Lieam is using Scout to find the grain merchant. If he fails, there are only two options:
Am I correct in my reading that there is no such thing as a simple failure in Mouse Guard?
“You fail to find the grain peddler. Moving on…”
If that’s the way it is, then that’s pretty wicked awesome. Every time the dice hit the table, there is a chance for the game to spin off in a new direction. There is no such thing as a test without consequences.
In standard skill and ability checks there is no simple failure. Simple failure is only used in Recovery or Conflicts.
I agree its awesome. For a good example of how a failed roll never meaning outright failure is a great way for driving a story forward can be seen in my Actual Play: http://grandexperiment.livejournal.com/19325.html
Just did a game with a friend and yes, this is awesome.
It was 1 on 1 so I worried we’d hit a dead wall (damn! I was rolling a lot of dice against him!)…
But the “no simple failure” idea kept things moving: when I couldn’t think of a cool twist, I’d just impose a condition.
Conditions eventually meant he’d need to do something about it…get home/get to safety, etc. find help.
I love Luke’s comment in another thread: something like, “If the mice are cold, tired, hunger and lost, you’re doing something right!”