Character Versus Character
All play spaces at Dystopia Rising CT default as wastelands save for the following:
All play spaces at Dystopia Rising CT default as wastelands save for the following:Out of character sleep space.
Kitchen areas or areas with unsafe combat environments.
Bathrooms, showers, and logistical spaces. (example: post office).
All sleep spaces after 11pm Saturday night.
Any items stored in a person’s sleeping area are considered out of character. Players must carry their item cards in their Scrounge Bag. If they are storing them back at their cabin, they must be stored in an obvious in-character space (no tucking them in beds or personal bags).
Players wishing to steal items from players that are left unattended must use “theft clothespins” are report the theft immediately to a staff member. We do not want people’s actual property lost in the act of stealing item cards. If you don’t have a clothespin, just tap a staff member.
During virtual games, rooms that are part of the Wasteland Zone are clearly outlined as such in their pinned description. With that in mind, we always recommend that players read a room’s pinned description before entering.
Since Dystopia Rising live play is a 24-hour larp that encourages everyone to stay in character, there are moments when a person may not feel up for conflict or may experience bleed in a negative way. This could be due to stress, being overtired, or even having things going on in their personal life at that time.
There will always be conflict within a game, since that helps generate story. With that being said, we know that bleed can occur in larp and some players may not be up for conflict at certain times. While someone may not be up for certain types of roleplay, though, that doesn’t mean that CvC is occurring.
Since we are all adults, we assume that players can take reasonable responsibility for their personal limits. If a player is not up for conflict or doesn’t like a social situation, it’s up to them to out of character communicate to the other player that they want to de-escalate the conflict, or aren’t enjoying the current roleplay. If the other player sees the signal of a thumbs down (red light), or a wavering hand (yellow light), then they should aim to de-escalate the situation, change topics, or take their group of individuals they are with and continue the roleplay elsewhere.
A player who is not up for conflict can also signal to the player and remove themselves from the situation to take a moment to themselves so as not to interrupt the scene. Responsibility for healthy social engagements and conflicts does not rest on just one person. Both people engaged in the scene have a degree of accountability and a responsibility to communicate their desires. After all, we’re all playing this game together.
Fights or friendly sparring may also occur, with no chance of Infection loss between the two characters. When two characters are sparring, they may agree to use blunted blades. When this happens, they agree that their weapons are doing no damage and are simply keeping tally of the hits to practice boffer fighting. This does not count as CvC.
By that same token, characters may agree to use live steel and count the damage that their weapons would normally do. When this occurs, it’s not CvC as long as both parties agree that they will stabilize the other if they take enough damage to go into bleedout. If they instead decide to fight to Infection loss, it does count as CvC.
This is especially important in a virtual space, where you cannot read body language. If you are not enjoying a situation, make sure to use the virtual Okay Check-in system to signal to the other player. It’s very likely the other player has no idea you’re not enjoying the roleplay if you don’t signal.
CvC Negotiation Steps
Check to see if the other player is up for increased conflict or if they would like to find a way to avoid conflict. If the decision is made to avoid conflict, a simple middle ground should be found. If the players involved are up for CvC actions, both sides of the conflict should check in periodically to make sure that the characters can have conflict without the players having conflict.
All players at some point or another likely will experience negative bleed (where a fictional aspect of game negatively impacts the emotional state of the player). Some people have more bleed than others. If you know that your character’s experience has a large impact on your out of character experience, you should play a character that leans further away from CvC conflict.
In the instance that one character’s actions are causing the conflict to escalate, and players can’t decide on a middle ground narrative, ask a staff member to hear the scenario and assign a middle ground. If a staff member is needed to negotiate a middle ground, and players are found going against the spirit of that decision, it will be considered a community violation.
Conflict makes stories, but the conflict needs to remain in between characters and not between players.
General Suggestion
If you think a player might get very upset about CvC, just find a way to not engage in CvC with them. The stress, headache, and impact aren’t worth whatever narrative comes from CvC engagement. Not everyone plays a game the same way and while DR is a more brutal and violent game world, CvC hits different for some people.