[DitV] Walnut Hollow Branch

[two_fishes]

Hi,

I'm going to be running a Dogs game next weekend, and I thought it would be nice to get comments on the town. I've run one other town and it went so-so. I wanted to keep things pretty simple this time around, so the town might be a little basic.

WALNUT HOLLOW BRANCH

1A: PRIDE

It was AMOS CROSBY's pride that started the mess. He wanted his daughter, BRIDGET, to marry better than the farmer's boy, FINN HANCOCK.

1B: INJUSTICE

So Bridget was forbidden from courting Finn.

2A: SIN

Bridget was an obedient daughter, so when Finn came calling, she dutifully refused to answer. Finn got right wrathful and he found her alone one day after school had let out. He did strike her.

2B: DEMONIC ATTACKS

That she fell, that her head hit a rock, that she died, that was the work of demons.

3A: FALSE DOCTRINE

Finn went straight away to the the Steward's house and confessed his sin. STEWARD WALKER heard his confession, and has decided to hold the boy until the rep from the Territorial Authority gets to town to conduct a proper trial. Amos ain't having none of that. He says, Steward Walker is obstructing true justice. Let the boy be judged by the Law of the King of Life. Let the Faithful judge the Faithful. The Terries have no place interfering in our affairs.

3B: CORRUPT WORSHIP

So Amos, he's stopped attending worship at the Temple. Instead, he stands outside the Temple doors and prays for the souls of the sinners within.

4A: FALSE PRIESTHOOD

Amos has won over some followers. PHILOSOPHUS FISHER and JOSHUA BARNES have joined him. Philo's got a budding pride; he thinks he'd be a better Steward than Walker. Joshua just don't want the Terries interfering with the Faithful, and that includes taxing his cattle.

4B: SORCERY

Amos and the two others have the demons haunting the Walker house. They hear strange knockings and voices in the night. Utensils and dishes are flung about of their own volition. Worst of all, a demon in the form of Bridget Crosby walks the town. It often stands outside the Walker house and points its finger, silently accusing those within. When it speaks it says but one word, "JUSTICE!"

So I'm happy with that as the place where the Dogs step in.

NAMED CHARACTERS

Amos Crosby, the town butcher.
Bridget Crosby, his daughter, who has been killed.
Finnegan (Finn) Hancock, a farmer's son, who loved Bridget.
Hogarth Walker, the Steward; he harbours Finn.
Philosophus (Philo) Fisher, a farmer and friend to Amos.
Joshua Barnes, another farmer and friend.

And I will add

Franklin Hancock, Finn's Pa.

6A: WHAT EVERYONE WANTS

AMOS wants the Dogs to take Finn from the Steward's custody and string him up! Let justice be done. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

BRIDGET is dead and wants nothing.

FINN wants the Dogs to judge his soul. Whether he be bound for Heaven of for Hell, what is his fate?

STEWARD WALKER wants the Dogs to protect the boy and keep everything cool until the Territorial Authority gets to town. His soul is in the hands of the King of Life. Let the laws of men decide his earthly fate.

PHILO wants the Dogs to conduct a trial for the boy as laid down  in the Book of Life. He wants Walker declared a false Steward and himself to be ordained instead.

JOSHUA wants the Terries out of the lives of the Faithful, completely. He wants the Dogs to send the representative packing.

FRANKLIN wants the Dogs to release Finn into his family's custody. The boy will go live with family in another town. What happened was an accident.

6B: WHAT THE DEMONS WANT

The Demons want Amos and his supporters to forcibly take Finn from Walker's custody. Even better, they want Amos & co. at the head of a mob. They want the Dogs out of the way. Getting the Dogs into gunfights is a good way to get rid of them.

6C: IF THE DOGS NEVER CAME

The Demons would get what they want. Finn would be killed, and probably Steward Walker, too. The Hancock family would feud with the Crosbys, and there'd be murder on both sides. Philo would be made Steward, and there'd be defiance against the Territorial Authority. That'll lead to more killing, no question about it.

[Eric Provost]

Looks like a pretty solid and interesting town.  I imagine it'll go over quite well.

Two things stand out as a tad weak though; Bridget Crosby's lack of desire and the ease of which the Dogs will be able to provide Finn Hancock with his.  These two won't really provide the Dogs with any conflict.  Now, the other four have nice conflicting desires, so you've still got four well-loaded NPCs, so I don't imagine that the lack of conflict from Bridget and Finn will be too much of a drag.  But even still, when I write up a town I try to make sure that every named NPC wants something that conflicts with what someone else wants.

I'd love to see Finn asking for the Dogs to condemn his soul to hell, on account of his deep guilt over killing the girl he loves.  And I'd love to see the ghost of Bridget begging the Dogs to forgive Finn, on account of her love and forgiveness for him.

But that's just the way I'd run it. YMMV.

-Eric

[two_fishes]

Thanks for the suggestions.

I've toned down Finn a deal from the first ideas of the story, but I'm inclined to go back to a harsher version. One of the things I want to throw at the Dogs is "are some sins unforgiveable?" In the last game, they made big conflicts from convincing forgiveness from the various parties. The original thought was to have had Finn rape Bridget and her subsequently kill herself. Making Finn ask to be condemned would fit in nicely in a scenario like that, I think--to join his suicidal love? But again, if his sin is bad enough, it might make the decision too easy for them.

[Ginger Stampley]

If there's a demon Bridget walking around, that suggests your group is on the supernatural end of the Dogs continuum. Have you considered what to do if they try to speak to Bridget? I know I'd consider speaking to Bridget if I were a Dog trying to find out why she was walking.

[two_fishes]

Thanks,

Yeah, contacting the departed Bridget is definitely something that could happen, and it ties in neatly with Eric's advice. Putting in a conflict between Bridget and Finn is on the plate!

[ScottM]

Another interesting person is the TA guy; will he be a sherrif, a circuit judge, what? Does he want to deal with this, or will he try and duck out, dumping it on the dogs? Or split the difference- he'll have a trial for the body, and the dogs can have a trial for the soul?

He seems like someone else who might be useful in pointing the conflict, though he could also be a distraction.

--Scott

[two_fishes]

Hi,

I'm not sure about the TA. The conflicts in place mostly revolve around whether or not Finn will be kept until the circuit rider arrives. I thought if anything the TA would be brought in as a denounement. If the Dogs resolve everything enough that they're able to hold Finn and hand him over to the law, wouldn't it a little anticlimactic to throw in a conflict right at the end.

Of course, even as I write this, I can think of good reasons to put some meat into the TA guy... just in case it's needed, being foremost.

[Vaxalon]

I have a question here... was there a conscious decision to use names that don't sound Faithful?

[two_fishes]

Nope. I was trying to make Faithful type names, for the most part. Amos and Joshua are biblical. Philosophus is classical. Hogarth and Finnegan are just kind of archaic. I think all the surnames are suitable. I do kind of avoid the Jepthaths and Hezekiahs just because I find them a little difficult to reliably recall and pronounce without tripping over them during play.

[Vaxalon]

I mention it because the names that jumped out at me were Bridget and Finnegan, both of which have pagan roots.

[two_fishes]

Ah. Nope, I just thought they fit the characters.