Hi!
For my next dogs campaign, one of the players came up with a "different" Dog concept that I like very much: she want to play a female thief/ former prostitute from the east on the run from the law, that thought that masquerading as a Dog in the faith territories could be a good way to hide where the law will not follow her. (All the know about the faith come from a failed dog who fled the territories in shame, drinking his sorrow in every saloon on the road, and it was not too faithful as a portrait. She did steal his vest and his book, but he did not take the clay, not knowing what it was). Her objective was to avoid meeting other dogs but at the star of the game she meet on her road the other dog's group and has to pass herself as a true dog.
I would like to get some advice about what kind of "initiation conflict" she could have, or if I could simply skip this passage (the player did play DitV many times before). And if somebody see some other problem with this idea that I am not seeing now.
I have another, more general question, too: in the book it says to start only with relationship with people or with the faith. It's for the first character one ver do (to start with easy relationships) or it's a rule when you create every new character?
I would never recommend that character for a first-time player, but if the player has played Dogs many times before and enjoyed it, there's no problem. You know how the game really works, so for things like starting relationships and initiation conflicts, trust your judgment.
-Vincent
The reason for the second question (this one:
QuoteI have another, more general question, too: in the book it says to start only with relationship with people or with the faith. It's for the first character one ever do (to start with easy relationships) or it's a rule when you create every new character?
is that playing the game, I have seen a lot of players taking relationships with institutions or sins, and most of the times they don't work as they think they do (no matter how much I try to explain them), and even if they took them understanding how they work, they almost never are used in play. So I think I will go with my second iterpretation from now on
Playing the game, I am seeing more and more way to play different characters, concepts, and how it still works... but at the same time, I am seeing as the game improve when these concepts are explored in play, and not in the "previous background" of the characters. Complicated backgrounds and relationships at the star of the game are usually at best useless, at worst they hinder play enjoyment.
(I think the concept of the vest thief will work because it's SIMPLE. What I posted above it's the entire background)
[edited by me to fix tags - VB]
I think that your judgment is sound, point for point.
-Vincent