The Bunk Problem

Photo by London Belli

There’s a disconnect between the problems that larpers talk about and the problems that they really care about. Some concerns are pretty clear and constant: people want a safe game with supportive players, for example. Other worries are more insidious. One in particular rarely gets talked about… it’s one of the biggest problems our players worry about before the weekend, but rarely gets a second thought afterwards. We’re talking about the bunk problem… and our unique solution to it.

What Is the Bunk Problem

The bunk problem is the problem that until you get to site and drop your stuff on a bunk, you don’t actually know where you’re going to sleep. And our sleeping space is very important (despite the fact that most of us don’t use it nearly enough during the event). We also tend to have a lot of criteria we’re looking for in a bunk. We might want a bottom bunk or a bunk with more support. We might want it in a particular cabin with our friends. We might want it to be safe from undead intruders or have a hiding space to avoid theft. Regardless, most of us have a bunk we really want. 

Whenever we get over a hundred people on site, we start hearing people say “there are no bunks left.” This is never actually true… we actually end up disassembling dozens of bunks because we have too many on our site, and we need more indoor space. It’s not that people are lying, what they mean to say is that “I can’t find a bunk that fits my needs.”

The Solution That Isn’t - Med Sleep

Some people have sleeping needs; for these people, we make reasonable accommodations. In the case of bunks, it’s almost always Med Sleep. We typically have the ability to help people out if they come to us with a specific issue (and without disclosing the requests people have made, we get some unexpected ones). But the problem is Med Sleep only meets people’s needs: it doesn’t help fulfill their wants.

Dystopia Rising is an immersive game, and sleeping in character is a big part of it. It’s not just the possible danger of being attacked at night. We want the camaraderie of bunking with our friends. We want to set up our character’s sleeping spaces and maybe even spread out a bit. We want the comfort of a short walk to the showers (or even the convenience of having one in our own room). There’s a reason people want these things in a sleeping space… they’re awesome. But the issue is that everyone wants the same thing, and we only have a limited number of bunks that have it all.

Bunk Anxiety

If there’s stuff everyone wants, and limited amounts to go around, people will start competing for it. Once we hit about 120 people on site, someone is going to have a quarter-mile hike to the showers. We’ve only got eight bunks that have their own shower and bathroom. There are only 12 spots in the cabins. If you want one of those bunks, you have to beat out everyone. And when you’re rushing to get out of work and get to game, you’ll probably develop some anxiety about it.

A lot of these worries come from other sites and older games. There have been plenty of DR games where the last people to show up have slept on the floor - this isn’t going to happen at Forestburg Scout Reservation. Regardless, it’s something that people feel, and unfortunately, it often drives us to break the rules.

The biggest problem that occurs is people saving bunks. We’re constantly seeing people put their stuff on multiple beds. While this behavior is wrong and a violation of both our chapter’s rules and one of the basic social contracts… we understand why people do it. Which is why we incorporated the concept of Bunk Slips into our Early Bird promotions.

Our Solution: Bunk Slips

Every month, we offer perks to folks who sign up early; one of these perks are the bunk slips. Essentially, it’s a way to save a bunk that’s allowed: when your friend shows up at site, they can grab a piece of paper with your name on it, and use it to save a bunk for you. People on Early Set-Up get first dibs, and usually the “Hotel” and the smaller cabins fill up quickly, as well as the bottom bunks in the Anderson-Ambrosia cabin or wherever Lonely Streetz is sleeping.
This is about as fair a way to reserve bunks as we could figure out. Remember, no one is entitled to a particular bunk - you don’t have a bunk that’s “yours.” The best thing we can recommend is to make sure you buy tickets during the Early Bird promotion and then volunteer for Early Set-Up. Not only will you be able to make sure you get your bunk, but then you’ll be able to grab your friends' slips and reserve theirs.

The Early Bird for April ends this week… if you want to make sure you get your bunk slip and choice of NPC slots, sign up today!

How To Travel

Photo by Allana Marie

The weather’s getting warmer, and all across the network we have premiere games and national events springing up. This means a lot of us will be traveling over the next few months, visiting other chapters all across the country. Travel can be one of the most rewarding things about Dystopia Rising - you have dozens of games to visit and thousands of friends to see. But it can also be stressful, challenging, and even disappointing. So how do you make sure you have an awesome experience, worth the time you put into it?

The Challenges of Travel - Change & the Unknown

After a few Dystopia Rising games at your home chapter, you know what to expect. You have a routine. You’ve figured out how to store your gear, load it into your car, and when you have to leave for site. You know who you’re getting a ride with and where you’re sleeping. You know what to do for food and where Afters will be. And when you head to a different chapter, a lot of that goes out the window. Maybe you have to fly and figure out how to get your gear through the TSA. Maybe you have no idea about the bunk situation at the new camp. This means changes to your routine, and further, a lot of unknown variables. And people generally don’t like changes to routine.

So what do you do about these challenges? Here are some suggestions:

• Be Early. Everything gets easier if you have time. Getting to site early means you don’t have to worry about a bunk, can head to the store to buy groceries, and have time to explore the site. If you can plan to be early when traveling, it’ll give you a lot of options when you encounter an unfamiliar situation.

• Pack Light. Your character is traveling too… you probably don’t need all your gear. Figure out what you, the player, need to be comfortable and focus on that. The pad you have to sleep on at night? Bring that. The awesome trunk that’s very genre but is a pain in the ass to find space for in a crowded bunk room? Leave it behind. Take what you need to be comfortable, and don’t worry as much about aesthetics and other extras.

• Be Flexible. Maybe at your home chapter, you and your six friends always grab a cabin and bunk together. You’ve done this every game, and now you’re all traveling to a different chapter… and there’s no space for the six of you to stay together. That’s cool. Split up, meet new people… it’ll be fine. Sometimes, you have out-of-character needs that you have to meet but if it’s an in-character preference, be prepared to let it go.

Don’t forget: if you do have an out-of-character need, contact the staff before you arrive. Let them know if you need med sleep or have specific needs: that gives them time to accommodate (remember, “be early.”)

Being Part of the Game

The biggest challenge of travel might not be the obstacles to getting on site and finding a bunk, but your own expectations. A travel game is special… you might only have a couple a year… and you arrive hoping to have an extraordinary game. And when you get there, you don’t know the local plots, you don’t know the local setting, and all the local players are busy doing their own thing. Sometimes, it feels like you’re a supporting character in someone else’s story.

The trick to countering that is to get involved. Just like you might advise a new player to “try everything,” you have to actively seek out plots and stories. Here’s a good travel challenge: say “yes” to everything. Say yes to every NPC who asks you to help them, say yes to every local who wants to show something, and keep saying yes until you find your niche in this new game. Remember: you are the one responsible for your own good time, and so it’s important that you take charge of your own experience at travel games.

Remember, the difficulties getting involved aren't always a bad thing, particularly if there are other players from your local game there. Often, at our own games, players have a lot to do: multiple meetings, businesses to run, and all sorts of responsibilities to regular players. At a travel game, you might have more time to relax, and might even find yourself spending more time with people you see regularly than you would at your local game.

Helping Travelers

While the onus is on travelers to take care of themselves, they are guests in your chapter… and valued guests at that. They didn’t come here to hear negative things about their home, or how awesome you are. They didn’t travel all this way to sit on a bench and miss out on the plot. They came because they heard your game was a lot of fun and wanted to try it, and probably need your help. It’s important to identify travelers and get to know them: pull them into your role-play and schemes and give them things to do. A good way to do this is to find a feature unique to your game and share it. For example, no one who visits Requiem is disappointed with a trip to the waterfall, so you can invite travelers out to see it. Making the effort to share the game with them could be what makes the trip worthwhile for them.

Travel is what separates a networked game from a bunch of individual local games: we gain something by having a wider world out there, and travel is how we realize that value. The better prepared you are when you travel, and the better you treat travelers, the better all games will be across the network.

What’s Old Is New - Returning Players

Photo By Shawn Smith

At Dystopia Rising New York - and to a degree, the network as a whole - we think a lot about new players… how to recruit them, how to make them have a good experience, and how we can bring them back for more. And this emphasis is important! New players are the lifeblood of any larp, and there’s a good reason we focus on them. But sometimes, in our zeal to improve the experience for new players, other groups get left behind. And one group in particular needs some attention these days: returning players.

What Do We Mean By “Returning Players?”

Given time, everyone moves on from their favorite larp. Maybe our lives change, maybe we leave for health or physical reasons, or maybe we just lose interest. But sometimes, people come back. Their reasons vary: maybe they’ve resolved the situation that kept them from larp, like they finished grad school and now have free time. Or maybe they missed their friends and want to see them again. For whatever reason, a returning player is someone who took an extended break and decides to come back. 

Often these players have some common traits:

• They probably never played under the current ruleset, and are unfamiliar with how the rules work.

• They previously played for a decent period of time, having established themselves and their character in the larp.

• They probably don’t recognize a lot of faces, as many of their friends have also moved on. 

The Issue: We Don’t Offer Returning Players the Same Level of Care

So imagine if a new player showed up, didn’t know the rules very well, didn’t have many friends, but had a strong character concept they really wanted to play. How would you treat them?

Now imagine someone showed up and does the exact same thing, but they’re a returning player, their strong character concept is actually based on years of play with which you’re unfamiliar. How does that dynamic change for you?

A returning player is a lot like a new player, only they’ve invested time into their character concept, and it’s harder for them to change it. If anything, they have a bigger obstacle to play in some way: they can’t easily recalibrate years of history with a hand wave. Further, the game has changed quite a bit in terms of setting in the last few years, meaning there’s a lot of change to navigate. But a returning player has another obstacle to clear: the resistance of existing players.

Larpers sometimes have a bad tendency to establish a hierarchy, particularly in long-term games. It takes a while to earn experience, establish social connections, and set up things like in-game organizations or businesses. When a new player arrives, there’s no threat of competition: this new player has to take time to establish their character. But a returning player might come back with a significant amount of experience, stacks of in-game money and scrap, and memories of social connections that they find important. They might have been leaders of organizations previously… and if they try to reestablish themselves, other larpers might look at it as a threat. 

The result? Where a new player might get assistance, a returning player might get ignored, or worse, a defensive correction. If a new player comes in and starts making up a magnificent backstory on the spot, they’re greeted with enthusiasm, but if a returning player tells a similar story that happened in actual play, other players often fail to engage or worse, shoot them down. Returning players need support too and often they’re met with indifference or worse.

So What Should We Do?

Returning players need our support. After all, they decided to come back for another shot… while it’s hard to try something new, it’s just as hard to come back after years away. Here’s some specific solutions to help returning players engage with the game:

• Tell… and listen to… war stories. Nostalgia often plays a part in a player’s decision to return. Don’t just listen when they tell you about something that happened at a game ten years ago; ask them about it. Find a common point and tell a similar story. But engaging with these stories takes “ancient history” and makes it into shared history.

• Involve them the way you would a new player. Lots of us are very good at inviting new players to join us in various activities. Extend that same courtesy to returning players. What’s more, work to get them involved, particularly in things like religious activities or criminal influence meetings. They may have been highly involved previously: let them get involved again. 

• Guide them through change, don’t just correct. A lot of story elements have changed. Some changes were dramatic and often done to remove problematic elements from the setting. Many were more subtle. Sometimes, a returning player might not be “playing the same game;” when this happens, you probably need some extended role-play to guide the player through the changes, as opposed to just telling them they’re wrong. Remember, change is hard, and it’s harder when people aren’t patient.

• Let them shine, particularly when they use their skills. The ruleset we use has changed a lot, and it can be extremely frustrating for a player who remembers how their character previously played when they’re struggling with a deadlier system today. If you have a chance to let them be the one who uses their mechanics to save the day, encourage them. Having a few “wins” early on can help them enjoy the system much more.

What About The People Who Never Left?

We’ve talked about how to help returning players, and we try to make every effort to help new players, but there’s another group we should mention: our regulars. While new and returning players have particular obstacles, our regulars are just as important, and deserve to enjoy the game as much as anyone else. If you’re a regular, don’t forget: while it’s important to help new and returning players, your fun is also important. You’re not wrong to advocate for your own experience, as we know you will be mindful of others while you do.

How Much Is Too Much?

Photo by Shawn Smith

When you design a boffer larp, you’re not really making a competitive game: the players are going to win. Like a video game, there’s an illusion that you’re struggling against an opponent, but in the end, the NPCs are going to lose, and the storytellers aren’t really trying to defeat you. Instead, there has to be an “illusion of failure,” mixed with actual setbacks, minor defeats, and “reach goals,” to create the sense that you have agency, when actually, it’s really hard to lose. So the biggest challenge for designers is how much adversity should players encounter before they win… or “how much is too much?”

The Adept Survivor Problem

In Dystopia Rising, as in other larps with quantifiable mechanics, we have a particular problem. The wastes are full of zed, raiders, and critters who want to kill and eat your character, and they know that… so they struggle to prepare for the worst. Not only do they spend Build to gain skills, Body, and Mind, but they also craft gear such as weapons and brews. It’s a feature of the system that the more games you attend, and the more crafting you do, the better prepared you are for threats. However, the better prepared for threats you are, the easier they are to overcome, and the “illusion of failure” disappears: you’re running roughshod over your enemies. But if the designer ups the threat, then your work is for naught; the perceived challenge remains the same no matter how bad ass your character gets. We can call this the “Adept Survivor Problem:” the more adept your character is as a survivor, the more they’ll encounter dire threats to their survival.

Compounding this problem is that all characters have a different level of survivability. This is a matter of character longevity (i.e. Build) and wealth, but also player experience (such as knowing what items work the best in a given situation) and interest (not everyone enjoys crafting or economy). When designing for large groups of players, the Adept Survivor Problem becomes a tricky balance. 

Lots of Solutions, But No One Way

There are lots of ways to deal with the Adept Survivor Problem, but really, no one solution will work. Designers have to use a mix of options to challenge players, particularly in large groups. Using one tool too much causes frustration, so it’s important to use a mix of them. Here are some tools we have as Dystopia Rising designers to create that “illusion of failure.”

• Respawning enemies: having lots of enemies to cut down lets players feel like a bad ass, killing lots of zed or raiders, and challenges them with attrition. 

• Control Calls: area of effect crowd controls and other similar effects create a moment of inescapable challenge, letting the enemies get a few hits in before they disappear.

• Weird Shit: in Dystopia Rising New York, we like to throw unique zed and calls at you that can surprise players and create a moment of confusion.

The Effect On Players

Because of the multiple ways to address the problem, players end up on a bit of a roller coaster. This isn’t a bad thing: remember, the designers are trying to create that illusion of failure, and that illusion will create frustration, fear, and anger in the characters. Sometimes, those emotions bleed over to the player… and that’s also okay, as long as it doesn’t disrupt their play. If a player can continue to play, they’ll eventually win or accomplish their goals, and that feeling of accomplishment will also bleed over to the player. But if the negative emotions stop play, then both the designers and the players have to work together to get the game back on track.

So what can you do as a player when you’re too frustrated to continue to play? First, while anger is a valid emotion, it’s often not a constructive one, particularly in a cooperative game like a larp. It might be best to take a break, cool down, and then either continue play (and send feedback afterwards) or talk to a guide. When you talk to the guide, try to focus on what you want to happen; this gives the storytellers an idea of how to move forward. And finally, remember this piece of advice: wait until the smoke clears. Often, your frustration peaks at the most difficult moments of the larp, and there’s a plan for what happens next. Sometimes it’s best to keep playing, and see how things turn out, than to stop a story before you get to the ending.

Tips for Travelers

Tips for Travelers

With over 100 travelers expected for Honor’s Fall, it’s possible the locals might actually be outnumbered by visitors. While we’ve designed our modules, such as the Hot Zone and the Bacchanal, to include people with little to no experience with Requiem, traveling to another game, particularly for the first time, brings specific challenges. How do you get involved when people already know each other, and probably already have specific plans? We have two tools to offer travelers, as well as a request for locals to help them out.

“Can I Come With You?”

The first problem a traveler faces is that they’re probably not going to get included in a lot of plans. This isn’t because people don’t like you or don’t want to play with you… it’s just because they’re used to doing things with another group of people, so those are who they think about when they say “hey, let’s plan a Hot Zone run,” or “let’s go to the waterfall.” Sometimes, when you’re sitting alone and watching other people do stuff, it can feel very isolating. When that happens, try this - ask someone who’s heading off to do something, “Can I come with you?”

Consider this blog your official permission to invite yourself to just about everything. There might be in-character consequences: you could get contaminated in the Hot Zone, and there’s probably some fallout if you crash a Murder Inc meeting, but these can be a lot of fun. Out-of-character, everyone at the game wants you to have a good time, so you’re not intruding. Just ask, “Can I come with you?” and we’ll get you involved.

“Will You Help Me With This?”

Another problem travelers face: they make a plan… to sell something, to do something with criminal influence, or organize a faith gathering… and it just doesn’t work that well. In your home game, maybe you’re the big food vendor or the Inner Circle member or high priest of your faith. In Requiem, people probably go to someone else, and it’s hard to take the initiative and lead big events. Instead of getting frustrated when people don’t get involved with your ideas, just ask someone, “Will you help me with this?”

Helping someone is a lot different than buying something from them or committing to their plan of action. Asking for help lets the other person know you’re trying to do something and need assistance. It is a favor… but it’s one people will do for you, because we want you to have a good time. So ask for help, because while people might decline an offer out of lack of interest, they’ll probably answer a request for assistance.

What’s a Local To Do?

If you’re a local, you might have noticed we’re putting the onus on travelers to seek out company and assistance. This is important… people have to put themselves out there to get involved. But asking “Can I come with you?” or “Will you help me with this?” is hard, particularly when they’re asking strangers. So we’re asking locals to just say “yes,” to travelers. Bring them along on your secret meetings and Honor’s Fall murder parties. Stop and help them out if they’re trying to sell food at the Bacchanal or need folks to help harvest crystals in the Hot Zone. When a traveler asks you for something, assume they just want to get involved, say “yes,” and help them out. 
Remember: the person most responsible for you having a good time is you. But also remember that everyone wants you to have a good time, and are willing to help out. So travelers, remember your questions and ask people to get you involved, and locals, all you have to remember is to say “yes.”

Big Event Larping

There are games, and then there are games. A Dystopia Rising chapter typically runs between 8 to 12 games a year, and for the most part, they’re relatively uniform: a chapter has a typical level of attendance that remains constant, plots players can expect, and plenty of time for socializing. However, once a year we all get to host a premiere event, and when we do, we want to make it into an event. It is, after all, our game of the year. And so we’ll promote it, offer more build, and do everything we can to attract players. But doing so makes a problem for our players: with great hype comes great expectations. How can a large event live up to expectations?

As many players are new to large events (or worse, have had bad experiences), here’s some things you can do at a premiere event (such as Honor’s Fall) to make sure your big game is one to remember.

Big Means Big

Big games run differently than smaller events. For one, there’s a lot more people, so combats tend to be either very large or over very quickly. If the staff send out a role-play mod, it’s less likely to touch all the players. And anything with a line (like the post office) gets a lot longer. So a lot of the things you might enjoy at your regular game become more difficult to enjoy, simply because of the number of people involved. 

It’s important to remember that the staff will design mods and events for many people to enjoy at once, and between these events, there might be less to do. This is especially true for an event like Honor’s Fall, where not only are we running for 150 to 200 people, we’re also focused on running all through Saturday night. To accommodate, we’ve planned a couple of big surprises throughout the event, and also have special events (like the Bacchanal) and special areas (like the Hot Zone) where many people can engage. Take the time to engage with these planned events, so that you can experience firsthand what the premiere event has to offer.

Have a Good Plan, Then Toss It Way

Since there will be more scheduled events, you’ll probably find many demands on your time. Not only do we have two Bacchanals, the chance to enter the Hot Zone, and a full 11 hour horror-spree planned for Saturday night, we’ll still have things like your criminal meeting and other regular events. In addition, with all the travelers, you’ll probably make plans to spend time with people of your faith, friends from out of town, and, of course, the Requiem Families who have a lot to do Saturday night. And this is before we interrupt you with things like the return of our merry band of raiders. There’s a lot to do.

Closer to Honor’s Fall, we’ll release a schedule with everything you need to know about the event. Use it, make plans… then be prepared to scrap them. The important thing is that the act of planning makes you aware of what you can do, and what you want out of the event. Stuff will pop up that will ruin your plans, and you won’t be able to do everything you want to do. Having a good plan, and then being prepared to deviate, will help make sure you hit the events most important to you.

The People Are The Biggest Part

For all the modules we write, props we make, and stories we tell, the most important and engaging part of Dystopia Rising are the other players. As we approach larger numbers on site, more players will be creating content - cooking food, playing music, holding faith gatherings - and that is the content we really want to showcase. The reason we’re holding a Bacchanal is to present some of the best our game has to offer in terms of food, entertainment, and crafting. However, this player-created content isn’t limited to the Bacchanal, and we encourage you to create an event (or distribute pamphlets, or just jam out with your instruments) on your own.  

As the size of the game increases, the focus of the staff broadens and diffuses, so it’s important to realize how you fit in, and to lean on your fellow players. While we’re going to hit you with everything we’ve got (and believe us, our NPC shifts have never been this big), we also want to make sure you find time to engage with all the activities you can, and remember that the best part of any event are the other players.

Winning & Losing In Larp

Photo by London Belli.

“Playing to Win” gets a bad rap in larp. Larp is a cooperative act, where we gather and agree to a common story and context, and yes, competition gets in the way of that sometimes. Approaching a larp in a play to lose manner overcomes this, and is a valid (even encouraged) playstyle. But many larps, and Dystopia Rising in particular, are games, and games have optimal and suboptimal outcomes. So when you play a larp where you can “win” or “lose,” you have to understand the game and how it affects you.

Disclaimers

First Disclaimer: This isn’t a post about Character versus Character (CvC) conflict… this is actually a post about Character versus Enemy (CvE) competition. This is about fighting that horde of zed, unraveling an in-game mystery, or solving a problem presented by the storytellers. If you’re trying to overcome a challenge in Dystopia Rising and invested in the outcome, you’re playing a game where you can win or lose. 

Second Disclaimer: The term “you can’t win a larp” is superlative… there’s some merit to the statement, but it undermines certain playstyles that are completely valid. If Raiders attack a cabin, you can save the people inside - that’s a “win.” Remember, this is about CvE - when you’re playing “against the NPCs,” you’re still competing against people. 

The Storyteller’s Dilemma

When you’re playing to win against NPCs, the NPCs and the storytellers are in a dilemma. On one hand, typically, they’re not playing to win. They want to present a challenge to the players to overcome, one that is appropriately difficult. On the other hand, they need to make the challenge feel real… and that means that sometimes, the storyteller has to win. After all, if a player never suffers defeat or setbacks, then how does the storyteller maintain the illusion of a challenge?

This is a tricky balance, and it’s made tricker because the storyteller doesn’t know how good the player will be at the game they present. With many variables, the storyteller can present an excessive challenge, or one that’s too easy. Further, the player might expect a completely different challenge, and not realize the particular type of game they’re playing. The answer to this problem is communication: where the storyteller presents the information they have, and the players respond with what they understand and what they want. However, this communication is blocked by the player’s dilemma.

The Player’s Dilemma

The player in a game wants to “win.” They want to kill the zombie, or solve the puzzle, or find the buried treasure. But realize it’s the action that’s important to them: they don’t care nearly as much about dead zombies, revealed secrets, or treasure in hand. They want the experience of accomplishing a goal. And just like people may resent getting a hint at a puzzle, players want to solve it themselves. So instead of saying “we want the solution,” or “we want a hint,” or even “we’re not sure what to do,” they keep trying different solutions, taking stabs in the dark even as the storyteller tries to figure out how to get them back on track. There’s a solution to this problem, which we call the HULK check.

The HULK Check

Just like we have the OK Check-In to address other people, particularly in the middle of conflict, we have a check-in we’ve developed for people in the middle of CvE conflict. The HULK check is something you do by yourself, to check how you’re engaging in the player’s dilemma. 

H - Having Fun Am I having a good time right now? Is this activity fun and causing me excitement? Or am I beginning to get frustrated, angry or hurt?

U - Understanding Do I feel like I understand what’s going on? Do I think I know the next step of the plan? Or am I taking shots in the dark with no idea how to succeed?

L - Losing Am I ready for the plan to not succeed? Have I considered how I’ll roleplay if I fail?  

K - Kindness Have I considered how I’m impacting other players? This isn’t a matter if other people are being kind to me, it’s a matter of am I being kind and considerate to other players.

If the answer to any of these questions is negative, do one of three things:

1. Take a break! Sometimes you just need some space.

2. Ask for a hint. Talk to a guide and tell them you need some help. Don’t tell them you’re not having fun or the module is bad… ask for actual help. Try “I’m not sure what to do next… can you give me a hint?”

3. Double down on losing. Sometimes, it’s more fun to commit to tragic consequences than it is to struggle to win. Let your character make a mistake, and gain control of the narrative, even as you lose.

CvE conflict involves winning and losing - it’s a simple fact of Dystopia Rising. If you want to win, you have to be ready to lose, and the HULK check is there to help make sure you self-calibrate during the game, so that you can enjoy both outcomes.

How To End A Story

Photo by Allana Marie

Our May event, The Reckoning, concludes a plot arc that began in January. We’re very excited about what we have planned, including the final showdown with Jim Jones, and the return of Anton Anastasia.  We’re extremely excited to see what our players do when he shows up. But as we prepare for the end of The Reckoning, we have to ask… how do we end a story in a larp?

Make It Big

There’s a conventional wisdom in experience design that applies to larp. People remember two things from an experience: the biggest thing that happened, and the ending. If you watch a Broadway show, they often put the most popular song in the middle (the “showstopper”) and then have a really big finale. In larp, players are co-creators, so while their designers can set-up showstoppers, the most memorable experience is typically different for each individual. As such, the single event they’ll all have in common is the ending. So it’s important to make the ending “big.”
From a story-telling side, that involves making a lot of options available. In The Reckoning, that means you should have the opportunity to kill Jones, or change the regime, or get in a huge fight, or complete your research. From a player perspective, we need you to commit to large, dramatic moments that impact those around you. This is the time to yell, to cry, to give a dramatic speech, or finally enact that betrayal you’ve been setting up for months. This is the end of the arc, so it’s time to put all your cards on the table. 

Make It Hurt

An ending should come at some sort of cost. This isn’t a children’s cartoon where the heroes triumph without pain or loss… this is a game of survival horror. As players, we’re not trying to win, we’re trying to tell a story. At the end of the story, if there is victory, it should come with a price and have been hard-fought. If there’s a loss, then all the better in this genre.

As storytellers, our job is to provide you a challenge. We need to give you a chance to use that injectable you made, or spend all your Mind and Resolve, or sit by the morgue waiting for a fallen friend. The challenges we provide aren’t to defeat you, but to make you feel like your character overcame a challenge. For your part, we want to make sure you’re ready to lose, at least a little bit. You’re going to be coming into The Reckoning with full health, full mind, and all the items you can. At the end, we want you to be prepared to have a little less… the cost of victory.

What Comes Next

If this were a movie, or even a one-shot larp, we’d wrap everything up without any concern for a sequel. However, it’s a campaign larp, and we have a game in June (and a really big game in August). After you defeat Jones, after Anton comes back, we have to run a game next month. That game probably won’t have the same stakes as The Reckoning, but it will have to be interesting, and it will have to be recognizably “Requiem.” You probably won’t tie up all the loose plot threads (and if you do, we’ll still have more for you, including the creepy pig-skull thing you met in April). 

Regardless, we have a climax coming up in May, and we’re going to end this plot arc with a bang. We can’t wait to see you there, and you better be ready to play.

Your Character As A Tool

Photo by London Belli

Previously, we talked about your character, not as a person in a story, but as a tool you use for storytelling. As larpers, our characters are precious to us, and often we identify with them strongly. However, and they aren’t real people but rather tools we use to role-play. As such, we should make sure they’re an effective tool, designed to help us have fun and perform the way we want. So how do we do that?

Know yourself

What do you enjoy at larp? When someone talks about how they’re not having a good time with their character, we often start making suggestions about how to change their role-play, but this is rarely an informed decision. Instead, we should look at the times that they had a blast and ask “what were they doing during that larp?” They should play a character that lets them do those things.  Sometimes, characters change over time; it might be useful to replace or revise characters that have changed so much that the player no longer enjoys their larp.

An excellent self-knowledge tool is social media. Have you made posts after a larp describing the awesome time you had?  Those memories are your best tools for designing a character, because they give examples of previous successes. Don’t ask “what should I do to have fun?” Ask “what was I doing when I was having fun?”

Ask “What do I want to do?”

After you know what you enjoyed in previous larps, ask yourself, “what do I want to do in this larp?” Your character should be designed to do those things. If your favorite memories in larp all involve hanging out and talking with your friends, don’t design a silent loner, no matter how cool it sounds. You won’t be doing what makes you happy. 

In Dystopia Rising, crafting is a good example of something people often do (or avoid) for the wrong reasons. “Getting stuff” is something people do, and something people often enjoy. People have collections, people “keep score” with money - getting your “new toys” is a legit activity. But if you don’t really enjoy getting stuff, chances are you won’t enjoy pretending to farm for an hour of your larp. “Farming” isn’t a good thing to want to do in Dystopia Rising, because you’re not actually farming. However, if you know you really enjoy doing the “rectangle game,” farming in Dystopia Rising is a great activity for you. 

Avoid lots of details, but focus on specifics

It’s cool to write a detailed backstory and come up with dozens of characters - it makes your character feel real. But once you’re at a larp, backstory and connections take a lot of effort to include in role-play. No one can include 20 years of backstory in every in-character interaction. Further, it limits growth: the more details you start out with, the harder it is to add more later. So lots of details don’t always help, and they can even hinder role-play.

However, specifics are great tools for role-play. Being able to answer questions very specifically usually gives you something to talk about, or at least something to do. Here’s a good question to ask your Dystopia Rising character: what’s their favorite food? You’re going to be eating at least a half-dozen times over the course of a weekend. Knowing specifically what your character wants to eat gives you something concrete to do as your character, particularly if their favorite food is different than yours (just make sure it’s something you like!)

Make them big

There is joy to be found in playing a subtle, nuanced character. However, Dystopia Rising is not a British film with reserved dialogue… it’s a melodrama with large personalities, death, weird science and lots of other things that keep us running around until the early hours of the morning. Subtle is great, but having something “big” about your character is a necessity in this game. Maybe it’s their personality, maybe it’s their devotion to a faith, maybe they just run headlong into every single combat they see. In any case, figure out what’s big about your character. You want the right tool for the right job, but it’s easier to hammer a small nail with a big hammer than vice versa.

Serve Yourself - Self Steering

Photo by Allana Marie

There’s no wrong way to larp… as long as you’re having fun and respectful to those around you. For the latter part - respect - we have many tools and techniques to make sure we treat other players properly. This includes the concept of “steering,” making out-of-character decisions for the sake of other players. Examples of steering include making sure you have consent, avoiding problematic or triggering role-play and purposely including other players in activities. But what about having fun? Sometimes, players should steer themselves with out-of-character decisions to make sure they have a good time.

The Agency Problem

In business, the “agency problem” is the set of differences in self-interest between a corporation’s managers (who are trying to keep their jobs and get promoted) and the corporation’s stockholders (who want to make as much profit as possible). While they should be of the same mind, these two goals often misalign. Capitalistic metaphors aside, there’s an agency problem in larp: the interests of the player conflict with the interests of the character. The easiest example is probably fatigue: your character’s best friend has an important meeting at 2 am, but you’re exhausted, so you go to bed rather than stay up. In this case, you choose your own self-interest over your character’s. 

This isn’t the same as making bad decisions in-character: your character can make a decision that you, the player, perceive as wrong without a conflict of interest (particularly if you enjoy experiencing your characters suffer and fail). The conflict arises when you feel the need to do something because “the character” wants to do, when you don’t want to. Alternatively, you could really want to do something but “can’t” because it’s “out of character.” This negative version is more insidious… most people realize “I should go to sleep if I, the player, need to sleep,” even if they miss out on accomplishing a character goal.  However, fewer people realize that they can still do a fun activity, even if their character wouldn’t.

Self-Steering

It’s not wrong to avoid activities simply because “my character wouldn’t do them.” After all, this is live action role-play, and there is a particular pleasure in playing characters different than ourselves. Staying true to the character’s objectives might be more fun in the long-run than partaking in an activity that doesn’t make sense, in-character. But often, the needs of the character work against a player’s enjoyment. A character might be a brooding loner (not fun for an extrovert), a dedicated crafter (not fun for someone who doesn’t like sitting in one place for a while) or deceptive con-artist (not fun for someone who is anxious about conflict). You should be able to (and even encouraged) to play off-type and accept challenges, but if you’re not having fun, the character… and their interests… aren’t working for you.

Many larpers come to role-play through writing or acting or other forms of narrative, and they want a story. Their characters are built to be characters in a particular story. However, larp isn’t a story… it’s story-telling; it’s an activity you do as opposed to media you consume. Your character isn’t a character in a novel or a television show; it’s a tool you use to perform an activity. Making sure that tool aligns with your interests and your playstyle means that your character will be effective as a tool. 

So consider steering your character’s actions towards what works for you, as a player. Remember, you created the character, and their interests. If there’s a conflict, you made it, and you can fix it. If you’re not enjoying that conflict, it could be you’ve picked up a hammer to drive a screw, or a wrench to saw a plank.