GM mice and animals taxing nature

I believe I saw Luke say in another thread that it was possible to tax an animal’s nature. Is this really what he meant, and can other GM controled mice tax their nature? If so, how is it controled so that the GM doesn’t tack on nature every roll? Also, what is the technical name for the GM controled characters?

Hi Twice Born,

Technically, an animal simply cannot act out of its Nature. However, some folks love to have animals argue or whatever. In that case, feel free to use the Acting Against Nature rules.

Ah, so it’s a bit of a hack. The animals aren’t meant to do any more than there nature? I still think the animal abilities should be widened because they’re a little more intelligent in the books then regular animals. I think I’d just use the rules for beginners luck instead. I don’t really see a way to tax animals nature.

I made non-aggressive types use beginners luck in combat situations.

The raven stealing the mailbag got to use full dice because its goal was taking the mailbag, which I thought counted as mischief, so was within nature. If the raven felt like it should kill a mouse I’d have beginners lucked, because that intent is outside of nature.

It’s weird. When I first saw the creature stats I thought “Hang on, I’m fighting a number, not an animal” but when we throw that stuff in it’s suddenly a lot deeper whilst still being simple.

I didn’t think of taxing nature. But I might try it next time. If they ever let me GM again… I like light hearted themes and they always want complicated D&D cosmology of the nonsensical planes…

I still don’t understand how the taxing nature would work. Can you just tax it whenever you want, or is it somehow limited. I think I’ll just use beginers luck and leave taxing out. Well, maybe I’ll allow each GM mouse/animal one tax per game.

A bit off topic I guess, but if they don’t like the light-hearted parts of MG then perhaps send them through something with more pathos. I defy anyone who has read Winter 1152 to categorise Mouse Guard as “light-hearted” - it’s certainly able to be light-hearted (I love the mouse parties and taverns!) but it can do the other end of the emotional spectrum too (the Axe and the Owl, Saxon’s Flight and Return, etc).