained Murder Incorporated Society Membership requirements to use, per the national changelog. The material costs changed on a few, but most had a significant change to how it functions in game. We will be replacing all of these items in game, so make sure to get these cards replaced as soon as you can at our next event.
Al Buquerue’s Left Turn now [only] does damage to non-living Targets.
This is a big change to how this item previously worked. Now, the Body damage can only be dealt to non-Living targets, so it’s far less useful in CvC or against non-zombie foes. “Non-Living” target is also a weird exclusion, as it is not as clear as using the Undead keyword instead. According to National, this new type of target will be added to the Lexicon soon. This item remains the only MI item you can use without the membership and no longer needs Criminal Influence to use, just Exotic Weapons.
Brain Shudder Blade, the PFA added No Avoid to the call.
The main change here is the requirement to have a MI Society Membership to use this item. This remains either the best Melee Small in the game or the worst, depending on how much of your site is covered by the Wasteland. The buff to the PFA ability is very nice, but it’s still very expensive to use since it requires Festering Crystals.
Little Drop of Poison now requires Silenced Knell Society membership to make.
The main change here is the requirement to have a MI Society Membership to use this item. This change also means each of the three factions of Murder Inc. each have a unique item that only they can build, so it’s a nice fix for a sub-faction that was missed in the first release. This remains one of the best poisons, particularly with the PFA.
Lore: Medical, Lore: Mortis Amaranthine/Infection, and Lore: Raider [uses] have been updated.
This procedure mainly seemed to move away from learning hard out of game facts to learning more in-game versions on the same topics, in addition to requiring MI membership to use. Lore Raider now lets you know how long someone has had Bad Brain as well as if they are infected, but still cures 1 level. Lore Medical no longer lets you know how much mind and Resolve they have left, but rather the last time they had a medical procedure in the past 6 months. Lore Mortis no longer tells you how much Infection they have left, but rather when the last time they gained or lost Infection was. Overall, I like the change to this procedure as an ST, as it helps tell a better story with a plot or villain than telling you concrete out of game information. Since it still uses a Festering Crystal, it’s still very expensive to use.
Miss Anthrope’s Blade basic ability After using Double Tap makes your next Double Tap free. The proficient ability allows the mangled limb to only be healed by Medical.
The main change here is the requirement to have a MI Society Membership to use this item, but Basic and Proficient levels have significant changes. Previously, the Basic level had things around an augmented Double tap, but it’s much more clear how this ability works. All around a good change, in my mind. The proficient level changed the Mangle ability from being “unfixable” to “medical only”. This is a strange new phrase for the ability that hasn’t been in play before this, but it’s kind of nice that you can seek out a doctor to help you with the limb if you don’t want to wait an hour. These changes prevent a lot of rules clarifications, but don’t really change the utility of this weapon for me. If you have Florentine and MI membership and love the Wasteland, this is a solid choice.
No updates listed in the Changelog.
No changes at all. This already needed MI membership to use, so it didn’t need to be updated with the other MI Prints. There’s a slight cosmetic change to the print appearance, but nothing mechanical. This would be a low priority to replace a copy of the print for me, unless you are a completionist like me that needs to have a shiny new copy with the updated change date.
That Cursed Pitchfork’s proficient ability now produces 5 basic or uncommon herb and they are considered wild for their expiration date.
This item now requires MI membership to use like the rest, but the Proficient ability produces much less total herb than before. Previously, this would create a named item “Bloodroot” that would count as 10 basic/uncommon herb. This new version produces 5 less total herb, but it makes the actual herb instead of an item you have to expend all at once. There were very few prints that needed 10 basic in one print, and since it was a giant stack, you might get 3-5 herb of use from the item while the rest went to waste. Great change on this one, as it reduces brand new custom gizmo/items created by prints and just makes the process more efficient overall.
The Big Hate’s basic ability now does 5 Aberrant Bane instead of 10. No Defend was added to the PFA.
The changelog covers all the major changes here, and this is only usable by MI membership now like the rest. It’s a minor change overall, and the PFA ability is slightly better and maybe worth risking a Festering Crystal for a single shot since it comes with evasion for common NPC defenses. Just be careful to make sure your target can’t use the Avoid skill.
The Hunter’s Secret no longer makes long-pig, just Meat.
This item also needs MI membership to use now, and had a slight change to the Basic ability. If you make a Face Trophy from a target, they no longer come back with an extra Fracture after dying. Like the Pitchfork change above, this change really just reduces making new ‘counts as’ items rather than just giving you the raw produce. Solid change, and I like reducing the item card bloat. Now, if only there was a better use for Meat…
One note I’ve submitted as feedback - the Long Pig item formerly made by this item is also referenced on the Room Augment “A Collection of Heads”. I’d expect an update to this print soon as well.
No updates listed in the Changelog.
The only change here is the need for MI membership to use. This is a great change, as it was previously an amazing Disguise item that could be used by non-MI folks. This might prevent some weird false attacks where MI was blamed for a kill they don’t want to claim credit for. It’s still a very neat item, and well worth the investment of scrap.
Now, let’s cover the Blueprints that are no more…
REMOVED BLUEPRINTS
These blueprints were removed from play during the removal of the Seasonal Blueprint Update in March 2023. These items no longer exist and any remaining item cards or blueprints should be discarded.
Losing six blueprints from play seems like it would have a greater effect, but the reality is that most of these blueprints were not used. A few only had specific uses in online games, which led to weird rules clarifications when someone tried to use it in a live game, and others involved the dreaded Cheat mechanic. I don’t think anyone will miss these blueprints, but I’ve included a bit of my unofficial commentary below.
Grave Diver's Remedy
This item was introduced during the Green House online National event, and cured a specific disease that was only used during that event called “Grave Diver’s Disease”. As far as I’m aware, no other event was using this disease, and this is an item that no longer had a use outside of filling a spot on a list of blueprints.
High Adventure Beyond Compare
This item improved your combat abilities in a online mod space, but was one of two “Online Only” blueprints. It also required “Mortis Fern” to make, and since this was limited to National and Premiere games, it was very expensive if not impossible to regularly craft.
High Roller’s Unfair Advantage
This was one of the few Cheat items. It was originally envisioned as a one-item Cheat item like loaded dice, but since we had to include all the mechanics for the Cheat ability on the card, it was WAY too wordy. I’m sorry for any Guide that had to write one of these. Had the rules been something simple like “Spend 5 mind, call Cheat!”, it would have been better. I think the concept was nice, but it was a product of a time before National created the Lexicon for additional rules in game. I do hope these items eventually see a return, but it’ll need a Keyword or something similar to make it work.
Imprint Harvested Avonturr Map
This was probably one of the few items that I saw in game from the listed of removed blueprints. This item was one of the items that needed an Imprint Crystal, but I think the main reason it went away is that it needed a specific type of Action Request. Many games only have an online system for a few types of Action Requests, so this item needed advanced notice to use and the game would have to write a special mod just for you. Since it was an item that could expire, this could lead to some weird interactions. I’m a little sad to see this one go, but I hope we see more delve-focused items in the future that don’t need as much work from the local games.
Smoke and Mirrors Parlor
This was one of the Cheat items, but the original vision was an ‘anti-Cheat’ item to balance out the others similar to an item in 2.0. Like the rest, the wording was too much, and this item created some negative experiences rather than telling a better story. Players would build this item specifically to suppress the use of Cheat items, or require any games of chance to take place within one. I’m personally glad to see this one go, and hope that the next incarnation of this item tries to focus on better ways to interact with this concept.
Temple Room Checker
This was the second Online-Only blueprint, but it was a surprisingly effective item to deal with foes that could escape easily. Had this been an item usable in a live game, I think you would have seen many people build these as portable bombs to clear a room. This function is now solidly covered by the new updates to the Brain Disorientah, and the confusion of online-only items is probably the main reason this goes away.
wrap up
That’s it for today! Hope you enjoyed my rambling about Blueprints as much as I did while writing this. Jeff and the National team should have the full text of these changes up on the Item Database soon, but it may take a bit. I hope you appreciate the work I put into this review! If you have any questions on these changes, hit me up at the next event or check with me on Facebook.
See you soon Vados!
