The Menagerie
Howdy Vados!
It’s Jonathan here with another signature DR:TX Rules Ramble, leading up to next Dystopia Rising Live event THE MENAGERIE! This game will be led by Bishop and Lucas Robinson. Each post, I’ll discuss in detail an aspect of the upcoming event, compiling the rules and lore into one easy place to read! This week, we are covering the premise of our event, some content warnings, and some themes of our upcoming event!
If you had a great experience at our last event LUPUM VENARI or had some suggestions for how we can improve, we’d love to hear from you! We appreciate your high-fives and suggestions and always want to seek ways to improve our events.
Fill out our Feedback Form!
Feedback is open for the next quarter! We’ve opened a new channel on our Discord called #DRL-feedback, so you can have a say in what I represent for our chapter. Each quarter, we get to pick our five most pressing changes we would like to see, so if you feel up to it get involved in the conversation!
We’ve updated our DR Fiction page! This summer, I’ve published some new stories digging into the narrative of our upcoming season. I’ve had a lot of fun writing them, and I’ve even dusted off a few of our older stories from the start of 3.0 if you’d like to see how far we’ve come.
Our photos for this post were taken from previous DR:TX events by our talented Photo Team, including Lily-Jay Jones, Miranda Farmer, Heather Halstead, Noah Goodman, and Max Pohlmeier.
THE PREMISE - THE MENAGERIE
With that out of the way, let’s get to our next event. Each season, we share a bit of a teaser about our upcoming event. It’s one part ‘movie trailer’ and one part ‘story time’, but it covers some of the important beats of our upcoming event.
The DR:TX team has prepared some fun stories ahead, so let’s see what is in store for THE MENAGERIE:
As the lull in conflict with Drywater gives way for a small reprieve, a Wandering Menagerie comes to Bravado to show off familiar and exotic Critters and animals from around the Wastes. These attractions bring in attention from all over the Lonestar and many visit the sleepy forgotten town of Bravado for just a glimpse of the curiosities that are on display. All manners of deadly beasts, from the fearsome Carrion Crow to flesh-eating Leviathans are promised to be displayed, though any sane person questions the wisdom of trying to cage such critters.
Dr. Hoskins, entrepreneur and critter enthusiast, was scheduled to show the Menagerie for the residents of Bastion, but was turned away by General Mustang for “safety” concerns. Along with his trusted animal wrangler and companion Carter Lovelace, the Menagerie is here to offer all types of Produce and exciting new wild game recipes for a brand new audience. Unfortunately for the people of Bravado and their visiting tourists, not all the Critters are as secure and safe as the Menagerie would like for them to believe, nor are their guests as well intentioned as they have led on.
Whispers from past customers of the Menagerie hint at animals let loose on purpose as some sort of weapon, and the opportunists that would take advantage of the conflict between the Drowned Sun and the Junkerpunks to sell a new type of chaos to the highest bidder. If the critters are free to claim territory and wreak havoc amongst the ecosystems of Bravado could it turn the tides in the favor of their enemies? As the Liberation of Drywater hurtles towards the inevitable conflict, to what lengths would Margeaux go to secure an advantage? Will the vicious laws of the wasteland endure new threats and critters brought from afar when the Menagerie is uncaged?
INSPIRATION & TROPES
In our tradition of Radical Trust, we want to share some of the inspirational bits of media and movie magic that we feel help capture the themes and feelings of our upcoming event. If you are looking for a movie or show to inspire your role play for this event, here’s a list of our favorites to get ready for THE MENAGERIE!
Jurassic Park
Jaws
Death of a Unicorn
AlienS
When we first envisioned this event, it was really a chance to explore all of the wonderful critters we’ve introduced over the seasons. From the deadly Murder Goat Deer, to adorable-but-chompy Leviathans, the armored Behemoth Polyps, terrifying Skull Spiders, menacing Wasteland Ursine, to the glowing Midnight Jellyfish, we’ve had a number of really cool props constructed for our game. This event is all about getting a chance to show off the monsters of the wasteland, up close and personal.
In the tradition of the classic movie JURASSIC PARK, we will explore some themes of whether it is smart to try to contain lethal predators, and the danger of trying to keep them in control. Thankfully, nothing will go wrong, right? It’ll be up to your survivors to deal with any threats to the Menagerie if you hope to keep dangerous creatures from escaping. And let’s face it — we all know how that is going to go.
What new creatures will be released as we confront THE MENAGERIE?
CONTENT WARNINGS
The themes of Dystopia Rising often touch close to our real world in ways we cannot always avoid. The DR:TX team believes that we can still tell these stories about challenging topics, but we also believe we need to be transparent about our intentions and set proper expectations for our content. In our tradition of radical trust, we want to also trust in each player that attends our game to know their own limits and be able to choose to avoid topics and situations that make them uncomfortable.
It’s important to watch for descriptions, situations, or events that you might want to avoid. You may find new limits that are unknown to you because the matter never came up. We encourage you to take the necessary steps for your own emotional safety. We want you to be comfortable with the types of horror in our events so you can enjoy the thrill of the zombie apocalypse and the nightmare creatures we introduce into the game space.
It’s one reason we take our OK Check-In system so seriously! We understand that these may not be stories you want to participate in, and that’s okay! Remember, you can always use the OK Check-In System to choose to leave a scene, even CVC!
You can always find a list of our Content Warnings on our website, but let’s talk about some of the specific things you might want to be prepared for during this December premiere event.
critters, creepy crawlies, and animal violence
Critters will be the focus of this event, but they are much more dangerous in DR Live. It’s worth mentioning that any Critter threat with the Cannibalism skill is functionally “killing blow active”, capable of killing your characters without need for quarter. Some threats will have dangerous abilities that can make traveling by yourself in the darkness very dangerous indeed, so make sure to bring a buddy! If you don’t mind spoilers, you can see what we mean in the Animal Almanac.
Critters are a valuable source of Produce though, so make sure to consider time to loot that fallen predator! Depending on the chosen build of the critter, they can carry many varieties of Produce items, which are helpful for your friends with the Culinary skill. However, many of the common items that can interact with corpses don’t work on critters.
We have several puppet SPIDER props that will be in play for this event. Remember, if your arachnophobia gets too much, you can always choose to leave a scene with the Okay Checkin system, and our critters won’t pursue. We have several other critter props, including scaly reptiles, many-eyed Behemoths, and other fur-covered and avian enemies. There will be areas covering in webbing, but these areas will be clearly marked. While the puppets can be scary, we hope that clearly telegraphing these creatures with a human nearby will help reduce some of the shock value.
Hit the NPC, not the prop! Several of our smaller critters will be portrayed through puppets or smaller props. These props are sturdy, but are not designed to be combat safe. If you encounter one of these enemies, please use your boffers and nerf guns on the NPC holding the prop, not the prop itself. We want to be able to use these props again!
Critter are not pets. Period. The Menagerie has been lucky so far, but trying to cage or contain critters is doomed to failure. There is no way to tame, domesticate, or otherwise turn these creatures into cute fluffy companions. These critters will tear you apart, gore you, or eat you. They are meant to be scary rather than friendly or silly. With that in mind, pets and Critter domestication are not a part of live representation at Dystopia Rising Live (unless you are a NPC - like a Raider). Critters are threats that eat you and player pets are exist only off camera and as downtime narrative.
Resource scarcity, and the struggle to provide for yourself in the apocalypse
There will be some resource sinks during this event, but these investments are optional. You’ll be able to continue submitting Junkerpunk Work Orders during this event, to help the Junkerpunks prepare for their campaign to reclaim Drywater from the Drowned Sun during our December Premiere event. These tasks will allow you to spend some of your soon-to-be-expiring scrap in a fun, useful way rather than letting it go to waste in your supply bags. Each Ship of the Line you can craft with the Junkerpunks will improve their odds during the attack!
3.0 Scrap is expiring soon! Scrap cards that don’t have an expiration date will expire in February 2026. Expect there will be some adjustment this season as folks work to use their remaining items before the winter break. Make sure to check your item cards before you come to event to prevent some surprises!
Expect a scarcity of some resources. There’s still going to be a LOT of folks building equipment for a Corrupted Morgue or preparing items for the upcoming February expiration dates. Crews will likely be focused on copying new blueprints, making items for their team, and harvesting resources for their personal use. There may not be as many people selling the goods you need, so plan ahead!
critters of the lone star
The Lone Star is host to a number of dangerous species, each a capable and deadly predator in their own right. If you follow along with the Animal Almanac, you might learn something about the threats this weekend. Here’s some interesting facts that anyone with Lore: Nature might know as you prepare to survive THE MENAGERIE.
Murder Goat Deer (or MGD) remain the alpha predator of the San Saba wasteland. These carnivorous and stealthy critters have been a fixture of Bravado for years now, first appearing all the way back in Dystopia Rising 2.0 in the days of Old Bravo. While they may appear unremarkable at first, they are terrifying forest hunters, feeding on undead and survivor alike. They range in size from the cute but still dangerous Fawns, deadly Murder Goat Deer Alphas, up to the towering and menacing Slaughter Goat Deer. Their distinctive goat-like bray is often the only warning given before they charge into a fray, driving razor sharp horns and hoofs as strong as steel through the toughest armors, dealing lethal and murderous blows. They are capable of eating virtually anything and are most active in the fall and the early evenings as they prepare for hibernation over the winter. The Murder Goat Deer are even worshiped and protected by some groups of survivors, such as the Cervaxi tribe. MGD meat is a prized delicacy, and is common in many healing meals in the San Saba.
Leviathans are an aquatic nuisance known to swarm the murky waters of Lake Bravo. While the mighty Leviathans are known for a titanic worm-like form in the deserts of the Dune Sea, the aquatic variety tend to grow vestigial limbs and resemble the much smaller salamanders. Ranging in size from about the mass of a small fox up to a large hound, an individual juvenile Leviathan is not entirely threatening. However, they tend to swarm in packs of many critters, rising again from the mass of scales and teeth to take down prey many times their size. While most deadly in the water or near the lake where they can overwhelm and drown a victim, the larger varieties have developed a blinding toxin capable of disorienting and weakening a foe so they can be drug back to the waterfront to be devoured by their largest kin. Leviathan eggs are prized for their size and tasty inclusion in omelets and other meals, but the largest of their kind remain mostly contained in the nearby lake.
Behemoth Polyps are a recent arrival in Bravado, originating from a deadly parasite that spread from the corpse of a massive leviathan. A lobster-like creature with bone colored plating, these heavily armored and parasitic critters have strong chitin prized in armor for vehicles and survivors alike. The Behemoths wield vicious claws capable of cutting through any type of armor. They are tank-like and difficult to kill, resistant to most effects that would try to slow them down, but the most dangerous threat of these critters is the one you can barely see. The Polyps are the largest variety of a pest that operates with a hivemind sentience, capable of infesting and controlling prey near them. When these polyps infect a target, they are driven mad with pain and agony as the creatures eat them from within, lashing out at friends through the psionic influence of the blood-born critters. Behemoths are known to burrow in the ground and are capable of bursts of speed despite their ponderous mass.
Midnight Jellyfish were once thought to be one of the mysterious Longwalkers, a form of psionic undead once common in Lovelace lands during the Long Night. Recent discoveries have proven that these are simply a rare and subtly dangerous threat in the night. Nocturnal predators, the Midnight Jellyfish are a dangerous psionic creature, floating through the air in a cloud of spore-filled luminescent lights. Those that get close enough to breath in the deadly spores quickly find themselves delusional and screaming in terror, or caught in the burning tentacles of the critter. The most insidious threat of the Jellyfish is a poisonous sting that dampens the healing power of the Infection in a survivor, rending even First Aid useless as they bleed to death in the clinging, paralyzing appendages. They are quite slow, but their silent and twinkling approach is often mistaken for an approaching survivor’s lanterns until it is too late.
Skull Spiders are a recently discovered threat in the Lone Star, an invasive species that seems to have spread from abroad. Named for the peculiar pattern that resembles a skull in the wiry hairs of their abdomen, these stealthy predators are known to swarm much bigger prey. Ranging in size from a medium dog up to much larger varieties, these deadly arachnids are capable of quickly leaping onto nearby survivors, their blinding webs incapacitating a target while their murderous venom silences any struggle. Even a tiny bite from the spider can render a limb useless and dead, and they can be persistent in stalking prey in the darkness, and they have a deceptive strength capable of even tearing down a door. Mostly nocturnal, the Skull Spiders are known to nest near morgues, and one can only wonder what might happen should the corrupting influence force a strange and dangerous mutation in the future.
Wasteland Ursine are a seldom seen threat, surviving mostly within the radioactive Exclusion Zone near Bastion. These massive bear-like creatures have been infected with the glow shrooms that flourish in the radiation, granting them tremendous regenerative abilities. They heal as fast as the deadly radiation can slough off their skin, and often scaly, mutated skin glows from underneath their thick hides. When the Ursine raise a deadly roar, those unfortunate enough to be nearby are often paralyzed in terror, shortly before they are ripped to shreds by the massive claws of the beast. The Wasteland Ursine is nigh unstoppable, healing from any wounds as fast as a raider, shrugging off deadly blows, and pushing through any attempts to stop them. The deceptive danger of the Ursine is truly the glowing blue mushrooms that infest their bodies, and reports have said that some psions that stray in their path simply sit down and wait to be eaten, as if some psionic interference prevents them from using their powers.
[REDACTED] You’ll have to wait to experience this one first hand, sorry!
We’ve rarely had all of our critters in play at once, and we hope that you enjoy the stories we have to share for THE MENAGERIE. While not the usual threat of undead or raiders, we can’t wait for you to experience our fun and deadly critters with us in Dystopia Rising Live.
Wrap Up
That’s it for today, Vados.
We hope that you will come join us for our next event, THE MENAGERIE. Will you get to experience the wonders of the Menagerie when it visits Bravado? Will those scary critters stay safely in captivity, or will they be a bigger nuisance for the town? Will you survive the deadly CARRION CROWS? Which critter will reign supreme in the wasteland, and will there be any safe place left for your survivors surrounded by hostile monsters? Let’s find out together!
See you soon, Vados!
