I’ve found that the descriptions on how to lose Nature, Circles and Resources (and how to regain rank points) is very splintered and lacks a good, clear definition.
Essentially, Nature is quite well documented, but for the others I’d like to know the rules you have used to make the characters “spend” Resources or exhaust their Circles?
How do they gain or lose rank in Abilities? Does anyone have a summary of sorts?
I’ve used the Depletion rule for Resources from time to time, but not often. I find that rating doesn’t frequently grow or even get tested enough to be close to growing.
I’ve never thought of reducing Circles, and I suppose the only time I would do so is by way of a scar from Injury or Sick. In the mechanics, this is simply a case in which the player has not recovered or chooses not to recover and must suffer a scar. I’ve done this a small number of times–like, I think of one time in which I reduced Weaver due to a head injury. But, you might choose as GM to say, “your incessant illness has made the gossip-ring, and fewer mice are interested in working with you; reduce Circles by 1,” or, “your scarred flesh and lingering cripple from that injury diminishes your dignified mannerisms; reduce Circle by 1.” And, really those could easily be a moment of reflection about who true friends are and whether others can be compassionate about the suffering of others. But, I think largely I wouldn’t use that option to impact Circles.
I have not yet found a case of Circles growing through tests. Maybe that’s just to say there have not been enough Circles tests; it might speak to how often the Circles test is passed around among players rather than always being the test of the highest rating.
I ran a pretty intense three-season campaign (spring to winter) a year ago where two things happened:
the PCs carried injuries or conditions longer than I wanted (so, I’d like something, in addition to the penalty, to have looming over them if they don’t deal with their conditions in the player session, or following GM session)
they levelled up skills quickly, mainly because assisting gave them successes and passes - which maybe it shouldn’t (? - have to re-read the rules before my next campaign) - but since assisting is vital for success, but it gives conditions, some reward needs to be attached to it. The new wises-system is cool there (where if you get all types of uses tagged on a wise, you can give a skill a pass OR fail)
On top of that, I’d like for losing temp Nature to be quite the ordeal (it kind of is because regaining Nature can only be done through start-of-session summary telling, and during winter - I think)
For Resources, it would be neat if anything higher in difficulty would be resource heavy. Perhaps not from failure, but rather, buying 1S by reducing resources.
Circles have the penalty of failure creating enemies, so perhaps that’s enough.
Anyway - I’m thinking lingering conditions like injury or sickness SHOULD threaten a skill-reduction if kept from one session past a second - into a third.
Untreated conditions could then even become a mission for the group to solve. (“You are so Sick now that you and the group must contact a specific doctor and go find a cure” a-la Rand in the comics)
Bear in mind that if they stay injured and/or sick, then death is much more likely to be on the line.
As for assisting, I don’t have the rules for MG to hand, but in Torchbearer it only grants a test for advancement if you spend a check. That’s the current limit of advantage. My groups tend to help because helping gets them closer to their goals.
Spend a check as in the “checks” you get for “players’ turn”? If so, I would imagine that it takes a very long time to exp up.
I’m thinking only getting “passes and fails” from tests, not assists, since you only do a few rolls per session. But - if Nature is used as a substitute, or you spend Persona to add Nature to your roll - you forsake your right to “pass or fail” And allow from check rolls as well.
Or, do something similar to how Conflicts work. You can only get one pass or fail and get to choose from the skills used during entire conflict.
So for a regular obstacle, even if it’s multi-rolls, player only get to choose one of all passes and fails rolled to overcome that obstacle.
I just want character progression to be more in winter season session than in the regular sessions. Normal sessions should be avout RPing.
And, with the neat 2ed new Wises rules players gets a new way to boost their skill progression.
In Torchbearer:
If you are the one making the test, you mark a pass or fail as appropriate.
If you “help” (or assist, in MG) you do not get a pass or a fail, unless you spend one of the “checks” for the “player turn”, in which case you mark off the appropriate pass/fail.
This is an important note to consider. Since the publishing of Torchbearer, I’ve tried to illustrate this pattern of: ‘don’t deal with it? things will get worse!’ pattern. I don’t do it always, but I certainly try to keep it in mind.
Using checks to help is not really used in MG, but I believe Wises have a similar function.
Yes, I’ve used the health “consequences” a few times - but will probably be more avid in letting them be a vessel for the players taking action.
Prolonged conditions create new conditions. Eventually they turn Sick and/or Injured.
And prolonged sickness or injury leads to weakened skill, and then death…
Lack of treatment for:
And the transition to next condition happens after the players’ turn, before next session, so players always have a chance to get better.
Something like that.
Thanks for this - it helped kick my MouseGuard GM brain into gear again. Was a year since last time. 