DR: Live Database Transition Schedule

Photo by Allana Marie/Black Sky Photography

On the morning of April 15, 2025 (Tuesday) some things will happen with the DR Live (Juno) Database. The following information has been provided by the wonderful Gloria, our database guru.

• Access to the database will be temporarily severed.

• Juno will enter maintenance mode.

• 3.0 DB will silently error.

• Estimated Downtime: 2 Hours

• The following will happen to all 3.0 characters:

  • They will be migrated to DR:Live

  • They will have staged designations.

  • Stats, skills, lores, deaths, strains, faith will be wiped. If players need to make a backup of their 3.0 builds, they should do so at this point by taking screenshots or hard copy.

  • XP and attendance records will remain intact.

  • Inventory, 3.0 & Live, will remain intact.

  • Infection loss from DR:Live events will transfer automatically.

  • Society membership will transfer automatically.

• Upon completion:

  • Database access will be restored.

  • Juno will be fully operational.

  • 3.0 database will not be able to access any characters. Lockboxes are the only part guaranteed to work correctly.

• Player Instructions:

  • Before the next game, players will need to:

    • Rebuild their staged characters. This can be done by hand or copying experimental characters’ build.

    • Activate characters they want to check in. Extremely Important: Skipping this step will prevent characters from performing future check-ins. Note: Regular players can self activate. Employees and Guides with New Player Guide privilege can Activate characters on behalf of the players.

• APRIL 29th, 2025

  • Experimental characters will be deleted from the database. Each player has 12 Staged slots. These are functionally equivalent to Experimental slots.

• MAY 13th, 2025

  • Dystopiarisingnetwork.com will cease to function. Access to DR 3.0 will be permanently severed.

Checking into DR Live with Juno

Photo by Jessii Bonczkowski

Heya folks,

With swapping over to Live in March, we are also swapping to check into the new database. Luckily this is pretty simple and straight forward!

Juno Database
Login using your existing account info and look for our event in the Event calendar. After that it should be pretty self explanatory!

Your character will be automatically pulled from the (Experimental) set of characters so make sure to set that sheet up how you’d like for Live.
We are likely to print the sheets Wednesday the week of game, so make sure your sheets are in order before then!

One thing we’d like to emphasize however, is when you do check into Live Events, please take a moment to consider if you’ll be playing all your available characters. If you aren’t, please make sure to un-toggle them so that we can more easily keep track of who is attending (IC and OOC) as well as saves us the paper waste.
Below is an example of what you will see when checking in.

If there are any questions regarding the check-in process, please let us know at Info@dystopiarisingny.com.

DR: Live Item Conversion and YOU

Photo by Black Sky Photography/Allana Marie

Hey there Req-ers!

We’ll be moving completely into the DR: Live system in March 2025, but the network wide change over has begun February 1st!

In order to make March more about the narrative and less about bureaucracy, We’re hoping to get some of those item conversions done ahead of time so we can have the new item cards ready to go when turning in old cards. In the instance the name of the item hasn't changed, we will try and provide a sticker to update the mechanics to save on card waste! DRMA has graciously allowed the use of their spreadsheet, who have been graciously allowed to use the spreadsheet from DRTX as well!

[Link To Spreadsheet]

• Instructions for use, as DRMA had posted:
  
  Right click on the tab at the bottom of the screen titled “TEMPLATE: DUPLICATE THIS”, and click DUPLICATE

• For each character, you’ll create a NEW TAB, formatted as “[PLAYER NUMBER] [CHARACTER NAME]” (I.e. “19496 Kyle”)

Blueprints - Convert to its nearest analog, if the print no longer exists you may select another print of the same type, that is not a Necrology Print. Alternatively you may opt to take the resources needed to make the blueprint (according to Live resources, not 3.0)
Similar to DRMA, Criminal/Murder Inc based prints will find their nearest analog, provided you will have the appropriate level of related skill.

Items - Armor, Weapons, Shields, Gizmos, Brews/Meals, Traps, Vehicles and Area Augments will be converted to their Live variants.

Herb & Scrap need no conversion, scrap will instead be assumed to expire Feb 2026 if blank. Try to use older versions and blank versions first, as we want to cycle those out over time.

For items that restore Body and/or Mind, we will try to match the output to the closest analog, favoring the player in cases of rounding.

e.g. 3.0 Basic Uncle Todd’s recovers 10 Body, 4 of these would equal 1 Live Uncle Todd’s which recovers 40 Body. 3.0 Proficient St John’s recovers 20 Mind but could result in a Lineage specific brew that regains 20 mind, or 2 of the Proficient St John’s Brews could become 1 Live St John’s Brew (which restores 40 mind)

Similarly, we will try to honor Armor points in order to match as closely as possible.

Local Plot, Forage and Salvage cards won’t carry over, but exceptions may be made for items of sentimental value, which will be strictly non-mechanical. (Get a cool phys rep to show off!)

The spreadsheet should show the conversion as closely as possible, if the item isn’t sparking joy, you may exchange it for an item of the same type. Alternatively you may receive the Live Resources that make the item, except for Necrology Resources, a chapter’s game runners may not provide Necrology resources, that’s all up to players!

Expiration dates will carry over or convert to the lesser if the item in question has an expiration change in Live. 

e.g. Vehicle lasting 5 years, will convert to a Vehicle lasting 2 years.

Spreadsheet Organization

Below is what your sheet tabs should look like, with a drop down menu to keep the item types clear.

Here is the formatting you’ll need to follow for Item Card Conversions:

• ITEM TYPE

• ITEM NAME 

• # OF USES (IF NEEDED)

• EXPIRATION DATE

• NUMBER OF ITEMS (ie, how many Red Mist do you have with the same expiration date)

• This should be based on having the same expiration date - If you have two brews with the same name, and different dates, create TWO separate lines

An IMPORTANT NOTE for Item Formatting: Please use the FULL NAME of the item that you are turning in and receiving when you document them! This is immensely helpful for sorting purposes. Short hand versions (I.e “Todd’s” versus “Uncle Todd’s Healing Brew”) can slow down our process a lot. (Image taken from DRMA’s blog post)

A little transparency here: the reasoning behind limited blueprint transfers to Criminal adjacent prints (Called Dubious Directions) as well as the restriction on Necrology items, resources and prints is so that the game runners can seed these blueprints into the world (while you, the player, generate the Necrology resources needed for Necro-related fun-times). Regarding the Brew conversions, we want to try and balance the output of Body and Mind as closely as possible to the Live system so that everyone has an even playing field. We have a chance here at a fun and decent soft genre reset to get back into playing in a resource scarcity dystopian wasteland full of friendly player faces (and not so friendly character faces maybe!) so we want to try and keep the flow of items, resources and blueprints at a steady but controlled pace. Lastly, currently Sasha’s got the cards and some free time, so they are heading this up on their own for now, so it’s likely that they will hit a few conversions per person before moving to the next, so that everyone has a chance to get stuff converted. Classic “everyone gets served firsts, before anyone else gets seconds”.

Thanks for understanding!

Staying Warm in Requiem Winters

Photo by TTP

It’s that time of the year again where our fingers and toes start to freeze. To prevent Reclaimer levels of numbness, here’s some winter larp advice from us and our community!

Layers

The more layers the better! Layers allow you to switch from indoors to outdoors without overheating or freezing. Try for fleece and other types of warm fabrics underneath your character’s pants for extra warmth. Under layers tend to get wet from sweat, pants can get wet from sitting on damp surfaces, so bring extras to change into.

Hats, Gloves, and Scarves

Don’t forget your accessories! Go pack them right now before you forget!

Hand Warmers

This goes without saying, they’ll keep your hands nice and toasty! Just don’t sleep with them for safety reasons.

Bedding

Consider extra bedding. A few more blankets to help you cozy up before the raiders attack. If you bring a heated blanket just be sure to turn it off before falling asleep or leaving your bunk.

Socks

Change your socks often. Bring more socks than you think you would need. Feet sweat, socks get soggy. Change them every time you visit your cabin if you have enough!

Use the Bathroom!

Your body spends a lot of energy keeping the liquids inside of you warm. Let it out!

Drink warm drinks, eat hot food

Nothing better than a hot coffee on an ice cold morning

Take Breaks and Warm up

Most of the buildings in Requiem are heated, the Great Hall being an exception. Take some time to go into a warm room every now and then. Have a seat by the fire and chat. Don’t let yourself get too cold outdoors.

And last, but not least, MOVE!

Get up, get fighting, walk around and explore, search for your friends. Just keep moving! The longer you sit the chillier you’ll get!

November 'Cold Law' Recap

Photo by Allana Marie/Black Sky Photography

The transition of the seasons comes with many changes, and the first night of the gather was no different. The Stevenson family’s screams could be heard from all over requiem as they begged and pleaded for help, Townsfolk sprung into action to subdue the raging Victor Stevenson and his flock bringing peace back momentarily for the night.

However that peace was not long lived, the sounds of metal ripping from the post office pavilion brought wave upon wave of headbanging raiders as the tribute band played their hearts out for their adoring fans both Tainted and Raider alike. Requiem held strong while drinking in the music, fighting and flourishing within the energy brought from the fanfare.

Now that aggression and fury had been quelled the people of requiem gathered together to talk politics, Family Heads came together with other societies and unaligned members of the town to come to a few agreements. Together, the people appointed The Lotus Society as enforcers of the town's laws along with the treaty of the fold. The families agreed to meet more frequently to distribute information and establish issues with the unaligned members of town and finally, the people agreed to reduce the requirements of eligibility for both patron and ward families:

1. Patron families must consist of 7 members and a family head, along with a unique benefit they bring to the town.

2. Ward families must consist of 4 members and a family head, along with a unique benefit they bring to the town

3. Members must be Requiem Locals or travelers who have attended half of Requiem’s trade events within the past year

4. Family Heads must be locals

With these compromises made, the town turned itself to its final issue of the gather, The Near Grave. For the last several gathers, the destroyed morgue had been surrounded by an area of protruding Near Grave, toxic to all life and keeping locals from fixing the morgue itself. After some research and gathering resources, a team gathered to go into the Gravemind and sink a new morgue. While that procedure was being planned, locals and travelers alike were presented with visions of old memories taken into the Gravemind by people who’d lived in what would later become Requiem, back when the settlement was known as Midian. They discovered a secret buried deep below Requiem, a secret locked inside the memories fed to the Gravemind when members of Midian were slaughtered. The town fought their way into the destroyed morgue and rebuilt it from the inside.

The secrets of the scientific discoveries of what lies beneath Requiem is still under research. Yet the memories of Midian echoing in the Gravemind left one dire warning: a group of Final Knights known as the Melochim were the ones who helped destroy the Midian settlement in their search for whatever is buried below the settlement. Recently, Final Knights have been visiting the town, Final Knights known as the Melochim. It seems they have returned after all. With the years problems coming to a close the frost begins to dust upon Requiem, Celebration is upon the horizon, and a New Year is ready to begin with new issues already crossing into Requiem’s borders.

October Feast of Flesh Recap

Another Feast of Flesh come and gone, but not without consequences.

Towns folk representing different groups came together along with representatives of two emerging local groups, The Lotus Society and SHIELD of the Wastes to establish enforcement of the laws and the growing issues of the morgue. Tensions rose and negotiations got heated once discussions completed over the morgue state and transitioned into how to carry out the law of the land. Initial discussions broke down. Representatives agreed to convene to try again later in the night.

Representatives would later come to the agreement that when carrying out the laws of the fold at least 3 Family or group Representatives (Including the unrepresented) must be present to decide, Any meetings determining the laws of the town must involve any blue bands in town, and that the law of lying to the HLE no long applies.

The Torture Shack sprung to life once more, pounds of flesh carved from willing volunteers by Leo of the Zodiac Order. Hallucinations and surgeries getting more gruesome and painful with every patient bold enough to offer their pound. Enough to possibly stave off the monsters that come from our haunted traditions and help piece together the morgue. 

With the frost of winter and neither the laws nor the morgue complete, more danger continues to creep into the woods surrounding Requiem, The last of Thrill Kill season’s raiders and the irradiation still plaguing parts of Requiem and its citizens the townsfolk will have to rush to resolve these threats before winter brings desolation.

Community Camp Cleanup

Photo by Allana Marie/Black Sky Photography

You’re all invited!

We’re hosting a Community Camp Cleanup before our May 10-12th event and you’re all invited to join us. It’s time for us to give back to the campsite better known to us as Requiem. Join us several days early to help clean up the camp and hang out as regular humans. Read on for things you need to know!

When:

Starting Wednesday, May 8th at 6pm until Friday, May 10th at 1pm, we invite you to join us for a camp cleanup!

Where:

Everyone will be staying in the AA cabin, see a director on site if the cabin is full. Other cabins will be closed prior to game so please be sure to only set up what you need for the cleanup. We ask you do not set up your larp gear. Please email for med sleep.

What:

You’ll be helping us to clean the camp and prep it for the summer! This may include moving things like sticks, cleaning things (like sticks), and other campsite needs… maybe involving sticks? You aren’t required to work the whole time you are here, but everyone is expected to help out. We’ll be assigning everyone with tasks at site. 

*This community day requires everyone to be able to endure physical activity for hours on end so if that isn’t something you’d be able to consider coming for a shorter amount of time. Activities may include: bending, repeatedly carrying over 20lbs, intensive cleaning etc*

Compensation:

For every hour you are actively helping, you will earn 1xp, up to a total of 10. For every hour after 10 you will receive 20 caps.

What to bring:

• Food - We plan to provide some food, but you will still need to have your own available.

• Sleeping stuff - Necessities only. Not all your larp gear

• Gloves - Keep your hands protected while you help clean sticks and other things off the ground

• You are not required to be working through the night, so we encourage you to bring a board game, cards, or something else!

Food:

We will be having catered food for lunch on Thursday. Please keep your eyes out for the sign up forms. The deadline to fill out the forms will be May 4th.

RSVP:

If you would like to join us, please Click Here to Sign Up by May 4th! Please email us at info@dystopiarisingny.com for any late sign ups, questions, or anything else ahead of time.

I DREAM IN RED: Requiem Dark and You

Photo by Shawn Smith

I DREAM IN RED

Requiem Dark and You

Here at Dystopia Rising New York we make a big to do about something we call "Requiem Dark." It's kind of a thing that happens to span the breadth of meme to mechanic and everything in between. For those of you we've been lucky enough to share our experience with, you're probably familiar with an oft covered topic at the start of our games but for those of you who have yet to visit allow me to recap. 

We have something here we like to call Requiem Dark. Now this isn't regular dark you might be used to. Forestburg Scout Reserve is situated in a unique position of being a valley on top of a hill, surrounded by mountains and because of this it is largely devoid of background light pollution. Mix that all up with dense tree cover, limited lighting, and the fact our games often fall on new moons you have a recipe for some really advanced darkness. We're talking, take a step off the path and disappear dark, heck even large chunks of the main roads are unlit. So please make sure you have a red light with you

The dark holds a special place in Requiem. Some of our wildest creatures and folks only come out at night, waiting for the last rays of light to filter out behind the mountains. Many important secret meetings about the fate of the town have been held with only the dim glow of the moon as witness. Anyone who has been around has a story of running off into the night with the screams of their friends in the distance. People could tell you a story of the time they fought a solid mile over the course of a moonless night while rain and mortars fell from the sky. Not to mention we’ve all wandered into the occasional puddle, tree, or Noct’vir.  We have an interesting nightlife here.

In celebration of our special relationship with darkness in Requiem we will be running a special event mechanic called LIGHTS OUT. While this mechanic is active the generators will be shut off at midnight on each night to conserve fuel. This means most standard lighting will be shut off for roleplay purposes. We will be providing some emergency red lighting in key areas but players are highly encouraged to bring their own red lights for atmosphere and safety as well as other low impact lighting to set the mood. (IE. electric tea candles) One of our Early Bird mechanics "Afraid of the Dark" will be making use of these lights to encourage and reward everyone for buying in.

Survival and Safety Tips:

• Don't walk alone! The number one cause of "getting got" is the famous idea of "I'll be fine it's not that far" which works great until you hear the other set of footsteps you didn't invite along.

• Embrace the darkness. Letting your eyes adjust for a minute or two can make all the difference in the world when you start your trek across town at two in the morning.

• Always carry your red flashlight, you never know when you're going to end up in an unfamiliar location and need to suss out a safe path or look for a dropped piece of your kit.

• Don't be afraid to ask for a safety move during combat, nobody likes falling on their ass in a field of rocks and tree roots.

• Don't look directly at light sources, or shine them up toward faces. Avoiding direct contact helps preserve your night vision and avoid "flash banging" others.

• Keep your back to a light source if you need to fight, that puts all the creepy crawlies and assassins at a disadvantage.

• The darkness can hide many dangers but it can also hide you from them, wear it like a cloak to shield yourself.

Share your favorite personal tips in the comments!

Videos, Tiktok, and a bit about Photos!

Photo by Ian

Photos have always been one of my favorite parts of Dystopia Rising, and now we’ve added video to really show off how amazing the game can be in New York. After a few test runs, I believe I’ve found the best way to create content that includes each of you!

---

Tiktok has been a great platform for sharing bits of our game. There’s three main types of content used in those videos: Candid in game content, interviews, and trends. I’ll briefly explain each and how to get involved!

Candid content:

A large portion of candid content will focus around a mixture of exciting things as well as casual life in Requiem. If you’re wondering how to be spotted by the camera (and this goes for photos as well) keep these in mind:

• Make sure you and the things you are holding are genre. Unlike Game of Thrones, we’d prefer to not have Starbucks make an appearance in our photos and videos

• Be where things are happening. Especially during the daytime when it’s easier to get photos and videos.

Interviews and Trends:

As you’ve seen on our Tiktok (if you haven’t, go check it out now!) we have some amazing player interviews. These will take place every game Friday in the Great Hall from 8pm until opening announcements, and after game off when time allows.

Here’s how to prepare for the interviews:

• Be in costume. We want to show off all the work you put into your character!

• Think of a few things to say. Introduce yourself, your character, what family they’re in. Tell us what you love about DRNY or why you love playing your character. Keep in mind, this is going on Tiktok so don’t share any secrets!

Here’s how to prepare for trends:

• They will all be Tiktok trends, so if you’re on Tiktok you may already know what’s going to happen!

• Be ready to get a little silly

• Feel free to share ideas that you’ve seen!

Share your Tiktok tag through email if you would like to be tagged!

Special Requests:

If you have a special event happening in game, please send an email to Bri@dystopiarisingny.com and share the details (time, location, etc). I would love to get footage and/or photos of the cool things you have planned. Please be aware that not all photo and video requests can be granted.

Earn Caps:

Tag us in your Tiktok videos! Earn 10 caps per video with a maximum of 50 caps a month (That’s 5 videos). Content should be related to DRNY in some way to earn caps (larping, costuming, DRNY specifically, etc)

Once a Month and In Between - Getting Involved in the Community

Photo by Allana Marie/Black Sky Photography

Once a Month and In Between - Getting Involved in the Community

“Have you ever been alone in a crowded room?” If you’ve listened to Dark Blue by Jack’s Mannequin this line probably plays in your head on occasion. Over nearly a decade of participating at Dystopia Rising events, it’s something I still find myself feeling from time to time, and I’m sure many of you can relate at one point or another. Sometimes we just need to be reminded of the simple things. So what do you do when everything is dark blue?

The ‘once a month’

Once a month we set aside our regular lives to come together at Dystopia Rising New York where we’ve built a community of amazingly creative, talented, and dedicated individuals. We put on a new face and a new name and become the people of Requiem. These characters empower us to be something else, but it’s still us under all the makeup and costumes, and sometimes that means we’re shy or even doubt ourselves. Perhaps the friend you had plans with couldn’t make it last minute, or there’s a plot you want in on but don’t know who to talk to, or maybe it’s just intimidating to walk up to a group of people you don’t really know. That’s why we all need to remember that we’re in this together.

While we all adore our core group of friends, it’s important that you don’t limit yourself solely to that group. My suggestion to everyone is to make a personal goal to speak to 3 people you don’t know at the event, one for each day. When I say speak to them, I mean have a meaningful conversation. You should be able to walk away from that conversation knowing something about them, and sharing something about yourself. Ask about their family, their fighting style, if they’ve ever eaten pocket shrimp from a hobo. Keep in mind that some people can get very busy and if they seem a bit apathetic towards conversation, it could be for a number of reasons; they’re in a time crunch, they’ve only slept 3 hours, they’re hangry, and so on. You’ll have other chances to speak with them when things are less hectic, be sure to take those opportunities.

Along with introducing yourself, try to make an effort to connect at least one person you just met with one person you already know. Don’t let them walk away until they’ve said hello. As important as it is for us to make connections, it’s just as impactful for others.

As the event draws to a close and we all drop our weekend personas, approach someone you roleplayed with and let them know you appreciated the interaction. After cleanup shifts have wrapped up, it’s time to meet for afters! If you’re not sure where people go after the game, ask around to find out what’s the popular place! Grab some food, get to know others, and say goodbye until next month!

The ‘in between’

Building connections doesn’t have to end once you get in your car. Between events there’s multiple ways to stay engaged in the community and meet others. Our Facebook group, Great Hall - Dystopia Rising: NY, will have opportunities between events to post about your characters, give achievements to others, and stay up to date on what’s next. Our Discord channel is a great place to ask questions, share crafting ideas, and meet others during casual hang outs. Even our Tiktok is a great way to get to know everyone; watch interviews with others or join us and be in one!

Overall, there are so many ways to start getting involved, and it all begins with getting to know someone else. Dystopia Rising New York is a community of nerds who take the time to come together and build a story. We’re all here for the same reason, to have a great time.

So what are you waiting for? The next event is just around the corner! Jump on Facebook, join our Discord community, and start making those connections!