[DitV] need tips on Gm'ing and my town

Started by facey, January 26, 2011, 09:38:30 PM

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facey

Hello

I played DitV some years ago, and finally bought the book, and I'm looking forward to getting my Rp group started playing this wonderful game.
but as i was reading the book, i realized GM'ing was somewhat different than i'm used to. i didn't really remember how the game worked and such from the one time i tried it, but i remember it being really cool..

anyway, i'm hoping someone could give me some tips on GM'ing this game.. i'm pretty used to Gm'ing.. I've played alot of horror rpg's such as call of cthulhu and world of darkness (vampire in particular), and lately alot of dark heresy and rogue trader.. i've also gm'ed other games than horror, but i must admit, it's what i do the most ;) the thing that seems really different is that it seems other games is more of the "go gather vlues and figure out what going on" where as this seems more like "this is whats going on, do something about it".. and i feel unsure of how to keep my players engaged in this "new" type of game (none of them have heard anything else about the game, than what i've told them through the years and since i started reading a few days ago)

I have already made up a town, though i still need names, but i'll write i have thus far.

somethings wrong:
a portion of the men of town people are being unfaithful to their wifes, and laziness and decadence rules the city. they aren't getting their crops plantet and harvestet due to them being busy having intercourse, drinking alcohol and smoking tobaco, which they aquired from a nearby settlement of indians, and the town steward's first wife has been killed, but it's not know by whom. the steward brought the tobacco and alcohol to town after the killing of his first wife, due to mental trauma

1A - Pride:
the steward of the town (lets call him Br. Jones) has been allowed to have more than one wife. this has made some of the other men jalous, and now wants to have more wifes too. others because they plain just feel like they deserve it (which they don't).

1B - Injustice:
most of the town is going hungry, because of the lack of crops

2A - Sin:
a portion of the town men a being unfaithful to their wifes. laziness due to  the usage of alcohol and tobacco.

2B Demonic Attacks
the demons have made the jalousy of the town spread, and making the men have thought like "why can he have a second wife, if i can't, he's no better than i am"

2C - im not really sure about this one?

5A - hate and murder
the stewards second wife grew jalous and angry at the first wife, because she felt that the first wife had more time with the steward than her and killed her.

6A - what do people want.

the unsinful people of the town want the trading of tabacco and alcohol stopped, so that the harvisting could get better again. making the starvation stop (the unsinful = the ones that doesn't use these substances) the steward wants to find out who killed his wife.

6B - what does the demons want
they want the towns people keep up being unfaitful, and being decandent.

6C - what would happen
eventually they town would die out, due to starvation, cancer from smoking, and alcohol poisoning.

please tell me what you think of this scenario, and help give me some pointers, thanks in advance :)







Falc

DitV isn't about figuring out what happened, but that doesn't mean just dumping everything on the players. Sometimes, yes, everybody is convinced they're right and says so publically, even the biggest sinner. Other times, they've managed to convince themselves it's not that bad but they're keeping it a secret because they can tell the rest wouldn't understand.

The game is about how the players judge these people. One thing you'll need to let go off is the idea that there's a right solution. If the Dogs do not uncover every detail of your plot and thus, do not actually 'solve' the town's problems, you should either have things get even worse while they're still there and capable of responding, or just accept this and remain silent about the ultimate fate of the town *in your mind*. Blabbing it to the players afterwards will just sour their experience.

As for the town, you seem to be missing a crucial element of the town creation process: it's a chronological, escalating process. No skipping sections 3 and 4, because it just won't make sense.

Specifically here, your 'murder' isn't a murder, it's a sin. Hate and murder is widespread and gratuitous. One person killing another one for (in their own eyes) a very good reason is neither.

So you're left with some Pride, Injustice, Sin and Demonic Attacks. It all feels a bit thin and rather bland at this time, so use the town creation rules. What's the next step this town will take towards its own destruction?

facey

Yeah, i did feel kinda odd about the murder thing, so thanks for that.. i hadn't look at it that way ;) and i had though about putting in some false priesthood, because of the whole "unfaitful to their wifes" thing, since is will be atleast 1/4 to half of the town doing it (depending on what size the town ends up being) but thats something i'll still have to figure out..

anyway, we will be trying out the system tonight, but not in my own town though, since it's not nearly done.. and i feel more comfortable playing other's things the first time to get a feel for the system, in something im sure is "right" :P

i'll probably post how i turns out ;)

facey

we just played a town called saint's rest .. it went alright after about 30min, when people understod the concept of the rules.. so it's definately something we'll be trying again soon :D