I've had an interest in Dogs in the Vineyard for a long time, but never got to play it. I was looking at it again recently, and felt the desire to run a game. I got three people to play, and I wrote up a town. I'd like any advice or criticism on it, to make sure everything works out.
The PCs are:
Sister Marguerite, a convert from back East who came here when her parents were murdered in a mugging. She's worried she doesn't belong as a Dog.
Brother Braxton, a man with a violent distrust of the East and government because he fought in the equivalent of the Utah War (
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utah_War)
Sister Mercy, a daughter of a Steward and bit of a tomboy. She's not happy with how she's supposed to act as a woman of the Faith.
Burning GulchPride: Brother Henry is the town Sheriff. About a year ago he fought off some bandits and gained a permanent injury from it. This, combined with his previous years of service, has led him to believe his work deserves to pay more than it is now.
Injustice: Brother Henry has been abusing his power, taking money from the townsfolk by threatening dire consequences for those who don’t obey. He lets them know he won’t help them out if anything bad happens, and will hurt them if they actually try to stop him.
Sin:
Deceit - Brother Henry uses threats to enrich himself
Disunity - The deputy, Brother Jacob, is assisting Brother Henry for some of the profit. His sister is ill, and he can use the money to help pay for a doctor. Brother Henry’s wife, Sister Anne (Sister Marguerite’s aunt), knows what he’s doing but likes having the money and ignores the effect it’s having on the town.
Demonic Attacks: A strange disease has come through town, rendering people unable to work. Brother Jacob’s sister is starting to recover, but Sister Abigail’s (Sister Mercy’s niece) brother is doing particularly bad. Brother Jacob’s sister’s recovery compared to Sister Abigail’s brother’s makes her angry because of Brother Jacob’s hand in helping Brother Henry.
False Doctrine: A member of the congregation, Brother Jared (Brother Braxton’s uncle), knows that things are real bad. He thinks that since the Steward, Brother Parley, is trying to deal with the situation non-violently it’s up to everyone else to get rid of Brother Henry. He now knows that MURDER IS PERMISSIBLE IN ORDER TO GET RID OF EVIL
Corrupt Worship: Brother Jared has prayed for people in Burning Gulch to come to the same realization and join him in overthrowing Brother Henry, and for the King of Life to grant him power to help in this goal.
False Priesthood: Brother Jared and a few like-minded people (including Sister Abigail) have begun meeting in secret in order to hold their own ceremonies and plan out the murder of Brother Henry.
Sorcery: Brother Jared is a sorcerer. During a recent meeting he blessed Sister Abigail and a demon possessed her. He also blessed the weapons he wants to use in the murders to follow.
Hate and Murder: Brother August was Brother Jared’s neighbor, and began to notice the late night meetings. He tried to find out what was going on, but Brother Jared hid the truth from him. He then told Abigail to kill Brother August, because he would bring everything down if he went to the Steward or Brother Henry. She didn’t want to at first, but Brother Jared told her that she would be responsible for the misery of Burning Gulch and the deaths of people like her brother if she didn’t. So she took a knife and stabbed Brother August to death.
What does each named person want from the Dogs? Write a sentence or two for each.
Brother Henry: Wants the Dogs to agree he deserves more then he would usually have as a Sheriff. He would like their help in finding who murdered Brother August and to hang them. If he finds out it’s Sister Abigail, he’ll just want her imprisoned.
Brother Jacob: Wants the Dogs to stay out of the way as he knows they’re not going to approve of what he’s doing. He wants the murderer to be hung. Finding out it was Sister Abigail won’t change his mind. He’s too proud to ask the Dogs to help his sister recover.
Brother Jared: Wants the Dogs to stay out of his business, because he knows they’re not likely to approve of what he’s doing. He’d be happy if he can get them to declare that he should be the Sheriff instead though. He’ll talk to them about everything bad Brother Henry has been doing.
Sister Abigail: She doesn’t want the Dogs to find out what she’s done, or if they do to forgive her for killing Brother August. She also wants them to cure her brother.
Brother August’s widow: She wants the Dogs to find who murdered her husband and for them to help consoul her grieving children.
Sister Anne: Wants the Dogs to side with Brother Henry and not tell her anything she doesn’t want to hear.
The Steward wants the Dogs to help him stop Brother Henry from abusing his power without killing him, and to find out who killed Brother August. He is worried Brother Henry might be behind it. He is currently unaware of what Brother Jared is doing.
What do the demons want in general? What do they want from the Dogs? What might they do? Write a paragraph.
The demons want the townspeople to get angrier, and for Brother Jared’s plan to be set into motion. They would like the Dogs to agree that Brother Jared is a good replacement Sheriff and appoint him to the position. They also want to make sure his sorcery is kept secret and that the Dogs view the group as justified in what they are doing.
If the Dogs never came, what would happen— that is, what’s the next step up the “what’s wrong” ladder? Write a sentence or two.
Brother Jared and his group would get together and kill Brother Collins and Brother Jacob. With them gone, Brother Jared would install himself as the new Sheriff. However, soon he’d kill the Steward and then anyone he says supported Brother Henry. After a while, he’d rule the town with an iron fist, killing anyone who threatens him or his power.