Frequency of "Fast Wrap"?
David Artman:
As it turns out we had another fast wrap, this week. In brief (if possible):
WARNING! Mature subject matter. WARNING! Click Back if you've got Lines about sexuality or kids. WARNING!
We'd discovered that most (like, 60%) of the town really, truly believed that an unmarried woman became unclean when she began to menstruate. Thus, the town was marrying off girls at, like, 9 and 10 years old and was kicking older unmarried women out of homes, to live in squalor. (They had this semi-voyeuristic "cleansing" ritual down by the river every month, too, but that was minor in comparison: just the wind-up before the hardball pitch that hits you in the nuts.)
So, first, we call a town service and I try a bit of reverse psychology, praising the Steward and his insight into the mysteries of The Book of Life and asking, "Who--what WISE person among you--helped him to come to such conclusion?" Of course a geezer steps up, telling how it's a town tradition, passed on for generations. (Yeah, this was a bit of a plot hole; you mean after YEARS and YEARS of Dogs visits, we're the first to notice a shanty town with young women working fields and child brides and monthly naked river wading?!? OK, cool by me, let's rip....)
I then state to my other Dog that I have a confession: "I've lied to these good people, and what penance must I serve, Brother Dog?" *wink* "Why, confess your falsehood here and now, and be cleansed!" he says.
"OK, folks... actually, this Steward... this FORMER Steward, I should say, is committing Heresy, as are YOU, old man, as is this whole town! A Steward doesn't answer to elders in his town, he answers to his Regional Steward--a fine, honorable man who would NEVER have condoned this interpretation! I know him well! The whole order of The Faith is on its ear, and I am stripping this Steward of his vestment and taking him to Bridal Falls for judgment."
I primarily set all this up so that I could set a stake of "I am able to tell who really believes versus who are just following the herd or even opposed to this town tradition." The GM doesn't even go to rolls, just says yes. So now I have, basically, a head count of the Real Sinners (False Priests), and I'm good to go a'bangin'. (Note: my Dog has yet to harm a single person in play... though *I* have killed a man with a Block.)
Anyhow... let's just say that it takes a good bit of time and some solid beatings to get ourselves out of there with the Steward in tow, to be clinked in the schoolhouse. My Dog nearly dies from a blow to the head with a rock. The town's dispersing to their farms to get arms. This ain't going well, Brothers....
OK, I had to go through that to show the fast wrap: we basically do a snatch on one of the town elders (and his son) and are basically planning to round up all the Real Sinners and set out on a Trail of Tears to Bridal Falls. The GM brings that 60% ratio into focus--that will basically kill the town; most of the menfolk will be in tow, not working their fields.
Here's where we get to just talking (even as, in the narrative, there's a serious lynch mob heading our way). Kill the town? Dude, I ain't cool with that. I'm not cool with even shooting anyone over this: they're all brainwashed by tradition.
Heads are scratched. Ideas bandied. (The Dog with a Rel to a Demon is itching to start the bloodbath.)
So I come up with the idea to disperse the town to several (well, three) other towns, so that they can unlearn their sinnin' ways within stable communities. Those who don't want to come: fuck 'em. THIS town will never have another Steward and will never be visited by Dogs again. Apostate Town, bubbie; and you can like it or lump it.
We basically make that announcement, giving the whole town a day to sort their shit, pick which third they want to be with (i.e. friends of family can stick together, but NOT the whole town) and head out with us towards Bridal Falls. (I'm reminded of Sam Kinnison: "Get your kids, pack your shit, we'll make one trip! We'll take you to where the [righteousness] IS!")
There isn't even a conflict, because that 40% who DO NOT buy this sin, who WANT to live right, would have given two Dogs versus even a Sorcerer just WAY too much improvisational weapon dice. Yes, 60% of a town population couldn't, mechanically, stand against us and the other 40%. Bring in demons? Fine, we got one of our own, bubbie! (I.E. Even demon dice would be but a speed-bump; an opportunity to get Fallout right before we wrap, is all.)
Now, the players MIGHT want to pick up again at that point next week--maybe a follow-up or two the night before departure or a last ditch effort to shake off our judgment on the Trail. But, for all intents and purposes, that town was a wrap: excommunicated from The Faith (the town itself, and all who remained in it); left to eventually fall apart and fail, in its sinnin' ways; stripped of all the True Faithful, who would be relocated to where they could collectively learn the right way.
Satisfying from a plot-arc perspective (though I feel like my Dog would consider it a failure--those left behind could MAYBE have been saved) but missing the POW or period (exclamation point, even!) of a solid, grabby ending. We basically figured out what we'd judge and then stared the opposition down with the weight of our Dogness (i.e. serious dice advantage) and told them how their lives were gonna change. Fade to black.
Again, I am thinking this is part and parcel of Dogs play. Our GM was definitely doing his part to challenge us in the town, both morally as players and mechanically against groups and such. But divide and conquer was King again: we chiseled away the Steward--their "moral authority" backer--and then got the main elder and were all-but-destined to round up the rest of the Core Real Believer/Sinners. It felt kind of like the climax scene of an action thriller being described back at the office, after it takes place off camera. Or something like that.
I really want to nail down this 'issue' because I don't feel (a) that we've got the mechanics or pacing "right" yet or (b) that we're going to avoid the same fizzle phenomenon when we turn to Banthas and become freaking magic dudes with laser swords!
Thoughts, folks?
David
(Ok, THAT's not "brief.")
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