In advance of the climactic battle with The Taleholders at our October event, In the Flesh, we would like to provide information to set expectations and make sure everyone has an awesome time wrapping up this story. In this blog post, we're going to go over what's happening before the fight, during the fight, and how it could all end.
At our September event, several intrepid Survivors from Barker Meadow sought information on the Taleholders’ Finale – the final, apocalyptic stage of the Great Work of their Graverobber, Flesher Calonyction. To help you prepare for the Finale and the battle to stop it, we present the Info Gathering results they received.
Our last two events of the season are within three weekends of each other, bookending Halloween! Tickets and food service for “In The Flesh”, our October event, are now on sale!
If you’re ready, purchase an “Autumn All In” ticket and get an special End of Season chit to use at game! This ticket is either a Standard Casting or Maximum Casting ticket for both October and the November “Apocalypse” event, along with 2 Extra XP and meal service for both events!
Ticket prices are going to remain the same for the last two events of the season!
Dystopia Rising announced in August that prices across the network will be increasing on October 1st, 2023. That announcement also stated that chapters are free to discount from that price increase or delay the increases until a later date. The Colorado chapter is electing to delay our increases until 2024. Stay tuned for more info on that after the 2023 season is finished.
Special offer for October:
We offering a small number of LIMITED CASTING tickets for this event SPECIFICALLY for players willing to take the single 2-Hour Casting shift on Sunday morning from 10 am to 12 noon. This ticket will be the normal Limited Casting ticket price of $85. No other casting shifts are available for this ticket type.
Remember, we are also currently offering:
Temperature-controlled cabins with plenty of bunks, with the options for Opt-in or Opt-out of nighttime raids, as well as to reserve a cabin for members of your group/team
No eligibility requirements for those requesting medical sleep
Meal Service provided by our amazing kitchen guides
Buy your tickets and meal service here
October event database checkin
November event database checkin
Site details here
Survivors! Tickets for our September 22nd event are finally on sale!
Based on feedback and experience, we’re going to the following in September (different from some of our previous events):
Opening Announcements will be at 9 PM on Friday, with Lay On to follow. Guides should be prepared to meet at 8:30 PM for a quick briefing in the room next to the Public Works.
Friday night dinner will open at 8:00 PM and be available until after opening announcements.
Lay Off at noon on Sunday!
Special offer for September:
We offering a small number of LIMITED CASTING tickets for this event SPECIFICALLY for players willing to take the single 2-Hour Casting shift on Sunday morning from 10 am to 12 noon. This ticket will be the normal Limited Casting ticket price of $85. No other casting shifts are available for this ticket type.
Remember, we are also currently offering:
Temperature-controlled cabins with plenty of bunks, with the options for Opt-in or Opt-out of nighttime raids, as well as to reserve a cabin for members of your group/team
No eligibility requirements for those requesting medical sleep
Meal Service provided by our amazing kitchen guides
Buy your tickets and meal service here
September event database checkin
Site details here
Hey folks! Your safety guide here to provide updated, comprehensive combat safety and weapon construction guidelines. Check out our Google Doc here.
Only a few days until our PREMIERE Event! Get all the details.
Just a few days until our PREMIERE EVENT begins, and I wanted to keep you apprised of the environment you'll be coming to if you haven't been to the site before, and I'm including a few notes even if you have!
Camp Santa Maria is at 8200 feet above sea level. At that elevation, oxygen levels as a percentage of "air" are reduced from 21% (sea level) to 15.5% (us locals are used to 17.5%, so there's even a decrease for us). This means you might get tired easier, have to rest more frequently during exertion, etc. Take your time when moving around, don't go wild, take breaks. Sit down and breathe deep and slowly if you feel yourself wheezing. Canned oxygen is available at most stores like Wal Mart; we'll have a few cans at Public Works, but it's highly recommended you have your own if you're likely to use a lot.
If you have a collapsible cart, and can bring it, it is highly recommended. There may be a few other carts available for transporting your stuff between your car and your cabin. If you want to purchase a cart to use and then donate afterwards, keep your receipt for a CAPs reward and we will keep it for future use.
Friday: Pool time from 10 am to 12:30 pm, assuming no thunderstorms! Please bring a suit and a good towel if you want to participate, and be prepared to not wear your costuming, makeup and/or prosthetics. There are changing rooms near the pool. If it's been a while since you've swam or aren't usually comfortable swimming, I recommend going to a resale shop like ARC (of which there are many Colorado locations) to pick up something that fits well and covers everything you want to be covered.
As with all of our events, all other water areas (Danger River, Danger Lake, Danger Pond) are off limits—feel free to go by, just don’t go in. The river is higher this year than it has been in a while and is still running very fast, even this late in the year.
Weather forecasts are very typical for this time of year: sunny or partly sunny in the morning, “afternoon showers” usually means a few bouts of light rain lasting 5-15 minutes. While this could be during any time of the day, it’s usually between 3 pm and 7 pm. There could be lightning or wind; in the case of either, make sure your tents (if any) are well-staked down, and be inside a building if there’s lightning rather than inside a tent.
Even with rain, humidity is likely to be low throughout the event. Bring your genre canteens and bottles and remember to fill them anytime you’re near the saloon, as staying hydrated will help with temperature regulation and breathing regardless of the temperature.
It could be cool at night, particularly if there’s wind, so bring another layer just in case. Other things you can do to ensure your comfort throughout the weekend:
Take a shower
Change your shirt
Put on new socks
Eat something
Want more info? Check out our local expectations and additional tips for visitors.
We are thrilled to present Dystopia Rising: Colorado's August Premiere event, APOTHEOSIS, taking place on August 17th through the 20th. Here you can get some quick insights into key plots and challenges that both locals and visiting Survivors will face during the event, as well as a quick taste of some themes we’re looking to highlight during the event.
With the resurgence of last November’s apex Overgrowth threat right around the corner, we want to tell you all about some of the changes we’ve made to refine and balance the Pinemaw into the challenge we always dreamed it to be: it will still pose a deadly threat, but our hope is that these changes will bring it from being just a hard fight to a hard and fun fight!
Something malign is reshaping reality, and the devils our survivors know may be their only chance against the devils they don’t. Facing oblivion, what will our survivors do, and what will they give to live another day?
All tickets and food service are on sale NOW for our THREE NIGHT PREMIERE EVENT, “Apotheosis”, starting on Thursday, August 17th at YMCA Camp Santa Maria! Important links are below….But first!
As this is a THREE NIGHT Premiere Event, all tickets will receive 1 extra XP above the normal for your character progression, and those with Advanced Memberships get an additional character switch (a total of three switches) for the weekend!
Additionally, all players will have the option to purchase up to FIVE extra XP instead of the normal two. Those that do will receive a free “Self Teach” of any skill for each of their registered characters, assuming those characters meet the XP expenditure and pre-requisite skills needed (excluding Achievements).
We also want to announce our pre-registration incentives! As with all premiere events, the number of pre-registrations in the database as of August 3rd (two weeks) prior to the event will determine how much National-sponsored currency and resources (such as Festering Crystals and Absolute Bonafide Currency) we can give out. But on top of that, we have some additional rewards we will offer for the total number of pre-registrations that are complete by the evening of Sunday, August 6th:
Read more about the Dishes Network, for which Chits are also eligible (or hold onto it as a souvenir!)
Get your tickets here, even if you intend to pay at the door.
And don’t forget to register on the database.
Read more about the Trapped Archon, updates to Logistics and the Donor Ticket program, the delay to the Mayoral Race, and the special mechanics around Abyssal Distortion. And if you want to opt-in to special mechanics around Abyssal Marks, fill out this form.
Hey Survivors! We have a few updates going forwards for DR:CO logistics. Read below for new info about Waivers, Weapon Safety Checks, Star Line Passes, and an additional opportunity built into our Dishes Network incentive.
New Waivers
As we have just renewed our liability insurance, all attendees will need to sign a new waiver at or after the July event, even if they just filled one out at the June event. Players under 18 will need to have their guardian/relative signing those waivers as well. Don’t worry about printing anything out: we will have plenty of waivers available at Public Works before you get your character sheets.
Weapon Safety Checks
Hey everyone, here's an announcement from Aidan, our Safety Guide, for weapons checks starting at our July event:
All weapons must be checked by a weapons safety guide. It doesn't matter if you have been playing with them for years already, if it doesn't have a tag written in the past few months, it needs to be checked. This includes traveling players and senior players/guides.
All weapons (carded or not) must be tagged and labeled with the month and year they were checked. After a year, they need to be rechecked for damages.
There will be a set weapons check location and starting time. For the July 2023 event, it will be in the Saloon (dining hall) from 7-8pm.
If you are arriving late or otherwise can't make the weapon check time, you can either find a weapons guide (you can be directed to one by the post office) to check your weapon once you arrive or you can use NPC camp weapons until yours have been checked.
Dishes Network Update
In addition to the Dishes Tokens, LCs and SCs may now use Chits at the exact same exchange rate. Chits are painted, flattened bottle caps with their player number on the front, a reference to how they received the Chit, and a code on the back.
Players may have received Chits in the past, and could receive Chits in the future, for:
Participating in a Virtual Event (during the pandemic) and purchasing a Goodie Bag
Participating in a Voting Incentive
Purchasing a Star Line Pass or Reserved Cabin (some of these have not been created or distributed, but will be)
Other incentives as decided by the owners
Like Dishes Tokens, Chits can be traded between characters, but since they were given to the player they can be exchanged between a player’s own characters. Also like Dishes Tokens, they may be sold or traded, but cannot be stolen without consent.
Unlike the Dishes Tokens, Chits will be returned to their players at the end of a season or the beginning of the next season to be reused. DR:CO has kept a record of all Chits that have been created and distributed, as well as those that are still to be distributed.
Chits may have other exchange opportunities in the future as well, as was done in the past (e.g. certain Chits were redeemed for skirmisher units in the Pure Blood War in 2021).
Star Line Pass (Donated Tickets) Update
We have been so fortunate to receive so many donated tickets from generous players, which has allowed many of our players to attend when they wouldn’t otherwise be able to. As thanks for the continuing support of this program (and continuing this program), we will be rewarding CAPs at $1 -> 1 CAP rate for every purchase of a Star Line Pass or a Reserved Cabin…which honestly, we should have done from the inception of the program, so we’ll be applying it retroactively all the way to May 2020 when we started.
In addition, each donated ticket earns the benefactor a special numbered Chit. This was the intent of the program from the beginning as well, but executive dysfunction has caused a lag on these, and so far only 25% of the chits have been handed out to their recipients. We will be rectifying this shortly! The Chits may be used as described in the previous update.
We look forward to seeing you at the next event! Get all the checkin details here.
Our July event, POWDER KEG, introduces a new threat to Lorado: Memetic Fixations. These are more potent and easily spread versions of the original Fixations that have plagued the residents of Barker Meadow. Memetic Fixations are intense, destructive, and maladaptive intrusive thoughts that characters must confront throughout the event. Their effects will be more specific, brutal, and swiftly resolved than before. Possible vectors now will include the terrifying potential of it spreading through discussions with the Fixated about the individual's mental state or the phenomenon itself, sprawling out through Lorado as a virulent idea.
As we approach the July game, the mayoral race is in full swing. As such, we would like to dispel any potential confusion regarding the mayoral election before it has a chance to pop up.
In game, characters believe that the election will go off as planned in August, but the election itself will be moved to our September Event: Taking Care of Business.
Why are we doing this?
After a lot of discussion, the story team decided that it would be best to not hold the election over our August Premiere Event: Apotheosis, as we anticipate an influx of travelers that game, and do not want that to somehow sway the vote in a manner that could be frustrating to local players.
So should my character stop campaigning for a month?
Keep campaigning! In character, there is no reason to suspect the election will be pushed. The in-game state of emergency that will cause the election to be pushed back will not be recognized until the August event.
I have opinions about this!
We want to hear them! Our post-game feedback forms are a great place to give feedback about decisions made by the story and guide teams. You can also submit feedback using the Contact Us, Event Feedback, or Rules Call Feedback forms, all of which are located under the Contact Us section of our website at any time. Your feedback helps us to create the game you want to play, and lets us know when we're on the right track.
With the inauguration of The Wardens, lawbreakers all across Lorado are seeing their golden age of chaos drawing to an end. But formidable though they are, there are only so many Wardens to go around, and far too many slick lowlifes and dastardly outlaws dot the Western Wastes for the most tenacious law dogs to attend to them all; thus, the honored tradition of cash bounties returns - and the target: you!
With the very nature and natural order of Barker Meadow in danger, our survivors must hold the line against grave attacks on their home. Now learning the dark history surrounding them, our survivors must find a way to deal with the past and present that threaten to destroy them. Can they find a way to defend their home and move forward through the destruction?
Special offer for July ONLY:
We offering a small number of LIMITED CASTING tickets for this event SPECIFICALLY for players willing to take the single 2-Hour Casting shift on Sunday morning from 9 am to 11 am. This ticket will be the normal Limited Casting ticket price of $85.
As we did for our June event, we have a slightly modified schedule for July.
People can arrive on site at 3 PM to help set up, and get bunks at 4 PM
Opening announcements at 9 PM
Lay off at 11 AM on Sunday, as we have to be off site by 1 PM as the site is actively being used as a camp during the summer.
Remember, we are also currently offering:
Temperature-controlled cabins with plenty of bunks, with the options for Opt-in or Opt-out of nighttime raids, as well as to reserve a cabin for members of your group/team
No eligibility requirements for those requesting medical sleep
Extra CAPs for above-and-beyond normal casting requirements
Meal Service provided by our amazing kitchen guides
Interested in helping out or contributing to a bigger part of our game in 2023? Apply to be a guide or writer, we’re certain we can find a place for you that will match your talents with our needs.
Buy your tickets and meal service here
July event database checkin
Site details here
Dystopia Rising: Colorado is excited to introduce our August Premiere event: Apotheosis. Here is a high-level overview of three main mechanics you may encounter or opt into during the event. Each mechanic interacts uniquely with differing play styles and we can't wait to see how they cater to a wide range of experiences.
We are thrilled to present our June event, "BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE!" Get ready for an action-packed weekend with a glimpse into the highlights, scheduled activities, and ongoing engagements below.
This weekend follows the shocking revelations from last month that have sent shockwaves through Barker Meadow, revealing the history of the Profane Wolves, All-Faiths, Children of Constantine, Dark Sky Natural Ones, and more. The Archive Heist has triggered a massive social and cultural response, while some strive to conceal or downplay its impact on the town's atmosphere. How will you react as things fall apart around you? What else can be unveiled about the town's history, such as the Synthetic Morgue linked to the Profane Wolves and the town's past relationship with the Taleholders and their sinister leader, Graverobber Flesher Calonyction? And how will your characters handle these new revelations?
Kicking off with a major highlight: the opening scene. We've prepared a special "coming into town" module for this game. To avoid this module, Trailblazing and the Nomad Lineage ability can still be utilized; however, we recommend joining the main module as we have some exciting plans in store! For those skipping that module, there will be two alternative options available. Additionally, new players are welcome and encouraged to participate in one of these alternative modules for an introduction to Barker Meadow Reservoir.
The opening scene commences shortly after our opening announcements. Instead of our usual soft lay-on, we'll have a brief intermission for out-of-game discussions and preparations as our fearless Guides set up the scene at the Amphitheater for the primary module. For more information on your options during the opening scene, please refer to the infographic here:
Let's delve into the main highlights of the weekend.
First, you'll get to immerse yourself in the town's history and explore the outcomes of the significant narrative choices made last month concerning Barker Meadow. I invite you this month to ponder over your character's life here, their emotions regarding their residence, and what changes they might wish to bring to the town, as actions now will have an impact down the line. Additionally, reflect on what your character knows or believes about Barker Meadow, and what secrets they might want to uncover or share with others. Numerous details were revealed during the last gathering - will the Barkers step up to not only piece together the information but also devise a plan based on it?
Second, the Taleholders' presence is increasingly felt in our story and within the Barker Meadow area. Invited by the Graces, select members have become citizens and established an outpost, which was engulfed in a suspicious fire that nearly damaged the All-Faiths Chapel and caused harm to the town. The Taleholders have been bringing Cracked Crystal and Blood Sap trade through town while skillfully masking their perpetual scheming. Growing bolder, they have turned their focus to Barker Meadow after the Wood's Finale as the setting of their Tale.
Third, the Nuclear Family faces a Trial by the Profane Wolves; their faith is under attack as they are challenged by these baneful creatures. They have performed rituals to expedite their Trial, pushing the Wolves into a chaotic state referred to as "Frayed Wolves" by locals. In this state, they attack various faiths indiscriminately – even within their pack – while exhibiting unusual behavior as their typical hunting cycle goes haywire. Mayor Cassady Jaunt, who also leads the All-Faiths, went through the Morgue last month due to The Ghost – a notorious serial killer haunting Barker Meadow. He will be in town at 4:30pm on Saturday to conduct an All-Faiths ritual aimed at setting things right, aiming at collaborating with the Nuclear Family and the entire town to realign the Trials.
Next, we'd like to make you aware of major scheduled events this weekend.
An important rite of this time of year is the changeover of the Seasons and the Spring Speaker, Cassiopeia, will be in town Friday night to mark the turning of Spring to Summer. Uncovered documents say that Cassiopeia is one of the Dark Sky Natural Ones, who were thought to be wiped out by the Children Of Constantine – radical Fallows – years ago. She surely knows important information about the history of the town, but will she be willing to share it, what with the dark past of Barker Meadow bubbling to the surface?
Our Master Sailing Action Request module will take place around 10am Saturday: Sailors have been working with the Park Service to deal with a wrecked ship in the waterway, snarled with hostile plants, where the rotting cargo is attracting problems. The snarl is blocking the waterway and impacting travel along the river. Ready for some of Lorado's unique sailing action up in the mountains?
As mentioned, the All-Faiths will be looking to end the Nuclear Family Trial at 4:30pm, so prepare for the ritual, which will definitely involve fighting some Profane Wolves! What's a Trial change-over without a good Wolf fight?
Speaking of Profane Wolves, at 10pm Saturday will be our Master Hunting Action Request module, which is to hunt the Profane Wolves dwelling at their Synthetic Morgue, also known by denizens of Barker as the Wolf Morgue, created by Flesher Calonyction, the birthplace of the Sin-Eaters and Profane Wolves both. What might be discovered there?
Finally, we have a special sign-up module on Sunday. The Doc Ottoman's Collective is gathering a group to survey the Quarantine Zone that used to be Dedstop. This is a Threat Level: Midnight mod, with potential infection loss, disease and Morticide tags. You can sign up here!
Beyond specific events, some things take place over the weekend or at the pace that characters work on them. This month, our weekend engagements include researching The Workers and how to fight this incoming threat, Information Gathering about Grave Matters (as well as a certain Family Audit for those 'in the know'), and finally building the Inverted Cairns that characters have cooked up as a plan against The Workers.
We can't wait to see you at the event, thanks for reading and get your tickets here!:
