Who Makes the Test?

Mouse Guard Getting Started with Mouse Guard
1

Hey there Burners et al,

So,
•if a player says (speaking as her character) “I have an idea, let’s try… (plan.)” Then that character must test the obstacle, but
•if a player says (speaking as her character) “What do you think of this idea- let’s try… (plan.)” Then the patrol leader may choose who tests the obstacle?

2

First one is correct, second one isn’t.

The parenthetical is wrong. Plans come from table chatter.

3

How is a group-generated solution to be distinguished from one generated by a single player?

I don’t mean to sound glib, but if a player suggests a plan in character, addressed to the patrol, who then agree that the plan is sound…

…is that not “the group [coming] up with a plan to overcome an obstacle”?

4

Table chatter = player chatter, not character chatter. I think that’s what Luke is saying.

Also, the patrol leader will not always choose the “best” person for the job. If his Instinct is “Give the tenderpaw a chance” or something (or if a particular character has a Belief about volunteering), the leader may pick that person to either cater to his own BITs or to help another cater to theirs.

Failure’s never to be feared, after all!

5

I suspect you know the difference between a player whose character doesn’t have the appropriate skill piping up excitedly, “I run down to the river and craft us a leaf boat!” and the group stopping play momentarily to have an OOC chat, “We’re all too wounded to risk this, let’s propose…”

-L

6

Ah hah!

I see now that the distinction is not individual-generated plans vs. group-generated plans, but in-character generated plans vs. Out-of-character generated plans.

I was confused by the use of the word “player” on page 87.

So,
•If a player character says to the patrol “let’s make a leaf boat”, that mouse’s skill will be tested. But-
•If a player says to the group of gamers “let’s make a leaf boat”, then who is to make the test is not yet decided.