Several questions about teamwork and the Player’s Turn:
A) Is teamwork possible during the Players’ Turn or does each player need to spend checks to aid another. Case in point, player A wants to use cook to help player B overcome is Hunger. Player C wants to use harvest to gather some herbs and roots to help the second player cook. Can player C just give player A a +1D or does he have to spend a check to use his Harvester skill to provide resources?
B) When using teamwork during the GM’s Turn, can two different mice use the same skill to help the player who is rolling the die? For instance, someone is using Pathfinder. Another player wants to help with his Path-wise. A third player also has the same skill and wants to help.
C) I get that during the Players’ Turn, actions are limited by checks. But let’s assume a player wants to use his only check to find out the hideout of a band of thieves. He finds them out. Now what? Does he just stay there until the GM’s Turn? Or should the GM advise the player that having just one action would severely limit the player if he wanted to take that course of action and that having two checks is better since he can iniciate a conflict with the thieves with the second check?
C) Cliff hanger. He finds the bandit’s hideout and next time we find out what happens to this foolish mouse who sets off on big expeditions completely unprepared.
I always assumed that, according to page 77, one player had to spend his own action to aid another. Maybe I’m wrong, but that’s how it reads to me.
Additionaly, in the example above (finding the thieves), can the rest of the patrol accompany the first mouse and NOT spend an action to do so? They just go with him. This may sound nitpicking (probably is) but since spending checks and limited actions are such a big deal, the questions is pertinent. According to the sample missions in the book, the first option is the way to go. Someone decides to find the thieves (uses his action to do a Scout test) and the rest just goes along for the ride without spending a check. Is this correct?
I’d allow it, just don’t forget if it matters how many mouse the group consists of, for example foraging, hiding and so on. If they want at least approximately the same thing the other mice just don’t accompany the mouse who’s player is rolling for his check but even help the main character mouse (giving extra die to the player). I don’t see any reason why the group can’t for example travel somewhere but the main character mouse refuses help or don’t get any but still lead the group somewhere, the right place or the wrong. We have had situations where the main character hasn’t wanted to accept help from severely wounded, tired, angry and hungry mice that’s about to get sick or an inexperienced tender paw since they just would screw things when it’s their turn in a conflict or just out of roleplay.
I’m not sure I understand fully, but here’s my problem: during the Players’ Turn, is Teamwork handled exactly the same as in the GM’s turn, i.e. someone spends a check to make a test and other mice help by describing how a skill can help the mouse doing the test and then giving him +1D? Or do they have to spend their own checks to provide this help?
Other players do not need to spend checks to help (see page 77, "Other Players’ Roles During the Players’ Turn). They are, however, bound by the result of the test. For example, if one player wants to use a check to test pathfinder to journey from one settlement to another, then any player who helps makes the trip as well and suffers any consequences along the way (page 94, “You Reap What You Sow”).
I’m sorry that page 77 isn’t clear. I admit that it doesn’t explicitly say “teamwork,” which is the name of the rule in MG. It just says “help” which can be interpreted more generally.
So the rules canon is that you do not spend checks in the PT to use the Teamwork rules on page 93.