Mission Design: My First Session

Mouse Guard Missions
1

Since people seem to be interested in seeing how others build their missions and prepare for sessions I figured I would post my some of my own notes.

The first mission my group will receive will be to travel to Port Sumac and help the townspeople deal with a pirate problem they have been having.

I basically give my players their mission, and have a number of obstacles and story notes prepared that I can use when they decide who to approach their mission. I try not to prepare too much scripted material.

Spring Session #01

Mission: The mice will need to travel to Port Sumac and help the townsfolk with some pirate related troubles they are having.
A gang of weasel pirates has been attacking boats and fishing settlements along the shoreline in the bay. The weasels have a hideout (in an old well) located at the far back of the bay South of the port. When arriving at their destination the mice will find a strange masked vigilante who is also pursuing the same goal they are.

Obstacles for: Overland Journey Parts
Use these obstacles anytime the players are travelling overland in the wilds or on trails.

Obstacle 1: The Washout
A section of the trail is washed out along a high rocky ridge. The mice must find a way to safely cross the treacherous terrain. A raging torrent of water flows along the bottom of the gap.

Ob 4, Health checks to climb or jump. It is a dangerous rocky area lacking sure footing.

Ob 3,Carpenter checks to make a bridge / ladder. It must be very sturdy.

Failure: Twist!
One of the mice gets washed down the torrent and over the edge of the ridge and lands in a dark damp area that is very quiet. Too quiet! (That mouse gets injured, others get tired and hungry as they have to scramble down after the fallen comrade).

The dark area is an animal nest! They’ll need to be careful.
The nest belongs to a:

| Mink | Nature 6 |
[Swimming, Hunting, Fighting]
Armed with Cruel Barbed Hook +1D for Attack and Maneuver

Obstacle 2: The Blocked Tunnel
The tunnel is blocked by two groups of merchants who have become entangled within the narrow confines of a hollow log.
One cart overturned and broke taking another with it. Now the tunnel is filled with shouting angry mice and there is no clear path through the chaos and spilled supplies.

Persuader Ob 3: Talk the mice into co-operating, and working to clear up the mess or bullying them to step aside and let you climb over carts.
Failure: Potential Conflict! (Argument), Make Angry

Scientist or Carpenter Ob 4: Build a pulley to lift the broken carts and assist in repairs.
Failure: Injury for Tester, Angry and Tired for all others.

Health Ob 4: Climb the hillside and skip the tunnel entirely.
Failure: Weather Twist! A cold chill spring rain blows up. Health (Obj 3.) or Sick. Loose 1 day travel and gain Tired.

Obstacles for: Finding Passage on a Vessel
The mice may try to find a ship to take them to Port Sumac. It’s either that or the group makes the journey around the bay on foot: How inconvenient! The rise in recent pirate activity however, and the early spring weather mean that not many vessels are willing to make the jouryney.

Circles Ob 5 to find a ship captain or other contact to negotiate passage with.
Barclay the Boatmouse will arrange to take the guard mice across the bay. He needs to get out of town anyway!

Failure: Twist!
While searching for a contact the group finds Barclay but he is in danger!
A group of thugs down at the docks is going to rough him up over a gambling debt.

Threaten the thugs into leaving.
Failure:
Potential Conflict with Laborers and Thugs (1 per player)
Maybe just make tester Angry.

| Thugs | Nature Mouse 4 |
Unarmed, Fighter Skill 3.

Character may make Resources (Obj. 5) to pay Barclay’s debt.
Failure:
Potential Conflict with Laborers and Thugs (1 per player)

Port Sumac by Sea
If the mice take Barclay’s offer to take them across the bay then they must face the dangers of open water. Suddenly one of the mice notices a strange splashing sound coming across the water at dusk. A school of small fish is approaching, all leaping into the air to catch bugs. There is risk of the boat being swamped or damaged as the fish pursue their prey.

Defend the Boat: Fighter or Hunter Obj. 5
The mice could try to defend the boat by attacking any fish that draw near.

Fail – Twist: A fish lands in the boat and begins thrashing around in an attempt to get back into the water. A conflict begins, as the mice need to get the fish out of the boat or kill it.

| Small Trout | Nature (Fish) 5 |
[Swimming, Jumping, Spawning]

To be Continued…

This would be pretty much all I would prepare for the first part of one session.
I have obstacles plotted for water / boat travels as well. The players turn I leave wide open and I simply ad-lib along and adjust my story notes as I play.

I expect we will have 2 GM turns and 2 player turns each session. Since we usually play for about 4-5 hours.

I keep a second page of story notes as well. When I finish my first mission I will type it up and format it like the missions in the book and post it on here for everyone.

2

I think stuff like this is interesting and inspirational. I’m just about to start up a Mouse Guard campaign myself (Character generation on Monday) and it will be interesting to follow along if you like to comment on successes or failures with your planning. I’m also thinking about just ad lib:ing the player’s turn and react on what they (unless enough time passes for other actor’s plans to catch up).

3

I sure will post a follow up.
I have the session planned for this evening and will have at least 3-4 players.

We played a REALLY basic conflict a few weeks ago to get a few players up to speed on the basics, but none of my players have ever played a collaborative style story game before. So I am lookingforward to it.

I’ll hopefully have some doodles I’ve drawn of the characters and places they travel as well. The best part about a game based on a comic is the potential for drawing cool pictures :slight_smile:

4

Yes, be sure to update us.

5

Hoorah!

Everything went very well. My group all had a great time and each of them proclaimed at some point during our story: ‘man this game is super fun’!

My favorite obstacle was the blocked tunnel. The imagery of a dozen or so mice grain peddlars all standing around in a hollow log arguing over who owes who what money and who’s fault the accident was is hilarious.

I was impressed with the way my group played. During the washed out road obstacle it was not enough for them to simply find a way across the gap. They needed to build a good solid bridge so that all mice who needed to use the trail could pass safely.
There were a number of carpenters and crafts-mice in the patrol.

Everyone did a good job of playing their instincts and using their traits.

We just need to work on their beliefs a bit. I’ll post the characters up here as well in a while. Maybe we can get some advice on giving the beliefs we have a bit more Oomph.

I think the way I planned this out worked very well for me. I would change the way I do things a tiny bit though. I will have way more wild and dangerous twists prepared for them in advance of our next session.

6

Hoorah!

Everything went very well. My group all had a great time and each of them proclaimed at some point during our story: ‘man this game is super fun’!

My favorite obstacle was the blocked tunnel. The imagery of a dozen or so mice grain peddlars all standing around in a hollow log arguing over who owes who what money and who’s fault the accident was is hilarious.

I was impressed with the way my group played. During the washed out road obstacle it was not enough for them to simply find a way across the gap. They needed to build a good solid bridge so that all mice who needed to use the trail could pass safely.
There were a number of carpenters and crafts-mice in the patrol.

Everyone did a good job of playing their instincts and using their traits.

We just need to work on their beliefs a bit. I’ll post the characters up here as well in a while. Maybe we can get some advice on giving the beliefs we have
a bit more Oomph.

7

Did these while the boys were working their beliefs / instincts.

8

Such nice little guys :slight_smile:

9

Current Story Notes

[ul]
[li]Patrol must travel to Port Sumac [complete]
[/li][li]Schroeder must recover family heirloom [complete]
[/li][li]Patrol must learn details of pirate problems; Where are they located? How many? What is their MO?
[/li][li]Patrol will learn that the town is understaffed on guards and soldiers who help maintain law.
[/li][li]Patrol will meet the ‘Masked Stranger’.
[/li][li]Patrol will learn location of Pirate Hideout from Captains. They all seem sure they operate in the south end of the bay.
[/li][li]Patrol will face the Dread Pirate Horngolde.
[/li][/ul]

Time spent in Port Sumac
The patrol will most likely need to gather information and supplies while in town.
They will also need to speak to the Council of Captains, the town officials.
The council will fill them in on information as to the pirates location and recent activities. The patrol will be presented with official city licenses to grant them lawful authority within the port city.

City officials give them the names of three vessels which have recently had run ins with the pirates and may be able to provide more information.

Obstacle: Locating the Three Captains
Locating the whereabouts of the three captains is a Obj. 4 circles test.

The three captains can normally be found at the following locations when not at sea:

Captain Archibald Fitch – Is almost always in his office at the city port Guards Station during.

Captain Benito – Plays cards at the Twisted Tail, a local gambling house.

Cap’in Eddard – Normally lurks eerily in and around his vessel during the day.
During the nights he seems to disappear mysteriously.

Here is a bit of information to add color to the three Captains.
Captain Archibald Fitch – Tall handsome mouse, with many naval medals and a stern demeanor.
Vessel: The Sandy Anna

Captain Benito – A strange mouse from the far eastern coastal region. He wears a colorful vest and has a long dueling sword at his hip.
Vessel: The Gilded Runner

Cap’in Eddard – A older, swanky, strange, and colorful figure. He gestures wildly when speaking, and is quite obviously a bit demented from the long years he has spent at sea. He is secretly the masked vigilante the mice of Port Sumac call The Scarlet Souris.
Vessel: The Keg

FAILURE:
When the patrol locates Captain Benito he is stinking drunk and thirsting for a duel.

When the patrol arrives at Eddard’s ship, they see a mysterious masked mouse peering down at them from atop a nearby building, but if they attempt to catch him he seems to simply disappear.

Obstacle: The Sea Serpent
Cries of alarm reach the ears of the patrol. Something is happening on a busy street near the docks.
A large snake has slithered out of the lake and up from the docks. It has trapped a number of vendors behind some fruit and grain stands and is attempting to smash through the rickety wooden strictures to catch it’s prey.

The Snakes Goal will be to grab any mouse it can in it’s jaws and escape.

The Sea Serpent | Nature (Snake) 6
[Swimming, Escaping, Predatory, Hiding, Constricting]
Bite: +1D to Maneuver
Coils: +1s to Attack

*If the party has fire allow +1s to any attacks or feints.

A Fight Animal or Chase conflict will most likely occur as the patrol will leap to defend the towns mice, or will attempt to lure the beast away by baiting it themselves.

If the patrol wants to:
Trap the Snake
Obj 5 Hunter test to build a workable trap and lure the beast in.
Carpenters, Craftsmen or Scientists may be of great assistance.

Drive the Snake Away
Will require fire and a contest of wills! Have them make a vs. Will test against the snake.
Fire grants a +1s.

FAILURE:
Impose injured upon anyone who interacts with the snake directly and fails.
Impose tired and hungry upon anyone who helps or is involved in the conflict.
Possible Weather Twist: The snake snatches an innocent bystander and slithers away, a somber heavy and cold spring rain sets in.

If the players set out to look for the pirates run the Charge! Obstacle
If they delay or fail to locate he hideout then run Horngolde Attacks!

Obstacle: Charge!
In order to locate the Pirate hideout the patrol will need to complete an Obj. 6 Pathfinder test.
This is a secret hideout after all!

FAILURE:
The patrol arrives at the hideout eventually, but their delay in the wilderness has caused more problems! They arrive just as a boatload of nasty potential allies for the pirate gang have arrived to meet the ‘boss’ for the first time. It is Captain Archibald and he is defecting to join the pirates.
Now they must face both groups.

Conflict with both the gang of pirates and Horngolde’s crew of defectors.
The conflict takes place at a ramshackle dock near and old well on a grassy bank of the lake.
The well has been converted into a weasel hideout complete with watchtower and a guard outpost at the dock.
The masked vigilante arrives during the second round and assists the group with a +1D on whichever action they attempt.


The Dread Pirate Horngolde | Nature (Weasel) 6
[Aggressive, Gloater, Steal, Burrow]
Skills: Fighter 4, Boatcrafter 4, Deceiver 3
Armed with a fine Saber and Light Armor.
+1D on Attack, +1s on Feint, +1 D on Disposition
Trait: Intimidating

“You fools, did you think I am foolish enough to try to rule these waters alone?! Of course I have a man on the inside.”
“I will be Admiral Horngolde, and I will control this entire coast!”

Captain Archibald Fitch, Traitor to Mousekind | Nature (Mouse) 4
Skills: Fighter 5, Boatcrafter 3, Lake-wise
Armed with a Curved Naval Cutlass.
+1D to Attack, +1s to Maneuver
Will 4, Health 4, Resources 3, Circles 4
Trait: Ambitious

Mob of Pirate Weasels | Nature (Weasel) 4
[Aggressive, Gloater, Steal, Burrow]
Skills: Fighter 3, Boatcrafter 2
Trait: Cruel

Mob of Turncoat Mice
Skills: Fighter 5, Boatcrafter 3, Lake-wise
Armed with a Curved Naval Cutlass.
+1D to Attack, +1s to Maneuver
Will 4, Health 4, Resources 3, Circles 4
Trait: Mob Mentality
Armed with assorted Weaponry.
+1D to each type of Action

If the party prevails they may return to Port Sumac with their mission resolved.
Run a final players turn then end the session with the mission complete.

Obstacle: Horngolde Attacks!
If the players fail to locate the pirate hideout the pirate Horngolde attacks Port Sumac!
He and Captain Archibald Fitch sail into the harbor and begin attacking the town with canon.

Start a WAR conflict with the players and the two groups of attackers and determine the fate of the town!
Be ready to adapt.

Potential Weapons for Conflict
Supplies found in the warehouses, Allows for properly equipped and ammunition. The town has many weapons and much gear stowed, but few people to raise the weapons.

If the characters need to marshall more forces they can attempt to arm the workers in the town and have them aid as a citizen militia.

The council chamber can serve as a command center.

The patrol hears of a masked mouse aiding in all of the skirmishes with the pirates. +1s if the Scarlet Souris is on the scene.

If they patrol thinks to embed their forces they could have Fortifications as well since they are defending a town.

During the players turn I expect the patrol to pursue the identity of the masked vigilante.

10

You’re seriously undervaluing those mobs. They need to have more dice – one character with an ability of 3-5 plus one die for each helper.

11

Hmmm… could be. I was counting on the fact that all the bad guys would be granting each other helping dice too. I haven’t run a big conflict yet, so I may need to tweak these values.

Perhaps I’ll run a practice conflict for myself this evening and see how the sides even out.

12

If the individual mobs arent rated correctly, the game world perception is going be skewed. A patrol will be able to easily beat that mob, but they’ll have a devil of a time with two weasel fighters.

13

I see, I see.

Well, I will look closely at some of the builds provided in the book and tweak something to suit me then. :slight_smile: Then I can be assured of a good balance.

Hmmm… Thugs = Bandits…maybe swap scout for boatcrafter.
The trained naval mice… maybe soldiers with the swim skill swapped in.

I’ll come up with something!

14

Very nice thread, thanks for sharing!

15

Well, we had our second session and it seemed to go pretty well.
The patrol has found the pirate hideout, but arrived at the wrong time.
They decided against an attack, as they did not want to ruin their element of surprise. Now they are on their way back to Port Sumac to try and warn the town officials that their is a traitor amongst their officers.

However the pirates are on their way there as well, by sea. They have plans to attack the port city in order to take it as their base of operations.

Maybe Port Sumac will fall… if so the patrol could wind up entangled in a war.

16

I think this looks great! I’m gonna borrow some of it in fact for my one shot tomorrow. This is my first time running MG or BW, my greatest fear is that I’ll be running DND with mice :stuck_out_tongue:

17

I don’t know about BW, but playing MG is nowhere near D&D with mice. The roleplay alone sees to that!

18

Chuck, take a look at my Adventures with Cheddar thread to see my first session ^^ I’ve put in pretty much step by step of our role playing. I was worried about how long the Turns would take but as we go I can see that won’t be a problem at all.

19

I’m glad you have enjoyed it!

I have much more material, but I am currently job hunting, so sadly I need to keep my mind out of the mousey world and in the real one. Which sucks! :frowning:

I much prefer my made up worlds.