Q: What is Dystopia Rising?
A: A zombie post-apocalypse shared experience (LARP) with safe simulated combat, where survivors band together at weekend events to build a better future. Each chapter across the nation has its own local flavor, as will ours!
It's also an ongoing story decades in the shaping, brought to us by Most Improbable. Visit the publishers' core Dystopia Rising page.
Q: Do I need to read the material linked above or own the digital or physical copies to play immediately?
A: No, but we HIGHLY recommend reading the DR: Live - Players' Guide. Our staff will do their best to incorporate you into play, including with less roleplaying, if you don't consider yourself a “gamer.” It helps if you read the Players' Guide though by not constantly breaking character during game (halting immersion) to have to ask "How?" While our staff is there to help, out-of-character breaks disturb play for others. (Trust me, we've all been there.) Until you get a chance to read the material between games, feel free to do what we did at our first Dystopia Rising game and cosplay, smile, and watch. Maybe you'll also meet a helpful Jeff Thelen in the wild!
Q: When is DR: L.A.’s first official event?
A. In anticipation of DR: Live (our network's exciting updated rule system) going, well, “live”, we're anticipating February will be our first official game. Community-/staff-building and XP-giving events will be hosted leading up to it.
Q: Can I base my DR: Live LARP Network characters in or transfer to your chapter?
A: Yes, based on network standards and with restrictions (some below).
Q: Why is DR: L.A. age 21+ to attend?
A: We acknowledge that those under 21 can handle mature themes. DR: L.A. has decided to make the California legal drinking and marijuana smoking age our requirement for event liability purposes. While DRINKING AND DRUGS ARE NOT ALLOWED AT OUR EVENTS (including vape pens and edibles), we do not want those tempted to break rules doing so with people "underage." No exceptions to this age restriction will be considered and we apologize for any sense of exclusion or exclusivity. IDs will be checked at entry, and liability waivers must also be signed first.
Q: Is DR: L.A. part of an existing story?
A: Only in that it exists within the Dystopia Rising network. DR: L.A. is a standalone story with a background inspired by Echoes of Celluloid Dreams. Any L.A. stories told outside our settlement (also: real-life county or chapter boundaries) do not apply to our local narrative. When in doubt, if L.A.’s been mentioned narratively before, it didn't happen. (i.e., post-apoc trauma and radiation poisoning amirite?)
Q: I am/was staff on another branch. Will I be made staff at DR: L.A. as a result?
A: Depends. Once we have established a big enough online presence and met a lot of people personally we'll be happy to hear why you believe you should be staff (Please visit here). We’ve asked other chapter owners for their staff recommendations, and they can refer you too!
Q. Is this chapter right for me and my donations? I work hard for my money!
A. Our chapter will narratively feature class warfare and fictional fascist theocracy. We will incorporate the amazing A Grave Place content in the first year, but go light on A Killer's Mind. We'll discuss collaboratively with players and staff what direction satisfies the majority as we go. We aim to leave nobody out of having an amazing time regardless of their style of fun!
Our chapter will not encourage CvC (Character-versus-Character) combat as we give new players time to learn the ropes. We'll discuss direction collaboratively with players and staff.
Your donations will also support local artists and get us closer to post-apoc skills workshops!
Q:I'm LGBTQIA+/open/poly/non-traditionally recognized. Am I welcome?
A. Our apologies for misnaming or not including your identity above. You are more than welcome and we'll do our best to protect your safety and comfort at our events. As sexuality/gender identities/relationship models aren't relevant in our official events or online spaces, staff will treat you respectfully. If anybody misnames you or are disrespectful in an intentional way, we will address it privately with you and ask what resolution you feel can be respectfully reached.
On the same topic, more traditionally recognized ways of life are also protected at our events. At no time should anybody discuss others’ matters of birth or choice that have no bearing to DR:LA, especially if not consented to.
Remember, freedom of speech is a right protected by the government from government censorship; not private companies. Please moderate your discussion of any matters you are ignorant of or don't have a personal stake in.
Regardless of all the different valid means of living your life, if you enjoy the X-Men saga and recognize that they're the heroes of the story and not the bigoted, genocidal villains they fight, you'll fit in just fine with our community!
Q: Do you allow other games' house rules and mechanics in DR: L.A.?
A. No. For genre and rules consistency across the Wastes during the first year of Live there should be no differentiation from the published rules between chapters in the DR: Live network.
Q: (Shamelessly pulled from DR: CT) - My character is a robot, part robot, werewolf, cyborg, wizard, alien. Can they attend?
A. No. DR: L.A. embraces a strict adherence to the original story/genre players came to love. We encourage players to reach out if uncertain regarding character backstories and cosplay and we'll guide you on local story/genre consistency.
Gamer Glossary
TTRPG (Table Top Role-Playing Game) - What most people associate with round table gaming, like Dungeons & Dragons. A tactile experience with miniatures, maps, and dice. You have a character sheet that tells you what all of your character's powers are and their statistics and the action takes place only in each other’s minds.
Players take turns stating their character's actions after the Dungeon Master/Storyteller provides a scenario. Dice are rolled for the harrowing results.
LARP (Live Action Role-Playing) - What the Dystopia Rising network contains that you'll be immersing yourself in for a day or a weekend. You cosplay and act a role and wield combat-safe weapons in your struggle to survive the zombie post-apocalypse. You still have a character sheet that lists Skills, Body, etc., but it stays hidden to maintain immersion and not throw off everybody's sense of genre.
Instead of a turn-based experience, everything in LARP happens in real-time and you don't state character actions; they/you simply do the thing in "live action."
Hit Points/Body - The amount/number of times your character can take a physical/supernatural blow before you go unconscious, into Bleed Out, etc. Everyone has a form of hit points, including the NPCs/bad guys, and everyone has a limit to how many times they can get hit and stay up. Skills and items can replenish Body.
Mana/Mind - The amount/number of times your character can exert itself using an ability or Skill before becoming, essentially, too tired. Almost everyone has some expendable limit in games, including the NPCs/bad guys, dictating how many times they can do A Thing before they just...can't. Some Skills, Meals, etc. replenish Mind.
Lives/Infection - The amount/number of times your character can "die" and come back. This is traditionally associated with video game (console, PC, etc.) deaths, before you have to restart the level, the chapter, etc. and lose progress. In most role-playing games if you lose your one life, your character will often be permanently dead and you have to "re-roll" (make a brand new character), to continue playing.
In Dystopia Rising, your Infection is the codified potency of the shared zombie fungus in every character. Everyone starts with a set amount and they can only “lose lives” that many times. Once your character's physical body has become too damaged (lost all of your Infection) to be re-stitched enough to resemble “you”, it becomes a zombie version of your character which is now completely unplayable. There are ways to restore Infection, but they are extremely rare. You’ve been warned.
Willpower/Resolve - The amount/number of times your character can perform extraordinary actions, such as miracles, defying death, resisting damage, etc. These normally take a very heavy toll and only replenish in due time (refresh each game.)
Armor - Cosplay covering of post-apoc armor pieces with its own "hit points" that prevents "damage" going to your Body by it taking the hit's damage first. Can repair.
NSFW - Not Safe For the Wastes
H'okay, so. While the owners of DR: L.A. like to look forward, due to being demonized in the past for having been involved in adult, we’re choosing to be completely transparent about sex. We wish we didn’t feel it necessary. What we have done for work that Uncle Merica takes taxes from every year does not cross over to DR: L.A. events. Still, humans gon human, so let's go over some rules:
No sex of any kind on site. Including simulated.
Yes, you're paying for a weekend away. You shouldn't be told no to anything as consenting adults. It's 100% about liability. No more, no less. We shouldn't have to go into it any further, and we hope that you've learned that there's a time and place for everything. We’re not your dormmates.
It's also best to avoid sex in-character, simulated (e.g., physical back rubs) as it may be. Necessary ongoing consent aside, you never know where someone is mentally or emotionally. And there's no reason to expect that you won't be “seen.” (Not kinkshaming anyone, it’s just not for everyone.)
No Nudity
We grew up with campy 90's horror movies with gratuitous bare breasts like many others. But not everyone wants to see others' body parts for reasons that are 100% NOT our role to question why. Please express yourself via your cosplay as risque as you’d like, but we ask that you cover sexual characteristics (including secondary sexual characteristics, like nipples.) Thank you everyone!
No story, mods, discussion, jokes, or mentions of sexual assault or rape. Ever.
Dystopia Rising: Los Angeles and Dystopia Rising network standard, do not allow the above. Ever.