Plethora of Questions

Mouse Guard Missions
1

[ul]
[li]Gear
[/li] Does gear stock for the next session? Or do you expend it each time you declare the use of its bonus in a given check? Do I need to create another leafboat each time I need to cross a river or can I simply write it down in my gear list and it will remain there until something happens to it (like destruction, lost, stolen, decay, etc).
[li]Successes and Teamwork
[/li] Does a helping mouse get a sucess check or a fail check to the skill he was using when the main skill check took place? For example, I help the smith with my armorer skill and he succeeds, do I get to check my armorer skill? On a different note, if the original check fails does my armorer skill get the fail check?
[li]Checks during player’s turn
[/li] If one mouse decides to lead the way to a different city, he rolls Pathfinding, even though no one helped him in his roll, does everyone benefit of traveling?
[li]Supplies and Teamwork
[/li]If I create a piece of gear or gather some sort of supply, does it remains in my bag even after use?

Additional questions will be posted in this very same thread.
[/ul]

2

Gear
I would say “it depends.” Weapons such as swords (or roleplay weapons) obviously are not expended when used. For your leafboat example, unless you say you carry your leafboat to the next stream, I would say you leave it on the riverbank. It is “expended” if you come to another stream and want to cross, but if you return to the first stream, you may or may not find it there (depends on the situation, if you return immediately, then it’s there, if you return a few days later, I’d say it’s not). This is more dependent on the “living, breathing environment” the mice live in and not on the rules.

Teamwork
Good question! I’d like to clarify this as well.

Checks
Remember that he would have to say what he wants to do. So he wants to roll Pathfinding to go to another city, but what does he want to do there? Does he do it alone or does he ask his patrol mates to join him? If the party agrees, then he rolls and they all go there. If the party is occupied with their own goals, he can roll Pathfinder but he goes to the new city alone since everyone else is busy.

Supplies
I’m not sure what you’re asking, but the general idea of MG is the mice are resourceful. Note that they don’t pack food or tents when they travel — but they can make Survivalist checks to create shelter, Harvester checks to gather food, Nature checks to forage for food, and Cook checks to cook the food. They don’t even bring tools but a successful boatcrafter gives you a boat and paddles. So the theme is: Make it as you need it… so no need to store 5 days’ worth of rations in your backpack.

Hope that helps!

3

[ul]
[li]Gear[/li][/ul]
Remember mice can only carry so much. You are limited to the space in the Gear section on the character sheet. As for a leaf boat, I don’t think a leaf is going to last very long being hauled by a bunch of mice through the wilderness, going to make hiding and sneaking harder too…Also Boatcrafter has a factor called “multiuse” which I think applies. So, the ob would go up if you want to keep it.

[ul]
[li]Successes and Teamwork[/li] I know that helping gives you a test in BW, having trouble finding this rule in MG text.
[li]Checks during player’s turn[/li] If they are all traveling, then the mouse who came up with the idea tests for them all, even if the others do not actively help.
[li]Supplies [/li]Can your mouse carry it?
[/ul]

4

[ul]
[li]Gear
[/li][/ul]
If you can carry it and it’s a sturdy tool, use it till it brakes on you or you loose it.
[ul]
[li]Successes and Teamwork
[/li][/ul]
You get NO points for helping, but you are however liable for any conditions or twists.
[ul]
[li]Checks during player’s turn
[/li][/ul]
I say it’s a GMs call. On a players turn they don’t always have to be stuck together. If one player wants to go off on a wild goose chase to another town that’s fine. If they want to stick together, than they all travel with him on his testing roll even if they don’t help. It would be like them tagging a long without helping the others find a path or clearing obstacles in the road. Also keep in mind that they don’t have to test every time they go somewhere. Many GMs let the players travel for free on the players turn.
[ul]
[li]Supplies
[/li][/ul]
Again, you may keep whatever can fit in your bag as long as it hasn’t been broken or anything. Things like “bag of herbs” run out after you use them up and have to be.

Hope that helps.

5

Gear’s been pretty well covered by -Ice. Twice’s got teamwork; you don’t get any tests for helping, but you’re bound by whatever conditions should you help and the test fails. Helpers Learn is a BWism, not an MGism.

I’m going to disagree with Twice and say it’s up to the player who tested to see if the other players get to tag along (it’s their Turn, after all). Is he volunteering to lead the other mice? Then they can travel with. It’s no different than one person making a Resources roll to buy food for the whole patrol without the other patrolmice helping. The wealthy mouse gets the food on a success and is free to dole it out as he or she sees fit.

Supplies follow the same guidelines as gear. Does it make sense for it to last?

-B

6

I asked the question about test in player’s turn because I can see that if I bring a contact into play he can make free checks for the patrol during the player’s turn. Resources to buy food does have an increase in Ob when you try to get more than the needed for one. As for pathfinding seems that you just have to tag along with the one that makes the check (which has no increase in Ob).

Thanks everyone for making it clear.

My doubt concerning supplies. On the book there’s a passage where it says that you can grant a +1D for someone through supplies, is this the same bonus category for gear or will it stack with a personal gear that also helps in that situation? Will it also stack with the help of the same mouse?

For example: Mouse 1 has Cook, a wooden spatula (+1D) and Grain-wise (+1D); He receives supplies (+1D) from Mouse 2 who’s a Miller. Mouse 2 also decides to help in the cooking process using Baker (+1D).

Is this correct? Because I do remember seeing in the example for supplies that the harvester (or in my example the miller) would have to work through spring or fall to grant that bonus. Will this take place right away or only in the end of the season? It seems rather “magical” to say the least to grant it right away. The book also tells us that any craft- or tradesmouse carries the minimum required amount of supplies to ply his trades.

So if one writes down “bag of milled grains” (those provided by the miller) on the gear area will it grant +1D along with the spatula’s +1D?

7

I believe the bag of grains would add a +1D, but the players going to have to test something to get it…maybe resources, or circle up a friend with a mill, or maybe resources for grain and then a miller test with appropriate factors. The milled grains were “paid for” with a test, so the players have the extra dice.

8

Are you suggesting Mouse B could tag along with Mouse A, but Mouse A would only be Pathfinding to get himself to the next settlement (Ob for one mouse) but he misses out on the helping die from Mouse B?

Seems like a slippery slope. I’d make Mouse A test for the pair, whether Mouse B helps or not.

Also, I’d not allow a contact to make tests in the players’ stead. Players are free to use checks and Circles to find mice to assist them, but I’d not let a GM-controlled character do the work for them outside of the rolls/scenes they get in the Players’ Turn.

9

I mentioned that, because it says that it can be done. I don’t have the book here but it says that you can use circles to bring a character to the front and the players can have him roll for a specific check on their behalf (spending no checks in the process).

10

Seems reasonable that a found NPC can do an action on behalf of the PCs. I guess that’s why you try to find someone else to do something.

11

I see what you’re talking about on p. 241, but still it should cost the player a check for the initial Circles test.

Also, it looks to be of limited use in the GM’s Turn. Not a lot of missions take place in towns, and I wouldn’t let a player roll up a character using Circles unless he or she directly was related to the mission or obstacle at hand. The game’s about the players, after all; GM characters shouldn’t be doing their [dirty] work.

12

Pathfinding
Again, I would say this would all depend on the table chatter.
Guy A: I want Mouse A to go to Grasslake to follow up a contact there!
GM: Okay cool, that’ll be a Pathfinder check.
Guy B: I want to scrounge up some grub and chow so I can get rid of my Hungry condition.
GM: Oh, okay, that’s an Ob 1 test. Guy A, does Mouse A wait for Mouse B to finish his meal so they can go together?
Guy A: Nah. I go on ahead, I’m in a hurry. Besides, knowing Mouse B, he’ll be there in the pub for sometime!
Guy B: Oh, you know me very well, brother!

So in the above example, Mouse A travels alone. If the player decided to wait, then they travel together. Bottom line is the mechanic stays the same, but the story can change depending on how your players want it. Also, the other player, if he tags along, does benefit from the Pathfinder roll (they make it to Grasslake) even if he doesn’t help with the roll, or he can help if he has the appropriate skill or -wises. If he doesn’t or can’t, then that’s okay — if Guy A fails his Pathfinder test, they both get lost, if he succeeds, they both reach Grasslake.

Supplies

Then that is awesome! I would say the dice stack since one is from gear, one is from -wises, one is from supplies, and one is from teamwork! There is nothing magical about this, even if it were the start of Spring, I’d say it’ll only take a while for a harvester to harvest “just enough” that is needed, and the miller would only take as long as necessary to grind it. I would rule AGAINST this if it were called for in my story, for example if the story calls for shortness of supplies or if the Territories just had a very, very lean harvest last season. Otherwise, as the book says, assume they have what is needed when it is needed.

Also, since this is a one-use thing, you don’t have to write it in your supplies/gear section anymore! Not unless you plan to keep it for future use or to deliver it to somewhere else (another city). You can, however, write down the spatula since it’ll “last longer.”

Resources from other mice
I would say that if a player passes a Circles test to find another mouse, or passes a Resources test to find a certain resource (milled grain), then they get what they want. On p.26 and p.127, if a player calls up a friend or his parents on a Circles test and passes, then they are there to lend aid. They won’t have to roll to see if they are able to muster up the “aid,” they just do. For example, if a player stays at his parent’s house, he doesn’t need to roll to see if his parents have food and will be able to feed him, they just do. Passing the Circles test is the “payment” for the food.

While this may sound like having someone else do the dirty work (some other NPC mouse doing the appropriate roll for the PC mouse), then it is! If you want to have a nice wooden table but don’t have the carpentry skill and don’t want to do a Beginner’s Luck, do a Resources test to see if you manage to buy a nice wooden table from a local carpenter. You don’t have to roll for the Carpenter to see if he passes his test, he just does! Your Resources test is “payment” for the table.

Just my $0.02. Hope that helps!

13

I might go with Ice’s take on the circles/resources tests. I thought about it that way too, just wanted some opinion to see if I wasn’t making wrong assumptions.

[ul]
[li]Single Obstacle and Complex Obstacles
[/li][/ul]
Overcoming and failing a single obstacle is okay, now, complex tasks.
Let’s say that I need to pass on two different tests. Can I fail the first one and generate a twist, and another twist and so on until I get it right, then by the second obstacle if I fail again I can succeed by gaining a condition? Or vice-versa, gaining the condition on the first obstacle and the twists on the second?

Long story short, in a complex obstacle is it possible to get multiple failure results (and for that failure options) and successes at the same time?

14

That’s a good question, but honestly, I don’t think there’s a set in stone answer for it. Just do what feels right and works in whatever game you’re in. Some things are left up to the GM to decide cold turkey.

15

As Twice Born said, it is a possibility, but not a certainty.

16

The GM’s Turn - Player’s Turn transition.

My latest game had many Player’s Turns and it got me thinking if I did it right.

They were traveling and had to make stops at an outpost between sprucetuck and Ivydale, then they went to Ivydale, and finally to Sprucetuck.
Weather was harsh, only one twist from spring rain to spring storm, and the storm went back and forth for a few days, basically they would stay in one of the towns for a night and back to the road cause they had a deadline.

Whenever they stopped in a settlement (including the outpost) I would give them a player’s turn. Was that correct? And if they decided to camp outside during the trip to R&R should I also give them a player’s turn?

17

There’s no rule that says you must go into the player’s turn once they get to town or make camp. The GM’s turn is done when “he’s done beating up the guardmice, usually once they’ve completed their mission, reached the safety of town or passed a dramatic moment in the story.”

So, even if they’re in camp or in town, they may not have reached a safe haven. The questions to ask yourself are have they completed the mission, have they reached safety, or is this a good stopping point in an extended mission.

Also, on page 72 it discusses a variation using shortened GM’s turns during missions which extend over more than one session of play.

18

I usually play extended sessions (it’s closer to what my group is used to).
So if they reach a town and their is no pressing dangers or duties that need immediate attention I’ll hand over the turn to the players.

On an average night or play, we’d have two gm turns and one or two player turns.

19

Page 72 states one can experiment different pacing. In the aforementioned game there were many obstacles and I decided to give them a brake while they were in town. I do see your point guys, I’ll reduce the number of player’s turns next time. Thanks a lot.

20

Don’t go easy on them! If they’ve faced their Obstacles they’re due a turn, but no reason to hand over the reins at every town. Time is always of the essence to mice of the Guard.