Torchbearer Conflicts in Burning Wheel?

Burning Wheel Modifications, Hacks and Expansions
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Hey all! I’ve been reading Torchbearer and Mouse Guard after spending a lot of time with Burning Wheel awhile back, and I really enjoy all three systems, but I feel like there’s something valuable that TB and MG added in their iterations that Burning Wheel is lacking; namely, a flexible system of conflict resolution for a group of characters working in concert.

Obviously, Burning Wheel has Fight!, Range and Cover, and Duel of Wits, which are much more nuanced conflict resolution mechanics, but as far as I can tell they really work best(perhaps at all) in simulating one-on-one conflicts(except for Range and Cover, which if I’m honest I’m still shaky on).

Torchbearer has simple, elegant mechanics to handle exorcisms, chases, negotiations, not to mention larger-scale conflicts between groups of combatants. If I were to come across situations like these in a Burning Wheel game, what recourse do I have? Should it fall to a single versus test? Should I set a linked test against a disposition-like obstacle? Am I overthinking this?

Has anybody else tried to take the mechanics introduced by Torchbearer or Mouse Guard and carry them backwards to Burning Wheel? How did it go?

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In a BW campaign some time ago (~2009/2010) the game sort of built up to a climax of a large-scale armed conflict. Mouse Guard was out by that time, but Torchbearer wasn’t. And we wanted some way to represent and abstract a war. So we used a Mouse Guard style conflict.

Honestly it’s been so long that a lot of the details are fuzzy at this point. I remember we stuck with the attack/feint/defend/maneuver options. I’m pretty sure we were pretty loose with what skills could be used for which action, especially since BW has a lot more skills than Mouse Guard. Gave us a chance to get creative and bring in various skills.

I think we were pretty satisfied with the result. It worked well for what we wanted to to do.

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I wouldn’t change the conflicts listed in the book for anything. I love them quite a bit. Give Range and Cover a try, cause it is a lot of fun.

That being said, I’d no issue with beginning new Conflicts by basing them off of Torchbearer’s stuff.

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