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DRL: Where to Start

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Howdy Vados!

It’s Jonathan here with another signature DR:TX Rules Ramble, leading up to the start of our new sixth Season! This week, I’ll be breaking down how and where you can get started on understanding the new edition of our game, DYSTOPIA RISING LIVE!

Our photos for this post were mostly taken from the DR Live website, with permission. You can find the artist accreditation for each of these pieces inside the front cover of the books.

A living Rule book

If you’ve had a chance to visit our Most Improbable partners at the Dystopia Rising Live website, you can find the complete listing of the available source books for the next edition, handy dandy download links, and a timeline of when to expect the next books in the series. Michael, Catie, and their whole team are hard at work building content for the new edition, and this is THE place to find the books. They’ve done an awesome job so far, and it’s a lot of neat material.

Unlike previous editions that you downloaded from places like DriveThruRPG or ordered physical copies of the book, this next edition is envisioned as a living rule book. The edition that you can read right now is the BETA version of the rules, and the next major update is due after July 15th. After that, we won’t see a major update until after our October event to allow the team to prepare the stuff we need to run DOWNFALL.

What does that mean?

Well, instead of needing an entire edition update to make changes to the rules, Michael and his team will be able to update the file on this website as those changes happen in real time. Once we launch DR Live, if some rule is found to be problematic or there’s some error we missed, they can just upload a changed book and fix the problem right then and there. No more typos staring you in the face years after the book was printed!

I’ll still strive to have some paper versions of the rules available for our October event, but digital is going to be the way to go for most folks, so you can make sure you always have the most updated version of DR Live.

These books have been updated fairly regularly so far, but as we approach the launch of DR Live those updates will slow a bit to be a bit more seasonal in nature. Once we’ve hosted our DOWNFALL event in October, we can expect to see some updates based on the feedback we provide from that event.

That’s a Lot of Books!

You can find the full list of the books for our new edition that can be downloaded on the Dystopia Rising Live website, found here: DR Live Books. However, that’s a LOT of books.

A common concern I’ve heard is being confused on where to begin, so the main focus of this blog is to help understand a bit about what is in each book, and how important it might be to your game play experience. Luckily, while Michael and the Most Improbable team have prepared a LOT of content for DR Live, you don’t have to read it all at once.

A quick reminder:

  • Pace yourself. This seems like a LOT of content, but it’s not necessary to try to read hundreds of pages at once. You don’t have to binge this content like some Netflix show, and we still have a LOT of time before the DR Live launch. If you don’t want to start into these books right away, that’s okay. No one is judging you.

  • This is the entire new system. Not everything is player side focused. A lot of these books are really meant for the staff so we can run games in the DR Live system, or are super narrow in focus. If it’s not something specific you are involved in, you can probably skip it and read it later.

  • There’s more resources coming. We will have some new guest micro blogs and my traditional Rules Rambles over the next few weeks, and our DR Live Workshops on the Thursday night of DOWNFALL will help you kick start learning the new rules. You’ll also be able to read over several of the blueprints as they are released over the next few months. There will be many more resources to come to help ease this process of learning a new system.

Start Here - The Player’s Guide

The Player’s Guide should be your first stop in your DR Live reading. This is a book you probably shouldn’t skip, but it’s only about 80 pages or so. That’s not nearly as long as core books have been in the past, and it’s a fraction of the size of rule books like D&D or Vampire.

Not only does this book have the full list of Impact Skills, Development Skills, Professions, and more, it also has a lot of the detailed rules for building a character in the new system, as well as the core rules for play.

NOTE: I’ve included some page numbers here, but they may be slightly off as the books are updated next week or in future updates. They should still get you close to where it will be in the book.

  • A lot of the material about experience points, mind, body, resolve, and the core stats of your character start on page 13.

  • There’s some good pages to bookmark - On page 8, you can find a quick reference to building a character and some short descriptions of the strains, lineages, and where to start with a brand new character. There’s also a great table on page 14 that details how much all the skills and professions cost in XP in the new system.

  • Lineages start on page 20. One thing to note is that Infection and Resolve are no longer tied to your Strain, and some of the Lineage abilities have changed. There is a lot of extra content about Strains that used to be in the core book that can now be found in the Strained Ancestry book that I’ll talk about below.

  • Skills start on page 31. These are broken into three categories - Default Skills are ones every starts with like weapon skills and basic lore, Impact Skills are active skills that refresh every 20 minutes out of combat, and Development Skills are most of the crafting and faith skills that use Mind points to fuel their use. I’ll be covering these in detail in a later blog post.

  • Professions start on page 52. These are advanced purchases that require you to meet a few prerequisite of Skills to unlock, but you can only learn three (3) total per character. These will require you to have a bit over 100 XP to unlock, so if you are just starting out you can probably leave this section until last. These are great things to work towards as you play the game, but you don’t have to take a Profession right away. Professions have two brand new Skills each, and don’t require item cards to function like the PFAs of 3.0.

    • There will also be some additional Professions arriving in future books, according to Michael’s posts on the Discord. When these release, you’ll have the chance to rebuild your characters entirely to take the new Professions if you want, but these won’t be coming soon. There’s a whole lot of other books to finish first.

  • The core Combat rules, CVC rules, and Item Card rules start on page 61. This is one of the must read sections in my mind, so don’t skip this part. That’s only 7-8 pages or so, but this is the stuff that you will use every single game.

  • Page 68 introduces the concepts of Fractures and Diseases, but the full rules for these mechanics are in the Guide’s Guide. This is a quick version of the rules, but you can save this part for later if you want.

  • The complete Lexicon is on page 70. This is a list of keywords, mechanics, and more that will come up regularly in the course of the game, now in the rule book instead of hosted on a webpage. This has rules for stuff like Agony, Knockback, Mangle, and even a few Threat Skills that you’ll probably be on the receiving end for. This is a really important section, and definitely one worth bookmarking. This will also continue to expand as the game evolves, so it’s a great place to find the quick reference for all those cool keywords.

I hope this quick breakdown makes it a bit less intimidating to read. You don’t have to read the whole thing in one sitting, and I recommend breaking it up into smaller sections as you go. This should be a book you read a few times if you really want to master the new mechanics, but it’s very streamlined and easy to understand.

Recommended, but Optional - Guide’s Guide

While it’s not entirely required to read this book as a new player, there are some useful parts I’m going to recommend below. A big chunk of this book is directed at your Storyteller and Guides and details a lot about designing stories for DR, building the world, and a lot of setting material.

If you are a staff member, I recommend reading this book entirely, but this can be mostly optional for others.

same page number note as above applies to this one.

Here’s the important stuff to consider if you want to skim the best parts:

  • The Genre and Technology summaries are on pages 7 and 8. This details a look at what to expect in the setting, and it’s a good reminder for your backstories and understanding the limits of the post-apocalyptic setting we share.

  • Anti-Aberrant Mechanics are on page 25. This details some of the disadvantages for being a psion in the world of DR Live, and if you take psionic skills this is worth reading. It’s only two pages, so it’s short and sweet. Psions - know what you are getting into!

  • Fractures are covered on page 52, and Necrology starts on page 54. These cover some common mechanics if you want to explore the Grave Mind, and are worth including in your reading. Grave Heads and Doctors should pay attention.

  • Diseases are covered on page 59, but I’d consider this section a SPOILER if you’d like to instead experience this in person. Doctor and researcher types will probably want to be familiar with this section.

  • Crafting begins on page 74, and this is a super important section if you want to use Development Skills like Artisan and Culinary. Notably, the Travel Buy List is on page 82, and the global Expiration Date list is on page 83. If you are at all interested in Econ in DR Live, you should definitely read this section.

As you can see, most of this book is aimed at the Storytellers. It’s still worth reading if you have a chance, but I only really recommend the whole thing to the members of staff, like Guides and Storytellers.

Recommended, but Not Quite Ready - Strained Ancestry

The released book on the DR Live website is only a Sample, and it covers the DEVOTED Lineage only. This book isn’t quite finished yet, but will be one of the next books to be released for DR Live. This might be ready for our October game, but probably not. There’s a good chance it may be delayed until later.

  • One neat thing about this sample is that it details two new variants of Strains, adding to the one in the Player’s Guide. Each Strain will have a Civilized and Wasteland variant in the future, along with the Common variant in the Player’s Guide.

  • While the Player’s Guide Common variant will be the standard for most players, this will allow you take on additional costuming and role play challenges for your character with a Strain Variant, in exchange for slightly different Strain Advantages. Some even have a mechanical disadvantage, similar to Strains back in 2.0. If you aren’t super interested in the Lineage Advantage for your character in the Player’s Guide, this could open up a LOT of new options to consider instead.

  • This book also includes your first details of the Fall of Man and what exactly started the zombie plague that wiped out the world. This is an AMAZING bit of lore, and I highly recommend reading this part. This is probably the single best bit of new lore that has been released, in my mind.

Save for later - A killer’s Mind

This isn’t actually new. Michael and the team released this one last year for their Dead Waters event, and it details the shadowy organization known as Murder, Inc. I’d consider this book SPOILERS if you aren’t part of this group.

If you are a member of this group, or want to join the murder game, this is a wonderful book to consider reading. If you don’t want anything to do with MI, then you can skip this one entirely. You can always read this one later, and a big part of this book is designed as a sandbox to inspire how each game runs their version of Murder Incorporated.

  • The Rules of Engagement start on page 27. This covers the creed of the masked killers and some important role play tips for your assassin.

  • The Hierarchy of Rank starts on page 30. This details how the organization chooses leaders and the internal hierarchy they use.

Mostly optional - Everything a Grave Head Could Want

The last few books of note that you might want to read concern the mysterious Grave Mind. These books can kind of reveal some of the mystery behind death and dying in the world of Dystopia Rising, so I’d consider them a bit of a SPOILER in general. Some of this stuff is fun to experience for the first time in game, so if you prefer that route, I’d consider these ones Optional.

  • A Grave Place isn’t new, as it was released several months ago. You might have already read this one, but of the two Grave Mind focused books, this is the one I recommend most for optional reading. One cool thing about this book is that it details the Timeline of the Apocalypse and exactly when the zombie plague first began. This is an important book to read if you like the lore of the world, and it details a LOT about the Grave Mind. If you plan on engaging with Necrology at all, this is a must read.

  • The Grave Divers is a organized mostly as a plot kit, and it details what happens when you encounter a Corrupted Morgue. Good thing that won’t happen in Bravado, right? Seriously though, this book should be considered SPOILERS for all but the most engaged with grave plots. If you are the Grave ST, this one is for you. Otherwise, this could be saved for later.

optional, except for staff - Behind the Scenes

These next few books are ones that I would consider SPOILERS, but matching our DR:TX tradition of Radical Transparency, have also been made available to everyone, including players and staff alike. These can provide an important glimpse behind the scenes of Ops and the NPC Shift, but these are entirely optional to read for most players. If you are on Staff, particularly as a Rules Guide or Storyteller, the Zombie and Raider guides should be recommended reading.

  • Zombie Guide - This covers all the Year 1 zombies you can expect to face off against, including new Impact Skills for the monsters, and brand new threats you’ve never seen before. There’s a few more monsters to come — including Aberrant threats and some of the Rank 3 zombies that aren’t included in here yet. If you want combat against zombies to be a bit of a surprise, I’d hold off digging into this one, but this is a great look at the common threats of the DR Live world and what to expect. If you appreciate boffer combat, it could be helpful to consider what the most common threats of the game look like. Zombies have gotten a LOT more dangerous!

  • Banners of Blood, the Raider Guide - This covers all the Year 1 raiders you can expect to face off against, including new Impact Skills, a hint of new raider types, and a LOT of history and lore about where raiders come from. Raiders have been stepped up considerably in difficulty and won’t be the common threat they were in 3.0. These threats are no longer push overs, and when raiders come to town it might be worth considering if you’ll run or hide instead of getting hunted by these fearsome new threats. The lore parts are really neat in this one if you don’t mind SPOILERS.

  • Illusions of Civility - Heavy SPOILERS. This is a Plot Kit that we are starting during our DOWNFALL event featuring a new resource in the wastelands, the Glow Shroom. You can read ahead if you like, but be warned that this covers a lot about the different factions you’ll get to interact with in person during our October Event. This is a bit of a sandbox style plot kit, so we’ll still have some secrets we can share during the national event, but I’d hold off of this one if you want to experience it for yourself. This is aimed primarily at Gamerunners and Storytellers, particularly our DR:TX team for DOWNFALL.

Coming Soon

The last line of books to consider are the easiest choice to exclude from your reading, because they haven’t been released yet! Michael still has several more books planned for the DR Live line up, including the three listed below. I’ve put a few of my guesses below, but these books are still being written so a lot can change.

  • Apocalyptic Control - This book will cover Factions that are national in scope, with organizations and subgroups across the wasteland. I’d expect we will see more about folks like the Trade Union, the Ottoman Institute, the ARK Society, the Red Ledger, and other similar large-scale factions. The exact list of what will be in this book is unknown, but you can probably expect to see groups like the Wells Society, the Servants of the Undying, and the Temple of Evolution from the Illusions of Civility plotkit in here as well.

  • Illicit Business - This is meant more as a companion to the Murder Inc. book released last year, and will delve more into the Criminal side of things, like the Dead Market and all the various organizations and materials needed to understand the shadier side of life in the wasteland. This will be a must read for Criminals once it releases.

  • Devotion & Faith - This is the book that will cover each of the various faiths of the wasteland, detailing their history, lore, tenets, subfactions, and all the various cults you might find in the world. This is probably going to be a much-anticipated book, as we have a lot of players that are super excited about Faith in our games.

    • If your character is a Priest or member of one of the many faiths of DR, this will be a must read. I’d consider this one as important as Strained Ancestry when it comes out, and I’ll probably be one of the 3 books I recommend to new players in the future.

    • The DR Live books don’t have a lot about faiths inside, unfortunately. To help out, I’ve created a list of the current documentation for faiths on our DR:TX website, that you can read for yourself. I’ve listed out the descriptions, tenets, and subfactions from the two most recent books, so this is a great stand-in resource until this book is published.

    • Read more about Choosing a Faith in DR Live

Wrap Up

That’s it for today, Vados!

I hope this has been a useful resource for your exploration of the DR Live mechanics. By next week, we should have the most recent update to the Player’s Guide and other DR Live materials, so I’ll be able to start into our blog series on the major parts of the new edition. I’ll be helping out with a deep dive into stuff like Impact Skills, Professions, and more.

Take a look at our Downfall website for more information, including a plot synopsis, an FAQ, site information, and more!

Don’t miss out on your chance to be one of the first to experience the DR Live rules in a weekend-long event during out October game, DOWNFALL! If you pre-register by August 30th, you’ll unlock some cool extra items and swag!