Dogs in the Vineyard is about God’s Watchdogs, young men and women called to preserve the Faithful in a hostile frontier territory. The setting is a fantasy inspired by pre-statehood Utah, the Deseret Territory, in the early-mid 19th century. Player characters travel from town to isolated town, carrying mail, news, and doctrine, healing the sick, supporting the weary, and pronouncing judgment upon the wicked. Picture a landscape of high mountains, icy rivers and cedar woods, falling away westward into scrublands, deserts, buttes and swells. The summer skies are heartbreaking blue, but the winters are long and killing.

The system features a unique conflict-resolution mechanic, which weighs the "stakes" of the conflict against the temptation to escalate with violence. The book also includes copious amounts of advice for game masters.

Won the 2004 Indie Game of the Year award.

Vincent Baker has stopped selling DitV because he has concluded that despite his efforts the game continues to perpetuate harmful stereotypes about American Western Expansion. There is currently no legal way to purchase it, except used physical copies.

DOGS, A setting-less rewrite of the rules was made by KN Obaugh, with Baker's approval, and can be purchased from DriveThruRPG.