[DitV] Men are pigs!

[Jason Newquist]

I'd like to talk about one of the Accomplishments from an online game of Dogs in the Vineyard I'm running in realtime chat (a MUSH rather than an IRC channel, as it happens). This is my first experience GMing a Forge game, and one of my only GMing experiences in the last 10 years.

This took place a few days ago.

The player is James.  His character is Brother Silas.  Was a blacksmith apprentice growing up, and set to marry his master's daughter before he was Called.  The stakes of his Accomplishment: "I hope I gain closure on my relationship with my master's daughter and firm the conviction of my calling."

So we set the scene.  I was thinking about how to incorporate both sides of the stakes (closure and conviction), so I suggested something obvious: "What if the daughter was sent by the town to bring you your Coat?"   Yeah, we dig.  And we're off.

I roll crap.  James rolls well.  I start.

Me: You've been toiling in the smithy, making useful things all day. One hour blends effortlessly into the next, despite it being hot work, even in December. Your shirt is off, and the seat is beading off your body. The work is hard, but it's comfortable for you, possibly even enjoyable.  *push forward 6 and 6*  All this shatters when you see someone out of the corner of your eye in the doorway. Sephanie! Your hammer stops in mid-air. She comes forward, holding a package. Her eyes are drinking you in. "Silas," she says.

James sees:  Silas pushes forward his 6 and 6 to See. "Sephanie..."  He turns back to his blacksmith work and pours molten lead into bullet molds.

...and Raises: Silas pushes forward 4 and 5. "Why are you here? Did you receive a Calling?"

I Take it: Her eyes dart downward, and her free hand goes to her collar to make sure that it's buttoned.

...and Raise: "Actually, Silas, my father and Steward Isaiah sent me here to deliver this." She holds up the package. "I made most of it myself, in truth. For you."

Now, at this point, there's some off-topic chatter about how piquant the moment is.

James sees: Silas quenches the mold and sets it on the anvil, then stops to take up the package, looking at the symbol of his new life.  He says, "This is... incredible, Sephanie. Thank yo- thank EVERYONE... Not everyone of the Order carries this kind of love into their service."

And I Give.

James writes on his chacter sheet: I carry the love of my community into battle - 1d6

Tanya, one of the other players, was boggled, and immediately began to interpret the events:

Tanya re-enacts. Sephanie: Dude, I made you this coat (BECAUSE I LOVE YOU!). Silas: I'd wear that. Don't let the door smack you in the ass on the way out.

Tanya says, "Men are pigs."

And on it went.

So.  Here's what's cool:

• So far, the system has assured that we play through concrete events.  Your English teacher would be proud because Dogs makes sure you show, not tell.
• Play so far has been very economical.  In the above accomplishment, and in all the others, all kinds of stuff happens in a very compact amount of time.
• And what makes it all kinda amazing is that how these events all cry out for interpretation, and possess multiple valid readings.  In other words, we're not creating abstract game moves as in chess, but rich events.  Little bits of sometimes complicated... life.    Like, above:  no sooner did we finish the Accomplishment than did Tanya start interpreting these things, "Holy crap!  Silas is a JERK!"  And her interpretation isn't the only valid one.  Just like real life.

Thinking back on all the Forge theory rooted in Egri (which I don't profess to have fully penetrated because I wasn't here for much of it, and the jargon barrier is non-trivial), this bit of play made lightbulbs go off for me.   If stories are made from conflicts, and we have rules which structure and build conflicts, then... yeah.  Dots: viscerally connected.  This is a kind of play that's totally different than other kinds of play which profess to be about story and narrative.  Wow.

And all this, from chargen.

[Sydney Freedberg]

Heh.

Taking

James sees: Silas quenches the mold and sets it on the anvil, then stops to take up the package, looking at the symbol of his new life.  He says, "This is... incredible, Sephanie. Thank yo- thank EVERYONE... Not everyone of the Order carries this kind of love into their service." And I Give. James writes on his chacter sheet: I carry the love of my community into battle - 1d6

versus

Tanya, one of the other players, was boggled, and immediately began to interpret the events:....Stephanie: Dude, I made you this coat (BECAUSE I LOVE YOU!). Silas: I'd wear that. Don't let the door smack you in the ass on the way out. Tanya says, "Men are pigs."

Heh. There's a whole section in Ron Edwards's Sex and Sorcery about the difference between stories about balancing social duties -- do I serve myself only? My mate and children? My gang/clan/unit/town? My whole society? All humanity? -- which tend to have male protagonists, and stories about the power of love and sexuality -- Do I make myself vulnerable by loving? Do I stay faithful? -- which tend to have female protagonists. So here we've got the two story types clashing. James (as Silas) is all, "I choose my whole society over a life with my potential mate, my hometown backs me, this proves that I am noble and self-sacrificing." And Tanya (temporarily taking on Stephanie) is all "I offer you my love and my body but you just take the coat? You think you can turn off romance and sexuality like a switch, for both of us? Screw you!"

And all this, from chargen.

And this is the thing that I love about Dogs as an exercise in mechanical elegance. Character generation incorporates conflict resolution (Initiation); conflict resolution incorporates character development (Fallout). Which means -- in contrast to games where you spend hours rolling up or point-buying "My Guy," and then he never really changes -- a Dogs character grows through conflict.

[Vaxalon]

Initiation is a powerful concept.  As I recall, the old White Wolf games encouraged each PC to start play in a scene that dramatises the creation of the character; at least, I remember doing so.

[Brennan Taylor]

Initiation is a powerful concept.  As I recall, the old White Wolf games encouraged each PC to start play in a scene that dramatises the creation of the character; at least, I remember doing so.

Vampire did, it was called a Prelude in the text. Those were the best sessions I had in that game, too.

[Judd]

Initiation is a powerful concept.  As I recall, the old White Wolf games encouraged each PC to start play in a scene that dramatises the creation of the character; at least, I remember doing so.

Vampire did, it was called a Prelude in the text. Those were the best sessions I had in that game, too.

Prelude scenes were awesome.  Agreed.

I am happy to see such a trusty tool make its way to games.