DJ's & Dragons
DJ's & Dragons is a satirical look at Dance culture through the lens of a fantasy Role Playing Game.
It’s a fictitious video game manual that draws on tropes and cliches from fantasy games and applies them to DJ culture. You can view the manual below.
Enemies
As you set out on your adventure you will meet some familiar faces and face some terrible foes. There will be many individuals on your quest who will attempt to hamper you in your path. Some will be easily identifiable whilst others are more difficult to spot. Here’s a brief list of a few nefarious characters you may encounter on your journey.
Sesh Gremlins
ket encrusted horror from beyond the abyss. A writhing, flailing mass of limbs and jaws. They have pallid skin and the complexion of a corpse. Sesh Gremlins often attack in packs and will force their way into house parties if your character forgets to lock the door.
They are the bane of any DJ based character, constantly requesting songs and invading your booth. For an experienced dance merchant however, properly controlled they can be a reliable source of income.
Beefa Boyz
Beefa Boyz are hunking lumps of shuffling muscle. Their tabard is a topman vest and their tribal allegiance is show by the Aztec patterns they adorn their clothes with. Very resilient to physical damage they have a high constitution. If a group of them activate their special ability ‘Endless Shuffle’ they can be a nigh-on unstoppable force on the dance floor,
A character with a high intelligence score can make quick work of Beefa Boyz however. Using advanced reasoning and knowledge a character can blind them with facts. If the Beefa Boyz have their ket buff activated a high intelligence character can use logic to send them into an endless K hole.
Black Techno Wraith
Ethereal specters that haunts the darkest basements of the world. Their drone will sap your strength so they can steal all your rollies.
Acid Bat
Creatures that do not wholly inhabit this plane of existence. Your character can only see and interact with them after imbuing mind-altering substances. If they are encountered they can be a nightmare to deal with. Swooping down from all angles pranging you out making you stumble around and losing dexterity.
Character Creation
Before you begin your journey you must decide what type of character you’d like to play as. Do you want to be a vinyl-only DJ or a big room promoter booking global acts? The next section of the manual will guide you through your character creation process. You will need to select your character’s main attributes, skills and what class you’d like to play as.
Attributes
When creating your character you must choose what attributes you want to be proficient in. Each attribute is ranked out of 10. you get 20 attribute points to begin the game with and you can distribute them into your seven attributes as you see fit. You get an extra attribute point every 5 levels. Each of the seven attributes governs a specific set of skills linked to that attribute. Every point spent on an attribute adds 5 skills points to the skills it governs. For example the beat matching skill is governed by the dexterity attribute. So a dexterity level of 5 will give you a base beat matching skill of 35.
There are a few other ways you can gain additional attribute points. One way of doing this is via reading special skill books that, once read increase an attribute by 1. The book ‘Last night a DJ saved my Life’ gives plus one intelligence to any character that read it.
Skills
The skills your character chooses to invest their skills points in are tied closely to the main attributes of your character. Skills function differently than attributes as they have a direct impact on your character’s career. Your attributes are qualities you naturally have, whereas skills are things your character has picked up via practice. You don’t get any skill points to spend at the start of the game (You’ll have points tied to your attribute levels and class) but you’ll receive 10 every time you level up.
Beat Matching - Dexterity
The ability to deftly combine tracks one after the other in quick succession. DJ’s of all stripes need some level of beat matching skill to be able to perform.
Scratching - Dexterity
The main skill of hip hop & battle DJ’s, scratching is a necessary skills for any DJ wanting to put together unquantized records or mixing together some mad BPMs.
Chemical Alchemy - Constitution
This skill is a deep understanding of the types and effects of the many different drugs available in the world. Increasing this skill unlocks new powerful drug combination buffs.
Hardware Repair - Constitution
Knowing how to repair and maintain a myriad of different synths and drum machines is covered in this skill. When you hit level 15 you get a copy of the ‘wire compendium’.
Room Reading - Perception
Knowing the ebb and flow of a crowd. What’s going to move a party, what track to employ next to make a room move.
Event Planning - Perception
The ability to throw a good party. Everything from the DJ setup, ticket prices, and advertising are covered in this skill.
Vocal Power - Strength
Powerful pipes are not to be taken lightly. Increasing this skill increase the number of octaves your character can sing. Hitting level 10 with this skill unlocks piercing shriek
Speaker Strength - Strength
This skill allows a character to construct and tame a well balanced and powerful speaker set up. As you level up this skill you can add more subs to your speaker stacks. For Reggae soundclash DJ’s this is essential.
Instrument Mastery - Intelligence
Piano is just the start for any producer wanting to create truly unique dance tracks. Leveling this skill unlocks basons, violins & flutes amongst other unique and powerful instruments.
Music Theory - Intelligence
This is an understanding of how music is put together. A good skill for producers and DJ’s as they need to understand how tracks are structured.
Social Media - Charisma
Mastery of social media skills allows you to promote events, mixes, and your music cheaply and to more people.
Merchandising - Charisma
A great skill to master for savvy characters that want to make some extra $$$ on the back of an event or via bandcamp. Money equal records, equipment and studio time
Ticket Boon - Luck
Last-minute ticket surges can save an event. Any character that adds skill points to the ‘ticket boon’ skill often see events sold out either well before time or a miracle last-minute surge.
Digging - Luck
Last-minute ticket surges can save an event. Any character that adds skill points to the ‘ticket boon’ skill often see events sold out either well before time or a miracle last-minute surge.
Active Effects
Throughout the game, there’s a myriad of different substances, drinks, foods and external forces that can affect your character. These effects are usually short-lasting but can add significant boosts or blows to the player’s core stats.
If you’re not feeling too chatty before a big meeting, try sinking 4 cans of Aldi Taurus. Your dexterity and perception will suffer but you’ll gain a load of charisma. Just make sure you’ve got some paracetamol ready.
Leveling up
As we’ve already mentioned as you progress in the game you will gain experience (Exp) from producing music, playing festivals and running club nights etc. You will level up every time you reach 1000 Exp. Every level you attain lets you spend 10 points on any skills you want to improve. Every 5 levels you also get 1 attribute point you can spend on any attribute you want.
Attributes, skills, and active effects menu
This menu shows the current level of your character along with your class, attribute points, your top three skills, and any active effects currently on your character. This is a good menu to open if you want to check your game progress or before you head out for a big challenge.
Classes
There are many classes to choose from in DJ’s & Dragons. Depending on your style of play your class will fall into one of three main categories, DJs, Promoters or Producers. For your chosen class to be effective you need to add the experience points you gain from leveling up into the attributes tied to your class. This list is not exhaustive there are many other classes to choose from including Record Rangers, Big room magicians & Sorcerer Singers.
A character’s class adds further class-specific perks to your character that you can only get from that class.
DJs
Front and center on the mainstage or carving out a following in a dingy basement, the DJ class is at home in front of a crowd. Commanding the room with nimble mixing skills, perception aplenty to read any crowd and a sprinkling of luck a DJ starts with added points to their dexterity and perception attributes. Also, all DJ classes have the ability to increase their luck by 50% for 30 minutes whilst behind turntables (Power can only be used once a weekend)
All DJ based classes get the following bonuses
Attribute bonus
15+ dexterity 10+ luck 5+ Perception
Skill bonus
10+ Beat Matching 5+ Scratching 5+ Digging
Selector Sharman
Calling on a vast knowledge of musical history the selector Sharman pours over dusty records and researches obscure genres to put together mind-melting sets that stretches the boundaries of dance music. They combines deep record bags and obscure cuts to conjure up madness, induce frenzy and calm with bliss serene Balearic beats. Masters of managing a crowd and influencing dancers. The selector Sharam receives bonuses to perception and a small bonus to their intelligence.
They are also one of two classes that can receive the local legend status, revered throughout their city for life-changing sets, the local legend status greatly reduces prices at record stores.
Controller Crusader
Careering into any clubbing situation is the religious fanatic that is the controller crusader. On a holy mission to bring the joys of extended loops and HPF’s to the masses. They champion the tool of the people and use it to devastating effect to get people moving on a dance floor. To preach their gospel and perform behind the decks is as important to a crusader as the construction of a well put together set. The automation available to a Crusader means they don’t need as much dexterity as other DJ based classes and can afford to stack up on other attributes.
A controller crusader with a high Charisma score is a great MC subclass. Able to spit complex bar and workout a career as a hip/hop DJ singer hybrid. Alternatively, you can use charisma to flatten Tomorrowland with a massive ’Throw your hands in the air’ shouts. Choose wisely.
A high Constitution allows a Controller Crusader to get absolutely smashed behind the decks and on the road between gigs. An influx in caffeine and serotonin enhancing substances mean constitution heavy Crusaders can go longer and harder than all other DJ classes. But being ‘mortal’ behind the one’s and two’s can potentially lead to one of two outcomes. An almost indescribably brilliant set, think Ricardo Villalobos, or a career-ending meltdown. Only a high luck score can avoid the latter from happening.
Producers
In dusty warehouse and locked up in high rise tower block flats the producer classes tinker away. Concocting and calculating arrangements or experimenting with unknown VST’s a producers life is trial and test. Digging out long-forgotten sample packs or bidding on rare, synths producers are always searching for the next devastating sound that’ll permeate eardrums and make feet shake uncontrollably.
All Producer based classes get the following bonuses
Attribute bonus
15+ Intelligence 10+ Perception 5+ constitution
Skill bonus
10+ Musical Theory 5+ Instrument Mastery 5+ Hardware Repair
Hardware Rogue
A tough class that’s tied to its gear, Hardware Rogues are only as strong as their equipment, which they guard and maintain incessantly. Never short of a spare XLR and so perceptive they can set up their equipment in any space, no matter how tight, Hardware rogues are masters of laying down pioneer pressure plates traps and cable trip wires to ensnare unsuspecting dancers. They are advocates of saw waves and a squelchy bass lines to construct their tracks. Hardware Rogues are cunning, methodical and meaty.
A high strength score is a necessity for any Hardware Rogue who wants to wield the most intimidating Korg. Taming analog synths is no easy feat and it takes an intelligent and perceptive character to truly get the most out of their hardware.
Software Assassin
You may never notice them. Slipping past you unassumingly with a kit bag. But at any given moment they’ve ripped out their laptop and they’re building loops on the bus. Software Assassins can strike from any angle, the world is their studio a woe betide anyone who gets in their way. With a deadly satchel of VST’s at their disposal and an external hard drive brimming with bubbling drum loops, they can concote any type of music, for any situation, at any second. Software Assassins are intelligent and perceptive needing a solid knowledge of music theory as well as a keen ear for music to produce really killer loops.
Software Assassins can choose to specialise in one of two specific lore branches:
Lore of the DAW – If a Software Assassin chooses to master the law of the DAW they become a workstation savant and they’re able to communicate with each and every DAW imaginable. They’re able to chain midi effects in ways that lesser producers cannot grasp and, most amazing of all, they truly, deeply, wholly understand compression. To specialise in the lore of the DAW a Software assasin needs an intelligence score of 80+.
Lore of the VST – Square, saw or sine. All are bent to the will of the assassin that champions the lore of the VST. They’re able to craft and deploy lush multi-layered sounds and sinister hoops to beguile and disorientate dancers. Truly kings of musical subterfuge they can bend a tease hooks out of the most basic VST’s and wield them to deadly effect.
The Musical Thieves Guild
All producer classes have the option to join the musical thieves guild. A loose collection of musical renegade and ghost producers who work behind the scenes in secret to craft future dance floor hits, or more insidiously, steal, copy and corrupt other artists hard work
For a noble member of the guild you can get access to the rarest bootlegs and royalty-free samples.
For characters with less than pure goals this allows you to steal other people’s songs and pass them off as your own, only a high luck attribute can let you avoid the licensing police.
Promoters
Promoters like to work in the shadows and work their dance music magic from afar. They never covert the limelight themselves instead they venerate music via sold-out events and a sound business strategy. Individuals with the gift of the gab, although many of them don’t play music they sure as hell can shout about it. With astute perception, they break artists before anyone else has booked them and they have a strength to overcome any last-minute technical difficulty.
All Promoter based classes get the following bonuses
Attribute bonus
15+ Charisma 10+ Strength 5+ Perception
Skill bonus
10+ Event Planning 5+ Social Media 5+ Merchandising
Dance Merchant
Always looking to make a profit. Whether that’s through a savvy booking or building a bubbling festival. For a Dance Merchant money and music go hand in hand.
Dance Merchants are the only class able to acquire title deeds, allowing them to own land and property and develop new festivals and clubs.
Underground Monk
A disciple of dance they often eschew the relative stability of reliable booking to bring pure dance floor transcendence to their punters often at the cost of their financial well being. Purists at heart they prefer their crowd to have space to dance and commune together pleasantly. Give them a 400 capacity basement over a 4000 capacity festival tent any day. Underground Monks benefit from added points to their intelligence attribute as they need to research far and wide for the best-undiscovered artists and venues.
They are also one of two classes that can receive the local legend status, revered throughout their city for life-changing sets, the local legend status greatly reduces prices at record stores.
The Punter Meter
All promoters must keep a keen eye on their punter meter. This is the measure of your nights following in the city or town you are residing in. Pretty much every action your character takes can either positively or negatively affect your punter meter. The lower the meter the less likely people are going to shop up to your night. A high punter meter can see you landing boiler room sessions and a high chance of being selected for RA’s pick of the week.
Customisation
There are additional ways you can improve your character beyond the methods mentioned. Spending time collecting special items can provide your character a boost when they’re on stage or in the studio. You also have the ability to join collectives of like-minded players and these guilds offer you special faction specific bonuses.
Enchanted items
Throughout your travels your character has the ability to acquire some very powerful magical items that can seriously increase your mixing, producing or promoting ability. Some items can be found in hard to reach clubs whilst others require you to undertake specific class, or character related quests to obtain. As a general rule of thumb, the harder the quest the greater the reward.
Snapback cap of unlimited rewinds
A mystical cap that allows any controller-based DJ the ability to endlessly rewind their track, perfect for DnB & Garage DJ’s it also adds +5 to your dexterity.
Entry stamp of infinity
Endless guests to your event are a given if you possess this rare entry stamp which has magic luck spells engraved all over its body. Promoter needn’t fear their gig will be dead if they have this stamp as endless waves of partiers descend on your chosen club. The entry stamp can only be used once every three months.
The Enchanted Korg
Possessed by the trapped soul of your chosen producer, enchanted Korgs (you can enchant and possess other hardware too ) give any producer character +20 instrument mastery and +10 musical theory.
The sturdy stylus of never skip
A stylus covered in magical runes that stabalise needles and negate all turntable wobble adding +20 dexterity to your DJ character.
Inventory Page
This page shows you all your equipped items and a preview of what your character looks like wearing any items you have in your inventory. You also have access to your backpack inventory from this screen and you can view, change and arrange the content of your record bag.
Collectives
Throughout the world, there are many different factions your player can join. Many of these factions contain their own quest lines, enchanted items, and faction-specific perks. You can join more than one faction but some are rivals and some factions are only open to certain classes. Below is a list of a few of the factions you can join:
Black Order of Berghain
Disciples of the church of techno, covering your character in black clothes is an essential entry requirement to joining this collective. Worshipers of heavy beats the Black Order is known for its taciturn production’s, DJ’s and promoters. A true repository of knowledge for the heavier end of electronic music this collective is the favourite of Selector Sharmen’s and Underground Monks.
Fabric Guild
Weaving musical tapestries with sounds instead of silk. The Fabric Guilds headquarters is in central London. An essential stopping point for any European based DJ, membership of this guild is granted to characters of all stripes that have reached level 30. Collective bonuses include early copies of Fabric Live mixes.
Ableton apostles
All other DAW’s are inferior. Ableton is the one true DAW and its apostles spread the word through the Ableton user community, youtube videos and intriguing live sets. Devout followers for the Ableton god using Reason, Logic or any other DAW will bar you from entry to this guild.
Heads Up Display
This shows your Heads up Display, when you’re playing the game these features will help you navigate the world and provide information on what’s going on.
Thank you for reading this introductory guide to DJ’s & Dragons. I hope it’s given you a broad overview of the delights and dangers that await you in the game. This manual isn’t an exhaustive list of the things you’ll encounter it’s merely the tip of the iceberg!
When faced with situations you don’t know you can consult the in game Dance Encyclopedia and Bestiary for tips on how to progress.
You’ll find further details of enemies, classes and quest givers. It will also fill you in on the Lore of important places you’ll encounter on your travels and it has bios for the many NPC DJs, Producers and Promoters you’ll meet in the game.
It’s an important book, keep it secret, keep it safe.
Happy Trails
Liam
