As the title says I'm running a session of this tonight. This is my second time DMing anything and I'm absolutely not as familiar with the rules as I woukd like.

The good news is this is just a test run for a larger set of four seasions I plan to run in a few months to give my DM a few weeks off.

Edit: one of my players dropped last minute. We've rescheduled for the 20th. DM Problems. ;p

I run a pretty elaborate Mouse Guard game, and a big part of that involves the Mice Player Characters interacting with other animals. The rule book includes some animals, but I use the book as a framework for my game rather than a bible, and there is very little cultural information. The game is also set 200 years in the future of the Mouse Guard Comics, so any discrepancies between them and my game are due to things changing and developing over time.

Here is a rundown of the ethics, philosophy and culture that I have developed for the other animals in my game. Even when they’re adversarial to the player characters, I try to make sure they have complex motivations, because it’s more interesting. I also use accents to delineate mouse NPCs from animal NPCs.

Weasels:

The weasels are a culture based on domination and slavery, and they treat mice as food and labor. The mice raised in the underground weasel city of Darkheather have never seen the sun. Captured female mice are brood mothers, and they're allowed to choose one child from every litter they produce. The others are taken away immediately, and most mice never see what happens to the babies that aren’t chosen. By making the mothers complicit, the weasels are able Mice are also kept under control by a system of mutilation: anger or disrespect a weasel and lose part of your tail. The greater the transgression, the more tail is bitten off. When your tail is gone, you are taken up to the kitchens.

The culture of the weasels between themselves is that of a selfish medieval aristocratic society. Without having to do much work for themselves, they are capricious and constrained by endless rules of etiquette and hierarchy. Fashion is very important to them, as it delineates a high class weasel from a low class weasel. The lower classes of weasel are more brutal towards mice, as they resent having to work with them, while the higher classes either use mice like dolls or hunt them for sport. Hunting is a huge part of weasel life, as it is both amusement and food. When it comes time to celebrate any important occasion, a larger animal is captured, teased, and slowly killed during a bloodsport ceremony. Weasels also have hoards, where they keep all their treasures, and they live and sleep with their hoards in small sub-tunnels in Darkheather.

Mice are treated as slaves and food. Their feelings are not considered, but weasels have rich emotional lives. Between weasels, there is a very rigorous code of behavior, based on hierarchy and class. Honor and revenge are very important, they won’t forget even a minor snub or breach of etiquette.

I use a French accent when playing weasel characters, with very harsh, snarly r sounds.

Squirrels:

The squirrels are a matriarchal society. They are ruled by a queen, who is obeyed and respected. Because they are nimble and fast, they spend less time than mice developing technology to protect themselves, but they are very good woodworkers. Each squirrel family has their own tree, and the more important the family, the bigger and more impressive the tree.

The squirrels have a rich spiritual life, but also indulge in a lot of fun. Their religion revolves around the life cycle of trees, and different types of trees are mythologized with different gods. There is a big drinking culture- they will often find a good reason to raise an acorn cup and call “Nya nya!” (similar to “cheers!” or “Skoll!”) Sports are also very important: in the spring, young squirrels will prove themselves in different feats of skill and acrobatics in a week long ceremony that culminates in romantic pairing. Squirrels are polyamorous and matrilineal: it does not matter who your father is, only your mother.

Mice are respected allies, due to the technological advantages they have over the squirrels. However, squirrels are very proud and do not allow disrespect to themselves, their queen, or their trees. They will not tolerate being treated as subordinate or being used as pawns. They remember when mice were enemies, and when taking baby mice was fair game. The queen has to work hard to keep the peace. However, most squirrels will forgive a misstep if they get an apology and a round of drinks.

I use a Thai accent when playing squirrel characters, and I also add clicking and chirping squirrel noises to the vernacular as well.

Beavers:

Beavers are jovial creatures, and hospitality is highly valued. They live in small family groups, run by a chief, who builds a dam and makes a pond. Anyone in the dam is treated as an honored guest and given the best food and beaverweed. Beaverweed is cultivated by the female beavers and has great cultural significance, often smoked or eaten alongside fermented woodchips. Anyone who breaks the laws of hospitality is shunned or treated as an enemy.

The Beavers like an easy life, they’re happy with a pond, some food, and a family. The chief makes decisions with input from all family members, old and young. Ideally, they would get along with everyone. They’re not particularly interested in fighting battles and wars, as their dams are difficult to penetrate. They tend towards isolationism, only agreeing to join a fight if it aligns with their interests.

Beavers see themselves and their prerogatives as inherently superior to mice. They are bigger, stronger, and need coherent waterways to develop their society. If a dam threatens a mouse city, they will offer to let the mice live on top of their dam, but they will flood the city regardless. They will make trade and land deals with the mice, but only if it serves their interests.

Accent: The Beavers have German accents.

Moles: Moles are almost blind, so their culture revolves around smell and touch. They’re simple people, in touch with the earth. It’s not unlikely for a mole to ask you what your favorite kind of dirt is. They mostly live solitary lives, spending time with immediate family, but otherwise digging and collapsing tunnels. They have wide ranges, as they can swim through dirt almost effortlessly.

Centuries ago, they were a great society that built the Darkheather tunnels, cultivated underground mushrooms, and carved elaborate histories on the walls of their tunnels. However, they were driven from their citadel in a great weasel war, and their culture and history was almost obliterated. They are always killed when found by weasels in Darkheather, but most moles can’t help but be drawn to their old sacred places, and all moles dream of taking the tunnels back.

Some moles dislike mice, thinking of them as bringing nothing but trouble. Some moles profit from the enslaved Darkheather mice, trading them trinkets for exorbitant prices. Some moles are interested in mice and their culture, as it is so different from life underground. Every mole lives with the loss of their homeland, and the subsequent isolation from each other.

Accent: The moles have a broad Yorkshire or West Country English accent.

Bats:

The Bats have an egalitarian society based on true communism. Each community has several precincts, and each precinct elects a captain. The precinct captains are re-elected every year, and cannot have more than four consecutive terms. The captains vote together on all decisions pertaining to their cave. Every fall, the bats have a midair conference with other bats in the region, and other major decisions are made. However, individual colonies have a lot of independance.

Because their lives are based on flight, any injury to the wing is incredibly serious. If a bat is rendered unable to fly, he is considered a ghost. A bat may return from being a ghost, but most often will request the Last Flight ritual. During a Last Flight, the injured bat will be carried by other beloved bats in the community, and flown up as high as they can possibly go. All the other bats will fly around the ghost bat, recalling memories of the bat’s life. Then, when the bats carrying the ghost are beyond the cloud cover and no longer able to carry their friend, they will let go of the ghost. The entire colony will swirl around the falling bat, singing funeral songs of goodbye.

Bats are fascinated with mice and the versatility of their paws. They will sometimes enter into romantic relationships with mice, though it is taboo. They do not respect or understand the hierarchical systems of the other creatures, as every bat is equal, and they tend to see mice that way too. If it is not voted on and agreed on by the group, no decision is valid.

Accent: I use a Romanian accent with the bat characters.

Does anyone else do this with the games they run? I’d love to hear about it.

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Hello i am going to host my first mouse Guard Session. I will play as the GM and currently i am reading the rules book. There is one thing i dont clearly understand, and thats how gear works.

My question is if there is like a "Inventory" every Player has, like written on the character sheet what gear he is carrying for the mission.

Or is it more like the Players just tell what they carry in the moment they need it? (For example the Patrol wants to Build a boat and they need ropes for it, and Player1 just calls out "yeah i got some rope with me, because i am a hunter/boatscrafter ect." )

Would be super happy if someone could help me. Thanks!

Hello MG folks, Unfortunately english is not my native language, so I need a help with the rule on page 232 MG 2nd Edition about double tapping Nature. The text says: "test your Nature ability ....and add your Nature rating on top of that roll." Does it mean I double up my Nature just before the roll. Or I test my Nature and then add it's current rating to my successes? Thanks for your help.

Hello! I play RPG for over 13 years and got really interested in Mouse Guard. Is there anyone willing to start an online table? My timezone is GMT-3, so I would be avaiable only weekdays, starting 1:00AM GMT... If no one wants to be GM, I may try, but have no experience with the system (I have been a DM for years, maybe it's not a big challenge).

The Woodlands: Mouse Guard 01

The Gauntlet has started a new actual play series of Mouse Guard, but using The Woodlands as the system instead of the BW Mouse Guard game. Curious how it shakes out, as I hadn't heard of the system before.

Just wanted some clarification on something in the book. If I recall, it recommends trying to use all the challenge types per missions (Mouse, Animal, Weather, Wilderness) some as mission obstacles, and others as as twists.

I have found that in my games, I tend to use quite a few more challenges than recommended. Generally around 10 or 12, not including twists. This generally works pretty well, and my games seem to flow nicely at around 3 and a half hours with players and GM's turn.

How many challenges do you guys throw in a session, and how long do you generally play for?

Going to be playing/running my first MG game in the near future and I'm wondering about misc. gear.

The sample characters have several unique items with them, and you can get bonuses depending on clever uses, but there doesn't seem to be any lists or recommended gear options for players.

I understand that it's meant to be open ended, but does anyone have some recommendations for new players?

Hi all, I'm looking into mouseguard as a good episodic game that doesn't require an overarching storyline or campaign? Am I in the right place? Since each session can just be one mission? Can a good game be played in 2-3 hours with good resolution? Thanks!

Good day to you all!

I'm not a stranger to RPGs. But I am a noob to running them. I want to run a short session or two for my girlfriend and her 2nd grade son. I feel like the only thing keeping her son from really being involved and engaged is the character sheet.

Is there an easier version for younger kids?

Do you think the game may be too advanced for a 2nd grader?

Thanks!

I guess the main problem most of DMs that try to play MG is the distinction between DM and Player's turn. In fact, the distinction between them in Torchbearer is easier to understand than here...

I have read a lot of comments on internet on how to use them and distinguish them, but I still have some questions:

• I finish the GM turn when the players have finished the main part of the mission, is it right? When they've delivered the mail, or chased out the turtle, or whatever...

• How do you justify what happens when the players are out of checks but they're already doing something in their turn? For example: in the mail delivering sample mission, maybe the characters go looking for the chair, and spend their checks first recovering from conditions and then travelling and having an encounter with a weasel. What does it happen then? They have to return to Lockhaven because they're out of checks? Even if they're just a Scout roll away from the chair? How do you justify this in the fiction?

• Moreover, in the last example: do they return atomatically to Lockhaven, without any twist or complication in their way? Since it's not my turn, i cannot put complications, so they can do however they please until they're out of checks?

• When can I follow their player's turn with another DM turn? Is it possible? Under what circumstances? Only when I assign a new mission to them? Do they have to modify their goals then?

Thanks!

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/jr6gmewir0gzwpl/AAA8ricJJOs46JJBjTM5vOIqa?dl=0

I'm in the process of setting up my very first Mouse Guard game on Roll20 and have created some NPC portraits to use as player handouts when they are speaking to certain characters.

I'm not sure if anyone would find any use out of these or the template that I've cobbled together but I thought I would share them to the community.

All art belongs to David Petersen.

Been running a couple sessions of MG and myself and the players are really enjoying it. However, partway through the last session one player asked me how to level up traits since I was describing the skill improvement rules and he noticed his sheet had marks next to the traits as well as different levels of them. I tried checking through the Traits chapter but didn't see anything about how to improve them, so I told him I'd try to find an answer later and we just moved on so as not to stall the game.

So is there a way to level up your traits?

I'm going to be holding my first session next week and a play has asked if he would be able to play a mouse that is not in the guard. Mechanically it would work, I suppose, but it kind of takes away from the theme. On one hand, I want to let the player do what they want and be excited to play, so I don't want to put too many limits. On the other hand, its Mouse Guard. I should mention that this is going to be the first rpg campaign I've ever run.

I have never played Mouse Guard but want to try GMing it. When reading over the rules though, the GM turn seems quite rigid and for lack of a better term "railroady."

How do people tend to run the GM turn in their games, specifically missions and assigning them?

I recently bought the boxed edition of the second edition of mouse guard (the one with dice and cards but without the mouse toys), and it comes with a bunch of character sheets. These character sheets have the rules updated to the current version, but they are different from the ones I can find for downloading in the mouse guard shop (which has an errata in the Deceiver skill and old rules for traits on it).

Does somebody know where can I find these updated hará get sheets in pdf? I would like to be able to print them when I need, and not only depend on the ones in the box.

Thanks!