Welcome!
… I’ve read most of the comics as well as the Mouse Guard rule book. I have not read any of the Burning Wheel rule books, however. I’m looking for some help/advice with the items below from you experienced folks. Thanks in advance!!
well, you’ll do fine without reading the Burning Wheel material. Certainly, MG has some roots in BW, but not so greatly that you need to understand both in order to make a great game of things.
[ol]
[li]My girlfriend really wants to use her miniatures in the game but, from what I’ve read so far, Burning Wheel does not need them. I’ve read a suggestion in one of the posts of this forum that you should print a big version of the overland map and put it on the table. I guess we could put their miniatures on the map to represent where they are. Any other suggestions?
[/li]> [li]I’m really confused by the notation of “+1s” in the Mouse Guard rulebook. What does this mean? The first time I encountered it was in the section describing weapons but I don’t remember this notation being use anywhere else.
[/li]> [li]I’m REALLY confused by the use of teams in battles. When Teamwork is being used and there is a versus result in the battle that the mice don’t take separate actions, but one combined action. Is that right? If so, do you use the greater of the dice pools then add +1D for the ‘helping’ mouse? How does that work? I’m lost.
[/li]> [li]I don’t quite understand the idea of “tests” for characters. I mean, I’m a GURPS veteran so I totally understand the idea of making players test their abilities, but Mouse Guard implies that you only get so many tests and that players can earn more tests by making things hard for themselves and what-not. I just found this confusing. Can anyone help explain this to me?
[/li]> [li]My girlfriend really likes the board game called Mice and Mystics. It has cards with special attacks and what-not. For example, one of them is called “Battle Squeak” which she thinks is super cute. Has anyone incorporated more of this flavor into their Mouse Guard games? Just curious.
[/li]> [/ol]
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I agree that using the map to show locations is a great choice for including the minis and encouraging theater-of-the-mind. This would work especially well if you choose a mission which requires distance trekking in which the obstacles are within the trek. Consider the Deliver the Mail sample mission; this mission can begin from Lockhaven, with instructions to reach Gilpledge and Dorigift. Then, you have a chance to play out the Wilderness Hazard shortly outside the rural hamlets and homesteads beyond Ivydale and specify some obstacle of how the wilderness is impeding the trek, such as the sucking mud suggested in the sample content. Also, you have suggestions there for Animal Twist and Weather Twist which both can occur while trekking in the distance between Lockhaven to Gilpledge. So, that would be a good way to illustrate using the map and minis without trying to integrate minis into a beat-by-beat scene of fighting, arguing, or something.
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Teams in a Conflict may take some rereading and look especially at the example. It is a topic frequently discussed in this forum, so look through a few older threads (without thread necromancy) to get a few ideas, then start a thread with your remaining questions.
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The mission is essential for the players to engage. If they are distracted by other objectives, you could choose a few methods as GM to keep them attentive to the mission. Now, this will seem a bit like railroading, and you should note that’s part of the spirit of the game: you’re a mission-oriented patrol, not treasure hunters, detectives, quest-fulfillers, or something like that. So, first is the advice, “Yes, No, or Roll Dice,” in this case, when players want to illustrate skills, traits, wises, or just cool gear that’s excellent and should be encouraged; however, not everything is worth the risk(s). As GM, some things you can just say, “Yes, things play out just as you’ve described,” and maybe embellish as desired–in other words, let them show-off the awesome skills, traits, wisdom, or gear, but don’t roll dice over it. You can also say, “No, not quite, here’s what’s really going on,” or, “No, you don’t have time for that,” or, “No, that’s too far to reach right now,” or really any other denial. Denial should be reasonable, but purposeful, so don’t just deny 'cause it might trivialize some future obstacle. Lastly, as GM, you can say, “That’s a risky proposal, here’s the test you need to pass; the risk of failure is…”
Now, the players need to think ahead to the Player Turn when each test or Conflict requires they spend a Check to make that scene happen. By using Traits as a detriment during the GM Turn, they gain Checks to use in the Player Turn. As you are just starting, be super encouraging of players using Traits both as benefit and detriment. Lower tests can encourage players to win, and higher tests are opportunities for controlled failure. What I mean is, a Pathfinder 3 trying to trek the route from Lockhaven to Gilpledge faces Ob 6; even with a patrol of Helper dice, and a critical piece of gear, they might only gather 6 dice to roll–That’s a beastly attempt and without the advantage. It would almost be better to gain checks and tolerate the failed dice knowing that the risk is possibly Success w/ Conditions or an exciting Twist which would otherwise be bypassed.
- I wouldn’t use that during a Conflict yet; however, I would attempt to incorporate something that a new player feels interested in and familiar with. So, maybe that’s a great Trait: Wolf’s Voice; let the player decide when that provides benefit or detriment and maybe even consider it as a gear in some circumstances. Look at Weapons of Wit (pg 118): intimidation or deception is a prime spot for using a Wolf’s Voice howl. Also, Cut to the Chase (pg 121): Dirty Tricks seems a good spot for a Wolf’s Voice howl. So, look for subtle ways those familiar roleplay elements can be included even if not frequently at the front of stage.