Research! The word attracts the attention of some players, and inspires dread in others, but since the beginning, research has been part of Dystopia Rising. However, we don’t have many rules describing how characters can perform research during an event, and each chapter develops its own techniques to introduce new information to players. So how do you, as a player, perform research in Requiem?
Method 1: By The Book
There are three methods of performing research according to the rulebook:
Enhanced Information (pages 100 - 101): The storytellers prepare some sort of “marker” with the words “RESEARCH (SKILL)” indicating what skill can provide additional information. Note: players can’t just call out a Skill (i.e. “Lore: Undead”) to gain additional information - it has to be prepared prior to the module entering play.
Unlocking Lore Cards (page 136): By having the appropriate Lore on your character sheet, you can open “Lore Cards,” placed in modules by the staff, in a similar manner to gaining Enhanced Information.
Researching a Disease (pages 187 - 188): By spending 20 minutes and using Lore: Medical, a player can spend 5 Mind points and learn about a particular aspect of a disease (including transmission, stages, and treatment). By spending enough Mind, they can develop a treatment plan.
As you can see, all three methods depend on the staff already knowing the information they want to release to the players; these can’t immediately react to player actions. So what happens when a player has a question, and wants to research an answer?
Method 2: Requiem Research
So you want to research something in Requiem… it can be anything from “why are raiders moving into the area?” to “what are the favorite meals of every Family head?” How do you get your answer?
At Dystopia Rising New York, you have two choices. First, you can use the Library (described fully under Local Mechanics) to spend 20 minutes of role-play, and then go to Ops to ask one yes-or-no question per level of Education you possess, at the cost of 5 Mind per question. Further, if you have the Sage PFA, you can gain insight into further research - basically asking to be hit by the “Clue-by-Four” if you’re trying to figure out the next steps to tackle a plot. This mechanic gives you plenty of options if you have an open-ended question, but that question still has to relate to existing lore or mechanics in play at DRNY.
A second option, also described under Local Mechanics, is Requiem Research. This lets players investigate any topic they wish, through role-play and engagement with the setting. There are three steps:
Go to Ops and ask an open-ended question, and tell them you want to do Requiem Research.
Go role-play doing the “research.” If you want to learn more about the gravemind, spend time role-playing taking samples at the morgue. If you want to learn more about the history of the site, role-play an archeological dig. Two things to remember:
The more people you involve, and the more in depth the role-play, the more information you’ll receive.
Skills and items matter! For example, if you use a bunch of psionic crystals and have people with aberrant skills when researching psionics, you learn more.
Come back to Ops and tell us what you did. If we have information available for you right away, we’ll provide you with it. If not, we will ask you to submit an action request so we can get you your answers next time.
Requiem Research is an option for people who want a more freeform experience, and work with the staff to get answers to advance a narrative. If you work with us, we’ll work with you, but we need time to answer your questions. It’s possible to do the first step as an action request, so that we have something prepared for you! Also, remember to have reasonable expectations. One gathering worth of research isn’t enough to discover a unique new print, and some mysteries may take many months to unravel.
Research is an important part of Dystopia Rising, and we want to make it enjoyable for you. We think an impromptu, player driven mod with your friends might be more fun than sitting around a table for 20 minutes, especially when we can’t predict every question you might ask us and prepare. Using the tools we provide, both through the rulebook and local mechanics, gives you lots of different options to learn new information in Requiem.