About 10-15 years ago (wow … has it really been that long?) I used to play Deadlands RPG. A “Weird Wild West” game that combined cards, dice, and poker chips … and to some extent, poker hands.
Much like “artha” (fate / persona) is awarded for good roleplaying, the poker chips are also awarded in Deadlands for “being good players” – figuring out the mystery, advancing the storyline, doing “stuff of legends”, etc. And I don’t think the poker chip “awards” was unique to Deadlands.
So … I’m wondering if anyone has taken the practice to their MG game. Award a white chip for Fate, and a red chip for Persona. Use blue chips to keep track of checks that the players earn for the Player Turn. If nothing else, it would encourage the “quiet” players to start doing stuff.
I find anything visual or tactile tends to help. I use glass beads (cheap at a craft store, and usually used in flower vases) – blue for Persona, red for Fate. I’m a really visual person, though, so those sorts of things appeal to me.
I haven’t played Mouse Guard (yet!), but I use poker chips for Artha in our BW game. White for Fate, Blue for Persona, Red for Deeds. (There’s no real significance to the color assignment outside the fact that the box of chips has like 50 white chips, 30 blue chips and 20 red chips.)
I wouldn’t think so, as you’d be tossing them one at a time in what I would expect to be a fairly small room, but I don’t know your gaming situation so I won’t press it. Nerf balls? Fresh fruit? I can picture any number of things being thrown around safely without getting lost. Or you can keep a supply on your person and take them out and place them in front of you as you earn them, and pocket them as you spend them.