[Vicious Love]

Empirically baseless hypothesis here, what if WoG randomizes damage in two stages per "ouch check", first choosing a province at random(Probability modified by dominion, as stated in spell description), then choosing targets within said province at random(a la Fires From Afar)?
This might explain why researchers/artificiers/conjurers/etc, who spend most of their time alone in a fortified laboratory, often seem to be the spell's favorite targets.
Then again, this might just be a question of selective observation, since one seldom overlooks the death of one's prize lapmage.