Editing Dogs with Cards

http://www.toolboxpro.org/secure/teachers/1330/071002021308_D497~Eight-Dogs-Playing-Cards-Posters.jpg


= Dogs Play Cards, Too =
 
A set of rules for playing ''Dogs in the Vineyard'' with a deck of regular playing cards (no Jokers). 

I believe that all the features of Dogs mechanics are represented faithfully, although there are also bits in there that are inspired by what I know of ''The Princes' Kingdom'' as well as the rules for the Dogs variant ''Afraid''.

Note: A drawn-out conflict between two people can use up 20-25 cards. If you have more than three players, you'll probably need two decks. 


== Characters ==
 
=== Stats ===

The four Stats are Acuity, Body, Heart, and Will.

'''Acuity and Body'''

These two Stats are about your character's general abilities.
 
''Acuity (Awareness)'' describes how sharp, perceptive, alert, clever, quick, or knowledgeable you are--your mental faculties.

''Body'' determines how big, strong, athletic, healthy, muscular, fit or coordinated you are--your physical faculties.

'''Heart and Will'''

These two Stats are about your character's inner self.

''Heart'' is your warm side. It tells us how compassionate, charming, empathetic, emotionally intelligent, loving, enduring, and courageous you are--how effective your character is when he or she is being gentle, sensitive, patient, or disciplined.

''Will'' is your tough side: your conviction, whether that's ice or fire. It tells us how strong-minded, stubborn, tenacious, or unshakable you are--how effective your character is when he or she is being aggressive, brutal, or staring death in the face.

=== Traits ===

All Traits are either ''regular'', ''troublesome'', or ''strong''. A Trait may also be ''significant'' (as well as regular, troublesome, or strong). Here's how to keep track of that:
 
* Regular traits receive no special marking.
* Troublesome traits receive a "-" mark.
* Strong traits receive a "+" mark.
* Significant traits receive a "*" (asterisk/star) after their name.

Converting from regular Dogs rules: 

* Troublesome Traits are like 1d4 or 2d4 Traits.
* Regular Traits are like 1d6, 2d6, or 1d8 Traits.
* Strong Traits are like 2d8, 1d10, or 2d10 Traits.
* Significant Traits are like Traits that have 3 or 4 dice in them, and they can be of any "size", whether regular, troublesome, or strong. For example, 4d6 is significant, 3d10 is strong and significant, and 4d4 is troublesome and significant.

''For example: Let's say you draw your gun. Draw cards for it normally, but also draw cards as though you brought a troublesome trait into play (for that extra d4).''

''Another example: For an initiation conflict, you're supposed to roll 4d6 + 4d10. 4d6 is a significant trait, so draw cards for it (as you'll see, that's two cards). 4d10 is strong AND significant, so draw for that too (in this case, it's four more and you keep the best two).''

If you convert an existing character by the guidelines above, you may need to combine or remove a few one-die Traits: a Dogs character with several one-die Traits could potentially have twice as many Traits as they should under these rules. You'll have to use your best judgement in those cases.

To make a new character, choose one of the following templates:

=== Well-rounded ===

Distribute 9 points between the four Stats. Put at least one point in each.

You get:

* One troublesome trait
* One regular trait
* One strong trait

And:

* One troublesome relationship
* One regular relationship
* One strong relationship

=== Strong History ===

Distribute 7 points between the four Stats. Put at least one point in each.

You get:

* Two regular traits
* One strong trait
* One strong, significant trait

And:

* One troublesome relationship
* One regular relationship
* One strong relationship

=== Complicated History ===

Distribute 8 points between the four Stats. Put at least one point in each.

You get:

* Two troublesome traits
* One regular trait
* One significant trait

And:
 
* One regular relationship
* One strong relationship
* One significant relationship

=== Strong Community ===

Distribute 7 points between the four Stats. Put at least one point in each.

You get:

* One troublesome trait
* One regular trait
* One strong trait

And:
 
* Two regular relationships
* Two strong relationships
* One strong, significant relationship

=== Complicated Community ===

Distribute 8 points between the four Stats. Put at least one point in each.

You get:

* Two regular traits
* One significant trait

And:

* Two troublesome relationships 
* One regular relationship
* One strong relationship
* One significant relationship

=== Belongings ===

All characters can also carry belongings. By default, you may start with:
 
* One troublesome (crappy) possession.
* One regular (average) possession.

And either:
 
* One significant (big) possession, or
* One strong (quality) possession.

Or just choose whatever you want, as in Dogs. I find having a default is helpful for first-time players, though.

== Conflicts ==

=== Stats ===
 
When a conflict comes up, draw one card for each Stat point that applies, one for your relevant faculties (Acuity or Body) and one for your inner self (Heart or Will), as follows:

* Talking: Acuity and Heart
* Physical: Body and Heart
* Violence: Body and Will
* Murder: Acuity and Will

''(I can imagine circumstances where the other two combinations might also make sense. For example, a purely "external" conflict, like an archery contest, could be Acuity + Body. Dealing with a purely internal issue, like struggling with your own sanity, could be Heart + Will. And some instances could have different interpretations: making a speech to get a mob of workers to go on strike might be Acuity + Will, even though it's not murder.  But all this is just thinking outloud.)''

=== Traits ===

Also draw cards for any applicable traits, just as you would add dice in Dogs.

Here's how Traits work (belongings and relationships work the same way):

* For a regular Trait, draw one card. 
* For a troublesome Trait, draw two cards but only keep the worst one. 
* For a strong Trait, draw two cards but only keep the best one. 
* For a Trait that's significant, draw twice as many cards, but follow the same rules as usual (e.g. if it's a regular trait, just draw two cards, but if it's a troublesome Trait, draw four cards and keep the worst two). 

=== Playing the Cards ===
 
Aces are low, face cards are worth 12 points, and a King is worth 14 points.
 
To ''Raise'', push forward one card.

To ''See'', you must match or beat that card's value (also with one card).

You ''Take the Blow'' if you decide to See with two or more cards. Draw that same number of cards from the deck (face down) and set them aside--that's fallout. You'll have a space on your character sheet to leave talking fallout, physical fallout, etc--separate piles for each.

You ''Reverse the Blow'' if you can See with a card double the value of your opponent's Raise. You get to keep that card if you want to use it for your next Raise or See.

Random factors like improvised tools or equipment are treated as a troublesome trait: draw two more cards and keep the worst one. If you are doing something truly desperate, or bringing in a really significant object or tool, that counts as '''significant''' as well as troublesome: draw four cards and keep the two lowest.

== Fallout ==
 
At the bottom of your character sheet, have space for four fallout piles, labelled, and with card ranks listed, like this:

<table border="1">
<tr>
<th>Talking</th>
<th>Physical</th>
<th>Fighting</th>
<th>Guns</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>4 and up</td>
<td>7 and up</td>
<td>10 and up</td>
<td>Q or K</td>
</tr>
</table>

After the conflict's over:

From each pile, put any cards that are of the rank listed or higher aside, all in one pile on the left. That pile of cards is your Experience pile. 

''So, for example, if you have four Physical fallout cards, any of them that are a 7 or higher go into your Experience pile. (Reminder: Aces are low, so you never put those aside.)''

Take all the remaining cards and combine them in a second pile, on the right. This is your Fallout pile.

'''Experience Pile'''

If you have two or more red cards in your Experience pile, you get Experience.

'''Fallout Pile'''

Take the highest ranked card in your Fallout pile and read its value:

<table border="1">
<tr>
<th>Highest Card</th>
<th>Character Is</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Jack of Spades</td>
<td>Dying</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>9, 10, J</td>
<td>Mortally Wounded</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>6, 7, 8</td>
<td>Injured</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>3, 4, 5</td>
<td>Long-term fallout</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>A, 1, 2, or none</td>
<td>Short-term fallout</td>
</tr>
</table>

'''Dying''' means you're done.

'''Mortally Injured''' means that you must win a healing conflict (seee below) or die. You also choose 2 options from the Long-term fallout list, below.

'''Injured''' means you must choose 2 Long-term fallout, and you may be in need of medical help: draw one card for each point of Body you have. If you can't match your highest fallout card, you're in need of medical attention!

For a healing conflict, draw the healer's Acuity + your Body vs. all the cards in your fallout pile + Demonic Influence.
 
'''Long-term fallout''': choose one option from the Long-term fallout list.

'''Short-term fallout''': choose on option from the Short-term fallout list. 

''Note: As an alternative for the Jack of Spades as the card that indicates you're Dying, draw another card anytime a character has a Jack as their highest fallout card. If the suit of this card matches the suit of the Jack, the character is Dying.''

== Miscellaneous Conflict Stuff ==
 
NPCs and fallout: Remember the option to keep a card for a followup conflict: when an NPC takes fallout we don't really care about, the GM should give their highest fallout card to anyone initiating a followup conflict.

Cutting your losses: if you give, you get to keep your second best card (still on the table) for a followup conflict. (Note: Maybe it should be just your best card?)

Helping: To help another player's Raise or See, hand them one of your cards, but turn it sideways. On your next Raise or See, you must turn the card you play sideways.

A card that is turned sideways is worth only half its value (round down).

==== Demonic Influence ====

Treat Demonic Influence as a single Trait (just as it is in regular Dogs, really). 

* ''1d10 - regular''
* ''2d10 - strong''
* ''3d10 - significant''
* ''4d10 - significant and strong''
* ''5d10 - significant and strong + draw an additional card''

== Fallout Options ==
 
=== Experience ===

* add 1 to a Stat
* add a new regular trait or relationship
* add a new troublesome trait or relationship
* add a new belonging
* make a trait significant
* change a trait's type (strong, regular, troublesome)
 
=== Short-term ===

* have your character leave the scene and spend time alone
* take a new troublesome trait for your next conflict
* treat a trait or relationship as troublesome for the next conflict
* draw 1 fewer card in the next conflict

=== Long-term ===
 
* subtract 1 from a Stat
* add a new troublesome trait or relationship
* lose a belonging
* make something you already have troublesome (trait, relationship, or belonging)
* make a troublesome trait significant

== Rules Changes ==

Increasing your Stats in this version of the rules is much more tempting than in regular Dogs play. For that reason, there is one extra rule:

* Your four Stats, added together, may never exceed 9. If your Stats already add up to 9, you must decrease a Stat of your choice whenever you choose to increase another Stat.

== Fast NPCs ==

Each line is one "escalation", regardless of which type of arena it is.

'''Type A'''

* 3 cards + one strong trait
* 2 cards + one regular trait
* 1 card + one regular trait
* one regular trait + one troublesome trait

'''Type B'''

* 2 cards + one strong trait
* 2 cards + one significant trait
* 1 card + one regular trait
* one regular trait + one strong trait

'''Type C'''

* 3 cards + one significant troublesome trait
* 2 cards + one troublesome trait
* 1 card + one strong trait
* 1 card + one regular trait

'''Type D'''

* 4 cards + one strong trait + one regular trait
* 2 cards + one significant trait
* 2 cards + one troublesome trait
* one regular trait + one significant strong trait

'''Groups'''

Add one card per additional member, as well as an appropriate trait to represent each particular member ("The clumsy piano player - troublesome").

=== Floating Traits ===

These are unassigned Traits, exta cards the GM can call into play at anytime, for any reason, but only once during the course of a single Town.

* one troublesome trait
* one regular trait
* one strong trait
* one significant trait