D4s in the Vineyard

I don't quite get how D4s are /bad/ - They give you more potential for fallout, but at the same time you never *have* to use them, do you? It seems to me that you could, essentially, just say "No, I'm going to ignore my D4s altogether" and be no worse off than if you weren't rolling them at all.

Correct! D4s are pure good.

Or: they aren't bad so much as they are troublesome. They will help you get what you want but they will only generally do so in a way that causes you pain.

Which is good, of course. Everybody got troubles.

Fallout is a great way to gain experience, especially in speaking conflicts, where the risk of injury or death is zero, and the d4s you roll afterwards are much more likely to come up with a "1".  

One of the keys to maximizing the chances of getting experience in a fallout roll is to take the blow with lots of low point dice, and having a bunch of D4 traits are a great way to achieve that particular goal.

For example: Brother Seamus is arguing with Bethany about her refusal to get married.

Brother Seamus has a 9, 5, 7, 3, and 8

Bethany has a 6, 8, 2, 3, 5.

Bethany raises with 6+5 = 11, saying "I'm a grown woman, I make my own choices, and I don't need a man in my life."

Brother Seamus pulls in a trait "I stutter around the womenfolk - 2d4" and rolls a 1 and a 2.

So Brother Seamus takes the blow with 3+1+2+5 = 11 and says "I uh... s..s..u..pp.ose.. y..you... dd..dd..on't."

Bam. 4 dice in the speaking fallout for later, which is 4d4.  The chances of getting a 1 on those dice is pretty good! Plus, it makes for a great conflict.