The Politics of Anarchy
Howdy Vados!
It’s Jonathan here with another signature DR:TX Rules Ramble, leading up to next Dystopia Rising Live event THE POLITICS OF ANARCHY! This game will be led by Jonathan Loyd and Heather Halstead. Each week, 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 THE GUILTY AMONG US 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!
The Juno Database has been updated! You’ll need to remake your characters before this event, and I’ve included step by step instructions in a blog post on the topic. Check it out here!
Feedback is starting up at the owner level for DR Live! 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. 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!
Our photos for this post were taken from previous DR:TX events by our talented Photo Team, including Lily-Jay Jones, Miranda Farmer, Noah Goodman, and Max Pohlmeier.
THE PREMISE - the POLITICS OF ANARCHY
Since the fall of the San Saba Board last year, anarchy has overtaken the wasteland around Bravado. While attempts at structure have been made; whether it be crews banding together, or criminals seeking to seize power within the vacuum, differing values and ever present threats has made a new structure difficult to birth. Leaderless and doomed to repeat the same mistakes, this fragile society threatens to collapse, and with that collapse, fall into an inevitable war with neighbors, bandit kings, and shadow organizations bent on the town’s downfall.
Something must change.
There is no longer a single “Law of the Land” to fall back on. Each settlement, village, or collection of weather worn tents in the wasteland makes its own rules, its own charter. But the wastes are a harsh and unforgiving place, resources are scarce, and alliances are paramount to survival for all but the most fortified. The filmsy spit-shake peace between Bastion, Drywater, and Bravado has all but disintegrated, and the need for a new, stronger alliance is dangerously evident. A crisis in one settlement can quickly threaten to become a problem for their neighbors, and there is no clear authority for this new wasteland.
Drywater stares down the barrel of a civil war, with a morgue slowly rotting out from under them, an inevitable threat to the greater region. Sinker Swim and Captain Margeaux Latiche seek to make their alliances and bribes to different crews, further complicating attempts at a resolution of their dispute. The plague of the Midnight Covenant has spread beyond the borders of Bastion, and into Bravado and beyond. The Militia has been decimated by raiders, and is seeking justice, and new resources. If Bravado cannot provide, they’re likely to find support elsewhere. The factions of the San Saba are still stretched thin, repairing the damages incurred by the last war.
And this has not gone unnoticed. The Law Dogs talk of extradition treaties, and seek outside council. Militia soldiers are openly attacking their former allies. Terrorists openly attack sporting events. Mustang and her Loyalists seek a formalized government with which to parlay with their closest neighbor. Bravado looks to its crews to come to a collective understanding of what the future may hold for the town.
Voices rise above the chaos and saber rattling demanding the CHARTER SUMMIT. The yearly vote to amend the Bravado Charter. The first test of the fledgling crew council known as the Outfit, and the last chance at peace for the region. The last opportunity to resolve grudges and reconcile recent offenses. The last gamble to provide order to a society on the brink of collapse. The last attempt to break the cycle of death, dissention, and inevitably... war.
Can you put aside the demons of the past and forge a path forward?
INSPIRATION & TROPES
This season in Bravado we have focused on bringing some new elements of Survival Horror to the forefront of the story. 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 POLITICS OF ANARCHY!
The Mist
During the climax of this monster movie inspired by a Stephen King short story, the politics between the survivors lead to stupid decisions and herd mentality. Rather than deal with the overwhelming threat, selfish decisions and in-fighting between leads to more death and betrayal. With many factions vying for dominance, the Charter Summit promises to provoke similar confrontations with your fellow survivor.
the Walking Dead
While this series is overall a great inspiration for DR Live stories, in the later seasons of the show the politics between the three settlements of the Alexandria Safe Zone, Hilltop, and The Kingdom spark most of the conflict near the end of the show. There’s a lot of parallels here with the three cities in our region of the San Saba, and similar conflicts have broken out between them. In a world with scarce resources, the most dangerous foes remain your fellow survivors.
Furiosa (A Mad Max Story)
The newest prequel chapter of the Mad Max series details the alliances between the various warlords of the Australian wasteland. While they must rely on each other for critical resources, conflict and war are a constant threat, particularly when violent folks take charge and want what the other settlements have. When new powers rise up in the wasteland, it threatens the careful balance between safety and control, similar to the ongoing conflict within the Junkerpunks.
This event combines politics, violence, and negotiation during a tense time for Bravado. As the Burning Season quickly approaches and the dangers of other settlements threatens to impact our home, it’s time to establish a stronger bond in the quest for what amounts for peace in the post apocalypse. Bravado is vulnerable and it’s better to have allies than enemies.
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.
big decisions & Lasting Consequences
Some big decisions will be made by the town which will have long lasting consequences for future seasons. At the end of each season we attempt to let our players shape a bit of the future and the stories to come by offering some BIG CHOICES during our finale event. In previous years, we’ve declared Rebellion against the Board, brought down the city of Waking, dealt with a major undead menace, or tried to fix a collapsing morgue. Each time, the consequences of those decisions continued into our stories for the seasons to come and the impact of those choices was far beyond those events. We expect these decisions to resonate into our future stories for Season 7.
Players won’t necessarily agree on the best way forward, but a decision must be made. During this event, there will be several major CHOICE POINTS that happen over the weekend. Some will be telegraphed in advance, some will not. Some of these will involve some planned politics, as the town discusses a treaty with Bastion and Drywater, and how to update the Bravado Charter for a new age of DR Live. Others will depend on decisions made in the moment, by the folks that happen to be there at that time. There’s a chance that you won’t be in the right place at the right time, and you’ll have to deal with choices made by others, or wield your particular blend of wasteland charisma to gain the allegiances and promises.
Players will decide the fates of several major factions in the San Saba, including the JUNKERPUNKS and the MILITIA. The decisions made by players over this weekend will determine who leads these factions into the future or if they even still exist. The brave new world of DR Live means that it is time for some stories to end so that we can tell brand new ones. Our past story of the San Saba in 3.0 has finally come to an end, and it’s time to plant the seeds of new story arcs, new villains, new allies, and new important elements of our setting. We want you to tell us which of these groups you want to survive the crucible of the Charter Summit, and we are so excited to make big decisions together.
interplayer politics, government & cvc
Expect some aggressive role play and personal conflict. In these types of political choices and town wide decisions, tensions will likely get heated, voices will be raised, and there will probably be a bit of conflict. If this kind of role play isn’t something you find interesting, these will largely occur in the DEPOT at set times, so you’ll know where to avoid if you want to opt out of these big emotions in character. Remember, you can always use the Okay Check-In system to leave a powerful scene, but that may mean you miss out on some of those big decisions.
You’ll need to politic with players as well as NPCs. Players will be given various opportunities to get involved in the big decisions of the weekend. We will be sharing the content of those decisions and some possible consequences in a future blog post and through CHOICE POINT sheets in the game, so you’ll have time to formulate an opinion. However, you may find yourself at odds with other players, particularly if they have a favorite faction or have something to gain by helping one side versus another. You’ll need to navigate the in-game politics of the various player crews and NPCs in town in order to be successful.
Tensions are rife for CVC conflict. Sometimes the best way to end an argument in the wasteland is with the truest form of diplomacy - VIOLENCE. There’s a solid chance that you may also be facing off against your fellow players in order to pursue your agendas during the Summit. Remember, the whole town is WASTELAND, so you could find yourself in CVC conflict before you realize it. Remember, the most dangerous foe in the wasteland isn’t zed, raiders, or critters, it’s the fellow survivor you share a home with in Bravado.
Resource scarcity, and the struggle to provide for yourself in the apocalypse
The DR Live economy is brand new. With the major change of Impact Skills, the Mind economy you are used to in the 3.0 system doesn’t really exist in this brave new world. It’s one thing to look at a proposed break down of blueprints and mind points and try to anticipate how it will function in a live space, and it’s an entirely different thing to actually do it live. Part of this event will include learning a new cadence to the flow of economy and crafting, and it WILL be different than the previous edition.
Items are less necessary in DR Live, and you may have less gear than you are used to in 3.0. Many of the tricks you needed items for in 3.0 are now included into the various Impact and Development skills. Other items only really function for Professions. Healing is significantly improved, and your combat skills don’t need a steady supply of Mind brews to stay ready. While cool items can be nice, they certainly aren’t a requirement for surviving in this new apocalypse. Many of the blueprints have very niche applications that won’t necessarily come up during every event, so don’t worry about trying to build out a perfect set of gear!
Expect a scarcity of some resources. One lesson we saw during Downfall was that certain items (like Herbs) were scarcer than folks imagined they would be. Now, while some of that was due to the nature of the one-shot event and fewer people taking the Agriculture skill, there’s still going to be a LOT of folks building new equipment and items that is brand new to the DR Live system. 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!
Player Government in the san saba
Over the last year, we’ve told the story of the collapse of the San Saba. When the Board fell, their vision for the future fell with them. Without a central force encouraging trade, repairing the rails, and helping keep lines of communication open, the San Saba has quickly collapsed into a series of city-states. Without a greater incentive or need to care about other towns, this inward focus has ended much of the shared cooperation between the settlements. With our out-of-character need to reduce the scope of our story, we’ve focused on the area closest to Bravado, and that’s included some important stories involving Drywater and Bastion.
Cities and towns must decide how they define order from the anarchy of the wasteland. They must establish new laws, and find new ways to hold people accountable. While the Justices of Sin and the Law Dogs can help enforce town charters, there is very little oversight or ability to institute rules without the consent of the governed in the towns. And after the example of the Board, trust in any single individual is at a premium. The players must decide on a Bravado Charter that they can enforce, and they must decide if some larger form of organization for their town is necessary or needed. As we continue towards a story during THE POLITICS OF ANARCHY, I’d like to talk about the elephant in the room — player-led government.
One big change for this event is a bit of a shift in our story and staff policies for player involvement in leadership of our hometown.
We’ve long held the stance that having a single player in charge of the entire settlement is a recipe for a disaster we don’t want to empower, and we’ve avoided player involvement in the in-game leadership of our game. For most of 3.0, this was either the character of Felicity Redfield or the Chairman, both NPCs controlled by the staff. In our years of role playing games, we’ve seen a lot of examples of this trope of player involvement as a problem for games, and you only need to ask a few of our players that played former Mayors or Judges on the lessons they learned in those roles.
But we’ve also helped create a better understanding of consent, player agency, and shared responsibilities amongst our players, and we’ve developed a culture of radical trust and finding ways to say “yes!”. While we have maintained a stance of preventing true player leadership in our setting for most of 3.0, we want to reconsider some potential changes for the new world of DR Live, with some common-sense guard rails in place by the staff.
One big revelation this season has been the formation of THE OUTFIT, a mostly democratic group of characters organized from the various crews and player-led groups in the town of Bravado. During the April event, they held their first meeting which felt very successful. There’s still a lot of room for growth but we love the concept of a group-led government for the town, as it meets our goals of avoiding any single leader while still actively giving players agency of the fate of their home. During this upcoming Charter Summit we want to give the players a chance to formalize a player-led government in game. While this new Outfit is one potential option, it doesn’t have to be the only way forward if players want something different. We want to relax our rule against player-led government a bit, provided we can still create some avenues for ST-led guidance when necessary. We will ultimately leave this decision up to our players and their choices during the May event, and we want to help nurture this new experiment in our new season.
The proposed in-game Tri-City Alliance and the Charter Summit is truly a means towards this end. We want to explore these new player-led choices, while providing some room for politics with neighbors and rivals. Bastion and Drywater will be both our reflections and examples of alternative government systems for towns, while also serving as a foil for our town of Bravado. Bastion represents a strong, military led settlement with General Mustang at the helm, while Drywater keeps towards the love of freedom and lack of structure that anarchy and oligarchy entail, with Bravado representing the synthesis in between. These NPCs will be the avenue we can course correct if this decision moves in a direction that we think is unhealthy for our game, but also give us some avenues to explore conflict and intrigue with nearby towns.
Finally, the May event will end with our Charter Summit vote. Each player in attendance will be able to sign the new Bravado Charter and enshrine this new government into our story of Bravado. You’ll ultimately need to work together to maintain the Charter and the Alliance, but it’s a great opportunity for change. No government can lead with out the consent of the governed, so I hope you are as interested in this new idea as we are. We’d love to hear your feedback on this change, and hope to see you in May!
I’m so very excited to explore this brave new world with each of you.
Wrap Up
That’s it for today, Vados.
We hope that you will come join us for our next event, THE POLITICS OF ANARCHY. We’ve told a year-long story of the collapse of the San Saba, and it’s time for some BIG choices. Will you help resolve the civil war between the two Junkerpunk factions? Will you find a way to restore the balance to the San Saba and help the wounded Militia recover and reshape into a new fighting force? Will you settle your differences with Bastion and choose against a new war in the San Saba? Will you be able to bury the hatchet on old grudges and embrace the bright new future that awaits Bravado in Season 7? Let’s find out together!
Next week we will cover some more of the specific big decisions and some expected consequences of those decisions that will be made during the event! See you soon, Vados!
