Earning Checks

Mouse Guard Missions
1

I’ve been reviewing some examples of missions and it seems that an average mission might have a simple obstacle and a complex obstacle and since there’s a good chance one of those will fail, there will probably be a twist. That seems to me that there will be one test for the simple obstacle and maybe 3 tests for the complex obstacle and maybe another test for the twist. That makes about 6 tests, and if you divided those among three players, then each player might do 2 tests meaning they will each possibly earn 2 checks by the end of the game. Is that right?

It seems most of the rest of the game is narrative and roleplaying and if ideas come up then the GM will likely just say yes or no.

This excludes conflicts, of course where there would be quite a few more rolls of the dice, but I think I remember that you can only note on your sheet one test per skill used in a conflict. So, I’m guessing a conflict might offer another 3-6 rolls of the dice which might produce 1, possibly 2 more checks per player?

And if the mission was comprised of just 2 simple obstacles and they succeeded at both, then there was really just 2 checks earned, 1 each for 2 of the players. The 3rd never made a test?

If that sounds right (and if I’m missing something, please let me know), are there generally any other tests done in the course of the GM’s turn? If they are travelling along and out of the blue a player wants to practice a skill, is that okay? Is it common? What other ways might there be other rolls of the dice?

2

Don’t forget about conflicts. Conflicts greatly increase the opportunity for earning checks.

3

Twists generate new tests as well. But just two simple obstacles is a pretty thin mission.

Generally, the mice should be under enough stress and time pressure that there’s no time for practicing. They can say they’re practicing whatever, but that doesn’t mean you have call for a test.

4

I agree that the patrol is under a constraint to emphasize the mission/obstacles. It also provides a restrained list of opportunities–that’s something to highlight for players now and then.

As for practice, there is nothing wrong with using a Player Turn check to manage practice. That might be, “I’m going to have some practice time on such and such hobby/talent/expertise/specialty/interest,” but might also be, “I’ve been practicing all along a little bit each day and/or night; let’s have a test in the PT that reflects all that practice time.”