I'm still trying to cathc my breath after running a session of Dogs in the Vineyard with Six people.  I'd say it was a success, but man, I don't know if I'll run with that many in the system again.

I set this up as a demonstration, and invited 3 people who hadn't played before, Kristy, Rob and Rick.  Added to that was Donovan, who had played through his accomplishment earlier.  And lastly there was Lisa and Chris, who played their Dogs from my previous session in Zarephath.

We all knew each other from a LARP game that we participate in, and they're good people I've had over for a movie now and then.   Rick and Kristy were a little unsure about the setting, but Donovan was a bit supporter.  Of course his comment "you get to shoot people!" was his 1d4 support for my particular raise.   *chuckle*

I got everyone down, and gave Lisa, Chris and Donovan a chance to reprise and rework their characters for tonight's game.   That allowed me to run through character creation and Accomplishment with the new players. 

I explained the world, reading a few bits of Vincent's awesome prose on the soaring mountains and deep river valleys.   Then I explained a bit of history, and characters got created.  Oh, were they created.  I have to share with you the traits they came up with.   

Rick, playing Beauregard Duke
Traits (well rounded background)
I am a good dog (1d6)
There's still hope in the West (1d6)
This land is without sin, I hope to keep it that way (1d6)
I bring sinners to Justice (2d6)
My Justice is at the end of a gun (2d8)

His accomplishment was to make it to an appointment on time.  I played him getting jostled and slowed down as he raced to get to where he was going, eventually having to escalate to fighting to get to where he was going, but winning.   He gained "I can make it on time" at 1d6

Kristy, Sister Belinda
Traits (Complicated History background)
I'm a Tomboy, call me Billie! (2d8)
I climb trees like a monkey (1d4)
I am a bad ass Dog! (1d8)
I can ride horses like like no one else (2d6)
I hope to be loved (1d4)
I don't like Booze (1d4)
I'm learning guitar (1d4)

Her accomplishment was to find out more about her mother, a former Dog who was killed when she was young.  I had her find and corner her murderer, and a terse conversation "your mother was asleep when I cut her" led to an escalation "Then I'll cut you, and you'll be awake for it" and the man begging for mercy, his words being "She was too strong for me; I couldn't have fought her when she was awake!"   This led to her gaining the trait "My Mother was strong and so am I" (1D6)

Rob, playing Brother Jason Robertson
Traits (Strong Community Background)
I can Rope the Wind (2d8)
I can shoot you between the eyes from 100 yards away (2d6)
I comfort sinner and believers with life and death (1d6)
I make a pack of Dogs stronger (1d6)

His accomplishment was to save a condemned man from a hanging, by shooting the rope from a distance with his gun.   I slowed time right down, from the aiming, to the firing, to the doubt as to whether it hit, to the alarm that it was too late, to the relief that the man still breathed.  He took "I can persuade higher authority to see my way is right" (1d6).

And Donovan's character, Brother Uriel
Traits (Well Rounded Background)
I can use a gun to do more than shoot (2d8)
I ride the horse, not the other way around (1d6)
Sure I'll fight you, but you have to promise not to cry (1d6)
I can read with the best of them (1d6)
My tongue has a hue of silver (1d4)
I could be an acrobat in the circus (1d6)
I'm a Dog. BARK! (1d8)

His accomplishment was done earlier, to exorcise a demon that was possessing a young woman.  He escalated to guns pretty quickly, injuring the woman so that the demon left the body, and using his book of life to banish it.   He gained "I cluster-fucked a demon" (1d6).

Chris, who played Brother Darien, and Lisa, who played Sister Foxglove, can be found over here.

We played in the town of Virtue[/url ].  Very quickly they took control of the session, demanding the Sheriff take them to the Steward’s house, with a promise to “discuss this dead man later”.  The Steward greeted them at the dinner table and immediately began pushing the marriage of his son and Constance.  I played the son Phineas as a rather lazy and spoiled brat, bragging about his “keen mind and razor sharp skills”.  Brother Uriel already had his gun out, casually checking his fully loaded monster gun while saying “some skills are sharper than others.  Ain’t pride a sin?” 

I decided to have a knock at the door to introduce the Coopers.  Lavina and Constance brought in dinner, with Hezikiah bragging about how the King of Life has blessed his Ranch with riches enough to provide for the town’s Faithful.  He goes on and on about how the King has a “special plan for the Coopers, as we stand in his shining light and grow!” Meanwhile Lavina sits and starts hitting on Brother Jason, her leg finding his under the table.  The Steward remarks how great a couple Constance and Phineas look, but Constance is unhappy, quickly heading to the kitchen to "get some tea".  Sister Foxglove followed her in, and I had Constance tearfully tell her of the secret marriage to Thaddeus McMasters by Brother Jacob.

The Coopers offered to put up some of the Dogs, and Lavina made a few poorly-veiled comments about being able to "handle more than a few strong men in her… bunkhouse." Phineas then showed off a little of his Eastern learning by misquoting several authors, which was wearily corrected by Brother Darien.   

When they finally were alone, they discussed what must be done.  “Can’t we just kill them all?” was the first question from Sister Billie.  “Hell yeah,” from Brother Uriel.  I sat back and waited for the bloodshed.

Initially I was worried they'd do the "we must all stick together" party mentality, but happily they split off into groups.   Uriel to collect Constance from her home and inform the parents of what's happened, Beauregard to confront Brother Jacob, Darien and Jason to inform both the Steward and Phineas of the marriage, and finally Foxglove and Billie to meet the McMasters and Thaddeus.

Uriel went first.  He headed to the Cooper place.  He caught a glimpse of Cyrus leaving the bunkhouse, sans pants, while Lavina lounged inside, wearing a smile (and little else).   Uriel pulled out his gun.  He thought about it, and said “later”.  He decided to leave that alone, instead heading inside the house to collect Constance.

The father intervened, and after a conflict of harsh words, where I raised with“I’m a Cooper, you hear me?  You’re no Dog, you’re just an insolent Pup!” it went violent.  Uriel pulled out his guns, and the father blocked with his relationship with his daughter, using her as a human shield.   Uriel still fired, and then fired again, removing the shield and killing the father.  He carried the bloody and dying Constance away, to find the other Dogs and try to save her.   

Everyone looked on at horror with this conflict.  “What a bastard, he used his daughter as a shield!” said Kristy.  I guess Uriel doing the shooting kind of got glossed over.  It was an interesting moment, and I loved it!

Meanwhile, Beauregard had an intense talking conflict with Brother Jacob, who revealed that he married the two and gave his coat to Cyrus. But Jacob gave when Beauregard raised with "Marrying them in secret is a coward's refuge. A real Dog would have known that. A real Dog would have kept his coat and done right.” I had Jacob vowing to "set things right".   Beauregard returned to town, intending to meet up with Darien and Jason. 

Darien and Jason had an amusing moment with the Steward.  There was a toast, Virgil said "To the bounty of Marriage!" to which Jason said "Cheers! Oh yeah, Constance is already married."  Cough, gag, cough as Virgil chokes on the "medicinal" whiskey.

Darien faces off with Phineas, telling him there'll be no wedding.  Phineas proceeds to attack him, and Darien uses his insane 3d10 "I trained with the Chinamen" to physically dominate him, forcing Phineas to escalate to guns.  Darien disarms and utterly humiliates Phineas, leaving him choking back tears of rage and shame.  Everyone cheers.

Darien then saw Uriel outside, carrying a bloody Constance to the General store, and quickly let Jason and the arriving Beauregard what he saw.   All three ran to the General store.

In the General Store, Foxglove and Billie confronted the grieving McMasters family.  They engaged in a conflict to stop Thaddeus from walking out and pulling guns on Cyrus, vengeance for killing his cousin Benjamin in cold blood.   

I raised with a massive 17, revealing that the Sheriff witnessed the entire murder and quickly bore Cyrus away from the angry mob of non-faithful, and adding that when wooing Constance he’d often see Malachi leaving Cyrus’ bunkhouse just before dawn, not quite dressed.   Malachi's outing made all the players go… "WHOA!" and both took the blow with the same response.

However, a quick recovery finally brought Thaddeus down, giving on the conflict after the Dogs agreed to "deal with Cyrus".   

"But what about Constance?" Asked Thaddeus.

What better time to have Uriel kick open the general store doors, covered in the blood of Constance and her father, carrying the dying woman.   All six dogs converged, and they all set to work to save Constance from dying. 

They went into ceremony, to use the healing power of their station to overcome her mortal wound.   I raised with an insane 19, having her grow cold and still.  Everyone took the blow, Beauregard bowed his head, Uriel stared at his still hot gun, Foxglove seethed in frustration, Darien took off his hat, And Jacob held her hand and doubted.  Then they clobbered me, using the "three and three in authority!" raise, so Constance lived.  Almost everyone gained an experience fallout from the conflict.   This cued Rick's comment "I gotta screw up more often!"  How often do you see a player get pumped from getting hurt?

Remember Brother Jacob?  I did.  Shortly after saving Constance, they hear gunshots in the street.   They come out to see Jacob lying on the ground bleeding from the chest, with Cyrus standing triumphant.  Cyrus was wearing Jacob's old Coat.   "I am a true Dog, and you are the pretenders!"

The gun battle that followed wasn't pretty.  Malachi attempted to help Cyrus, who used the Coat and his guns and his "Killing Lust" to great effect.   There was a separate conflict with Foxglove and Brother Jacob, to see if Foxglove could save him.  That conflict was fairly quickly won, with Foxglove convincing Jacob that there was still work to do before leaving to the beyond.   

Cyrus raised with a deadly 14, firing shots in all directions.  I reminded everyone that they can simply give and avoid getting shot, and if they take the blow, there was a very real threat of death.   "Who's in?"  Everyone was in. Uriel, Beauregard and Jason all took the blow. When Cyrus' perforated corpse hit the ground, we made rolls.   It was tense, but there was also a sense that if there was death, it was well earned, and a-ok.  I've never felt that before, not once in my history of gaming.   

They all lived, though all three took long term fallout.    Beauregard actually gained experience from the fallout.  Rick quipped again with “It’s almost BETTER to fail!”

Foxglove then walked over to Benjamin’s corpse and said “He shouldn’t have died.  The King will bring him back through our will.”  I looked at them and said, “Whoa wait, you want to raise the dead?”  They looked at me and Chris said “Well, we get to decide how supernatural it gets, right?” 

“Ok, let’s make it a conflict.”  I rolled all the demonic corruption, adding in the environmental suggestions from the book.  They all rolled awesome and destroyed me. 

When it was all over, they had the old Dog perform the welcoming of the McMasters family to the Faith.  After raising their kin from the dead, they went without a conflict.  Jacob then wed Constance and Thaddeus in front of all in town.   They then sent Jacob back to Bridal Falls for retraining because "No Dog should have let a town go this bad".  Malachi was placed in stocks for three days, Cyrus and Hezekiah Cooper were buried with a short ceremony "For the King of Life to sort out".

Lavina was told to “stop being such a slut” from Billie.  That was the extent of their judgment to her, though Uriel did comment that she lost both her husband and suitor.

Then Jacob turned to the Steward and said "So, since the last dog came through, any births or deaths to report?   Other than the obvious.”

The End.  I got a lot of enthusiastic support for the game, people were on the edge of their seats in the saving Constance conflict and the Showdown with Cyrus, especially when dealing with possible fallout from taking the blow.  I will freely admit that six people is WAY too many people for the game, three or four would have been much better to work with.   But the players made a lot of comments at how interested they were in the other people's conflicts, and how invested they were to see how it all turned out.

Next time I run with Six people, I'm going to do Burning Wheel's "The Gift".  Being a scenario built for 8 (yikes!) players, I'm excited to see how it shakes out!

I've never played DITV, but I gotta say, that session sounded awesome.

My only worry is I tend to worry to much about the characters already! :)