Hello there everyone.

So I've been running Dogs in the Vineyard with a new group, and after a rocky start our second town really hit the groove. Colin, the player I mentioned in the other post had a few questions, so I thought I'd put them here for people to chew on and hopefully take the time to answer. 

I am curious, would there be any times when a Dog needs to backtrack to a town he came from already? Ie: We come back to Blood Valley to find the female couple we married have become persecuted.
Also, the idea of escalating a conflict is a bit problematic. If you escalate from fighting to shooting, then back to fighting? Does that mean you keep the Acuity dice from shooting, and if so, isn't that a bit of a cheat?

I see no reason why you couldn't go back to the same town again. Obviously, they've strayed from the path you've set them on and allowed the Demons back into their hearts and minds. Shame on them. A Dog's work is never done.

It also might be fun to come to a town after another group of Dogs has been through.

As for de-escallating, I would think you can raise or see with words or fists, even after you've commenced with the shooting. However, that doesn't mean they will too.

I don't think its really a cheat. You're opponent has free access to any of their attribute dice at any time, they just have to decide to escalate. And you get to keep the left over dice from your belongings and traits even if you don't narrate them into a subsequent raise.

I just wanted to chime in as it didn't seem clear to me as to why it would come up as to whether it was a "bit of a cheat" to keep the Acuity dice?  You always keep the dice you rolled, Stat dice are no different, and you don't roll again, so I'm not sure what the concern is.  Similarly, if you started Talking and went straight to Shooting, all you'd add in Stat dice would be Will, as you already rolled Acuity.  Just stating this all in case there's a misconception lying behind the concern on escalating from Shooting to Fighting or the like.

Everybody's right so far.

It may also help to think of escalating as opening a door and leaving it open, not stepping through it and closing it again.

Like this. Suppose you're about to fight with someone.
- You can talk to them. The first time you talk to them, you get to roll your Acuity and Heart (whichever you haven't already rolled). From then on, you can talk to them more but you don't get to roll more dice for it.
- You can take physical action. The first time you take physical action, you get to roll your Body and Heart (whichever you haven't already rolled). From then on, you can take more physical actions but you don't get to roll more dice for them.
- You can attack them. The first time you attack them, you get to roll your Body and Will (whichever you haven't already rolled). From then on, you can attack them more, but you don't get to roll more dice for it.
- You can shoot them. The first time you shoot them, you get to roll your Acuity and Will (whichever you haven't already rolled). From then on, you can shoot them more, but you don't get to roll more dice for it.

So by the end of the fight, you might very well have done all four things, many times, in any order. What's significant for your stat dice is the first time you do it.

-Vincent

Noclue wrote: It also might be fun to come to a town after another group of Dogs has been through.

Err... "On-going antagonists" (Afraid to Preview, today, because it seems to break the page and not let me submit.)

David wrote:
...OOO! Coming into town where Sorcerer Dogs had passed earlier, making everything worse as they went. Follow-up by searching for the Dogs (or always being on their tails, if you want an on-going protagonist).