DR Live Rulebooks

A living Rule book

If you’ve had a chance to visit our Most Improbable partners at the Dystopia Rising Live website, you can find the complete listing of the available source books for the next edition, handy dandy download links, and a timeline of when to expect the next books in the series. Michael, Catie, and their whole team are hard at work building content for the new edition, and this is THE place to find the books. They’ve done an awesome job so far, and it’s a lot of neat material.

In this section, I’ve compiled a short guide to help you decide which book to read first:

Books & Rules — Dystopia Rising Live Larp

Our photos for this post were mostly taken from the DR Live website, with permission. You can find the artist accreditation for each of these pieces inside the front cover of the books.

What does a ‘living rulebook’ mean?

Unlike previous editions that you downloaded from places like DriveThruRPG or ordered physical copies of the book, this next edition is envisioned as a living rule book. The edition that you can read right now is the current version of the rules, but you can expect to see periodic updates as we continue in the new edition. The Dystopia Rising Live website is the best place to find the most up-to-date files, for FREE.

Well, instead of needing an entire edition update to make changes to the rules, Michael and his Network Support team will be able to update the file on this website as those changes happen in real time. Once we launch DR Live, if some rule is found to be problematic or there’s some error we missed, they can just upload a changed book and fix the problem right then and there. No more typos staring you in the face years after the book was printed!

We will still strive to have some paper versions of the rules available for our in-person events, but digital is going to be the way to go for most folks, so you can make sure you always have the most updated version of DR Live.

That’s a Lot of Books!

A common concern I’ve heard is being confused on where to begin, so the main focus of this guide is to help understand a bit about what is in each book, and how important it might be to your game play experience. Luckily, while Michael and the Most Improbable team have prepared a LOT of content for DR Live, you don’t have to read it all at once.

A quick reminder:

  • Pace yourself. This seems like a LOT of content, but it’s not necessary to try to read hundreds of pages at once. You don’t have to binge this content like some Netflix show, and the best way to learn is by playing. If you don’t want to start into these books right away, that’s okay. No one is judging you.

  • This is the entire new system. Not everything is player side focused. A lot of these books are really meant for the staff so we can run games in the DR Live system, or are super narrow in focus. If it’s not something specific you are involved in, you can probably skip it and read it later.

Start Here - The Player’s Guide

The Player’s Guide should be your first stop in your DR Live reading. This is a book you probably shouldn’t skip, but it’s only about 100 pages or so. That’s not nearly as long as core books have been in the past, and it’s a fraction of the size of rule books like D&D or Vampire.

Not only does this book have the full list of Impact Skills, Development Skills, Professions, and more, it also has a lot of the detailed rules for building a character in the new system, as well as the core rules for play.

  • There’s some good pages to bookmark - On page 8, you can find a quick reference to building a character and some short descriptions of the strains, lineages, and where to start with a brand new character. There’s also a great table on page 14 that details how much all the skills and professions cost in XP in the new system.

  • A lot of the material about experience points, mind, body, resolve, and the core stats of your character start on page 13.

  • Lineages start on page 20. There is a lot of extra content about Strains that can be found in the Strained Ancestry book that I’ll talk about below.

  • Skills start on page 30. These are broken into four categories - Default Skills are ones every player starts with like weapon skills and basic lore, Impact Skills are active skills that refresh every 20 minutes out of combat, and Development Skills are most of the crafting and faith skills that use Mind points to fuel their use. The final category is Aberrant Skills, which includes both Impact and Development varieties.

  • Professions start on page 61. These are advanced purchases that require you to meet a few prerequisite of Skills to unlock, but you can only learn three (3) total per character. These will require you to have a bit over 100 XP to unlock, so if you are just starting out you can probably leave this section until last. These are great things to work towards as you play the game, but you don’t have to take a Profession right away. Professions have two brand new Skills each, and each Profession is supported by several craft-able items in game.

  • The core mechanics, Combat rules, CVC rules, and Item Card rules start on page 73. This is one of the must read sections in my mind, so don’t skip this part. That’s only 7-8 pages or so, but this is the stuff that you will use every single game.

  • Page 80 introduces the concepts of Fractures and Diseases, but the full rules for these mechanics are in the Guide’s Guide. This is a quick version of the rules, but you can save this part for later if you want.

  • The complete Lexicon is on page 83. This is a list of keywords, mechanics, and more that will come up regularly in the course of the game, now in the rule book instead of hosted on a webpage. This has rules for stuff that appears in the Skill mechanics like Agony, Knockback, Mangle, and even a few Threat Skills that you’ll probably be on the receiving end for. This is a really important section, and definitely one worth bookmarking. This will also continue to expand as the game evolves, so it’s a great place to find the quick reference for all those cool keywords.

I hope this quick breakdown makes it a bit less intimidating to read. You don’t have to read the whole thing in one sitting, and I recommend breaking it up into smaller sections as you go. This should be a book you read a few times if you really want to master the new mechanics, but it’s very streamlined and easy to understand.

Recommended, but Optional - Guide’s Guide

While it’s not entirely required to read this book as a new player, there are some useful parts I’m going to recommend below. A big chunk of this book is directed at your Storyteller and Guides and details a lot about designing stories for DR, building the world, and a lot of setting material.

If you are a staff member, I recommend reading this book entirely, but this can be mostly optional for others.

Here’s the important stuff to consider if you want to skim the best parts:

  • The Genre and Technology summaries are on pages 7 and 8. This details a look at what to expect in the setting, and it’s a good reminder for your backstories and understanding the limits of the post-apocalyptic setting we share.

  • Anti-Aberrant Mechanics are on page 37. This details some of the disadvantages for being a psion in the world of DR Live, and if you take psionic skills this is worth reading. It’s only two pages, so it’s short and sweet. Psions - know what you are getting into!

  • Fractures are covered on page 64, and Necrology starts on page 66. These cover some common mechanics if you want to explore the Grave Mind, and are worth including in your reading. Grave Heads and Doctors should pay attention.

  • Diseases are covered on page 71, but I’d consider this section a SPOILER if you’d like to instead experience this in person. Doctor and researcher types will probably want to be familiar with this section.

  • Crafting begins on page 86, and this is a super important section if you want to use Development Skills like Artisan and Culinary. Notably, the Travel Buy List is on page 95 and the global Expiration Date list is on page 96. If you are at all interested in Econ in DR Live, you should definitely read this section.

As you can see, most of this book is aimed at the Storytellers. It’s still worth reading if you have a chance, but I only really recommend the whole thing to the members of staff, like Guides and Storytellers.

Optional, but probably skip - virtual play Guide

This book is ONLY useful is you are planning on attending a virtual event of Dystopia Rising Live. Many branches across the network offer a chance to earn XP and items in a virtual setting from time to time, usually hosted on Discord. DR:TX has no virtual events planned for the near future.

If you are attending one of our live events, you can skip this book for now.

Here’s the important stuff to consider if you want to skim the best parts:

  • Virtual Play Mechanics starts on page 8. The online space uses slightly different rules than live play, so you’ll have to learn a whole new system to participate online. This version uses the same character sheet, but uses dice to simulate some of the challenges instead of the actual behaviors you’d do in a real game.

  • Virtual Play Crafting starts on page 19. Many players like to attend virtual events for a chance to earn resources and get in some crafting time, so this section details the limits of what you can achieve online. Because this version of crafting has much fewer risks than in the live space, there are some common sense limitations on what you can earn.

  • The rest of the book is aimed at the staff, detailing some suggestions for how to organize and host a virtual event. This section can be skipped unless you are a member of staff.

Recommended, but optional - Strained Ancestry

In the book Strained Ancestry, you will find additional information regarding the evolution and inspiration behind the different Lineages, details describing the unique evolution of each Strain, as well as Strain variants with specific advantages, disadvantages, and requirements for play. This is a great resource for inspirations for your character and backgrounds, and includes some optional advanced rules for Strains.

  • This book details two new variants of each Strain, each with new advantages and disadvantages. Each Strain will have a Civilized and Wasteland variant.

  • This Standard Strain found in the Player’s Guide is the “default setting” for character creation, and it is easier for new players to engage with (less mechanics and less nuance is simpler).

  • Strain Variants will allow you take on additional costuming and role play challenges for your character in exchange for slightly different Strain Advantages and Disadvantages. Some of these advanced rules can bring you into conflict with the other survivors in the game, so these should be considered carefully.

  • We recommend against taking a Strain Variant if this is your first time experiencing Dystopia Rising live.

  • This book also includes your first details of the Fall of Man and what exactly started the zombie plague that wiped out the world. This is an AMAZING bit of lore, and I highly recommend reading this part.

Save for later - A killer’s Mind

This book details the shadowy organization known as Murder, Inc, which is unlocked by taking the Development Skill called Criminal Influence. I’d consider this book SPOILERS if you aren’t part of this group.

If you are a member of this group, or want to join the murder game, this is a wonderful book to consider reading. If you don’t want anything to do with MI, then you can skip this one entirely. You can always read this one later, and a big part of this book is designed as a sandbox to inspire how each game runs their version of Murder Incorporated.

  • The Rules of Engagement start on page 27. This covers the creed of the masked killers and some important role play tips for your assassin.

  • The Hierarchy of Rank starts on page 30. This details how the organization chooses leaders and the internal hierarchy they use.

save for later - Everything a Grave Head needs

The last few books of note that you might want to read concerns the mysterious Grave Mind. These books can kind of reveal some of the mystery behind death and dying in the world of Dystopia Rising, so I’d consider them a bit of a SPOILER in general. Some of this stuff is fun to experience for the first time in game, so if you prefer that route, I’d consider these ones Optional.

  • One cool thing about this book is that it details the Timeline of the Apocalypse and exactly when the zombie plague first began. This is an important book to read if you like the lore of the world, and it details a LOT about the Grave Mind.

  • If you plan on engaging with Necrology at all, this is a must read. You can find this info starting on page 46.

optional, except for staff - Behind the Scenes

These next few books are ones that I would consider SPOILERS, but have also been made available to everyone, including players and staff alike. These can provide an important glimpse behind the scenes of Ops and the NPC Shift, but these are entirely optional to read for most players. If you are on Staff, particularly as a Rules Guide or Storyteller, the monster guides should be recommended reading.

  • Corpse Catalog, the Zombie Guide - This covers all the Year 1 zombies you can expect to face off against, including new Impact Skills for the monsters, and brand new threats you’ve never seen before. If you want combat against zombies to be a bit of a surprise, I’d hold off digging into this one, but this is a great look at the common threats of the DR Live world and what to expect. If you appreciate boffer combat, it could be helpful to consider what the most common threats of the game look like. Zombies have gotten a LOT more dangerous!

  • Banners of Blood, the Raider Guide - This covers all the Year 1 raiders you can expect to face off against, including new Impact Skills, a hint of new raider types, and a LOT of history and lore about where raiders come from. Raiders have been stepped up considerably in difficulty and won’t be the common threat they were in 3.0. These threats are no longer push overs, and when raiders come to town it might be worth considering if you’ll run or hide instead of getting hunted by these fearsome new threats. The lore parts are really neat in this one if you don’t mind SPOILERS.

  • Animal Almanac, the Critter Guide - This book is designed as a tool box for your local staff to create new and terrifying mutant flora and fauna to populate the wasteland. This outlines all of the various Threat Skills that might show up on a Critter, based on their tier of threat, the scope of play, and the environment and surroundings the creature favors. This will be less useful right away, as your local team will need to build the props and stats for the monsters they use in game, but this can show you all the possibilities to have nightmares about.

optional, except for staff - plot kits

The next few books are plot kits, designed mostly for your local staff. These have HEAVY spoilers, and are more of a tool box for your local team to craft stories. Not everything in these kits will show up in your game. These can be skipped, unless you are on staff.

  • The Grave Divers details what happens when you encounter a Corrupted Morgue. Good thing that won’t happen in Bravado, right? Seriously though, this book should be considered SPOILERS for all but the most engaged with grave plots. If you are the Grave ST, this one is for you. Otherwise, this should be saved for later.

    Illusions of Civility - Heavy SPOILERS. This is a Plot Kit that starts with the launch of Dystopia Rising Live featuring a new resource in the wastelands, the Glow Shroom. You can read ahead if you like, but be warned that this covers a lot about the different factions you’ll get to interact with in person. This is aimed primarily at Gamerunners and Storytellers.

save for later - Coming Soon

The last line of books to consider are the easiest choice to exclude from your reading, because they haven’t been released yet! Michael still has several more books planned for the DR Live line up, including the three listed below. I’ve put a few of my guesses below, but these books are still being written so a lot can change.

  • Apocalyptic Control - This book will cover Factions that are national in scope, with organizations and subgroups across the wasteland. I’d expect we will see more about folks like the Trade Union, the Ottoman Institute, the ARK Society, the Red Ledger, and other similar large-scale factions. The exact list of what will be in this book is unknown, but you can probably expect to see groups like the Wells Society, the Servants of the Undying, and the Temple of Evolution from the Illusions of Civility plotkit in here as well.

  • Illicit Business - This is meant more as a companion to the Murder Inc. book released last year, and will delve more into the Black Market and general criminal side of things, like the Dead Market and all the various organizations and materials needed to understand the shadier side of life in the wasteland. This will be a must read for Criminals once it releases.

  • Devotion & Faith - This is the book that will cover each of the various faiths of the wasteland, detailing their history, lore, tenets, subfactions, and all the various cults you might find in the world. This is probably going to be a much-anticipated book, as we have a lot of players that are super excited about Faith in our games.

    • If your character is a Priest or member of one of the many faiths of DR, this will be a must read. I’d consider this one as important as Strained Ancestry when it comes out, and I’ll probably be one of the 3 must-read books I recommend to new players in the future.

    • The DR Live books don’t have a lot about faiths inside, unfortunately. To help out, I’ve created a list of the current documentation for faiths on our DR:TX website, that you can read for yourself. I’ve listed out the descriptions, tenets, and subfactions from the two most recent books, so this is a great stand-in resource until this book is published.

    • Read more about Choosing a Faith in DR Live