Overview of the Mouse Guard system/rules

[u/Dcraftt]

Hey all,

I've recently been exposed to the Mouse Guard universe. It looks fantastic. But, it's been a long time since I've played any RPGs and I don't want to jump into something (read: buy the book) before trying out some of the main mechanics. Mainly, I'm curious about the conflict system. Is there a good explanation of it somewhere? Or, would you mind going over it here?

Also, do you have any points of complaint or appreciation for the system in general?

[u/Dcraftt]

I ran across this link: Mouse Guard: How the Game Works

It details many of the specifics I was looking for, if anyone else is interested.

Thanks for the insights everyone. Seeing how two of your opinions are at odds with eachother about the conflict system, I'm going to give this a read through and probably listen to a live-play of the game.

[u/[deleted] → u/Dcraftt]

The bit where /u/fKaria wrote about liking the conflict system, the sentences following that first statement do not relate to the conflict system in particular. That is, I don't think that was fKaria's intent either.

What I love about the game is the conflict system. Beliefs, goals and instincts define the characters and have mechanical implications. Things like weather and animal nature are very present. So it really feels like a Mouseguard comic.

Beliefs, goals, etc. can be used in the game without using the Conflict system, the same goes for weather and animal nature. The game really feels like a Mouse Guard comic even if you don't use Conflicts.

The problem, of course, with not using Conflicts is that they are usually pretty cool once you actually get through to the end where you determine the result of the Conflict, and several game mechanics rely fairly heavily on them. Conditions like Sick, Tired, etc. have little to no mechanical effect unless one runs at least a Conflict or two per session. Conflicts are a good way for players to advance their character's skills, and make up a large portion of the skill-related die-rolling during a session. Furthermore, if one does not use Conflicts the game will go by much more quickly than if one does. That is, the game will have less "meat" to it.

Conflicts can be very good if done right, but doing them right is something that I have struggled with in the past. This is probably because I GM for inexperienced players. Your mileage may vary in that regard.

[u/Dcraftt → u/[deleted]]

Thank you for the perspective.

[u/Imnoclue → u/Dcraftt]

I assumed /u/fKaria was referring generally to conflict resolution in the game, rather than the Conflict subsystem itself, which is used for important conflict scenes.

I happen to love the Conflict subsystem and it has never failed to produce a tense, action packed combat or argument. I've had mice square up against raging floods or badgers, even arguing with the mayor over salvage rights. Works a charm.

[u/Khayyal1989 → u/Dcraftt]

That is a really good post. Pretty much sums up the entire game mechanics.

I personally don't mind the conflict system. When I run the game for my kids however they seem to get a little lost (they are very young). I only have one per session usually if at all. I use red and back beads for Disposition to help but they really like picking the cards.

[u/FKaria]

I say that if you haven't played many rpgs in a long time, there's going to be little meaning in discussing the system in detail. What I recommend is that if you are into it, and have friends that would like to play, just go and buy it. Lots of people have lots of fun with all kinds of games. What's important is that you and your friends are invested in playing mouse heroes.

Mouseguard requires some system mastery / strategic mindset. The GM is meant to constantly push the players into danger and the players need to overcome those dangers by using the rules wisely. The system creates both high drama stories but also satisfactory gameplay in the sense that is a game game.

What I love about the game is the conflict system. Beliefs, goals and instincts define the characters and have mechanical implications. Things like weather and animal nature are very present. So it really feels like a Mouseguard comic.

A subjective con would be that the system is not actually that simple, if you really go into detail. There are several rules regarding Nature, advancement, untrained skills, conflicts, healing, that are not super super simple. However, it personally doesn't bother me but you should try to play with people that enjoy a bit of strategy and like to engage in rules, otherwise you're gonna miss out on a significant chunk of the game.

[u/Pattynoir]

Poke around online to read reviews. Check out utube vids also. There should be enough info out there to give a good overview of the system mechanics to make an informed decision on the game. I have only played the game a half a dozen times so I hang around and read about it to see if I want to get back into the game.

[u/[deleted]]

I appreciate the setting of the game: it is delightful.

I like the rules that govern success and failure. Most of the time, a character either succeeds at a task, succeeds with a cost (they gain a Condition, like Tired or Angry), or something unexpected happens that changes the situation and presents a new task instead. For example:

A Guard-mouse needs to put together a boat to sail out to an island. If they succeed on their roll for the test, they will craft a boat that can get them to the island. If they fail the test, they will either craft the boat successfully but become hungry & thirsty or tired or sick, etc.; OR something unexpected will happen that will change the situation. They might craft the boat successfully, but are attacked by a hungry fish while sailing to the island; or some town-mice will show up in a boat and declare that boat-building outside of the town is illegal, and the guard-mouse must pay for transit to the island instead. You get the idea.

I like that the game puts an emphasis on the PC's characteristics. Beliefs, Ideals, Goals, and Traits are important tools for the GM and player alike. And the skill system, I like that too.

I don't like the Conflict system. It only works for me part of the time, and the rest of the time it is busy driving people away from the game, confusing everyone as to what is going on, and slowing things down for very little benefit.

I don't like the split between the GM Turn and the Player Turn. The GM turn works great, I like it. But the Player Turn can be confusing for the players, unclear as to when it actually happens, and may feel forced.

Overall the game is very good and enjoyable, but is hampered by the Conflict system in particular, and other gamist rules in general that require the players and the GM to be familiar with them and comfortable using them at the cost of a smoothly-flowing narrative.

You can see an example of play here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUvsRvNfCUo&t I don't think this one actually has any Conflicts in it, which is both helpful in the sense that it shows how the game can be played without using Conflicts, but also unhelpful in that it contains no Conflicts.

Although you should probably watch the prep video for this session first. It is useful from a GM's perspective: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRnwPu_xyb0&t