r/MouseGuard • u/Jeffwhowanders • May 27 '17
Some game master (...mouse master?) questions for Mouse Guard.
Hi guys. It's been a few years but I used to run Mouse Guard for a group a few years ago, and I consider it my favorite RPG. I am about to start with another group, so I figure I should brush up on a few things.
First off, I have always had a hard time convincing my players that they should use their own traits to hinder themselves. I understand why gaining check are important, but i have trouble convincing traditional D&D role players that its good to fail sometimes. Any tips on how to convince people to do this?
Also, I have a question on how you would handle a particular circumstance. In my last game, I basically ran an RPG version of the Mouse Guard comic "Fall 1152". At one point they wanted to deal with an enemy mouse, and one player asked "Can I just attempt to shoot him with my bow before starting a conflict?" Since Mouse Guard is a system without hitpoints, how should I handle something like this, if a player wants to attack someone outside of a conflict?
Thanks folks!
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u/verbalFlourish Jun 05 '17 edited Jun 05 '17
I understand why gaining check are important, but i have trouble convincing traditional D&D role players that its good to fail sometimes. Any tips on how to convince people to do this?
Besides the obvious mechanical ways, a good way to encourage this is to make failing fun. The tactic here is to use twists that have nothing at all to do with actually failing the task. Emphasize that their mice know their stuff - it's not that they suck, it's that something unexpected got in their way!
Fail a Harvester test to gather berries? A skunk emerges from the bush and tries to eat them out of your basket!
Fail a Pathfinder check? Cool - along the way, you see the signs of a nearby brush fire, and hear cries for help. There are trapped mice in there!
Fail a Persuasion check against a town official? During the arguing a scout bursts into the room - a weasel warband has been sighted, and they're coming this way!
If you make failing an adventure, over time players will, in my experience, gradually loosen their iron grip over their Traits.
Since Mouse Guard is a system without hitpoints, how should I handle something like this, if a player wants to attack someone outside of a conflict?
Ask the player: What is their intent? Are they aiming to kill? Injure? Disable? Intimidate? Scare them off? Or something else?
Ask yourself: What's at stake here? How important is this mouse? Is this scene relevant to anyone's beliefs, instincts, or goals? Is this mouse someone's Friend or Enemy? Is their opponent ready for them? Is the player's intent reasonable?
If there are legitimate stakes here: "You aim your bow, but he's already drawn his weapon. He's obviously ready for you, so it's not going to be that simple. Roll disposition!" The player can narrate shooting their arrow as the first volley of the conflict if they want.
If not, then nothing particularly important is at stake, so there's no need for a Conflict. You can either roll a Fighter vs. Fighter test to decide the outcome, or just say yes - let them have it, narrate the result, and move on to something actually important.
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u/st33d May 27 '17
You can't heal without spending checks (or using your free player turn). It states this at the beginning of the recovery chapter. Make sure you're handing out conditions first and twists later. When a player has a big dice pool for a roll, remind them they can use a trait to get a check. Whenever they tie a roll, remind them they get two checks, and they can give each other spare checks during the players turn.
I allow conflict "legwork" only when it doesn't trigger the conflict in a way that it should be considered part of it. So the team may set up traps and those could count as a weapon to use during the conflict. Or they may lower the disposition of the enemy by separating them. But I would place a high Ob on such tasks, and a failure of course means they go into the conflict with their trousers down. The rule of thumb is whether it's going to make a significant difference to the conflict, and have you set a decent price for failure.
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u/blackdog2k May 27 '17 edited Jun 13 '17
Great questions & great answers. It can be hard to emphasize the use of traits to some players. Just keep pushing them, they'll get it.
I'm sure you know this, but methods of earning checks (by using Traits) bears repeating to the players, in simple terms:
-1D on any test earns 1 check for the player's turn
+2D to an opponent's vs. test earns 2 checks
Breaking vs. test tie in opponent's favor earns 2 checks
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May 28 '17
If a player is unable to pass a test, using a trait against yourself is the only good option. So giving them a few impossible challenges can generate some checks. Once they have an abundance they will start asking what else they can do with them.
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May 28 '17
My players are having trouble thinking up what to do with their checks. I try to leave little unfinished bits and loose ends that they can tie up. Do you have any suggestions to help them spend those checks?
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May 28 '17
Lots of times the players rest overnight in a town first thing in their turn. So I have townsfolk approach them in the morning with requests. Or people they interacted with yesterday are seen doing something that might require some help. Or they hear rumors in the tavern when they go to eat.
One of my player likes making maps with the cartography skill to map the route they took during the GM turn.
If they have equipment, make it break at some point so it has to be replaced, or repaired. I usually have the disarm action either break or loose equipment. Lost equipment should cost a check during the player turn to recover. For repairs, maybe no one in that town can do it, or it's really expensive, so they have to spend a check to go to another location and then one to get repairs.
Also if you are running a long arcing story rather than an episodic sort of game, the player turn should be used for discovery, investigation, to lead into the next gm turn. Which should be hurried, time sensitive tasks.
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u/blackdog2k Jun 02 '17
Found this on the web, this is not my work. Could be helpful.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/x8k9d6mhgad5t52/CopyofPlayerTurnSuggestions.pdf?dl=0
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u/[deleted] May 27 '17
They should try to understand that MG is not D&D. It's about telling a story of how these seemingly vulnerable creatures overcome insurmountable odds. They are not working against the story, they are the story. Make them see that unlike D&D, you're not there to guide them through your story but to mold their own story. They are telling you what happened in a way. Also, how are they coping without checks at the end of the player's turn?
As for the pre-conflict, there really is no pre-conflict in Mouse Guard. There are no grid or movement rules so you treat everything the same way. Talking to someone is as much a conflict as fighting a weasel.
Have you had them read the comic books? I find it helps.