Local Guidelines
Below are guidelines and consolidated safety rules we observe at this chapter specifically. Some of these points may differ across chapters throughout the network.
General Safety
Safety Holds
Accidents happen during combat and when they take more than a moment to resolve, a Hold is called. Holds can happen for many reasons, glasses fell off, taking a bad fall, etc. During a Hold, play stops to see what attention is needed. Everyone should remain quiet during a Hold. The only person who can call off a Hold is the Guide on shift.
Medically Trained Players
To cover all our bases, we ask anyone who is first aid and/or CPR certified and is comfortable acting in that capacity to make themselves known to staff. During announcements before game, we make sure everyone knows who a couple of the medically trained players are.
Gear Checks & Construction
There are numerous materials and methods to construct combat safe gear so this page won’t go over specifics of how to build it. The community is a wonderful resource if you need a starting point.
Before any piece of combat gear can enter play, it must be inspected for safety. It will then be tagged with who owns it, what it represents, who checked it, and when it was checked. The weapons checking process is detailed and lengthy so it won’t be spelled out here. In summary, swung weapons will be swung, throwers will be thrown, blasters will be fired and chronographed, shields will be struck, armor coverage will be eyeballed. Everything will be measured and foam will be squeezed a little to make sure nothing will break through.
Melee weapons must be one solid assembly, no flexible mechanisms such as flails. Material flex is fine, but not to the point of being able to whip with it.
Foam blasters can use springs or flywheels and fire up to 130 FPS. High Pressure Air blasters are not permitted. Other firing mechanisms may be approved on a case by case basis. Blasters can only be semi-automatic, one trigger pull fires one dart. Full auto is not allowed and if a blaster has select fire, it must remain on semi-auto. Testing a blaster involves firing a few rounds through a chronograph. If any shot exceeds 130 FPS, the blaster fails and cannot be used.
Thrown weapons cannot have a rigid core. Adding weight with bird seed or caulk is fine. Thrown weapons will be tagged.
Bows can be represented with unstrung bows or props that resemble a bow. Bows can be used as melee weapons if they are built to be contact safe and are 30 to 80 inches in length.
Packets should be made with natural and biodegradable materials. Some good examples are cotton fabric, canary bird seed mix, and jute twine. They also need to be labeled with your player number.
Shields only have to be contact safe on the edge. The rest of the shield must be safe to be struck. It cannot be made in a way that damages weapons.
Armor only has to look protective, there are no material requirements for armor. Like shields, armor cannot be made in a way that risks damaging other people’s items.
Melee Combat
Lightest Touch & Legal Targets
Dystopia Rising is a lightest touch system. Strike force should be enough for someone to notice they were hit and not much more than that. If you hear “check your swings!” it means you’re swinging too hard and may need to recalibrate. Strikes aimed at the head, neck, hands, feet, or groin are not allowed. Some mechanics require specific body parts to be struck but reaching over someone or their shield for example to land a strike on their back is not allowed.
Blocking & Weapon Manipulation
Once a strike is blocked, it is blocked, no pushing through or other means of overpowering the defender. Manipulating other’s weapons such as trapping, hooking or disarming, is not allowed. This extends to shields as well.
Minimum Distance & Risky Terrain
To minimize accidental direct contact such as punches or tackles, everyone must stay out of arms reach of each other during combat. Moving at speed towards someone is also discouraged. If you charge at someone, aim slightly to the side. If someone is charging you, don’t suddenly move to obstruct their path. We also encourage everyone to be mindful of any hazards that may be present on the field such as tree roots or downed players. If combat gets too cramped or potentially unsafe, everyone can pause and shift over to a safer spot to continue.
Ranged Combat
Blasters & Minimum Distance
We allow flywheel and spring blasters. We do not allow pressurized air blasters. Other mechanisms and we can approve them on a case by case basis. The maximum FPS we allow is 130 FPS. Our recommendation though is staying around 100-110 FPS. The minimum distance to use a blaster is 10 feet. If your blaster fires above 110 FPS, it will be marked as “Hot” and the minimum distance is 15 feet for that blaster. In the setting, firearms are loud and some threats are drawn to loud noises so be aware of firing distance while they run towards you.
Ammunition
Ammo is represented with foam projectiles or packets. Packets can be used at any range and must be used within 10 feet. Foam projectiles and packets must be labeled with your player number. Foam ammo cannot be modified in any way. Packets should be made of natural and biodegradable material. A common, widely available set of materials is cotton fabric, canary bird seed, and jute twine.
Sleeping Spaces
Bunks and other sleeping spaces are considered out of character. It is illegal in Indiana to enter a tent without the owner’s express permission.
Medical/Quiet sleep can be reserved ahead of time if you e-mail us ahead of game. You do not need to provide specific reasons, we only need to know you require a sleep space that won’t targeted by threats or otherwise disturbed.