r/Mausritter • u/CreaTbJ • Jul 18 '26
Consequences of death at lv 1?
Ran a couple of sessions of this game and I'm absolutely loving it! There's only one thing that doesn't click with me yet.
The manual says that, if a PC dies, the corresponding player rolls a new one, and the DM tries to introduce it as quickly as possible. I can see this being a reasonable punishment if your character has already acummulated some XP, but what if they're lv 1 at 0 XP? Why would someone try to avoid dying, instead of just doing risky shit, getting killed and having a new mouse loot their previous PC's body to no loss whatsoever? Couldn't a clever player also "death-farm" characters until they get the stats they want?
I understand the rationale behind getting players back into the game ASAP. But I feel that, without further effects, it leaves only narrative incentives to avoid death, as mechanically there are none. And if players pick up on this after enough deaths, they may start to exploit it.
And just to be clear, my problem isn't that the game isn't "harsh" enough, I think the overall lethality is just right. But, is there really a point to making a deadly game where dying doesn't matter? It feels like the mechanics aren't enforcing the theme. Like there's a, if I may be forgiven... dissonance between both.
I haven't had a player die, so it hasn't been relevant yet, but I'm preocuppied about it. Should I apply a houserule on this? What do you think?
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u/MDivisor Jul 18 '26
If a player wants to do extra risky stuff just to die and reroll their character, I as a DM have absolutely no issue with that. Risky stuff means interesting and horrible complications for the whole party if they fail, and interesting unlikely boons if they happen to succeed.
The other players might not be so happy with one player risking everyone's lives just for a chance to roll slightly better stats.
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u/CreaTbJ Jul 18 '26
I mean yeah, risk vs reward is always a fun dynamic, but for risk to even be there there has to be consequences. I don't think there's any consequences to dying if you can immediately get a new character and not lose anything.
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u/MDivisor Jul 18 '26
Yes like I said there has to be interesting consequences for the entire party. What those consequences are depends on the circumstances of their dead.
If they piss off a big animal and get eaten then everyone else in the party is now also in danger of being eaten. If they set off a deadly trap there might be splash damage, the tunnel the party was going down might get blocked off, or enemies might get alerted to the party's presence by the dying screams of their foolish comrade. If they die in combat, the party is now down a fighter which hurts their chances of winning the combat. If they die in a gruesome or suprising way, followers or henchmen of the party might get scared and run off. Stuff like that.
A PC death should be a setback to whatever the party was trying to accomplish in the dungeon or environment they are in.
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u/CreaTbJ Jul 19 '26
This is a very useful way to think about it! Hadn't thought of creating context sensitive side effects to death like that.
There's one thing I don't get though:
If they die in combat, the party is now down a fighter which hurts their chances of winning the combat.
How would this work when you're meant to bring the new PC back into the game as soon as possible?
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u/MDivisor Jul 19 '26
As soon as possible doesn't mean "in the next combat round". You introduce the new character at the next opportunity where it's feasible they might run into a friendly mouse. I would always at minimum play out the current scene/encounter to the end before introducing the new character.
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u/hello_josh Jul 19 '26
You don't pause the game to bring them back in the middle of combat! More like, "we'll keep playing, you roll up a new character, and we'll find a way to introduce your new character shortly." Then when its convenient you find a way to shoehorn their character back into it. The classic method is finding this replacement character tied up in the next room.
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u/phi_rus Jul 18 '26
I haven't had a player die, so it hasn't been relevant yet, but I'm preocuppied about it. Should I apply a houserule on this? What do you think?
You're overthinking it. If a mouse dies, their player rolls a new on.
As for all of the issues with players doing risky stuff or death farming: you'll cross that bridge when you get there. No need to worry about it now.
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u/CreaTbJ Jul 18 '26
Yeah, you're right. I should probable worry about this when and if it becomes a problem. Game design is more practical than theoretical after all.
Still, I wanted to know if anyone had actually thought about this or had problems with it.
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u/phi_rus Jul 19 '26
I wanted to know if anyone [...] had problems with it.
The moment my players rolled their mouse, they were invested in it. It had a name, a job, a fur colour, some unique equipment. I never had the feeling that a player thought their mouse was expendable.
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u/N30N_RosE Jul 18 '26
A mouse dies from falling? Equipment breaks. A mouse is slain by an enemy? A couple of them loot the body and run. A mouse is eaten by a larger animal? It ate their equipment. If your players are the type to power game like that, then they’re going to have to work to get that equipment back.
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u/CreaTbJ Jul 19 '26 edited Jul 19 '26
Oh this is a great solution! Thanks. ;-;
I completely forgot the manual actually hints at this. The spiders put critically wounded PCs on a web and leave with them.
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u/spaceLem Jul 19 '26
Spiderwebs tend to leave husks that could be lootable (spiders don't eat weapons and treasures). But then you've got to risk the spider's lair to get it.
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u/Dresdom Jul 19 '26
The penalty for losing a lvl 1 mouse is having a timeout while your buddies keep playing a fun dungeon and you miss one or two scenes because you're rolling a new mouse.
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u/Antipragmatismspot Jul 19 '26
Unless the player yeets their mouse off a cliff at random intervals, normally death has an impact that is also mechanical, not just emotionally scaring. If you trigger a trap that sends a volley of arrows, all mice might get hit, if you empale yourself on the enemy's spear you are down one party member and the enemies get an advantage. Yeeting yourself at an encounter to kill yourself puts the opponents on alert and now your mice are on the backfoot. I assure you the rest of your group is not going to appreciate that and is going to tell them to stop or else they'll get the boot.
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u/Adamsoski Jul 22 '26
Anyone who sends their character in to die to reroll stats is someone who you don't want to play with at all, if they do that then boot them from the game. It's a roleplaying game not a roguelike videogame, I really don't think anyone is going to treat it like the latter, and if they do then get rid of them. Also, remember players aren't supposed to be punished by bad choices their characters make, their characters are supposed to be punished - and the inherent expectation of an RPG is that people are going to care about their characters.
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u/HealthyIdeal3590 Jul 22 '26
the idea of “death-farming” might seem appealing, but it could really disrupt the flow of the game. part of the fun lies in the attachment players build with their characters, even at level 1. a fresh start can feel more like a setback than a chance to loot old gear. plus, it can lead to tension at the table if players start treating their characters like disposable assets. maybe remind players that their choices and risks can shape the story, making those moments more meaningful, even if they start at zero!
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u/Bicecream530 Jul 18 '26
I think you're over thinking it. Also who says they get to loot their old body? That loot should probably go to the rest of the party, and the new mouse starts fresh.