[DitV] Wisdom Creek Branch

[theloneamigo]

I'll be running Dogs for the first time next month, and I'm not entirely sure what to start with in terms of towns. I imagine throwing the players a town filled with Hate and Murder might actually be easier for new players to untangle than one that's just one the cusp of Sin, but I don't want to totally overwhelm and destroy the Dogs on their first town either. I've thrown together the town below, Wisdom Creek, as a potential starting town, but I might choose a different starting point and put it in as a later town for the Dogs to deal with.

The player-Dogs will be:

• Sr. Maria Cuomo, the devout daughter of converted immigrants from Salerno. (Strong Community)
• Sr. Patience Murphy, a scowling tomboy, dragged kicking and screaming into the Dog's temple. (Complicated History)
• Br. Erasmus Young the III, scion of a wealthy Faithful dynasty left Back East, sent west by his father to rid him of his decadent ways. (Complicated History)
• Br. Josiah Shepher, a God-fearing son of a blacksmith and second cousin to Erasmus. (Well-Rounded)

I'm looking for advice on how to start off a game of Dogs with new players, shared knowledge of things that aren't necessarily evident from the rules, and ways to awesome-O-fy Wisdom Creek Branch - as well as a better name for my faux-Catholicism than the "Zoetic Church".

WISDOM CREEK BRANCH

Wisdom Creek was founded about twenty years ago, with the movements of the Faithful across the mountains. It occupies a secluded valley that narrows into Wisdom Canyon to the east of the branch, where Tobias Young struck silver about two years back. To run the mine, he brought in a gang of experienced non-Faithful miners; immigrants from one of the Old Countries, Salerno. The mine has brought wealth and prosperity to the town, which now has a doctor, a hotel, and a barrel works. On the other hand, the miners have never converted to the Faith, and the town remains essentially split in two, with the miner's camp further up the creek in Wisdom Canyon and the main town in the valley.

Pride

Silvio Andalora, the foreman of the Salernese miners brought in by Br. Tobias, thinks he and his men, as followers of the Zoetic Church, may freely ignore the laws of the Faithful town in which they live.

The Steward, Br. Isaac Broadshaw, believe that he deserves a second wife, despite having only recently married his first, Sr. Claudia.

Injustice

The Salernese miners drink hard liquor and generally cause a nuisance of themselves about town.

Br. Isaac marries himself off to the daughter of the town doctor, Sr. Beriah Culver, even though she had been willingly receiving the courtship of Br. Tobias' son, Br. Edwin.

Sin

Violence: A band of rowdy miners gets in a fight with some young Faithful men, including the Steward's younger brother, Br. Alvin. Br. Alvin is beaten to within an inch of his life.

Sex: Br. Edwin and Sr. Beriah are sleeping together.

Demonic Attacks

The demons are destroying property at night and making it look like miners. Br. Daniel Culver, the town's doctor and the Steward's Counselor, is particularly hard hit.

The demons cause a mine collapse, severely wounding one of the miners who had been involved in the fight with Br. Alvin, Carlo Lombardi.

The demons guide Br. Isaac to discover Sr. Beriah's unfaithfulness. He beats her, and drives Br. Edwin out of town, into the miner's camp.

False Doctrine

Silvio comforts Br. Edwin, and tells him of the doctrine of the Zoetic Church: A man shall have only one wife.

Doc Culver is angered by the attacks on the town, and decides that: The laws of the Faith offer protection only to the faithful.

Corrupt Worship

Silvio baptises Br. Edwin into the Zoetic Church.

Br. Daniel refuses to treat Carlo, who dies shortly afterwards.

False Priesthood

Silvio believes he has the right to serve as a priest of the Zoetic Church, and he leads a funerary mass for Carlo Lombardi.

Sorcery

Br. Edwin calls on the "intercession" of a "saint" to help him kill Br. Isaac and marry his beloved Sr. Beriah.

Hate and Murder

Br. Edwin, his eyes shining with an unnatural light, rides into town and confronts Br. Isaac in the main street. Br. Isaac draws a gun, and shoots at Br. Edwin, but Sr. Beriah throws herself between them. When the smoke clears, she is lying in the sands, bleeding to death, and Br. Edwin is fleeing into the distance.

What do the people want?

Silvio Andalora wants the Faithful to acknowledge the Zoetic Church as their equal.

Br. Edwin Young wants the Dogs to reject Br. Isaac's marriage to Beriah and his Stewardship.

Br. Isaac Broadshaw wants the Dogs to kill Br. Edwin, and wants the miners to acknowledge his Stewardship over the town.

Sr. Beriah Broadshaw wants the Dogs to save her life and marry her to Br. Edwin.

Sr. Claudia Broadshaw wants Sr. Beriah out of her life.

Br. Alvin Broadshaw wants the Dogs to drive the miners out of town.

Br. Daniel Culver wants the Dogs to drive the miners out of town, and if his daughter dies, he's going to want whoever was responsible to hang.

Br. Tobias Young wants the mine to keep running and wants his son to find happiness.

The miners want Br. Daniel to be punished for letting Carlo die, and they want to be able to drink and live like miners.

What do the demons want?

The demons want Br. Edwin to return to town and kill Br. Isaac. They want Br. Daniel to become Branch Steward and spread his doctrine amongst the flock.

What would happen if the dogs never came

Sr. Beriah would die. Br. Isaac would be killed at the hands of Br. Edwin, leaving the Stewardship to Br. Daniel, who would lead a pogrom against the miners. The town would turn in upon itself and collapse.

[Shawn I.]

My first reaction is that the second religion could eat new players alive.  One thing about Dogs is that it is hard enough when everyone in the town agrees that the Dogs are the moral authority.  If you have a bunch of folks who _don't_ think the Dogs have moral authority, then it makes everything harder.  Your NPCs will be escalating to fists and guns more (at least, if I ran it they probably would.) 

I find it interesting that you've got the sin hierarchy applying to people outside the faith.  I'd never thought of that, and I think it says something about the world in your game.

[lumpley]

Cool town! Let us know how it goes.

-Vincent

[theloneamigo]

My first reaction is that the second religion could eat new players alive.  One thing about Dogs is that it is hard enough when everyone in the town agrees that the Dogs are the moral authority.  If you have a bunch of folks who _don't_ think the Dogs have moral authority, then it makes everything harder.  Your NPCs will be escalating to fists and guns more (at least, if I ran it they probably would.) 

This is what I have been worrying about - that it might be too much for new Dogs to handle, and might not be the best introduction for new players. On the other hand, I think it'd make for great play and call for difficult moral judgments. I can't decide whether to run this town first, or run it later down the track, after they've gone through at least one other town filled with regular Faithful difficulties.

I find it interesting that you've got the sin hierarchy applying to people outside the faith.  I'd never thought of that, and I think it says something about the world in your game.

I did struggle with how to deal with this; I didn't want to make the un-Faithful miners completely evil and corrupt, while still preserving the unique nature of the Faith as a moral authority. That's why I had an unordained foreman taking on the role of priest, rather than an ordained Zoetic priest - to avoid implying that all non-Faithful priests are evil sorcerers, while still leaving the possibility that they are open. I'm mainly interested to see how the players judge them.