It’s time for another Rules Ramble with Jonathan! Each week, I’ll introduce a topic in the DR rulebook in a deep dive that focuses on explaining it more detail than the book alone can provide. There are four core pillars of the DR game in my mind: Combat, Roleplay, CvC, and Economy, and today’s series finishes up our delve into the logic behind some of the things involved with CvC, or Character vs. Character behaviors. Our specific topic this week is CvC in the Moment.
In my previous CvC themed posts, we covered an Introduction to CvC and then we covered the pretty dense Theft Rules of Dystopia Rising. Our friends at DR:NY also had an engaging series on CvC you read about HERE. The folks at DR:NY did a really fun series on Consent and CvC that I enjoyed, and I highly recommend reading this before we continue our discussion here.
There are a few core areas in the book on CvC, and we’ve taken a look at each part during this series.
CvC in the Moment (p. 160) - Rules for spontaneous CvC encounters, and how to use the “C” symbol for conflict. I would consider this “unplanned” CvC.
Long Term CvC (p. 161) - Suggestions for how to approach CvC that happens over several games or longer, including how to recognize your limits. I consider this “planned” CvC. I’ll cover this in my next installment!
CvC in the Wastelands (p. 162) - Rules for the WASTELAND, an area where consent to CvC is implied simply by entering. We covered this in Part 1.
Thick as Thieves (p. 163) - Rules for THEFT in the world of Dystopia Rising, what you can steal, how you do it, and what consequences can look like. We covered this in Part 2.
In addition to the sections in the book on CvC, we also have some other additional resources for the game.
Wasteland Map - You can find a map of the current Wasteland Zones within the DR:TX game space at Camp Kachina.
Survival Ethos System (SES) - This is an out of character mechanic for “opting in” to CvC in advance, no matter where you are in the game.
So with all that out of the way, let’s discuss one of my favorite ways to engage in CvC in Dystopia Rising: CvC in the Moment.
cvc in the moment
Starting on page 160 in the DR Corebook, we can find the rules for CvC in the Moment. This is a unique section because it covers a way to effectively “check for consent” before engaging in CvC activities by showing the Conflict Gesture. The key part of this for me is that this can be done ANYWHERE, even outside of the Wasteland.
The next big thing that separates this behavior in the moment from other CvC activities is that is it often UNPLANNED. It is simply a natural escalation of roleplay during a scene, a reaction to something that just happened, or simply a way to respond in-character in a way that you would like to ask permission to explore.
CvC conflict in the moment can be several different behaviors in game. It can be the obvious example of swinging a boffer, using an item, or activating a Skill on someone. But it can also be aggressive roleplay like yelling, insults, or screaming, or it can be more subtle such as economic CvC by undercutting someone’s business or taking action against a competitor, political CvC by taking actions against the town or the laws of that area, or simply other active or passive-aggressive behaviors that are designed to provoke a response immediately.
This is a question: “Do you want to have conflict that does not involve Infection loss or item theft?”
The Conflict Gesture is made by holding your hand in shape of a “C” near your shoulder, like in the picture of me here. This allows you to ask someone else in the game an out of character question: “Do you want to engage in CvC that does not involve Infection loss or item theft?”
You can respond to this question in a few ways:
You can say “NO”, or simply shake your head. You DO NOT have to consent to CvC in the Moment if you don’t want. If someone gives this response, you should immediately deescalate the situation and adjust the roleplay accordingly.
If you are a member of the SES System, you call “Registered” in response to this question. In addition to basically saying “YES” to the question, you’ve also said “I’m ok with Infection Loss and theft” in addition to the normal rules. You are simply reminding that person that you are indeed enthusiastically consenting to CvC by being a member of the SES.
You can still decline a request for CvC while on the SES, but doing so immediately removes you from the SES list for the rest of the event. You must speak to a guide or a gamerunner to be removed from the list ASAP! This is meant as a tool to help you avoid character conflict when you aren’t ready for it out of character, not as a way to avoid in-game consequences.
You can say “YES”, or respond in kind with a “C” gesture of your own to confirm your consent. This gives temporary consent to CvC under a specific set of conditions.
If you say “YES” however, you’ve established some limits to what happens next. You’ve agreed to physical conflict, verbal conflict, etc., but ONLY as long as it does not result in:
Infection Loss
Item Theft
The other implied part of this agreement that can be quickly abused is that it’s generally between TWO people. Make sure you have the consent of EVERYONE that is going to join in on the fun. Don’t blindside another player with an unfair fight when your friends join in on the pummeling — they might be ok with a one-on-one fight, but not with being ganged up on!
While these are the only two things actually listed in the rules, I think it’s reasonable to assume this also includes any long-term effect that could impact a character, such as FRACTURES or serious long-term consequences like a loss of reputation, loss of a position of authority, or anything similar. You can heal a Mangled limb, or drink a brew to restore Body, but it’s hard to get something back once it’s lost if it’s not a temporary inconvenience.
Jonathan’s Advice: If it’s not a TEMPORARY consequence, it doesn’t belong in “Conflict in the Moment” cvc.
The most important part of this is that CvC Conflict in the Moment can ONLY occur with enthusiastic consent. If they are not 100% in for that fight, YOU DO NOT START IT. Your job as a player is then to de-escalate, choose a different topic, or simply withdraw from the scene. And that’s perfectly fine. It’s just a question, and it’s always appropriate to be firm in your boundaries and say “NO” if you aren’t completely ok with what happens next. Simply have a friendly conversation and move on!
Bravado cvc best practices
One thing to keep in mind is that CvC in the Moment rules are really a pretty short section of the book. There’s a lot of nuance that should apply to CvC situations that isn’t necessarily directly in the rules. The book suggests to “defer to common sense”, but in case you are like me and that’s not always obvious let’s talk about some best practices for better CvC in the Moment.
Here’s a few of my suggestions for better conflict in the moment:
While CvC in the Moment does not technically require you to observe the time requirement needed for CvC that involves theft or Infection loss, I think it’s still a good idea to purposefully observe these time requirements — particularly the 4 hour window at the end of the game. Attacking someone before the end of the weekend on Sunday doesn’t really give them a real chance to respond to that event. They might have to get started packing, or even need to wait in that dreaded last-minute Post Office line, or they might simply be more tired that usual after a whole weekend of running around in the woods.
“WHEN YOU STEAL FROM ANOTHER PLAYER OR REMOVE AN INFECTION, YOU MUST HAVE BEEN IN PLAY FOR AT LEAST FOUR HOURS BEFORE THE ACT OF CVC, AND REMAIN IN PLAY FOR FOUR HOURS AFTER THE FACT (P. 163).”
A single negative comment or a loud noise doesn’t always need a check-in with the other player but you should always be mindful of their boundaries. Not everyone can separate someone yelling at them in character from the real thing. Don’t be afraid of asking for consent for conflict before you start that argument or aggressive roleplay!
Using the “C” symbol to start a fight is not required in the Wasteland or against a person on the SES System, but it’s never a bad idea to check for consent in the moment. You never know when a person might have changed their mind on how they feel about CvC in that particular moment until you actually ask them!
Know your own limits — It’s ok to change your mind about conflict. If you are tired, hurt, or just distracted it can make it difficult to really engage with a conflict in a positive manner. Don’t engage in conflict in the moment if you aren’t enthusiastically ready for that fight — remember it takes two to tango and enthusiastic consent includes YOU!
Consent must be given enthusiastically EVERY time. Just because you’ve previously had an encounter where they responded positively doesn’t mean they are ready in this moment! Don’t assume!
You can always “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” parts of a scene and ask for a calibration in the moment. If it’s getting to be too much, or you aren’t quite sure if that’s the player crying or the character crying, you can always check to be sure! Let the player tell you with a “thumbs up” if everything is going well so you can continue, or tell you to back off with a “thumbs down” and change the intensity or the activity a bit to a more comfortable level. You can read more about this in the OK Check-In System.
If a conflict does cross that boundary in the moment, remember you can '“thumbs down” the entire scene, EVEN if you have responded positively to a conflict in the moment request. It’s okay to withdraw your consent at any time!
The neatest part about this CvC in the Moment system is that it is effectively a NEGOTIATION for better CvC conflict. This is a key part of healthy and fun CvC in my mind, so next time we will really explore some examples of long-term CvC and good negotiation techniques.
See you next time Vados!