Hello. I got a couple questions, but I need to get some set-up…
Okay, I understand that a team’s construction depends on the number of players, etc. For my question let’s assume that there are three players and a GM.
The GM is one team, and the three players are their team.
The Player’s Team choose their three actions out of attack, defend, manuever, feint. (As doe sthe GM for his team.)
GM announces “Action 1” and reveals his Action. The 1st Player reveals his Action. After that’s resolved, GM reveals his Action as does Player 2, and so on.
Question 1: There’s not initiative, because the actual actions are RESOLVED at the same time, even though the GM is “revealing first.” (My concern being if a GM always reveals first, I didn’t want that to mean the GM’s team/charactrer always GOES first.)
Question 2: PC’s team has three players, each getting an action. What are the other two characters doing during the Acting Player’s Action? Is it just that one Player doing something that Action? Are the other two mates adding bonus dice? (Unfortunately the examples really only cover one-on-one snake v. mouse combat.)
There is no order, really. All actions are either independent, versus or negating an opposing action. It doesn’t matter if the mice Attack first and the GM Attacks second because Action 1 still has to occur before Action 2 in the volley or exchange. If the GM unveils a Defend and the players a Feint, the Feint still counters the Defend, even though the GM unveiled “first.”
They’re helping, or should be, and thus adding dice to help Mouse 1. On Mouse 2’s turn, the other two mice are helping (or can be if they describe their actions and the player accepts help, as per Helping rules).
Sorry if I am seeming dense on this, but I just want to try and be clear when I present the rules to my players.
PM (Player Mouse) TEAM has PM1, PM2 and PM3 on it’s team. When PM1 declares Attack, he rolls his appropriate skill/ability. At that point PM2 & PM3 can give him a die. They SHOULD unless they don’t have the skill, or don’t want him to succeed for some reason. When PM2 declares Defend, PM1 & PM3 get to through a die to PM2. And along the same lines for PM3’s Feint check.
Take a step back for a second… So when the initial DISPOSITION roll is called for. PM Team has “the leader of the conflict” roll for the TEAM’s Disposition. In this case, let’s say it is HEALTH. (It should not be the Mouse with the highest Health, neccisarily, but the Mouse who got the Conflict started. No min/maxing, correct?)
So the Team’s starter rolls his Health, and each of the others adds +1D to the mix? (Right?)
I would love to have seen an example in the book with MORE then just Leiam vs. the Snake. Thanks again for any help.
Anytime and yes, this is correct. Remember that they can’t just go “I’m helping. Here’s a die.” They have to describe how they help. This is utterly essential to the spirit of the game.
Correct – he who starts a test, or volunteers an idea that leads to a test, rolls. A conflict is the same (I think). Probably the person who saw the hidden snake, the raven soaring in, or started to argue with the traitorous peddler would be the disposition roller.
This could be argued about and it’s possible that if a snake pops up and the weakest Fighting skill mouse spots it, he could just say “I race back to the others and yell ‘SNAKE!’” and allow the Fighting skill mouse to truly begin in earnest. Watch that slippery slope, though, and make sure there’s lots of description. If you aren’t convinced by their description (or if it’s against their Instinct or Belief), I wouldn’t allow it. A mouse that believes “If it comes to a fight, face it bravely!” shouldn’t be allowed to abdicate the roll to another higher-skill player.
Well, for a Fight Conflict, you roll Health (if fighting) or Nature if you want to run or use all Maneuver and Feints (and describe them as hiding/climbing types of activities – ie, activities that fall under Mouse Nature). Not sure what happens if anyone uses Defend or Attack, though. Guess I’d give the snake a +1D on that volley or something.
p. 102: “You may give your team members helping dice for disposition rolls and tests for actions in a conflict.” Later on: “If you don’t want to be on a team, don’t help with the disposition roll.” So for mice to all be on the same team, they must all be contributing to disposition either via rolling or helping. Otherwise, they sit out or make their own team of 1.
