DitV: Advice on town design in a campaign

[Martin Higham]

I've run my first two DitV towns now (Tower Creek and New Gidea). Having run two pre-designed towns I feel it is now time for my first town design. I've started to learn somethings about my Dogs that I'm sure I can exploit and challenge.

However, when I look at the outcomes and potential fallout from the towns visited so far I can see a clear story that could develop, but I'm unsure if in future towns I should be saying to the Dogs "Look, this is what your decisions have led to". I'd welcome hearing from more experienced GM's the extent that characters from previous towns are reintroduce characters or towns and storylines that have evolved from the actions of the Dogs are presented.

Martin

[Willow]

I haven't run much Dogs, but designing a town is a chance to incorporate your players' hooks- not just stuff they've done, but stuff that it's clear they want to do.  Look over their traits, find something you can push, and go at it!

Plus, if they defined any relationships at character generation, it might be keen to pull those in and make the town about those people they've invested dice in.  They'll be sure to care about the conflict, and they'll be excited that those points they spent weren't wasted.

[coffeestain]

However, when I look at the outcomes and potential fallout from the towns visited so far I can see a clear story that could develop, but I'm unsure if in future towns I should be saying to the Dogs "Look, this is what your decisions have led to". I'd welcome hearing from more experienced GM's the extent that characters from previous towns are reintroduce characters or towns and storylines that have evolved from the actions of the Dogs are presented.

Martin,

Follow the lead of your players.

I really cringe when I hear the words "campaign" or "storyline" in relation to a Dogs game because it almost instantly makes me think of overaching metaplots, plot-driven stories, etc.  I'm a pretty firm believer that the only common thread between towns should be the stuff that's written on the character's sheets.  Use their relationships, use their traits, use the ways they've told you they've grown.  Watch their conflicts and look for ways in the future to make the choices they've made appear again, but harder.

I find that going down the road of "Look, this is what your decisions have led to" is just a way for the GM to judge the actions of the Dogs in the past.  I wouldn't do it.  Let them judge their own actions.  Place them in positions where they have to make similar choices in tougher circumstances.

Follow the town creation rules, reveal the town in play, push the NPC's agendas, and escalate escalate escalate.  Just like you did in your first two towns.

Regards,
Daniel

[Judd]

Have you players created any relationships around any NPC's from other towns?

Maybe have them in a next town, in town for a wedding or a funeral.

There should be uncles and cousins coming up in towns to complicate matters when the Dogs have to render judgement suddenly on their own kin.

I'd give it a few more towns before thinking about any bigger shape to a campaign.

[jburneko]

I take a very casual approach to how "linked" towns should be.  I pretty much pick a topic that interests me and make that the Pride.  If I focus on anything I focus on the pattern of how far up the sin heirachy I go.  If it was corrupt worship this week, then I like to do hate and murder the next week and then cool off with just demonic attacks the week after.

With that said, my players are very good at making extremely morally charged statements, not just with their actions but with their dialogue and their trait writing.  The town before last my wife added the trait, "Cynicism in the face of youthful romanticism."  And that stuck me.  And I thought, really?  So the next town I built I based the Pride on youth thinking he knows whats best for the future of the family than his own father.  I took it all the way up Hate & Murder.  It involved the Steward imprisoning the towns idealistic teenagers and stealing their youth through sorcery.

Oh, and low and behold those "youthful romantics" end up getting married, and the town "cynics" end up getting executed... in the ante-chamber of the church... on their wedding day.  *Shudder*  My wife's character was pretty misserable at the end of that town.

But I never think about things further than the next town.

Jesse

[Martin Higham]

I really cringe when I hear the words "campaign" or "storyline" in relation to a Dogs game because it almost instantly makes me think of overaching metaplots, plot-driven stories, etc.  I'm a pretty firm believer that the only common thread between towns should be the stuff that's written on the character's sheets.  Use their relationships, use their traits, use the ways they've told you they've grown.  Watch their conflicts and look for ways in the future to make the choices they've made appear again, but harder.

I find that going down the road of "Look, this is what your decisions have led to" is just a way for the GM to judge the actions of the Dogs in the past.  I wouldn't do it.  Let them judge their own actions.  Place them in positions where they have to make similar choices in tougher circumstances.

That was my concern with doing it. Should I, as the GM, be judging the characters? I think that the answer is No. If I want to do revisit a decision I should, as you say, do it by presenting a similar choice but in a tougher or more extreme circumstance.

Where players have taken relationships wiith NPC's I will treat these just as any other character Relationship and have the character present where appropriate.

Thanks for reaffirming my doubts and helping me see the path of the King

Martin