Introduction to cvc

This essay current refers to the 3.0 ruleset for Dystopia Rising and will updated at a later date to account for the changes in Dystopia Rising Live.

[This post was original made as a Rules Ramble Blog Post, by Jonathan Loyd]

CvC is an abbreviation for character versus character conflict. As a player, when you and at least one other player engage in some sort of in-character conflict, be it a tense role-playing argument, socially manipulating others into attacking someone, undercutting a price on an item to take a sale, stealing an item from a supply bag, or even directly attacking another character with a boffer, you are engaging in the system of CvC in Dystopia Rising.

In other game systems or video games, this concept is sometimes referred to as PvP, or “player versus player”. The core idea behind referring to these interactions as CvC instead is the idea that a PvP term encourages you to associate your negative feelings with the other player. On the other hand, CvC is intended to help you more easily assign negative feelings to their character instead. This change in language is designed to help players manage bleed (when your in-game emotions impact you out of game) and avoid negative out-of-character feelings that are often associated with in-character conflicts.

The world of DR is primarily focused on the CvE (Character vs. Environment) game, with bands of survivors relying on one another to survive the terrible dangers of a cruel world full of zombies and raiders. But sometimes the most dangerous threat isn’t the zombie at the door, but it’s the other survivor behind the barricade with you. And for some, there is nothing more thrilling than interacting with a challenging and intelligent threat like another player character!

The Rules

The rules for CvC start on page 159 in the DR Corebook, in a section titled “Conflict Between Leading Characters”. I highly recommend people take a moment to read through this section in its entirety, as it is an often overlooked part of the book.

There are a few core areas of the section on CvC, so we’ll take a look at each part in this series.

  • CvC in the Moment (p. 160) - Rules for spontaneous CvC encounters, and how to use the “C” symbol for conflict.

  • Long Term CvC (p. 161) - Suggestions for how to approach CvC that happens over several games or longer, including how to recognize your limits.

  • CvC in the Wastelands (p. 162) - Rules for the WASTELAND, an area where consent to CvC is implied simply by entering. I’ve included a breakdown of these rules below.

  • 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.

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 Bluebonnet Shores.

  • 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.

Before we dig too deep, let’s talk a bit about what I call “the Four Pillars”.

The Four Pillars of Play

A clever friend of mine named Ryan once said that there are four major avenues of play in a DR game - combat, role playing, economy, and CvC.  You don’t have to participate in all of them, but you are never immune to consequences from them messing up your day.

You might not want to swing a boffer, but eventually you’ll need an answer for the zed and raiders at the door, even it’s simply running away.  You might not be the best role player, but politics of the player and NPC factions can quickly turn deadly based on a few charismatic words. You might not like dealing with money, but when you need a new weapon, a repair, or simply some scrap for that shiny new toy, you’ll need some currency or some way to earn value.  And finally, you might not like CvC, but if you wander into the Wasteland you might have to deal with it sooner than you like. You have a lot of agency in avoiding parts of the game you don’t enjoy, but you can still feel the impact of those areas even if you don’t participate.

The ultimate zen of the game is to participate in the parts of the game you enjoy most and have fun with the friends you make along the way.

CvC can be an enjoyable part of the game, but we do want to encourage people to approach 3.0 CvC mechanics with an open mind. We know many people have had troublesome interactions in other LARPs, or in 2.0 in our game, but we would challenge everyone to come in with a fresh mindset and consider that many problematic attitudes and personalities have changed in the years since.

So let’s consider the different ways you can interact with other characters in CvC.

The Different levels of CvC Interaction

During a game, there are four levels of possible CvC interaction in Dystopia Rising. CvC interactions like these inherently apply to other player characters only, and not NPCs, just in case you were wondering.

  • Non-Wasteland CvC - Any CvC in a non-Wasteland zone against another player character requires explicit consent and discussion in advance. However, the book makes a key exception to this rule - the skill LARCENY (p. 118). Larceny and Theft will be the focus of discussion in a future article.

  • Wasteland CvC - While in the Wasteland, you do not require consent for CvC against other player characters, and you can be attacked, robbed, or even killed by other characters. However, if a conflict leads to Infection loss, you will have to have your sheet and items checked by a Guide.

  • SES System - This is a sign up list you do as a player out of game at the start of each game, affecting all of your characters in the game. You effectively give consent to CvC interactions in advance and “opt in” to a more deadly game. In return, you can earn in-character Red Ledger Currency that can be used for neat rewards.

  • CvC Faction Membership - While the SES system covers out of game behavior, there are several factions that can provide ready opportunities for CvC actions in game, including the Red Ledger, the new Murder Inc. faction, and even our local Texas faction the Widows of the Lonestar. If you reach the Master tier of Faction Society Membership, you could also encounter CvC.