Dystopia Rising New York is a Character-versus-Character (CvC) oriented game. Despite this, there’s not much more CvC than you might find at other chapters - even at Honor’s Fall, there have not been many instances where one character attacked and killed another. Instead, our CvC has many levels: characters yelling at each other over disagreements, direct competition for resources, and indirect jockeying for power. However, we do expect CvC to occur when the sun goes down Saturday night at Honor’s Fall, and wanted to offer a few tricks to help people enjoy the experience.
Don’t Confuse the Possibility of CvC With Actual Conflict
Practically all of Requiem is Wasteland. You can be attacked at any point without a guide. So how come there’s not much CvC violence in Requiem?
The answer is simple: CvC conflict requires both motive and opportunity, and the possibility of CvC only offers players the opportunity to attack other players. The structure and style of Requiem means that there’s not much random violence from player characters (the same can’t be said for some of the roving bands of NPCs you might encounter, of course). The constant opportunity for violence means there’s always the possibility of CvC, but it’s extremely rare for actual conflict to occur without a motive.
So the first CvC tip is this: consider who specifically might want to attack or kill your character… and if you can’t think of anyone, relax a bit. If you can’t think of anyone who might hire an assassin to kill your character, there’s probably no one coming after you. If there is someone, and you really don’t want to engage in CvC, reach out to them and talk. Which brings us to our most important tip.
Engaging In CvC Is a Sign Of Respect and Trust
It’s actually really hard to kill a player in Dystopia Rising, particularly without a guide. In the heat of the moment, calls get missed, Body gets miscounted, and people use rules incorrectly. This isn’t necessarily cheating… people make mistakes. It’s incredibly important to give your other players the benefit of the doubt, to show empathy, and remember that behind that character you’re fighting is another player.
Here’s our next tip: only engage in CvC with players you respect and trust. If you don’t, then you can’t count on them to work through bleed and keep things in character. If someone’s about to engage in CvC with you, take that as a sign of respect and trust, and if you don’t want it, say so… politely and respectfully… out of character.
Remember: it’s easy to mistake a person trying to hurt your character as trying to hurt you (this is the very definition of bleed). If you feel scared or threatened, saying so out of character is a quick way to see an enemy character turn into a helpful, out-of-character friend.
Play Hard, Play Through, and Leave It All On the Field.
Okay, so you’re ready to CvC. You know your target - it’s your buddy, and you two have been hyping up the conflict for months. Your character is going to try to murder theirs, and when the siren goes off on Saturday, it’s go time. So how do you do CvC cleanly and fairly?
First, play hard. This means putting all your effort not only into “winning” (in-character, of course) but making sure you’re following all the rules and playing fairly. Do you have a killer combo that you’re sure works? Run it by the staff to make sure everyone agrees it works like you think it does. Check your cards to make sure they’re not expired. Go over your character’s skills so you know what they cost. It’s not enough to play hard once the siren goes off… if you’re planning any CvC, you have to prepare just as hard so that any conflict goes smoothly.
Second, if there’s a problem, play through. It doesn’t matter if you’ve devised the perfect death trap, and have your enemy Mangled, tied up, and under “No Escape” in Bleed Out, and the guide lets them “Never Here.” That’s a blown call, and it’s wrong, but just keep playing. It’s okay to do a quick clarification of a single sentence (“Can you “Never Here” under “No Escape?”), but after the guide reaffirms the call, don’t argue, and play through. It sucks, but there will always be blown rules calls in even the tightest of games, and you have to keep going.
Finally, leave it all on the field. Maybe you kill your friend’s character. Maybe they kill yours. During CvC, your emotions will be high and that can lead to great role-play. So let it… and let your character scream, cry, and have all the negative emotions you’re experiencing, so that when you go out-of-character, they’re purged from your system.
Remember, larping isn’t real, but it really happens. You’re not actually trying to kill the other player, but you are stalking them silently through the woods, and about to hit them with foam weapons with murderous intent. You’re going to have a lot of feelings when that’s happening! It’s easy to say “well, we’ll keep everything in character” when you’re at home, reading this blog, but you should prepare for the heightened emotional state that comes with CvC. Preparing now, and thinking about how you’re going to manage your emotions will help you immensely when the siren sounds at Honor’s Fall.