During our May event, you’re extremely likely to experience the conclusion of the Jones War and the end of the Anarchy (we say “extremely likely” because you can always throw us for a loop). But what about June? And our premier event in August, Honor’s Fall? Role-play is a collaborative activity, and both the storytellers and players should work together to guide the narrative. To do this, we want to talk about three things: steering, pacing, and agency.
Steering
We have our Future of Requiem discord chat - this is our “steering session” for us and our players. If you’ve ever played a tabletop role-playing game, you might be familiar with the concept of a Session 0, where both the players and storyteller get together and talk about the campaign they’re about to run to get on the same page. During longer campaigns, some storytellers have feedback sessions periodically to learn what the players want to see… what they would like more of, less of, and what new stuff they’d like to encounter. Similarly, during an ongoing larp, storytellers use a variety of feedback tools to learn what their players want. This discord chat is one such tool.
During the chat, we’re going to talk about a couple of specific topics, including our plans for Honor’s Fall and the Treaty of the Fold. But the important thing is that this isn’t us talking to you, or you asking us questions: we want you to tell us what you want and your expectations are. Then, we’re going to take what you tell us and either figure out how to meet those expectations, or explain why we’re going in a certain direction. Remember, steering is a process, not a one-time event, so while our Discord chat is a major opportunity to work together, we’ll continue to solicit feedback and adjust our design based on your inputs.
Pacing
We have two games before Honor’s Fall, our premier event and game of the year in August. We’ve had amazing engagement and buy-in from our players leading up to the end of the current plot arc, the Reckoning, and now we have to manage the pacing of the narrative so that we peak in August without either rushing or having a “down” event. To accomplish this, in May, we’ll focus on ending the Jones War and the violence known as the Anarchy. We want to offer resolution to the crisis phase of events, and give you the opportunity in June to really decide the situation politically.
In June, we want you to have the ability to nail down the politics of Requiem for the next year. We’ll have NPCs facilitating the revision of the Treaty of the Fold, and defining how the Thirteen Families work, the role of the High Lord Executioner, and function of Honor’s Fall. This last part is the most important, as we want a clear understanding of what’s happening in August at the premier event.
Then, of course, comes Honor’s Fall. You should expect a return of our signature event, with Saturday Night filled with violence and tension, running from sunset to sunrise. This year, we’ll reinforce the political consequences of Honor’s Fall, while maintaining a simple structure with which travelers can engage.
Agency
Player agency is vital, but remember, we have a lot of players, and we have to take care of all of them. People show up to Requiem for a certain type of Dystopia Rising game, and we want to make sure we provide for them. Too much agency, or agency without boundaries, can negatively impact other players and frustrate the staff. As such, we encourage players to remember that they play in a sandbox with defined boundaries, as opposed to a desert of unbounded sand.
What does this mean? Expect us to apply some boundaries over the next few games. Most of these are relatively broad, but we have a few we need to share:
First, we need Requiem to be “Requiem.” To us, that means as a minimum: Honor’s Fall, the Treaty of the Fold, the Families, and in particular the presence of the Anastasia Family.
Second, we need Honor’s Fall to remain similar to what it’s always been: a free-for-all night of violence that determines the future of Requiem. We also need it to remain simple, so travelers can pick a side or just engage in the melee, without requiring complicated explanations.
Third, we’re going to push for an NPC High Lord Executioner, so that we don’t have player characters with blanket authority over other player characters.
This last point requires some expansion, as it’s a pretty big boundary. We’ve talked before about the problem of effective leadership in larp leading to less dramatic play. However, we’ve also had mixed feedback about the disappearance of the High Lord Executioner, and the lack of structure that the player character family heads had after that disappearance. We want to work out a structure with players that respects their recently established importance, but also lets us use the position of High Lord Executioner to steer the game from a staff perspective, as opposed to the interest of individual players.
The important thing in all of this is communication, and communication is a process… it’s a loop where one party says something and the other hears it, considers it, and responds. We’re always open to your responses, so that we may consider your ideas. The best way to do so is either fill out our feedback form or email us at info@dystopiarisingny.com.