Sadie's Initiative - Second Attempt

[Glendower]

A few years ago, I ran a Mouse Guard game set in the the Flintrust region.

http://www.burningwheel.org/forum/showthread.php?10308-For-Conrad-Sadie-s-Initiative

Unfortunately it only lasted a few games before the players got busy with RL stuff. It folded. Sadness.

Moving forwards, I got a new group of folks to play in the same concept. I’ll quote the concept below (NOTE: Contains Spoilers for the second Mouse Guard Comic):

This decision to station one Mouse Guard member was hotly contested by Sadie, who believed that an organized troupe could have fought their way out without casualties. Conrad’s death and Sadie’s relentless campaigning brought about a new initiative.

Each Troop would be assigned an area of the Mouse Territories, an be in charge of activities within that area. They would be provided with a watch post from the generous donations by the Mouse settlements in their area, and would stay in this region for the year. Diffusing the Mouse Guard in this manner means that troop response times are much higher, and the immediate problems in the region, be it wild animals, dangerous weather, or other wilderness problems, would be dealt with quickly.

Each troop would be assigned with maintaining goodwill to the neighboring mouse settlements, as their watchpost depends on those settlement’s donations. They will be responsible for resupplying the watch post, and keeping it in good working order.

In the late Autumn, the disparate troops will be recalled to Lockhaven, for a full report over the winter months.

So let’s introduce our Guardmice!

This is Cecilia Moore. She’s a tenderpaw in the guard, and self proclaimed Morale officer. Fond of throwing big parties, she joined the guard to enforce Social Justice!

Belief: All living things are innately good.Instinct: Always attempt to make friends.
Traits: Generous x2, Weather Sense

This is Geron Fenmouse. He’s a Patrol Guard and veteran of the Weasel War.

Belief:Surviving the wilderness separates Mouse from Guard
Instinct: Always stop and wait before revealing myself.
Traits: Rational, Sharp-Eyed, Quiet

This is Laurel Kitchener, Patrol Leader and Cecilia’s Mentor. Her parents live in Lockhaven, and groomed her at a young age to join the Guard.

Belief: I make the hard decisions when others can’t.
Instinct: Always expect the worst in others.
Trait: Guard’s Honor, Clever, Jaded

This is Sorrowsong, a Patrol Guard who suffered terrible burns in a fire. His patchy scars and burned ears are horrifying to behold, but it speaks to a toughness.

Belief: Cherish each day to earn another.
Instinct: Always try everything twice.
Traits: Hardworker, Generous, Scarred

And this, this is Devlin Mossfoot. He’s a Scientist that specializes in poisons. He’s very good at what he does, but has spent some time in prison when his poisons killed all the insects on a farm. He insists it was an accident… that contained very useful data.

Belief: The quest for Knowledge is our greatest endeavor.
Instinct: If it is new, always take samples.
Traits: Inquisitive, Skeptical x2

[Glendower]

Mission 1: To Oakgrove

The Guardmice were asked by Gwendolyn to deliver a beetle drawn cart filled with supplies to Oakgrove, and settle into the Guard tower known as Storm’s Watch.

Goals:

Lauren -Teach my Tenderpaw something Valuable.
Cecilia - Convince Devlin to let some creatures go.
Devlin - Discover new medicinal plants.
Sorrowsong - Gain new experiences through food.
Geron - Get to Stormwatch while getting into a bit of trouble on the way.

The first obstacle was Wilderness – Getting to Oakgrove without incident(Long Journey, infrequently used – Pathfinder Ob 5)

Cecilia led the way at Lauren’s insistence. She didn’t have the highest Pathfinder, but Lauren wanted her to learn. The others assisted as they picked across the spring landscape, but soon met (due to the failed test) a swollen stream.

The stream was deep and fast moving, and lots of debris was floating in the waters. They decided to build a set of boats to get them and the cart across. Again, Lauren had Cecilia work on the boats, while the others gathered supplies to build the boat.

Cecilia had to decide on whether she wanted just enough boats for the Guardmice (ob 3) or for the mice and the cart (ob 4). Because the other mice had come through with supplies (ob 3 Laborer test for Sorrowsong and Devlin), Cecilia decided to risk it and went for enough boats for all.

The failed test led to another twist. The boats were quite serviceable, but a massive branch threatened to capsize the boats halfway across! They frantically attempted to row the boats out of the way (Ob 4 Health tests), but Sorrowsong and Devlin’s boat was struck by the branch and fell into the water! The two of them managed to fight the current and get to shore, but were exhausted (Tired Condition).

As it was getting late, I ended the GM’s turn there. Lauren used her check to get the supplies safely to Oakgrove, while Cecilia spent her check to throw a big party, sparing no expense, so she could make friends. Unfortunately, her failed Resources roll meant that one family, the Twiggs, were not invited to the party.

Devlin used his check to attempt to recover from his exhaustion, without success. Sorrowsong was similarly unsuccessful.

Meanwhile, Garon used his check to scout out Storm’s Watch, and reported back a problem. A pair of crows have taken roost atop the guard tower!

And with that, we ended the turn, and called the game. Everyone agreed that they enjoyed the game, and are looking forward to playing. We are playing tonight, so I’m excited to see how mission 2 ends up!