Player Checks?

Hey guys!

I just picked up this book after having to scour my entire town for it (no small task). It’s great, I love the art and most of the lay outs. I wish there where a few more tables in here, especially for skills :frowning: but I have come across a couple questions.

First;
I notice that in the section about Recharging Traits (p.261) it takes 4 checks to recharge a Rank 3 trait. This seems like a lot, but it got me to wondering if you can save checks from one session to the next. That would make it not quite a bad.

Also if you don’t use checks to recharge a Trait does it ever recharge?

Second;
Can you earn checks during the Player Turn? I don’t see anything on Using Traits Against Yourself (p. 259) that says you can’t.

-Thanks! and thanks to Luke for such a cool game.

Re Earning Checks in Player Turn: no. See Page 75.

Traits recharge after the player turn. p261

Ah ha, that’s an odd place for that blurb. Regarding Player Turn Checks.

and I still don’t see where it says that Traits recharge automatically after the Player Turn on 261.

4 checks for a Rank 3 trait is not bad. Remember it allows you to reroll failed dice, so that’s very powerful!

A trait “recharges” by itself per session. “Session” is open to interpretation. Some consider one GM Turn and one Player Turn to make up one session, so if you play for long hours and have 2 or more GM and Player Turns, you get to “recharge” per “session”. Other consider one game day, regardless of how many Turns are played, to be one “session.” I’m a kind GM, I go for the former, though I’ve never played more than 1 GM/Player Turn so far.

It says that you can only recharge them if they have been used this session.

Recharge a Trait: 2 or 4 Checks
If a level 1 or 3 trait has been used to help
you this session, you may spend two or
four checks, respectively, to reactivate it. This
effect can be bought at any time. It allows the
trait to be reused at its normal value on your
next roll.

Underlining mine.

Hrmm, I suppose that could be read that way. Add that one to the list of “needs to be a bit clearer”

What exactly needs to be a bit clearer?

FME, it’s a pain to locate info on the book since it’s scattered everywhere, but once you find it and read it, it’s clear as day! At least for this topic, it is!

I meant just a line that says.

“At the end of the Player Turn, all Traits are recharged.”

Ah yes. The concept of “Session” is, like I said, open for discussion. I like it that way because I feel it prevents players from going “nova” like they do on D&D.

You can find this also on p.56 where a player can recover from tax or from a condition by giving a Prologue. Prologues are given at the start of the “session.” Same points as I stated before.

I’m pretty sure that p. 53 defines the session pretty clearly.
“The mission chapter describes how to play a session of the Mouse Guard roleplaying game.”

And that chapter includes starting a session, the GM’s turn, the Players Turn, and wrapping up.

Haha! I’m for that definition too! Then again, I’m a kind GM since I play with relatives and family. I can’t seem to remember the argument of the folks who say one “session” is one game day, regardless of number of turns.

Incidentally, a session may include multiple GM’s/Players’ turns. Awarding Fate and Persona is the key part of defining when a session ends.

Page 258 is very clear. Level 1 and 3 traits can be used once per session unless they are recharged.

Can you play for 8 hours then, with a GM Turn, Player Turn, wrapping up, awarding, a short break, then that cycle all over again? Does that count for 2 sessions then?

Yes! But the precise definition of the session is really up to the group. You can do two sessions in a sitting or just one long session. But a session is minimally one set of turns.

Ah, the official word! Thanks!

If one does several GM’s turns and player’s turns every session, isn’t there a risk the players get two few persona and fate points? At least it feels like that after a few sittings, sometimes with more than one session. On the other hand it’s possible to adjust the difficulty of the GM’s turns so that fewer points are needed.

Some people like Hard Mode.

I agree with you, illern. I feel that one “session” is one GM Turn, Player Turn, and wrap up. If you have more than one set of these, then that is more than one session. This is important because some rewards are handed “per session,” so effectively extending a session will be like keeping the kids from their toys.

Mouse Guard is all about hard mode.

And sometimes, you just can’t fill a four-hour gaming night with one GM’s Turn and one Players’ Turn, even with five mice. Believe me, I’ve tried.