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Dystopia Rising: Evolution Tabletop RPG

Created by Onyx Path Publishing

Help us create a traditionally printed, full color, hardcover game book and then get it into stores.

Latest Updates from Our Project:

Backers Only Manuscript Preview # 4
over 5 years ago – Tue, Sep 18, 2018 at 06:46:56 AM

This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.

FINAL DAYS: REWARD TIERS
over 5 years ago – Mon, Sep 17, 2018 at 05:46:10 AM

Hello Post-Apocalyptians,

No, I'm not sure that is a word. But we'll try it out!

We are about to officially enter the 5-day countdown! It's been an awesome journey and we've hit some cool Stretch Goals, and there are still more to come! I'm expecting things to pick up even more over these final days as we approach the end of the campaign. With that in mind, I wanted to touch on some of the basics to make sure that everyone has got all of the information they need to support the project in the way that works best for them.

Over the next few updates, in addition to the final manuscript preview, I'll be covering:  

  • Reward Tiers 
  • Add-Ons 
  • Stretch Goals 
  • Next Steps

BACKER REWARD TIERS  

Like it says right at the top of the campaign page, we've come together to help create a traditionally printed, full color hardcover version of Dystopia Rising: Evolution. To borrow an analogy that I've used in past Kickstarter campaigns, this works similar to the "Viewers Like You" support campaign from your local PBS Station (for those who get American television channels): There are various levels of support that you can pledge to, and these come with various levels of rewards. Like getting a tote bag or t-shirt when you give money to public broadcasting to fund them doing their thing, you can get rewards for helping Onyx Path work on this project.  

Let's review the Backer Reward Tiers to ensure that you've pledged to a Reward Tier that provides all the rewards you wish to receive. 

 
First Choice: Digital Only or Hardcover + PDF

The main reward offered in this campaign is. of course, the main goal of the entire proposition: the Dystopia Rising: Evolution rule book. The first decision you need to make in figuring out your reward tier is whether you want to receive a digital PDF version or if you want the physical hardcover book. 

Click to see the complete Reward Tier chart
Click to see the complete Reward Tier chart


PDF ONLY: Shambler and Walking Shambler are PDF-only reward tiers. So, if you're saving trees or saving shelf space, these are the reward tier options that you should begin with. The PDF will be fulfilled by our partners at Drivethrurpg.com - when it is ready, you will receive a link to add it to your DTRPG library and be able to download at your leisure.

HARDCOVER+PDF: Survivor, Faithful Survivor, and Psionic Survivor include the traditionally-printed physical hardcover versions of this book. That means the books are produced in a large print run at one time, and will have the best production values, from color clarity and appearance to binding and materials. In addition, all of the hardcover versions will also include the PDF version, so you will get a digital copy as described above. (PDF for ease of reference, hardcover to salvage after the Fall...)

The only Reward Tier that does not include the PDF version of the book is the Shallow Sleeper tier. You should select this Reward Tier if you want to read the manuscript previews posted in the Backers-Only updates but do not wish to receive either a PDF or prestige hardcover version of the final book.

ADDITIONAL REWARDS

Once your primary decision between PDF-only or hardcover + PDF has been made, it's time to consider which additional rewards you wish to receive.

Click to see the complete Reward Tier chart
Click to see the complete Reward Tier chart


There are 4 Additional Rewards we'll cover before discussing Multiple and Premium reward tiers:

MANUSCRIPT PREVIEWS – All Reward Tiers include access to Backers-Only manuscript previews. By the end of the campaign, I will have posted the entire manuscript in 5 sections. You must be a backer to access these previews.

REFERENCE SCREEN & CHARTS - the Screen is a sturdy three-panel Dystopia Rising: Evolution divider featuring evocative post-apocalyptic art on the outer side, and a selection of charts and other info on the inside to make the Storyguide's job a little bit easier. The Reference Charts are PDF versions of the charts included on the Screen.

CREED SYMBOL ENAMEL PIN - An enamel pin of one of the nine in-game religious affiliations. 

"AT COST" PoD OPTION – All PDF products will be fulfilled through our partners at DriveThruRPG.com, the largest RPG download store. For Dystopia Rising: Evolution, you will have the option of using DriveThruRPG’s Print-On-Demand service to purchase a physical, printed copy directly from their PoD partners at as close as we can get to the cost of printing and shipping (this cost is not included in your pledge, and you do not need to increase the cost of your pledge to use this option). When the PoD versions are available to order (which will be some time after the hardcover has gone to print), you will receive links to purchase these versions of the book from DriveThruRPG.com. You DO NOT need to take advantage of this PoD offer as it does not affect in any way your pledge rewards.

 
STRETCH GOAL REWARDS

While the Reward Tier options include various additional rewards as listed, we've also successfully unlocked stretch goals that automatically add EVEN MORE REWARDS to ALL REWARD TIERS RECEIVING A PDF COPY of Dystopia Rising: Evolution. Thanks to our Stretch Goals, all backers at the Shambler Reward Tier level and higher (base pledge amount of $25+) will also be receiving:

  • The Dystopia Rising: Evolution THREAT GUIDE - A first-person guide to the threats of the world (including game mechanics) available in PDF form. (Inlcudes Alpha and Beta sections)
  • DIGITAL WALLPAPER – An evocative digital wallpaper for your computer desktop featuring the art of Dystopia Rising: Evolution.
  • The Jumpstart introductory scenario will be added should we pass $35,000 in funding prior to the end of the campaign. Let's keep at it!

COMMUNITY REWARDS

Thanks to the success of the kickstarter, we'll have a few rewards that benefit not only the PDF-level backers, but all members of the kickstarter campaign and greater Dystopia Rising: Evolution community.

  • Kickstarter Backer T-shirt - hosted on the Redbubble store for a limited time, a Dystopia Rising: Evolution -themed shirt at a steep discount. All backers will be notified when the shirt becomes available.
  • COMMUNITY CONTENT PORTAL – A Community Content Portal will be built for DrivethruRPG.com, allowing fans and designers to develop and sell material for use with the Dystopia Rising: Evolution roleplaying game.

The Choice  

There's been a lot of churn - a lot of Reward Tier adjustments and changes by backers throughout the campaign, as budgets changed and parts of the manuscript were released, or options were contemplated. However, in these final days, it's best to ensure that you've selected the Reward Tier that offers you the options and rewards you want to receive and are ready to lock down. This timing - before the campaign ends - is the absolute most affordable and inclusive these rewards will be, and will save headaches and heartbreaks if fully considered now.

WAIT! What about special reward tiers?!

Right! In addition to our "core" Reward Tiers, we've got two other areas for consideration. These are Multiple Copy rewards and Premium Rewards.

Click to see the complete Reward Tier chart
Click to see the complete Reward Tier chart

Multiple Copies

If you are backing for yourself and a friend (or just want a second copy for your collection), the Digger Reward Tier was designed for you.  

If you are the point person for your entire gaming group and need 5 copies of the hardcover, the Toy Box tier is your clear choice.  

And, finally, if you are a retailer interested in making this available in your store, a special retailer tier, Mass Grave (Retailer), is open to you upon prior approval from Onyx Path (please email [email protected] prior to selecting this reward to confirm your status).

Premium Reward Tiers

These special reward tiers offer some enhanced interaction with the setting, from naming characters, receiving the latest Dystopia Rising LARP rules a week early, receiving actual props from the DR LARP history, serving as inspiration for interior illustrations or playing in special tabletop sessions with the creative team from Onyx Path or Eschaton Media. These options are limited, however, and as of this posting, the remaining availability is:

  • Burster - unlimited; available until the end of the campaign
  • Hulk - 8 remain
  • Decaying Zed - 9 remain
  • Goliath - 1 left
  • Memento Mori - 12 spots available
  • Zombie Horde - 3 spots available
  • Personal Horror - 2 remain

The Premium rewards are listed in the complete Reward Tier Chart, and further described under each reward tier down the right side of the kickstarter page. 

Summary  

So, with all of that said - consider your Reward Tier selection. Are you backing to receive your copy of the hardcover version of Dystopia Rising: Evolution? Have you considered which additional rewards you're most interested in and selected the configuration that best works for you? Are you jumping on one of the limited premium reward options?  

Make sure your Reward Tier matches what you're looking for - or, at least, covers most of what you're interested in. On Tuesday, we'll cover Add Ons and talk about how to tweak your Reward List to ensure you're getting anything that's missing from your list.

And, with that, the final countdown begins. Let's lock in our Reward Tiers and keep working towards growing the project so everyone has a chance to join in. DO NOT MISS OUT! And on to the next Stretch Goal!

It's Zombie James, your point person for this Kickstarter campaign.
It's Zombie James, your point person for this Kickstarter campaign.

#DystopiaRisingEvolution

FINAL WEEK: Be An Ambassador
over 5 years ago – Sat, Sep 15, 2018 at 07:15:28 AM

Hello friendly Zombies!

We're officially in the FINAL WEEK of the kickstarter campaign. I've still got the final manuscript preview post to put up next Wednesday, but I'll also be sharing a bunch of book-keeping-type posts about Reward Tiers & Add-Ons, Stretch Goals, and What Comes Next, and this one, which is all about recruiting new backers during this final phase of the campaign.

It's Zombie James, your point person for this Kickstarter campaign.
It's Zombie James, your point person for this Kickstarter campaign.

 
First, let me say - we've crossed 165% of our initial funding target and have more than 600 backers participating in this project! We've unlocked FIVE Stretch Goals and have our 6th in sight. Just like in the game, we're busy building a community.

That's one of the awesome and inspiring things about kickstarter projects - you not only build the game (and game line, in this case), but you start to build a community around the project. I'm excited to keep adding rewards to this project -- especially the Jumpstart campaign launcher -- and hope to add even more! The final week usually picks up speed as we go along, and there's a ton of potential to add another 1 or 2 or even more rewards! But to get there, we've got to increase the number of backers pledging to this campaign. Thus, the topic for today's update:

Be an Ambassador

I know, this is something I've already said many times (and seem to say during every project!), but for this final week, you are officially a duly-deputized ambassador for this Kickstarter project. I know I end every update post with "Keep spreading the word! Invite others to join in!" - but what does that mean, and how do you do it?

Easy answer - don't stop talking about the DR:E kickstarter until 2:01 PM next Friday EST (when the campaign has ended). Yes, family and friends are tired of me talking about it (believe me!), but everything will go back to "normal" in just one week, and they've learned to tolerate me during a kickstarter campaign (for now). But here's the thing - there are others around who haven't heard or don't know about the campaign.

 
What Excites You?  

The team has talked on the kickstarter page, in blog posts and podcasts, about how the original Dystopia Rising live-action game became a huge hit. Dystopia Rising: Evolution, this version of the tabletop game, takes that same history and setting and adds to it, incorporating all of the things that everyone's already built and developed and turning it into a game that can be played at your house or online. No need for a camping weekend here - this version of the game works on your schedule!

Thumbs up to everyone who's shared a link to the kickstarter in an online forum, or posted an "I just backed this project" message to their social media - you've done all of the first steps that are critical during the first weeks of the campaign. Now, it's time to let others know why you are backing this project (and, therefore, why they should consider it as well).

That's the thing - for this final week, you don't have to tell people the kickstarter exists. Instead, tell them what's got you excited about the game. What makes this a different and unique post-apocalyptic setting? What kind of community will you build? What sources of inspiration are you running with? At this point, people have seen the "Kickstarter now live!" posts. But the ones that always pull me in are things like:

  • How the Zombies from DR:E are different than Walking Dead 
  • Psionic powers and the new strains of humanity
  • The different faiths in the world after the Fall
  • Salvage rules for the Storypath system

 
It's easy, at first glace, to categorize this game as a Mad Max-meets-Walking Dead hybrid (and we often used that as an initial handshake to get the conversation started), but there's SO MUCH MORE going on in this setting than leather jackets and decaying antagonists. Sharing these unique hooks - the strains, the creeds, the powers, the Grave Mind - helps grab others and get them interested. Those are the things that pull my interest when I'm reading about games online.

When I start seeing conversations that spin out of posts or ideas like that, I get intrigued about the game. And that's when I click on the link. So, share your ideas! What parts of the manuscript have stirred your imagination? What pop culture touchstones do you want to adapt for your game? How would you describe your hometown in a post-apocalyptic world? What kinds of challenges will you throw at your players?

There are tons of websites related to rpgs or post-apocalyptic/dystopian stories or gaming in general. Now, all of those may not have forums for you to post on, or be an appropriate venue to share your ideas. But, if you are a member of any of those and feel like sharing your ideas about a new DR:E game, these final days are the time to do so!

And, if you're already involved in a Dystopia Rising live action community, don't forget to share information about this kickstarter campaign with your fellow players! Another opportunity and avenue to explore the world of DR has got to be an attractive opportunity!

 
Share the Links!

1) Don't forget to share a link to the kickstarter in your post (where appropriate).  

2) Don't forget to tell us about your post! Come to the comments section and let us know so we can all go and contribute! I know I keep saying it, but really - these last days are key. Keep the enthusiasm high (hitting stretch goals certainly makes that easier!) and keep on inviting others to join in, either directly ("Come see...") or just by setting an example of your enthusiasm and interest.

We've achieved so much already - We've added additional content with the THREAT GUIDE -- and then doubled it's size -- and will be getting a community content portal for even more expansion - but on these final days, we can take it to the next level!

So, celebrate! Share the love! Share your enthusiasm! And be an ambassador for this final week... and let's see how strong we can finish and how much this game will grow over the next week (and months, and years...).

#DystopiaRisingEvolution

Dystopia Rising: Evolution - Raiders
over 5 years ago – Tue, Sep 11, 2018 at 01:51:38 PM

Dystopia Rising: Evolution - Raiders

Zombies aren't the only problems survivors have in the wastelands. Hell is other people, but some folks don't neatly sit on one side or the other of the "undead abomination" line. There are those who aren't quite undead, but aren't quite living either. These cannibalistic raiders comprise another collection of antagonists for your player characters to struggle against.
---

In nearly all creatures that walk the wastelands, a spark exists that enables them not only to survive, but to do so earnestly, with eyes facing the future despite the sins of their past. But in this bleak world, desperation grows paramount. One tragedy can lead survivors on paths riddled with horror, and tragedies are all too common nowadays. In the face of that agony, eating people becomes a little more convenient. Then the question of searching for bodies is answered by hunting them down instead, with other like-minded things that are not truly animals but definitely not people.

These “survivors” go on to develop heinous conventions about how to eat flesh, how to harvest it, and how to process it. But the entire time, their brains are ill-equipped to perpetrate these horrors. In a final search for amity, they unite with others who have fallen into this abyss, to turn such acts into conventions, and then to turn conventions into dark and terrible cultures of rage and hate.

In the dark depths of their minds, that spark to survive goes out. It is replaced by a drive to do nothing more than exist, and in the wastelands, existence is monstrous. Therein lies the truth of the matter; that you are one bad day away from becoming just another terrifying raider.

Across the wastelands, individuals and communities alike are regularly assaulted by the unreasoning cannibals known as raiders. Driven insane by the weight of their deeds and the infection inside the meat they consume, they are warped into a force of nature, comprised of countless beings who are beyond redemption. Bestial, ravenous, utterly amoral, and downright petrifying, entire clans are composed of these genetic abnormalities. Within the cultures they have grown, each clan is unique in expression, traits, and tactics. Those who deviate are killed and eaten. But those who survive can transform their clans into something worse than before.

As cannibalistic people, their diet of infected meat is crucial to survival. Without it, raiders cannot heal over time and perish from starvation. But if they eat enough, they are remade with forms like the Strains, allowing for more insidious plots to hatch among their clans. Due to their reliance on the infection though, they do not pass through the Grave Mind like survivors. They are remade without consequences and view those who return with trauma as a greater threat than the undead.

For all their crimes, raiders cannot be redeemed. Due to the concentration of the infection inside their bodies, raiders have become reliant on it and will die if they do not eat enough. All attempts to reform them have failed, for they are now different from all the other strains. No longer people, they are the monsters of the wastes, wholly separate from the all-too-common undead.

Fiction: The Mother of Exiles
over 5 years ago – Sun, Sep 09, 2018 at 05:26:37 AM

Dystopia Rising: Evolution Fiction

The Mother of Exiles

The tug boat growls as the captain kills the engine.

For a moment, Kai thinks they’re busted, and she nocks her loose arrow. But nothing stirs this far out on the river. Exhaling, she relaxes her arm and glances towards the stern.

In their wake, the Plunge, skeletal buildings glimmering with a thousand small fires, burning at every level which hasn’t collapsed into the swampy streets below. It’s beautiful, the way the orange dots meets the starry sky above. But it’s also a testament to hubris, and the Natural One knows it better than any of the Yorkers aboard the boat.

Once, even taller buildings stood in Old York, stretching from the tip of the Plunge all the way to the Heights and Iron Gardens. “Sky scrapers,” as the stories go, because they clawed holes in the sky. But they’re long gone, to nuclear fire and the waters below.

“We gotta paddle from here. Any of their riders hear us, whole thing’s toast before we start,” the captain whispers, stepping away from the wheel. “Everybody grab an oar. Not you, you keep watch at the bow.”

She nods, walking without a sound as she approaches her assigned spot. Propping a foot up, Kai stares as the scrap heap begins to push past the remnants of a sunken barge, its hull carving a new channel towards the Broke Lands shore.

In the echoes that she begins to hear it: bloodcurdling screams and wailing that carries from Hell’s Gate all the way over the water.

“What’s that noise?” one Yorker, young and inexperienced, whispers across the tug boat.

“Prisoners,” answers Kai. “Word of advice, take a trip down before you let them take you alive.”

She can hear him gulp and shut his trap. A sense of dread hits everyone on the boat, even Kai. It’s been a week since their friend went missing, and five days since this gang paid her to track the man down. A shame she didn’t return with better news.

Now it’s bank or bust. They’re paying triple to stage an impossible heist. Either they’ll rescue him, or they’ll all be tortured by the 33rd Street Boys for… well, probably for the rest of their damn lives. But the boy’s worth money to someone, and she’s done it once.

As they grow closer and closer to the jagged shore, Kai spots an Iron Horse on patrol, headlight coasting along the outer perimeter of their territory.

“Oars up,” she murmurs. Two-by-fours slide against the railings. Underneath her, the tug boat drifts on the water, softly bouncing between the hulls, sticking out a foot above the surface. Last time she snuck into this territory, she didn’t spot a patrol this far out.

“Security’s tighter. Might be a ceremony tonight.”

“A Final Knight ceremony? Shit.”

The patrol rumbles out of sight, and then silence. No snipers watching, no souls save for them.

Kneeling down, she pulls a special arrow from her quiver. Thicker, and instead of an arrowhead, it’s a grappling claw. She also retrieves a special coil of rope from her pack. It’s thin, but strong enough to hold her. Both cost a fortune, but they’ve been worth it ever since.

She ties one end of the rope to her arrow, making sure it won’t come loose. Then, in one fluid movement, Kai lines up her sight with the nearest building, aiming for a small fortification of sandbags on the roof, and pulls. She inhales, her fingers snap open, and the arrow arcs over the building. Once the rope behind it sags, Kai pulls on it until the claws catch on something and she can’t move it no more.

“Tie this end to the barge,” she orders, tossing the captain the rest of the rope. “All right, folks, here’s the plan. This rope won’t hold you and your armor, but if I travel light, I can climb up to that roof with a stronger line. I tie that, you climb up, and we move deeper into their territory from there.”

“This is such a stupid idea.”

Kai glares at the Yorker lady, an older woman with green veins crawling up her neck, but years of fighting left in her bones. “You didn’t pay me for smart ideas. You paid me to get it done, and if you want my honest advice? This is a suicide mission. I didn’t see you here two nights ago though, pulling this shit. But I know what I’m doing and where I’m going, so you’re getting your money’s worth.”

Everybody pauses, and the Yorker raises hands in defeat, backing off. “All right. Five story fall is better than these assholes.”

“Hooray,” Kai’s voice growls with sarcasm as the captain returns. As she looks, the line is taut, so she removes her armor. Metal clatters on the floor of the boat, and her cotton layers breathe again. She didn’t realize that the muggy summer night coated her with sweat, but she felt it caking under her arms and across her chest.

She’s been through worse though. After wrapping a thick rope around her torso and clasping its rusty carabiners together, Kai pulls her bow and quiver on and clambers onto the line. Hanging upside down, she begins to shuffle up, bit by bit with her arms and knees.

It takes ten minutes to cross the distance over the water below, the howling of the Damned at the edge of her ear, before she reaches the sandbags and crawls up and over them. Catching her breath, she checks the hook.

Bloody thing caught on the rustiest grate in the city. It’s a miracle she didn’t fall.

In two minutes, she finds a better place to hook it and uncoils the stronger rope. One clips onto the rope and slides back down to the tug boat. The other joins the claw.

As she waits, a trembling breeze ruffles her hair. The waves batter the husks of tankers down below, and across the bay, she spots the dark silhouette of half a giant woman, the Mother of Exiles, torn apart by the Fall.

It’s go time.