Local Rules and Policies for DR: Wisconsin

Every Dystopia Rising Live branch is responsible for creating and enforcing local Rules and Policies for the safety and well-being of its guests. These rules may vary from branch to branch, and should not be assumed to be uniform or regulated by the Dystopia Rising Network as a whole.

Any questions are best directed by contacting customerservice@dystopiarisingwi.com. General information about our site can be found here.

Overview

Dystopia Rising Live: Wisconsin is operated by YWS Entertainment LLC, an entertainment company providing immersive, horror-themed events featuring zombies and other existential threats. All players are expected to take responsibility for their own safety at all times, and are required to sign an informed consent form before being allowed to play.

required age

We require players to be over the age of 18 years.

personal property

Dystopia Rising Live: Wisconsin is not responsible for the safety of your property. Please keep your wallet, keys, and/or any important personal items secure.

Important Times

Players may begin to arrive on site starting at 6pm on Friday. Guides may begin arriving at 5pm in order to help with game space setup before player arrival.

Opening Announcements starts at 9pm on Friday night, near Fogle Hall (In Game known as, Town Hall). Game On will start at 10pm, with Game Off usually being called at Noon on Sunday.

Quiet Hours begin at 10pm both nights. Our site has neighbors, and sound carries particularly well across the lake. In winter, sound will carry even further. The rangers’ family also lives on site, and would appreciate not being kept up all night due to our characters screaming for help. Exceptions may apply in certain areas of the site, or on certain mods, but will always be stated as such by the Guide running the mod. You must speak in a soft voice after 10pm.

Both the Postal Desk and NPC Ops will close at 2am, and reopen at 8am. There may be limited, smaller scale mods that occur after this time, but players on NPC shift will be released at 2am.

parking

All vehicles are required to be parked in the main parking lot, located near the road. Vehicles may be brought past the gate for brief loading and unloading purposes, outside of Game Time. Please un/load your vehicle quickly and move it to the main parking lot as soon as you can! There is limited parking space near the cabins, and others will be waiting to do the same. All vehicles must be at the parking lot before Opening Announcements (at 9pm on Friday), and will not be allowed into the Game Space until after Closing Announcements (Noon on Sunday) have concluded.

Attendees who are arriving after Game On will be required to haul their belongings from the parking lot. We encourage our players to leave the 4 Squirrel cabins (closest to the parking lot) available for any late-comers, but we cannot guarantee available space.

Vehicles that have been modified to fit the post-apocalypse genre aesthetic, such as some RVs, may be allowed to be parked in the game space with approval via email at least 72 hours in advance of the Event. Vehicle owners will need to have their own appropriate insurance, and understand that they are taking the sole risk of their property being damaged during the course of the Event. Any such approved vehicles must remain stationary and may not be moved during the Event.

At no time, should you ever park on the grass. Even for only a brief moment.

Sleeping spaces

Tent camping is allowed only within designated areas. Please be considerate of other tent campers with regards to guy lines, tent space, etc. Guy lines or tent stakes should be clearly marked to prevent tripping in the dark of night. Tents will be considered Out of Character Areas, but please be mindful of any OOC conversation that may impact nearby players who are still In Character.

There are also multiple, heated cabins with electricity as well. Some of the larger cabins may be In Character spaces, and will be marked as such by their In Game name on the map. All other cabins will be, by default, Out of Character space. If the inhabitants of a given cabin wish to Opt In and have their cabin be In Character space, they may choose to do so by unanimous consent.

Never use tape on the doors of any building. Please use magnets, or some other method, when necessary.

All available cabins will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis. There will be no charge with either in-game money, nor real-world money, for their use. We ask that you try to leave the 4 Squirrel cabins closest to the parking lot for any latecomers who may be arriving after Game On.

A map with designated locations will be available at the Post Desk in Fogle Hall (In Game known as, Town Hall). This is the large hall that you will see first when you enter the site.

Campers are only allowed with advanced permission and will be assigned a designated setup location. We prefer that campers try to maintain a post-apocalyptic look to them, even if it is only a temporary covering.

Zones of Play

Zones of Play allow for focused Roleplay and the usage of related mechanics within a related area. The following is a list of such found at our game. The OOC locations of Zones of Play may shift month to month, and will be announced at each Opening Announcements.

Wasteland (Character vs Character Conflict)

The entire game space is considered what is known as Wasteland. Characters do not need to ask Out of Character permission ahead of time to engage in conflict with other Characters. Characters who engage in lethal CvC, thereby killing another Player Character, will be subject to an audit of their character sheet.

It is highly recommended that players who engage in CvC conflict check in with their fellow players. A Guide, preferably one who does not play a character closely associated with either participant, may also be requested to help adjucate the conflict.

Engaging in CvC conflict is never an excuse to be awful to, grief, or otherwise harass a fellow player.

Morgue

The Morgue is where your dead character reenters the world of the living, should they still have enough Infection to bring them back. The Morgue is located at the Whitetail cabin, although this may change for large games where we need the extra sleeping space.

Artisan

The Artizan Zone is located at the Dormitory building, known In Character as the “Hostel.” The Dormitory kitchen, front porch, and side porches all count as this Zone. Due to the confines of the space, we use the Non-Combatant rules for Combat while inside the building.

Culinary

The Culinary Zone is located in the kitchen of Fogle Hall, known In Character as the “Town Hall.” Please note that we use Non-Combatant rules for Combat while in the kitchen, due to the prevalence of sharp knives and gas stoves.

Agriculture

The Agriculture Zone will change from game to game, to simulate the concept of rotating crop fields. The Agriculture Zone may have optional tasks that can be done while in them that help improve our camp. These tasks, and the location of the Zone, will be announced each month at Opening Announcements.

Public Works via Proxy

For the crafting Zones, such as Artisan, Culinary, and Agriculture, we are offering a proxy system for those who may have short or long term difficulties making the walk to the Public Works to get your Item Cards. Instead of taking the walk yourself, you may instead send your character sheet, Resource Cards, and the Blueprint (if necessary) with a proxy to take the walk for you. You may not begin crafting a new Item or use any Development Skills until they return with your sheet and Item Cards. This policy will be considered a privilege, not a right; anyone found abusing this policy may have this privilege taken away.

Smoking and other nicotine use

Smoking is only permitted in designated areas. All smokers are asked to be please be considerate of non-smokers and to stay downwind of doorways, windows, and other players. Smokers are responsible for policing their own trash; do not leave garbage on the ground.

Electronic smoking (“Vaping”) is allowed outside of the areas designated for smoking, but must still occur outside and away from downwind doors, windows, and non-smokers.

Please be extremely considerate of non-users, as many people can have allergic or other reactions to both smoke and/or vapor.

alcohol and other drugs

Alcohol is strictly prohibited at Dystopia Rising Live events, as is any controlled substance that you do not have a prescription for. Given that many of our players travel from out of state, it is also extremely important to note that THC-containing substances are illegal in the state of Wisconsin, regardless of any out-of-state prescription.

Please use any prescription-controlled substances responsibly, and let a responsible party know if your prescription is mind-altering enough that it may impact the game experience of yourself and/or others.

sexual and related adult activities

Please don’t. Even, and especially, in your tent. Your neighbors and fellow players can still hear, and would rather not. That isn’t ok.

If you feel this is a necessary part of your weekend, please consider instead renting a room at a nearby hotel and driving to the site for the parts of game you wish to play.

campfires

ALL campfires must be supervised at ALL TIMES. Campfires must occur in designated fire rings already established on site. A clearly visible method of extinguishing the fire must also be readily apparent. Guides may, at their discretion, choose to supervise a fire for you for the purposes of combat, but this should also not be abused. Ultimately, your fire, your responsibility.

Firewood must be purchased on site. Do NOT, under any circumstances, transport firewood to the Event with you. In many cases, transporting firewood is against the law due to the spread of invasive species that hitchhike with you.

Selling Goods and Services

Real world money may not be exchanged for in-game items of mechanical game benefit. Paying a friend for a cool boffer that they made for you, or chipping in for a communal meal plan with others? Totally cool. Paying someone real money for a stack of in-game item cards that will benefit you directly? Not cool. Dystopia Rising Live: Wisconsin encourages its players to make any real world money transactions with each other outside of In Game space and time when at all possible. While before Game On or after Game Off is preferred, we also recognize that some players may be traveling a long distance and would not be able to make an exchange within that time frame. In those cases, this is ok, but please keep your transactions to an out of character space where it will not affect others’ immersion and enjoyment of the event.