Hey Survivors! First of all, we have added another virtual event to our calendar for April 26th-April 28th, 2024. Get your tickets for March and April now!
Second, we want to provide an additional update for how we’re doing Public Works. Basically, we’re doing it the same way we did in March — you can review the details here — but we’re adding an additional option called Efficient Producers.
If you are electing to be an Efficient Producer, instead of using your 6 or 8 hours of gathering and/or crafting for this event, you may pick from ONE of many extra-efficient options for one of your checked-in characters (and only that one character). That character must meet the requirements listed; the blueprints are available in the Town Library, and there are absolutely no substitutions allowed. This may be combined with your “no-time” skills (e.g. Trailblazing, Trade Connections).
All of the options available under Efficient Producers consume more time than the 6 or 8 hour options.
In order to engage with crafting and econ this weekend, make a copy of the Public Works template and share your completed spreadsheet to drco.logistics@gmail.com any time before 12 PM Mountain Time on Sunday (the end of the event). Item cards will be mailed out the following week.
A Primer on the Barker Meadow Necropolis
As our February virtual event quickly approaches, we wanted to put together this little guide to let you know what you're heading into. Before the Wycked White settled in at the end of last season, Barker Meadow warped into a Necropolis - a place where the Grave holds powerful sway. Much (but not all!) of the weekend’s content will focus on interacting with, understanding and fixing the distorted Necropolis. Let’s talk about how we got here, where things are now and how the Necropolis might be dealt with.
How Did We Get Here?
Back before the early arrival of the Wycked White, the Barkers used Cracked Psionic Crystal Weapons of Mortis Destruction to defeat Flesher Calonyction. The ancient Graverobber had used strange Grave science to convert himself into a mass of Infection with the intent to overtake the local Gravemind. These weapon - the Cracked Crystal Projectile Shell and Cracked Crystal Coating - were understood to have terrible effects on the surrounding land.
The Cracked Crystal Projectile Shell works by draining off Infectious mass and energy when it impacts a target, which then causes a backlash when that mass and energy interacts with the psionic crystals inside the shell. This causes necrosystemic and ecological damage where the shells land, weakening the bacterial biosphere that forms a barrier between the Mortis Amaranthine and the world “topside” while pulling the Mortis layer closer to the surface.
The Cracked Crystal Coating sinks into the soil and stimulates the growth of Cracked Crystal clusters. Since these clusters are typically an immune response meant to strengthen damaged or weakened Morgues, these clusters forming outside of conditions they are typically found in caused distorted Grave phenomena as they absorbed and concentrated Infectious material.
Where Are We Now?
This Necropolis is a region of unchecked Mortis expansion and growth, like a damaged organ replicating cancerous cells and spreading them to areas far beyond where they are meant to be. The Barker Meadow Reservoir Necropolis blurs the line that Strains understand to exist between the Mortis Amaranthine and the world they live in. Masses of Infection cause high concentrations of DMT - leading to psycho-reactant landscapes - while memories churned from deep in the Mortis spur it to fabricate corrupted structures and artifacts to recreate the past.
Although the freezing temperatures of the Wycked White have slowed the spread of decay, the winter will not hold forever. If allowed to continue in this manner after the thaw, this Necropolis will continue to build on itself. The end result will be the creation of a localized necrosphere deep in the Overgrowth.
So, How Do We Stop This?
The Necropolis must be pushed back - both physically and psychologically in the minds of the people that live here. This will require the excavation and removal of the Cracked Crystal clusters, as well as the treatment of the land to repair the biosphere. The Mortis layer will then have to somehow be pushed back and repaired, while the tumorous Grave masses will need to be surgically, radioactively or chemically removed to prevent the Mortis from resurfacing. Finally, something must be done to lay the Necropolis to rest in the minds of Barker Meadow Reservoir - something to convince the entire town to accept the paradigm that the Necropolis is no more. What that is exactly? Well…
Continue the conversation on our main Facebook group, our private Facebook hype group, in our Discord server, and on Instagram. And we’ll see you in the “Wycked Wonderland” that is the Necropolis in Barker Meadow Reservoir.
DR:CO 2024 Virtual Event Public Works/Econ Update
With the network changes to how LIT usage works that went into effect on January 1, 2024, we wanted to be transparent about how we will be handling gathering, crafting and other econ skills during our upcoming virtual events at Dystopia Rising: Colorado. Our goal is to bring our virtual Public Works in-line with other online events happening across the network given the eventual elimination of LIT, and to give players – that’s you! – more opportunities to focus on using their characters’ mind and abilities within our modules and content during the event.
This policy will be in effect for the February 2024 virtual event and is subject to change before the March 2024 virtual event (so be sure to check back for any such updates!).
A spreadsheet template will be provided for players to fill out and submit. This will provide our logistics team with a clear list to write out your cards. This form can be filled out by any players who are attending our event, and can be submitted up until the end of the event.
Our next event is February 23-25 and will be held over Discord.
Here are some Frequently Asked Questions, plus how to grab your Econ Form:
How Many Hours of Crafting are Available to Me?
You will be allotted six (6) hours of crafting and gathering, with no mind spent. This limit is per player and not per character. If any gathering or crafting requires a Resolve expenditure, this will be expended for that character for the event.
SPECIAL BONUS: You may gain access to two (2) additional crafting/gathering hours, if (and only if) the entirety of the eight (8) hours spent – including any “no-time” requirement skills – does not require any interaction with LIT on the Public Works. This includes expending items in LIT, going negative, or anything that subtracts from LIT (including turning in cards later).
Here are some examples to provide you with a better understanding:
Ex: [Character] just wants to farm up Basic Herb. Since they are not removing anything from LIT or expending items from cards to get that herb, they get two bonus hours and receive 48 Basic Herb.
Ex: [Character] spends six hours farming up Basic Herb. They want to make some brews, so they use the Shortest Path and two bonus hours to make 12 Uncle Todd’s Serums. They will receive 12 Basic Herb and 12 Uncle Todd’s Serum as a result.
Ex: [Character] wants to make Uncle Todd’s, but their Basic Herb is on cards or in LIT. With the Shortest Path they may make a total of 36 Uncle Todd’s Serum over the six hours they receive, but do not get any bonus time.
Ex: [Character 1] spends two hours farming Basic Herb and one hour making 6 Uncle Todd’s Serum. They will receive the 6 Uncle Todd’s Serum after the event. They then switch to [Character 2] and that character does the same thing. They would get 2 bonus hours that they can use to farm up 12 more Basic Herb, for either character.
Ex: Same as above, except [Character 2] spends their three hours making Uncle Todd’s from Basic Herb that they have in LIT or on Cards. Character 1 gets 6 Uncle Todd’s Serums and Character 2 spends 36 Basic Herb to get 18 Uncle Todd’s Serums, but no bonus hours are rewarded.
Will There Be Any Crafting Stations Available?
Yes. Your characters will have access to the following:
Shortest Path Distillation Kit
Paradigm Print Workshop
Grinding Mill (which will expend your character’s Resolve, per the item’s mechanic)
Forged Mechanical Crafting Area
No other items that reduce time or increase output will be permitted.
I’d Like to Trade Items Between My Character and Another Player’s Character. Can I Do It Through the Public Works During a Virtual Event?
No. Trading between characters will not be managed by the Public Works at this time – not even if you bribe our Public Works overlord with a free cruise. Any trading you would like to plan with others, we ask that you please coordinate with them on how you will exchange those items since we can no longer enter trades in LIT and our team is unable to facilitate card/item trades.
If it is something that is coming from your LIT, you may denote that you are cashing that out for the purpose of facilitating a trade on your own time, but keep in mind that will affect your two-hour crafting bonus.
Where Can I Log My Crafting?
We are using a spreadsheet template that you will be able to log your crafting hours. Crafting/Gathering logs include: Salvaging, Foraging, Agriculture, Artisan, Culinary, Hunting, Print Copying (Education).
Each character that is checked in for the event can also check in the “no-time” requirement skills. These skills include: Proficient/Master Financial, Sailing, Trade Connections, Trailblazing, Criminal Influence.
Please note that due to the “free mind” component of this mechanic, Vehicles, Gizmos, or Augments which enhance, change or add to the output (including the GOAT Cycle) will not be used or honored. Vouchers, Caravan Maps, Trade Papers, Dock Worker Contracts and CAPs expenditures will be honored as per usual.
You may pull items from your LIT/go into the negative, which represents expending physical cards that you will need to reconcile (e.g. turn in or mark off) with the Public Works/logistics personnel at your local chapter.
IMPORTANT NOTE: You will need to save a copy of the form, update the document title to include your name and player number. Email/share access with our Logistics Director (drco.logistics@gmail.com) as an Editor no later than the end of the event.
We can’t wait to see you at our Virtual Event, WYCKED WONDERLAND, on February 23-25. Be sure to grab your tickets here and don’t forget to complete your checkin. For additional questions and updates, you can find us on our Discord server, Instagram, our main Facebook group and our private Facebook hype group!