Photo by Allana Marie.
Running a Dystopia Rising game is a balancing act. On one hand, you need to give people something to do - it’s a boffer larp so there has to be some sort of challenge or, at the very least, an enemy to fight. On the other hand, every challenge that you put in the game is an obstacle and that obstacle takes effort to overcome. If the challenge is too little, the players get bored.
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Photo by London Belli.
As we approach The Anarchy, there’s a question about one of Requiem's most controversial decrees: should the faithful be allowed to preach their religion in Requiem and the Fold? Rather than answer that question, we’re presenting arguments for and against.
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Photo by London Belli.
The Dystopia Rising rules system is huge… it consists of a 207-page rulebook, hundreds of prints, and an array of storyteller documents. With the size of the system, it’s easy to get confused about some of the rules. This is the first in a series of articles that attempts to make some of the more confusing rules calls simple.
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Photo by London Belli.
We’ve talked about Character versus Character (CvC) conflict (several times), but we never really addressed the role-play aspects of in-character rivalries. In a setting like Requiem, our focus on CvC doesn’t mean that we just have to deal with the direct conflict between characters, but the role-play of having another player character as an enemy. How do two players… who we expect to cooperate out-of-character… play bitter enemies? Here’s a few pieces of advice to help you navigate this dilemma.
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Photo by London Belli. Pictured - Daniel Carione
As we prepare for an event that involves a lot of zed, the staff at Dystopia Rising New York (DRNY) wanted to go over our local Grave Mind, and how it works. While we strive to match our Grave Mind lore with the network as a whole, each chapter runs the Mortis Amaranthine (the formal term for the Grave Mind) a bit differently, and we want to make sure everyone has accurate expectations.
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Photo by Brittany Zweir.
The problem with leadership in larp is that a good leader in character is very different from a good leader in real life. We all know people who we consider good examples of what a leader should be… perhaps a boss or a mentor, or even a family member. What we don’t do is ask ourselves: would this person’s leadership in the context of a story make the story better. In real life, leaders minimize conflict, unite groups, and make sure their people are healthy and happy. In a dystopian larp setting… those aren’t things we really want.
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The High Lord Executioner. Photo by London Belli. Pictured - Tom Kelly
The town of Requiem and the settlements of the Fold are said to be “balanced on the edge of a razor” (there’s a reason we have one in our logo). We’ve talked before about the Families of Requiem and the Treaty of the Fold, but the setting we design only matters if the players know how to engage with it. Requiem offers a distinct perspective on politics and powers, with a tremendous gulf between what is said and what is done. When playing in Requiem, remember that the setting favors “Realpolitik” versus the “Rule of Law.”
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Photo by London Belli.
Are you a Requiem regular? A visitor who’s coming for their first time? Dystopia Rising always offers zombies to fight and friends to meet, but Dystopia Rising New York also offers a chance to delve into our setting. But setting only matters if players can use it to role-play - you need something to do. So here’s three ways to get involved in the social and political play of Requiem next game.
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Photo by London Belli.
This post is about transparency - we want to address the January event and how we’re managing risk in regards to it. Over the past week, we’ve released a number of policies to manage risk… now we’re going to tie our efforts together and explain how we will make our decisions.
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Cold-weather larping requires more work than just carrying extra socks: while larping in the heat can be rough, the cold offers unique problems that can wear you down. Huddling together in the dark can make for great role-play, but not if the player is uncomfortable or unhappy. Here’s some tips for staying warm enough to enjoy a cold-weather larp.
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