Meet our Team!

We could not produce Dystopia Rising: Texas without the efforts and contributions of a fantastic team of Guides, Special Teams, and Storytellers. Guides and Storytellers are volunteers who, rather than spending their casting as shamblers, raiders, and merchants, help with the behind-the-scenes effort of organizing modules, signing item cards, overseeing character-vs.-character conflict, and answering questions. They are a team of amazing, dedicated, and wonderful people who do a lot to make your experience and our game better.

Guide applications go up before every season in June, and on an as-needed basis throughout the season. Guides are expected to do a minimum of 4 hours casting shifts, and miss no more than two games locally per season.

DR:TX Season 6 Team

Admin Team

• Jonathan Loyd, Owner / Gamerunner

• Heather Halstead, Director of Story

• Ren Lewis, Director of Logistics

• Noah Goodman, Director of Marketing

• Joel Vold, Admin Assistant

Storyteller Team

• Jared Schlabra

• Andrew Harper

• Kalen Lewis

• Mae Wilder

• Jo Brown

• Stephanie Patrick-Muñoz

• Krypto Strong

• Casie Spivey

Rules Guides

• Charles Gross

• Weston Harper

• Ace Cotter

• Lucas Robinson

• Mal McKenney

• Matthew Stasio

  Backup Rules Guides

• Nick Hiser

• Jen Brazas

Coord Guides

• Kat Drinjak

• Stephanie Sakovich

• Ian Workman

• Tessa Toler

• Katelyn Greene

• Cassie Leutenegger

• Kieran Turner

• Harley McElroy

• Max Pohlmeier

  Backup Coord Guides

• Joey Malveaux

• Danielle Harper

• LJ Graves

DR: TeXas admin Team roles

The Dystopia Rising Larp Network is a network of independently owned businesses that run live events under a shared Dystopia Rising narrative. Each individual branch with the DR Network is its own business with its own local owners who are accountable for following the guidelines of the DR Network as well as local legal guidelines while servicing their local community. Each branch maintains a team of employees and volunteers, both on-site and off, to execute each event. The team on the ground in each location ensures that the events being run are individual, unique, and tailored to the existing player base.

No one is expected to know every detail and fact about the Dystopia Rising universe to participate in a DR game, but our local game runners are responsible for ensuring their knowledge, skill sets, and community leadership are as honed as possible in order to provide an experience and consistent world lore of the Dystopia Rising universe.

Jonathan Loyd - Owner, gamerunner

• Game Runner, Owner of DR: Texas

• Oversees Financial and Operation decisions of each chapter and provides support to the Admin team.

• Oversees the Storytelling Senate. Creates plot documentation and design documents both locally and nationally, handles Conflict Resolution, and New Player Guides.

Heather Halstead - Storytelling Director

• Helps to manage the Storytelling Senate, enacts and enables Storytelling content, Mechanics and Economy balancing, creates online Rules Rambles and other content, and oversees the Rules Guides.

• Assists with Storytelling and Face NPC roles as needed.

Ren Lewis - Logistics Director

• Manage Post Office, Coord Guides, and handle Conflict Resolution.

• Manages Special Teams

• Assists with Storytelling and Face NPC roles as needed.

Noah goodman - Marketing director

• Manages Social Media and Marketing Efforts, Maintains Email Campaigns

• Instructs and provides support to Gamerunners and Storytellers to assist in creating engaging material for our social media

JOEL VOLD - ADMIN ASSISTANT

• Oversees Ops organization and setup, Storytelling Senate documentation, Administrative Documentation, Settings Team, and the Groundskeeper Team.

• Assists with Storytelling and Face NPC roles as needed.

Storytelling Roles

Storytellers for a Dystopia Rising Texas event are team members at our events who are able to assist you by answering questions, addressing problems, or making the experience of an event more enjoyable. Storytellers are responsible for producing and executing content during an NPC shift, acting as the manager of that volunteer NPC team, and directing the events that occur during their shift. Part writer and part producer, the Storyteller helps deliver an engaging experience to our players and NPCs alike.

The “Storytelling Senate” is our collected cast of volunteers that have a unique set of expectations above and beyond other Guides, including attending regular meetings between events. Storytellers are fired en-masse and re-hired every summer, to enable new players to join our team and to provide an opportunity for our existing team member to take a break from the role if they choose.

General Responsibilities

• The total time commitment of this role outside of your 4-hour shift at game is approximately 6-10 hours per month.  We will strive to honor this estimate each month, but additional responsibilities or involvement will require additional time.

• Be an upstanding member of the DR:TX community, espouse our community guidelines with gusto, and be able to speak to your content and ideas with enthusiasm, grace and tolerance for sweeping edits and feedback.

• Possess and maintain detailed setting knowledge of setting materials, canon materials  and community-generated content.

• Write, coordinate, and implement a four hour block of content for each live event

• Produce sweeping content for each season and surrounding buffer content to cement it in-setting harmoniously with the rest of the Storytelling Senate.

• Be present on our online platforms and attend a meeting every Wednesday at 7pm on Discord to discuss and write content. During these meetings, Storytellers must adhere to our Rules of Order, “yes, and..” your teammates, and generally be an affirming, principled collaborator.

• Assist with all-hands-on-deck events such as big fights, premiere events, and national events hosted by DR:TX.

storyteller benefits

In exchange for their volunteer support of our game, each Storyteller receives the following benefits for their hard work:

• Your game ticket; compensated for each DR:TX event, including “off” events.

• You receive the standard Guide benefits, including 40 CAPs for each event you serve as a Storyteller.

• One game “off” a season. No responsibilities. Just play your characters.

• You get to be in the room where it happens!  You will have direct creative input in the direction of the game, our factions in play, and the world we build together.

• The ability to apply for an OVERARC, one of at least four opportunities to directly craft the weekend story of DR:TX.

• Invitation to our annual summer ST Retreat

Specialized Storytellers

Specialized Storytellers are an important type of Storyteller with a more narrow scope of duties and responsibilities, in exchange for a greater creative control of their content. These roles involve a slightly larger time commitment, but do not have a formal 4-hour NPC shift like the other Storytellers. Instead, they are fully responsible for their scope of influence and will often provide this volunteer time at other times during each event.

There are three types of Specialized Storytellers in our team:

• Criminal influence

• Grave Mind

• New Player

Each of these roles is detailed below:

specialized storyteller: Criminal

• In addition to the benefits and responsibilities of the general Storyteller role, the Criminal Storyteller will be heavily invested in our setting as well as knowledgeable about the lore, factions, and players who interact with the “criminal” side of our game.

• The Criminal ST will be expected to provide storytelling arcs, mods, and face NPC roles to build and further establish the criminal world within Bravado, filling approximately the same 4 hour responsibility of other Storytellers.

• Responsible for facilitating and executing the Master Criminal Influence module each game and planning any relevant Murder Inc. and other Criminal Influence related Night Market meetings for each event.

• Update and manage the player facing Criminal Check In documents that are given to the players at the Post Office, including rumors, call and responses, and criminal Zone of Mechanics.

• Be mindful of the progression of the over arcs and other under arcs in Season 5 so that you can provide continuity for your content to the Storytelling Senate and our players.

specialized storyteller: Grave Mind

• In addition to the benefits and responsibilities of the general Storyteller role, the Grave Mind Storyteller is extremely invested in our setting, knowledgeable about the lore and processes of death, dying and rebirth, and who can provide evocative storytelling scenes to players that provide catharsis during Grave Mind scenes and other interactions.

• This role is largely “on call” during the evenings, assisting with character deaths that occur during the most dangerous times of our events. The Grave Mind Storyteller must be available to report to Ops during high traffic deaths and assist the staff on shift with processing players through their Grave Mind scenes.

• The Grave Mind Storyteller is responsible for training other Storytellers to effectively run and recreate the thematic design of DR:TX Grave Mind scenes in their absence.

• Write and maintain Grave Mind content that builds on the existing Grave Mind themes of Dystopia Rising and reinforce stories that have already been established in the DR:TX lore.

• Write planned solo and group Grave Mind Scenes that any ST should be able to run if they are provided with the training to do so.

• Maintain continuity of the stories told about the Grave Mind and Mortis Amaranthine throughout the season.

specialized storyteller: New Player

• In addition to the benefits and responsibilities of the general Storyteller role, the New Player Storyteller role will need to be filled by someone who can consistently be on-site and available to New Players from 6 pm - 11 pm on Fridays of each event. Attendance to every event during the season is the expectation for this role.

• This is one of the most demanding Storyteller roles, as they work hand in hand with our Marketing Coordinator and Admin Team to recruit new players to our events.

• The New Player Stoyteller will provide encouragement and help with any first-game jitters up through and including each new player’s third event on site (and often on social media), in a mentor role.

• Additionally, the New Player Storyteller will be asked to help with New Player communication digitally between events as well, maintaining good communication with potential players for our events within 24 hours. You will receive emails for each new player and it is greatly appreciated if you can help with their on-boarding in between events to create a consistent support pipeline into play.

• Must be able to speak knowledgeably and positively to a variety of play styles and factions within our setting. Be able to break down the basic rules new players must learn into manageable chunks and communicate them with gusto.

• Assist new players with character creation, signing new player waivers, tagging weapons, handing out blue bandanas, and distributing any helpful new player documentation and flyers.

• New Player Storytellers are responsible for crafting an opening New Player Module each month that fits in with the story, aimed at introducing our newest players to the world of Dystopia Rising in a positive and supportive manner. Storytelling experience and familiarity with leading NPC shifts is a plus in this role.

Guide Roles

Guides (formerly called “Marshals”) for a Dystopia Rising Texas event are team members at our events who are able to assist you by answering questions, addressing problems, or making the experience of an event more enjoyable (DR Corebook, pg. 15). Rules Guides are members of our team that assist in the field during NPC shifts, helping our Storytellers and NPCs maintain the integrity of the rules during modules and fights. Coordination Guides help operate our in-game “Post Office” or “Public Works” by issuing item cards or currency for various in-game Skill uses. Safety Guides help secure dangerous parts of our site during setup, and act as a liaison for Safety and Check-In behaviors on site.

General Responsibilities

• All Guide roles are fired and re-hired every summer. When you apply, we do expect you to be present for the entire upcoming season (8 events). Guides must commit 4 hours of their time to their Guide shift in lieu of an NPC shift.

• Because we need to depend on our Guide coverage, guides cannot purchase the no-casting or minimum-casting tickets.

• All Guides are expected to attend each DR:TX game as a rule and have it as your home chapter. Regular attendance is required, so please let us know if you cannot attend an event as soon as possible so we can plan around your absence.

• Sign up and execute your shift as per the Guide schedule, and be active in Guide spaces in between events to self-educate yourself about rules changes and event updates.

• Guides must be upstanding members of the DR:TX community, espouse our community guidelines with gusto, and be able to separate their personal feelings, characters, and plot interests from their Guide role as needed to better serve the community.

• Guides are expected to be able to make rules-calls in the field, and be passingly familiar with a solid foundation of the rules and blueprints that shape our game mechanics.

• Guides must be well versed in the rules regarding CVC Best Practices, and be able to follow procedure regarding CvC behaviors and in-character theft.

Guide Benefits

In exchange for their volunteer support of our game, each Guide receives the following benefits for their hard work:

• 40 CAPs earned for each game attended

• Guides receive a $20 Discount on attendance

• Guides can bring one New Player to every home game for free.

• Enfranchised involvement in executing and often producing our story and setting content for the enjoyment of your fellow players!

Types of Guides

There are three types of Guides that exist in Dystopia Rising Texas.

Rules Guides

• Assist the on-shift Storyteller with a four-hour NPC shift, acting as an assistant in the field to manage NPCs, enforce rules calls, and maintain the schedule of events.

• Rules Guides may serve in any NPC role on a shift, from combat to roleplay characters, but must defer to the Storyteller on duty for assigned tasks for the shift.

• Interpret 3.0 Rules and make field calls responsibly and understand and be able to clarify any mechanics in the field as per the World Binder, our rulebook, and blueprint/augment mechanics. Rules Guides, like all Guides, may be asked to marshal theft and CvC in the play space at anytime so you must be comfortable with those CvC Best Practices.

• Rules Guides respawn and deploy NPC threats in the field, reading the temperature of the fight and helping maintain immersion by staying “off camera” in an out of sight location during a fight.

• Rules Guides manage item cards for a planned event on the shift, distributing items to NPCs as loot and assisting the Storyteller in communicating the statistics of NPC threats being used for that fight or event.

Coordination “Coord” Guides

• Operate the In Game Post Office as an NPC, and help players with copying blueprints, crafting, cashing out LIT inventories, and related tasks. This is a paperwork heavy role with a fair amount of reading and writing required.

• Interpret 3.0 Rules and make field calls responsibly and understand and be able to clarify any mechanics in the field as per the World Binder, our rulebook, and blueprint/augment mechanics. Coord Guides, like all Guides, may be asked to marshal theft and CvC in the play space at anytime so you must be comfortable with those CvC Best Practices.

• Help with processing stolen item phys-reps, tagging combat boffers and weapons, and general questions LC’s may need assistance with.

• Be familiar with using the 3.0 database to process LIT inventory changes and tracking. Training will be provided.

• Contact the Logistics team (Amber and Joscelyn) for any needs, including maintaining item card inventories, delivering letters, and any mechanics that require clarification.

Safety “Check-in” Guides

• Inspect player’s weapons (boffers, nerf guns, etc.) and armor to ensure they’re safe for combat before game in accordance with the latest safety recommendations.

• Provide access to any applicable check-in skills and purchase lists and assist the Logistics Director (Amber) at check-in as needed.

• Tag equipment after ensuring the item fulfills the card’s description (ie: coverage points, specific phys-rep requirements) and write/evaluate starter armor and weapon cards for new characters.

• Help the New Player Guides with New Player Orientation before game on.

• Place glowsticks around camp on Friday night to illuminate dangerous terrain in heavy foot traffic areas.

• This role will need to be filled by someone who can consistently be on-site and available from 5 pm -9 pm on Fridays, prior to Registration opening and be present up through Opening Announcements.

Special Team Roles

The Dystopia Rising Texas team includes several specialized Special Team Roles that do not confer full Guide status or benefits, but still perform an important function for our events. These teams are involved in several specialized tasks that enable our game to run smoothly, from props creation, taking photos and videos for use in our marketing campaigns, unloading and loading items from our storage before each event, and our trained medical volunteers.

Each team reports to a member of the Admin Team and assists the game in various duties.

general responsibilities

• All Special Team roles are fired and re-hired every summer. When you apply, we do expect you to be present for the entire upcoming season (8 events).

• All Special Team members are expected to attend each DR:TX game as a rule and have it as your home chapter. Regular attendance is required, so please let us know if you cannot attend an event as soon as possible so we can plan around your absence.

• Special Team roles must be upstanding members of the DR:TX community, espouse our community guidelines with gusto, and be able to separate their personal feelings, characters, and plot interests from their support role as needed to better serve the community.

• Special Teams may have alternate or reduced NPC shifts, monetary compensation, or receive CAPS for these duties, depending on the team.

Settings Team

• The Settings Team role is very variable based on each event’s plot and hours may be broken up across the weekend. You will need to be on site earlier on Friday to assist with key prop setup and tear-down areas.

• Setting folks are a small team that includes three main skill sets: props and immersion, makeup and costuming, and Logistics supplies inventory. Being highly competent in one or more is a plus!

• Before events, participate in a Settings chat where you are briefed on the plot needs for that weekend, and coordinate with props crafters and Storytelling staff as needed to develop the vision for spaces.

• Inspect on-site living areas for genre-appropriateness and help ensure that players are in-character in all required spaces, including helping them to adjust their costuming and props to fit within our immersion requirements.

• Help to gently correct non-genre or immersion-breaking behavior in our in-character spaces, and help players find better spaces for any out-of-character needs, such as decompression, OOC chat, etc. Where needed, escalate to a Guide for a warning.

• Ensure that any usage-restricted spaces are used appropriately (i.e., kitchens, OOC sleeping spaces) and gently correct players who are not using them correctly.

• You may be asked to do some/all of the following each event:

  • Lead and oversee the setup of key in-character areas such as the Morgue, Crafting/Production areas, the General Store and Depot, and any special plot spaces, on Friday afternoon.

  • As needed during key events, assist in applying special makeup to NPCs, providing costuming guides, and help set up key module sites and props for special encounters. An interest or skill in efficient but effective costume makeup application is very useful in this role.

  • Help to keep props and Guide resources in Ops/Logistics and the Post Office straightened, organized, and inventoried, and communicate any purchase needs to the Storytelling Admin Assistant (Amber) or Logistics Assistant (Joscelyn).

Photography TEAM

• Photographers split up at least 2 hours throughout the event taking photographs of players candidly and discreetly. This duty replaces your normal NPC shift for the event.

• You will wear a green headband and interact ‘out of character’, if possible.

• After the event, you must edit and send high-quality photographs from the event to the game runners in a timely fashion (no more than 2 weeks post-event) for use in our marketing.

• You must provide your own photography equipment.

truck/setup Crew

• Arrive at the storage locker at 11 am the day of game and be present at 12 pm on Sunday when game ends. This duty replaces the normal NPC shift for the event.

• Assist the Truck Team Lead with 2 hours of assistance on Friday and 2 hours on Sunday setting up and tearing down our props around the site and at Ops/Logistics.

• Having a personal truck or high-capacity vehicle is helpful and will be given preference.

• Be able to lift and move heavy objects and totes, and perform basic physical activities is a requirement of the role.

• Be present for most, if not all DR:TX Events.

• Complimentary Tickets or monetary compensation may be offered to consistent Site Setup Crew members who go above and beyond. This could incur taxable income at the end of the year, if it exceeds federal and state minimums.

Prop Team

• This role does not replace your usual NPC shift but is supplemental to your player role if you choose to play.

• Coordinate with the Storytelling Team monthly to create/source whatever props are needed for that event.

• You will be compensated monetarily for your prop budget and time, but must be able to track and submit receipts and invoices for time and materials. This could incur taxable income at the end of the year, if it exceeds federal and state minimums.

• Must be able to meet a deadline and deliver props to the event in a timely fashion.

• As needed, spend time on site repairing and checking on our prop inventory and coordinating with Gamerunners to maintain the collection.

Medics and Emotional Support Staff

• This role does not replace your usual NPC shift, but is helpful to Gamerunners to know who is able to provide medical assistance in the event of emergencies on site.

• Let us know what certifications and qualifications you have and in what capacity

• We will add you to our on-site health and safety guide for reference to players and staff