[DitV] How to challenge Dog teams
Halfred:
I got to run my first real session of Dogs on Saturday. I ran Kettle Lake Branch for three of my four players (the other will join for part 2), and we had a really good time with some serious roleplay. One of the things that I found difficult, though, was in providing a significant challenge to the Dogs when they team up.
For example, one of the Dogs, Brother Isaiah, spoke with Sister Judith about her feeling about her sister and Br. Makepeace during morning chores. The conversation left Sr. Judith quite upset. As the Dogs were assembling for breakfast with the Steward, Sister Judith tore off on a horse with her rifle in hand, heading towards town.
Now, the three Dogs all leaped into action. Now I was picturing a cinematic horse-chase scene and was looking forward to playing with the timing of the raises and sees. However, with three on one, and me with a low best-roll, we didn't have the opportunity to go back and forth more than once (each character having a "go"). In fact, by the time it was Sr. Judith's go, Brother Simon was beside her and Brother Zedekiah pulling ahead of her.
So I had her escalate, and sobbing, turned her rifle (albeit awkwardly) to her temple. Brother Simon leapt from his horse and knocked the gun away. She had accumulated so much fallout just seeing the Brothers' raises that she was doomed. But I didn't want to give before each Dog had a chance to do something.
So I said that her spirit was broken. That gave Brother Isaiah a chance to call her back, returning life to someone as he did during his initiation. It was really quite moving, and the story flowed well. We ended the session soon thereafter, with the Dogs gathered in a clearing in silent prayer and reflection, seeking solutions to the situation.
Some things I want to remember to do, next time:
play up the Steward's pride/insecurity about his stewardship of his own familyget some more involvement/resentment from the Smith clanmay make the fourth player a relative of a key character
I'm wondering, though, how to keep a conflict going in such a way that allows a few more rounds, by which I mean opportunities for narration by players and GM. I welcome your input. TIA,
--Geoff in Vermont
Noclue:
Quote from: Halfred on April 30, 2009, 04:33:57 PM
...me with a low best-roll,
That there's your problem.
Moreno R.:
That was not the ONLY problem...
This, too, is a big problem:
Quote
Now I was picturing a cinematic horse-chase scene and was looking forward to playing with the timing of the raises and sees
You simply don't do this in DitV: NEVER picture "what will happen". It will ruin your fun, and probably the player's fun too.
Roll with the dice and the narration. Be happy to be surprised, and surprise the other player, too. Catch the moment for a good raise or see, without trying to force the conflict in a specific direction. This will make for a more intense, dramatic and fun session that any "cinematic horse-chase".
Quote
I'm wondering, though, how to keep a conflict going in such a way that allows a few more rounds
Longer conflicts ---> boring conflicts.
Start a lot of conflicts, see your dice, if they are not very, very good drop the conflict right there. When you have good dice, use that to menace the mental image the player's have of their characters (make raises about they running away in fear, for example). Make them discover WHO their character are by putting them to the grind. Never leave a conflict linger too much, when you see that you can't force a raise anymore, stop it.
And follow the advice on the book about conflicts: little, give-able stakes.
Halfred:
Thanks for the replies. And good points, both. We did have a good time. The game was intense and and we did go with the flow. "Say yes or roll the dice" was very much in play. In fact, I checked in a couple times with the players because we roleplaying scene after scene and weren't having conflicts. But everyone thought things were going great. So maybe if it ain't broke, don't fix it? Or maybe I should be pushing something harder?
Moreno, are you suggesting that the choice to do something like the time-shifting examples in the book (shooting a coin, tracking a criminal) should be made after assessing how the dice have rolled? How do you set the stakes that relate to the conflict, then? I'm not sure quite how I would do that, but then I've got all of one game under my belt.
Thanks for the advice. Must contemplate...
--Geoff
Noclue:
I agree that avoiding the temptation to play before you play is a good rule of thumb in Dogs. But, I too, tend to bring lots of expectations to the game regardless. Oh well.
My point was, and I was being glib, that if you roll low in a multi-Dog conflict, you're going to be bleeding dice quick as you see all their Goes. You should know that the chase scene is not going to be the long drawn out thing you expected at that point. If you rolled highest, you could have hit them with Goes that they all had to answer and had the protracted conflict you were wanting. But this story didn't go that way.
So, then you roll with that and maybe you Give, setting up a follow up conflict where you have a nice advantage. Or maybe you see their raises with your low dice, soaking up lots of fallout and then hitting them once or twice with your big guns just to push on their characters a bit. Maybe the big scene is when they have to deal with her broken leg from that 12 points of D6 fallout she took falling off her horse. Maybe you set up follow up conflict where the opponent isn't the girl at all, but the general demonic influence in Town. spooky.
Oh, and don't forget those free relationship diceys...
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