Staying Engaged in Online Spaces

Howdy, Wastelanders!

And welcome to our next Pro-Tip Thursday. Tomorrow is our virtual game. While we’re ecstatic to bring this game to you, we also recognize that the online game is vastly different from an in-person game. Today, I’m going to bring you some tips, tricks, and guidance on how to stay immersed and engaged in the online setting. 

Role Playing (RP) with Players/NPCs

One of the beautiful things about playing in a virtual setting is the diversity of players that attend. People who typically can’t make a game all the way in Arkansas are able to attend virtually and test out the Arkansas flavor of Dystopia Rising. This is a great opportunity to meet new characters and people!

If you find yourself in a Discord channel working on something and someone pops by, give them a little wave. Introduce yourself. At the bar trying to recover from rad sickness with people you don’t really know? Start up a game of Truth or Wrench! A little hint for this weekend’s game - ZOMs will exist whose success and benefits will be greater with more people engaged in it. There’s ample of opportunities that you can take advantage of to engage with different folks from different chapters. Some of these new found friends end up creating long time friendships and accidental adoptions into a DR family. 

RP with ZOMs

As I mentioned above, there will be ZOMs that exist throughout the weekend. There’s…a lot. To figure out what ZOM exists in a channel, simply click the little “pin” button and pull up “Pinned Messages”. The first thing that will pop up is the ZOM for that channel. Some of these ZOMs will change depending on how many people are interacting with them and what the rolls are. When starting to engage in a ZOM, it’s important to note when you’re starting in the Discord channel, when you’re finished in the channel, and the outcome of your roll. 

I’m going to use my character, Sierra, as an example. Let’s say that there is a ZOM that exists in a channel labeled “Artisan Area” and the ZOM that is active there states “Any player may spend 10 minutes and make a Civilized Roll.” The ZOM will list out what the results are depending on the roll. Well, I want Sierra to engage in this ZOM. So what I’ll do is go in the channel and write: “Sierra bumbles into the artisan area and begins clanking tools around, finding the perfect one to start her work.” The moment I hit enter, it’ll drop the date/time I submitted it. That way in 10 minutes, I can make the roll and RP whatever the outcome is. If you have multiple people working on the same ZOM at the same time, this could be a fun interaction with one another and draw out meaningful RP. 

RP Actions

There’s a lot of story that can be told alone in RP actions. Much like an author, you can give so many indicators to your character’s emotions, thoughts, motives, etc. through actions in RP. As another example, two characters had a conflict of interests with one another in a mod and they’re not fans of each other. While the initial conflict started in one setting, it could very well continue once they’re back from the mod with simple actions. Cydney (player of Echo) displays Echo’s mood from the encounter by placing her in the next scene with something like, “Echo angrily storms into the bar, throwing her supply bag on a table and taking her seat.” What information can you gather about Echo at this moment? Elements like that can really add depth to the scene, the character, and the interaction that follows after.

Once more, if you’re going to engage with another player in a hostile setting please remember the social contract. That can be re-read here - https://www.dystopiarisingar.com/unvarnished-truth/2024/2/15/pro-tip-thursday-renewing-the-social-contract

Taking Breaks

There’s a different type of exhaustion that hits when you’ve been sitting behind a screen for a length of time than what you may experience at game. Even though you’re not running in the heat and smacking your friends with wacky-bats, being present in an online setting can quickly take social batteries. Be sure to take breaks periodically. Go stretch, go walk, drink water (yes, hydration is still important), get a little snicky snack, just get away for a moment. It’s needed. If you find yourself getting overwhelmed, step away. That’s a great thing the online space can offer.

With all the above in mind, have so much fun this weekend!

Online Event System

Howdy Wastelanders!

Next month we’re launching our online event for July and then taking a break in August. It’s hotter than Hell. Not everyone is a Final Knight and want people to suffer the Arkansas HEAT! So, for the next trade it will be in an online setting. There’s a LOT of pieces to it so we’re going to cover what you need to know. Please be sure to read all the rules in their entirety at dystopiarisingar.com/riverlands-rolls 

Location

For the last couple of online trades (July 2023 & December 2023), you may have noticed that the Trade wasn’t hosted at Quiet Hollows but at a different location in the Riverlands. That will be very much the same. Truate teased earlier in the season that we may be returning to our old stomping grounds, Crystal Creek, for some new business. Keep an eye out on our discord server, event posts, and receipt of ticket purchase to gain access to the event discord server and rulings for econ online.

Riverlands Rolls

I highly recommend going to our website, opening up a google document, and follow the instructions to transpose your character into the Riverland Rolls system. In fact, you will be expected to send/upload your Riverland Rolls character sheet to the Guide of that mod.

Riverland Rolls is a d20 system that we’re using for encounters in the online setting. The flow of it is that the Guide for the mod will lead you on an interactive narrated story path. Players will find themselves faced with an encounter that they must overcome. Your guide will prompt  players to make decisions on how they want to engage and the players will roll for the requested skill. Depending on the results will dictate success or failure. 

When engaging in a conflict (i.e., fight, skill check, etc.), the player will roll 1d20 and add the bonus modifier for the skill to the roll. 

• 1-6 results in a failure

• 7-12 is a partial success

• 13-17 is a normal success

• 18+ is a masterful success

Throughout the weekend, players can engage in mechanics online that allows them to earn extra things that can boost or decrease their scores. Players can also spend mind to increase the results of the dice roll after seeing their rolls. They can also extend that same offer to other players as well. 

Online economy

When you attend DR: AR online, you will have four hours of production time to split between your characters or you can opt into production packets. Production packets have been announced on the website. Take a look at dystopiarisingar.com/riverlands-rolls to see what is available!

Something very important to note is that if you’re performing an action that traditionally doesn’t take time to use, it now takes five minutes. Say you’re trailblazing. Typically this is an instant timeless action. However this time, it takes 5 minutes on your production sheet. Think of it like this - you’re spending five minutes in line at the post office to get your shiny metals. 

There will be no usage of items to reduce econ time or to increase the production outcome. That includes Zeppelins, Mechanical crafting stations, Goat Cycles, Electrowelders, Distillation, etc. 

In addition to no item usage, you will not be able to trade items with one another in the online setting.

On top of all that - we are no longer allowing blueprint copying at our game. With the implementation of National’s rules on removing LIT, it costs us way too much money to print, stamp, and mail blueprints AND cards to players.

A lot of information has been tossed your way so we will open up a thread in the Discord server to answer any questions you may have about the upcoming event. 

Until then, stay safe and see you in the wastes!

CvC and Me

Howdy Wastelanders!

As you know, next week is our June game. While everyone is gearing up for this next trade, I want to take just a moment and talk about CvC and how you interact with it in game. 

What is CvC?

It’s an acronym that is used a lot in our game. CvC is “Character vs. Character”. It can be initiated in a myriad of ways but ultimately it’s when Character(s) A takes an action against Character(s) B with the intent of conflict. CvC takes many forms in our game. At our game, we recognize four different types of CvC.

1. Social - partaking in actions that would actively turn characters against another character.

2. Financial - attempting to ruin the finances of another character.

3. Combative - engaging in combat that has the potential to lose infection.

4. Passive - CvC triggered after a character is no longer present. For example, your character sends another character a trapped item with the intent of maliciousness (infection loss, poisoning the other character, aiming for infection loss, etc.). 

Steps leading to CvC

There’s a lot of different personalities in our game. Sometimes, it does lead to a conflict with one another. If you think that there’s about to be a conflict with your character and another character, what steps should you take to prepare for it? 

Premeditated Conversations with the Impacted Party

If you know in advance that your character is going to have an issue with another character’s actions, an out of character conversation should be had. Having a conversation with the other person involved with the conflict is necessary. It needs to be an out of character player-to-player conversation about the situation and character’s responses to it. This is where verbal steering agreements come into play. During this steering agreement, both parties will have the opportunity to work together for a desired outcome. 

If the two players that are attempting to engage in CvC do not get along with one another outside of the game, they should not engage in CvC as their characters with one another. 

Invitation to CvC

Once the steering conversation has been had and if the players come to an agreement about next steps. When the ingredients for CvC rise, throw up our sign to initiate the CvC request. It’s just cupping your hand to make a “C” and holding it to your chest where the character you’re interacting with can provide a thumbs up to confirm their consent to the next actions that your character wishes to follow or thumbs down to decline CvC.

Declining CvC

When a player is declining CvC, they’re essentially declining to escalate the issue. Both parties are agreeing to not initiate that role play and escalate the topic to a bigger outcome. Now, if someone declines to partake in the CvC action but still initiate behaviors that are antagonistic or pushing towards the CvC action either way, that’s a moment to step out of character (closed fist placed on top of head) and have a mediation conversation. If the conversation OOC escalates, both parties should find a guide to help with the meditation. If escalation continues and no mediation is found, it then needs to be escalated to an employee.

A lot of words were just thrown around. Let’s do a hypothetical scenario using Felix (played by Truate) and Cinder (played by Cody). Felix is in the bar, talking loud shit about Cinder. Cinder is right there and has had enough. Cody throws up the “C” to Truate and Truate realizes that he doesn’t exactly want that smoke. So, he’ll respond with a thumbs down and as Felix, will verbally say, “Oh shit, you’re mad mad. Yeah, I don’t want to get my ass beat. I’ll stop.” and Felix will stop shit talking Cinder in the bar for the remainder of the scene.

However if Truate thumbs down to decline the CvC action but continues shit talking Cinder in that moment, there will be an opportunity for them to step out of character and have a steering conversation. If that doesn’t get them anywhere, they’ll find a guide that doesn’t have a conflict of interest in the scene and mediate that way. If that conversation continues to escalate even with the guide, Truate and Cody will find another employee (like Curtis) to have mediation in that form.
When do you need a guide for CvC?

There’s a lot of situations in which it’s questionable if a guide should be present for CvC action or not. Here’s when you’ll need a guide for CvC actions:

1. Any and all thefts, no matter the location in game.

2. Any attempted murders, no matter the location in game (wastelands vs town).

3. If a potential CvC outcome could result in lethal combat.

4. Any time you’re unsure if you need one. Always safe to have a guide to monitor a scene rather than not.

Please note that if you’re going to engage in CvC and you’re in need of a guide that you find a guide that has no conflicts of interest within your character or the outcome of the scene. For example, if my character Sierra was going to steal from Truate’s character, Felix, I would have to go find a guide to monitor the scene. When looking for a guide, I’d find someone who wasn’t related to me or any of my characters in or out of game, isn’t associated with my crew, or could potentially be engaging in CvC with my actions. That helps narrow down my options and I’m able to ask that way. 

Any questions, comments, concerns? Let’s chat!

What is Bleed?

Hello Wastelanders!

Today’s topic touches on a heavy subject. In our LARP, you may have heard the term “Bleed”. And not in a “my character is bleeding out and dying” form. But “my emotions from myself are bleeding into my character” and/or vice versa. For this topic, I want to help everyone understand what bleed is, utilizing the okay check-in system, and fostering a positive play environment for everyone. Now, I know you’re probably thinking/saying “I always do the check-in system!” And that’s awesome! We still want to give you a run down of how things can escalate, how you can handle them, and tips for keeping it smooth.

Sometimes, there will be weekends where we’re not playing at our 100% or when it’s incredibly difficult to remove yourself from your character. This is a common phenomenon known as “bleed”. “Bleed is when emotions bleeds over between player or character, in either direction.” (E.Boss, Ropecon 2007). It’s something that’s heard in the world but difficult to define. We are pulled into an immersive world; it only makes sense that our emotions and decisions are influenced by the world we just spend 3 days playing in. Or leading up to game, it’s been an absolute shit show and your character isn’t at 100%. Then, they make decisions that they typically wouldn’t make. That's completely okay! Bleed isn’t inherently evil but on the flip side, it isn’t always positive. If you don’t recognize when you’re experiencing bleed, it can not only impact yourself, but the players around you. And that’s when it becomes an issue. The important thing is being able to recognize bleed, knowing how to navigate it, and taking steps to ensure you and those around you are having the experience you want at LARP.

Now that we’re all on the same page as to what bleed is, let’s talk about management tools. 

Check-In System

Dystopia Rising chapters have various check-in systems that are utilized at their games. The one we implement at Arkansas is simple. When you’re initiating a check-in with someone, look at the person you’re wanting to check-in with (try to make eye contact with them if you are able to do so) and throw a subtle thumbs up gesture. As a response, you should receive either a thumbs up, thumbs down, or a “so-so” hand wave. On the thumbs up, continue running the scene as is. For the thumbs down and “so-so” hand wave, back off and go out of character (placing a closed fist above or on top of your head). There, you and the person you are checking-in on can have a steering conversation.

Debriefing

You can do this in many forums, honestly. In our Discord server, we have a channel dedicated to debrief chat. There is also a channel called bleed discussion. You can utilize either of those spaces exactly for that! Or at Afters while eating delicious pizza offers a safe space to have those debrief conversations as well. There will have been some tense moments throughout the weekend and that’s a great time to check in with other players. “Hey, my character was an absolute ass to you. On an out of character level, I’m so sorry. Would you like to talk about what happened?” What I like to do is find my debriefing buddy. 90% of the time it’s Nikki (thank you for your services). If there was a scene that just didn’t sit right with me, I run my experience by her and we hash it out.

Writing

Also in our discord server, we have a channel dedicated to writing game hype or writing prompt responses/funsies. That is also 100% a way to decompress and navigate some of those intense emotions you may have experienced throughout the weekend. Writing about events that took place in your character’s point of view, reliving that moment can be a way to help understand why the bleed took place.

Boundary Setting

Setting boundaries is a great way to protect not only yourself, but others from bleed. If there’s particular scenes that are taking place that you KNOW you’re going to have an issue with on an out of character level, set a boundary that benefits all involved. It can be something as simple as “Hey, I’m not comfortable with your RP interrogation methods. If this is something that you’re set on doing, please let me know so I can step away from the scene for a moment.” Setting those proactive boundaries can make or break your entire experience for the weekend.

At the end of the day, we want everyone to engage in the experience they want from this game as long as they’re being safe about it. Knowing what bleed is and how to navigate it is an incredibly useful tool to have on hand at an event. To understand more about Bleed and its impacts in and out of game, please go check out this fantastic article that deeps dive further into it. https://nordiclarp.org/2015/03/02/bleed-the-spillover-between-player-and-character/

Thank you for tuning in this week and we’ll see you next time. Remember, stay safe in the Wastes!

Non-Combat Engagement

Howdy Survivors!

And welcome to my first Pro-Tip Thursday. I hope you're all recovering well from trade and getting those muscles stretched out after an action-packed weekend. Speaking of which, I had a blast, and I hope you did too! Now, let's talk business. While this is my very first Pro-Tip, I was excited to collaborate with Josh Jaques (AKA Delpho) for today’s segment. Today's topic is something we noticed needed addressing at the last game: non-combat player engagement.

In Dystopia Rising, we use three primary colors of headbands throughout the weekend. While there may be exceptions on some weekends (which will be communicated in opening announcements), you'll typically see the following colors:

- Blue bandana: Indicates a brand new player or "Bluebird."

- Green bandana OR holding a closed fist to the top of the head: Designates a Guide, wind, or out-of-character interaction.

- Orange bandana: Signifies non-combat status.

There are numerous reasons why a player may choose to wear an orange bandana, and it's important for everyone to respect that decision. However, despite being labeled as "non-combat," these players are not exempt from taking damage. Damage is administered in a safer manner without physical contact from a boffer weapon. The initiator of combat must stand approximately 10ft away from their target, point their boffer at them, and call damage in a calm cadence. Environmental effects, areas of effect calls, and “by my voice” calls still impact those wearing an orange headband.

That being said, our local ruling is that orange bands cannot participate in ANY physical aspect of the combat system. They must attempt to avoid the physical aspect of the combat system. Skills can still be used to help out friends and assist in the fight but cannot directly contribute to the combat portion. The exception to this rule is if non-combat players get trapped in a situation where they have no choice but to participate. At that point, we players and NPC’s must engage in the non-com combat system as described above.

We’re making this call because combat is inherently physical in the game and if there are active participants in the combat, there is a high chance to be physically struck despite the orange headbands. In this case, safety will triumph over fun.

Now, what about non-combatants using aberrant abilities to defend themselves or cause damage to a threat? The answer is that non-combat players can use their aberrant/psionic skills using the same point and call system,but must do so to get out of the combat and we still ask them to leave combat as quickly as possible. When I say “leave combat”, run away from the danger. For example, if you’re a non-combat player in the bar when raiders hit it, you should duck and weave to escape. That can look like getting out a door and hiding in the woods and watching from a distance or taking shelter under a table in the bar. If you’re on a mod when combat happens, while you do not have to leave the mod, you should seek to get away from the combat as quickly as possible or to avoid hits. While staff always practice safety checks and monitor combat to ensure safety, accidents can still happen. But what if you're non-combat and want to support friends in combat? I’ve tapped on our veteran non-combat player Josh to help provide some insight! 

To take a Universal approach there are 4 ways an Orange band player gets involved.

1. Gathering resources: This is our bread and butter, since we don’t really focus on combat skills as an Orange band we should be looking for ways to get resources the town needs. Our battle field is in the dirt, trees, water, and frankly anywhere else we can get our hands on those juicy nuggets of materials.

2. Refining resources: Well you just got all those rectangles, what do we do with them? We make shit! Yes, we make shit, and frankly we either give it away or sell it (do this *wink*). The world needs goods, and here is our arena, this is our war. We supply the town! An Army does not march unless their stomachs are full and their boots are well made. 

3. Town recovery: This partially goes hand in hand with Refining, but this aspect is where an Orange band can get in the middle of things. Where we can sit at the edge of a fight and use our resources to heal, or after the fight is done triage the wounded, and help recover the mind, and repair those pesky fractures. Orange can really save the day when we come running back in and spend our resources to power back the fighters so they are ready for the next wave!

4. Research: With the new rules of 1 question per trade you can pick up where others have left off, and get more info to help the town out, or the person, or crew.

There’s a lot of elements that players can encounter in our game that are NOT just combat based encounters. Our Experience Design team has been working on finding ways to allow a safe combat experience in the future for our non-combats who wish to engage more. Much like on the walk-in mod, a majority of the players who were non-combat were able to ride in on some sexy DJ rides.

We’re excited to see you at the next game! Please always feel free to provide feedback on ways we can improve your experience.

Stay safe in the wastes!