Our March event, Hunger and Frost, will focus on a starving community known as the Bathory Sempers. The Bathory are one of our local strain variants that you’ll be seeing later this year, and we’ll be talking more about them specifically later this month (you’ve already met at least one other local variant, the Dynasty Yorkers, although you might not have realized it). As the Bathory are Gorgers, who have a Lineage mechanic related to, well, gorging, we thought it would be good to review how Gorgers eat.
Content Warning: Cannibalism
It’s a core part of the Dystopia Rising setting, but we do want to be clear: March will have a content warning for cannibalism. Gorgers eat people. Each one does it a little differently, but you will encounter Gorger cannibalism at Hunger and Frost.
How Gorgers Eat
Gorgers have a Lineage Advantage that allows them to regain body by “consuming the flesh or blood of an incapacitate or dead Target.” The specific rules are found on pages 47 through 50 of Dystopia Rising Evolution: Larp Evolved, but we’ll review them in bullet points below, with clarifications:
“Gorging” requires 2 minutes of role-play, and the Gorger regains 1 point of Body.
The Target they’re eating must be of a Lineage or a Raider. They can eat other Gorgers, but they can’t target themselves.
The Target must be incapacitated (which typically means tied up, in Bleed Out, or have four mangled limbs) or be dead. If the Target is dead, they cannot have been dead for more than ten minutes.
Gorging acts as a Killing Blow on Targets in Bleed Out. If they’re not in Bleed Out, it’s extremely painful and the Target loses 5 Body.
A single corpse can provide for this advantage up to 5 times per Gorger. The maximum time of 10 minutes (before the body sank) would let the Gorger regain 5 Body. Up to 6 Gorgers may use this advantage at a time on the same body. .
Gorgers can use their advantage while Stabilized (but not in Bleed Out).
Important: all Gorgers have the same advantage and can use it on both living and dead bodies. This allows them to regain Body, but it does not necessarily fulfill the needs dictated by their Strain Trait.
Every Strain Has Different Needs
Two of the three Gorger Strains,Full Dead and Semper Mort, need to consume flesh or blood, respectively, in order to survive: they have to feast once per event. To do so, they must use their Lineage Advantage on a living (not dead) creature. Note: player characters don’t automatically die if they fail to eat, they just may lose a Resolve. Not roleplaying your Strain Trait saps a Resolve for any character, we recommend (but don’t require) that Full Dead and Semper Mort who didn’t feed at their last event enter their next DRNY event down one Resolve.
There is a difference between how Full Dead and Semper must feed. Full Dead are eating flesh… chewing, gnawing and taking out chunks of meat. As such, their Target has to be in Bleed Out or incapacitated, as per the Lineage Advantage. Semper Morts, as they’re drinking blood, still cause damage and their bite is painful, but may explicitly feed on a willing Target.
How To Use These Rules At The March Event
You may decide you want to feed a Semper Mort at the next event. Here’s some things to remember as you make your choices, in character.
Every Semper Mort you meet will have to drink blood during the event. Feeding them can help them… but it doesn’t solve their problems. They’re going to have to eat tomorrow, and the next day, and so on…
Gorgers can still eat food (Semper Morts are alive and breathing and can consume meals like anyone else). So them drinking for 2 minutes and getting a point of Body back probably doesn’t help them as much as a Bloody ration (the basic Gorger healing meal).
Basic Gorger meals, by the way, require Dill, which is a named herb currently in-season.
You can always role-play taking a “sip” from someone without mechanical benefit… note this doesn’t fulfill the Semper Trait, however.
If a Guide sees a Semper feeding, and Target is not role-playing being in an extreme amount of pain, they will come over and tell you “insufficient role-play.” In such a case, just start the two minute timer again, and role-play being in extreme pain. We’re just trying to drive home the point that this isn’t a pleasant process.