Dogs in the Vineyard vs Wolves of God
Compare Dogs in the Vineyard and Wolves of God side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Dogs in the Vineyard | Wolves of God | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Historical, Fantasy | Historical |
| Tags | Narrative, Fiction-First, Character-Driven, Tag-Based, Corruption, Drama, Improvisation, Roleplay-Heavy, Social Combat, Strong GM Support | Sandbox, Exploration, Worldbuilding, Low-Prep, Ascending AC |
| Core Mechanic | Each side rolls a mixed pool of d4–d10 dice from applicable Stats and Relationships at the start of a conflict. A turn uses two dice to Raise with an action, and affected opponents See by spending enough dice to meet it. Traits, belongings, and escalation add dice as they enter play. Seeing with three or more dice causes Fallout, while Giving concedes the stakes. | 2d6 + skill + attribute ≥ target for skill checks; d20 + modifiers vs. AC for combat. Same engine as Stars/Worlds Without Number adapted for a historical setting. |
| Dice | d4–d10 dice pool | 2d6 / d20 |
| Complexity | Medium | Medium |
| Accessibility | Very Low | Medium |
| Runnability | High | High |
| License | Proprietary | OGL 1.0a |
| Third-Party Publishing | No verified route found | Not yet researched |
| Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing. | ||
| Cost | Unavailable | $$ |
| Publisher | lumpley games | Sine Nomine Publishing |
| Year | 2004 | 2020 |
| Languages | English, Italian, German | English |
| Best For | Groups who want episodic frontier drama built around difficult moral judgments, with a GM who presents each town's crisis without planning its solution. | Historical Dark Ages campaigns set in Anglo-Saxon England with dungeon-delving into Roman ruins, sandbox tools, and Kevin Crawford's signature GM aids. |
| Highlights | Raise and See uses one exchange for words and violence, allowing an argument to escalate into gunplay without changing resolution systems. Fallout converts the blows a character accepts into lasting Traits and Relationships, tying conflict consequences to later play. The town-creation ladder turns pride into escalating injustice and corruption, giving the GM a crisis whose outcome remains open to the players' judgment. | Detailed historical setting with Crawford's sandbox tools, distinctive Anglo-Saxon flavor, Roman ruins as dungeons, compatible with other Sine Nomine products |
| Considerations | The Faith's patriarchal theology and colonial frontier frame are built into the town-creation procedure, so adapting the setting requires replacing more than names and imagery. Conflicts abstract range, movement, and weapon differences into arena and die-size choices, leaving little support for positional tactics. The GM must present moral crises without a preferred solution, which rules out plotted outcomes and prewritten answer keys. | Very niche historical setting, limited appeal outside Dark Ages fans, no free version |