The Angry Mob! -- Second Summer Mission, 1152

a mouse path in the scrub

We had our second Summer mission. It was quite a while ago so the details are hazy, but I will relate what I can. I am sick so it will be even hazier, but at least that gives me an excuse.


The patrol was in Port Sumac after the terrible fire occurred in the Ear and Whisker. They spent the night with the family of brewers in Tamsin's family home. The next morning they were recovered from their many efforts, and were summoned to the council hall. All the mice headed out through crowds of restless mice, and as they were speaking to the council one of the new city watch mice came in to report a gathering crowd outside and a mouse injured by a hurled brick. Luckily Pequod, with the assistance of Bryony, helped the injured mouse, but the crowd was restless and the council not sure what to do. It ended up that a volunteer must go out and try to calm the crowd and disperse them. Bryony took on the task, assisted by some of the other mice (speech conflict). Luckily the speech was successful and the potential riot was quelled.


The guard mice and the council reconvened and it was decided that the Brewers must relocate for their own safety. Nothing was learned of how the fire might have been started, and much was left unresolved. Feeling they had best leave the situation in the hands of the Council, the guard split up and the Brewers were taken to Rustleaf by Garrow and Pequod. The others stayed to investigate a bit further. Bryony attempted to interview the weaver but got no useful news. Same results with Tobias and the rhus juice merchant, and Tamin in the marketplace. The patrol rendezvoused in Lockhaven upon completion of their journeys. They had done the bidding of the council which was what Gwendolyn had sent them to do, so felt that there was little else to be done to improve the situation or correct and wrongdoing at that time.


Guard mice are encouraged to edit this post or add info as comments please...


Notes on play:

This was our first conflict, which we wanted to try but it was not ideal to have it be a speech because it left the other players with minimal role playing. However, the player turn was more interesting this time, with players having clear ideas of what they wished to do. I did not use the enemy to the fullest, and can't remember the exact results of the interviews at the game's end. Ideally someone should take some notes while we play--someone who isn't me.  :) Then we would remember what had transpired more clearly.

Unrest in Port Sumac -- First Summer Mission, 1152

Myself, Pequod, and Bryony (whose voice seems to have changed), resting in Lockhaven, recuperating from their journey to Shorestone, are called in to talk to Gwendollin. She tells them there is unrest in Port Sumac and asks if they are willing to take on a mission to help the council restore peace and organize a police force. She adds two new mice to the mission: Tamsin, a patrol guard whose family lives in Port Sumac, and the tenderpaw Garrow, who is ready for action.

The group sets out at first light (some more eagerly than others) and we have an uneventful first leg of our journey, not once straying from the path.

We arrive in Darkwater by midafternoon and set about planning our voyage across the fjord. Pequod attempts to secure a boat for immediate departure, but the only ship headed to Port Sumac cannot take us for some hours. Finally, as dusk settles over the town, the ship is unloaded and ready to take passengers and we set sail for Port Sumac.

In the swamps surrounding Port Sumac a bullfrog spies the ship and fancies a snack. Garrow handily leaps to the fore and stabs the bullfrog in the ear (or possibly nose, definitely not the eye), causing it to think better of its meal choice. We are now free to arrive safely in Port Sumac (thanks to Tamsin's excellent knowledge of the surrounding swamp) to meet with the council.

The council tell us of a family who sell barley wine, and of the unsavory elements that have surfaced as a result of this strong beverage. They have closed the town to outside visitors in an attempt to restore order, but there is still unrest. We are interrupted with the news that a fire has been started in the very tavern we have been discussing.

As we hasten to the tavern, Bryony and I see a suspicious figure leaving the scene. The whole family of brewers are trapped in the living quarters above the tavern, and the fire is blazing. Bryony goes after the suspicious mouse, but is unable to ascertain it's identity. She does follow it into the Ruis Juice alley, and we surmise it is a merchant mouse. Tamsin and Pequod rush into the blaze and are able to save the entire family of brewers. Garrow and I form a bucket brigade and are able to put out the fire and save the surrounding structures, though the tavern does sustain a fair bit of damage. All retire to Tamsin's family's dwelling to ponder the evenings activities.

I help the council set up a city watch, by training the locals in the basics of patrolling.

- Tobias, Patrol Leader

Player note:

Try to add more role playing in when you help another player (lend a die). Explain after what you did to help, talk about why you can help, etc.

In Search of a Smith (and love) - Second Spring Mission, 1152

Last Wednesday or Thursday I added a new mouse to the roster: Pequod. He is a pragmatic healing guardmouse, unswayed by the romanticism of the guard (in his own words). His arrival forced Tobias into the patrol leader role, which we engineered before we began the mission. Tobias has the most RPG experience so this seems like a good plan. This mission began where the first mission left off, in Shorestone, but Tobias had his conditions lifted after I learned better how to play the game. The scene is a second Spring session, and it begins with the celebration of Vernalstar. The new mouse arrives with shipments from the south and joins forces with Bryony and Tobias. They become acquainted during the feast, and also learn of some plans the town has for the guardmice.


They spend time talking with Jan at the celebration. Jan is a laborer who tells them of the delivery of stone going along to Copperwood and Ironwood along with a mouse caravan. Shorestone's stonemasons had commissioned tools from the towns and owed payment in the form of stone to assist in mending the bridges and walls of the two cities. The guardmice learn of the long illness and recent death of Shorestone's own smith, and are asked to use their influence to track down a likely replacement for the town. Jan also asks them to carry a valuable package of gemstones to his daughter Cornelia, who has relocated to Copperwood to study with the coppersmiths to further her own career in jewelry making. She is reputed to be a great and renown beauty and easily found, and perhaps will know of a likely smith as well.


They succeed in their deliveries and find Cornelia with a great effort. Her father was inclined to an exaggeration of her skills, but not her beauty. She is a flirt and displays her interest in the mice, finding a willing co-conspirator in Pequod. He requests a necklace from  her intending to gift it back which he does from a later town. They return to her abode for the evening and the camera pans to a roaring fire in the ocean waves.


The mice manage to find a smith for Shorestone on their travels and return to Lockhaven. I forget some of the details and need to rely upon my mice to tell of the trip and who the smith was. I need to take some notes next time.


This venture was better than the last though they need to figure out how to earn checks so they can do more stuff of their own choosing. They did not get to do some of the cool stuff because they did not fail enough, but I can save it for next time. I had a well set out plan with the obstacles written down which was very helpful. I look forward to the next session which will be in Summer (at last).


I call upon my mice to fill in relevant details and to describe themselves and their histories here.

Weasel Fodder

Tonight I got two new conscripts to the guard: Tamsin and Garrow. Garrow is a Tenderpaw with great fighting skills, hailing from Gilpledge, and Tamsin is a Guardmouse with great Weather Watching abilities, hailing from Port Sumac. Tamsin is a weaver by trade, while Garrow is a smith. We plan on adding them to the patrol in the next two weeks, and encourage them, as all the mice, to relate their stories here...

Springtime Mail Run-- First Spring Mission, 1152

It is Spring of 1153 and no matter the weather the mail must be delivered to cities and towns in the territories. Gwendolyn sends Tobias, a patrol mouse, off with the assistance of Bryony, a Tenderpaw, to drop and deliver mail to four towns west of Lockhaven: Blackrock, Mapleharbor, Rootwallow, and Shorestone. Tobias has family and friends in Rootwallow and Shorestone so this will be an opportunity to visit for him as well. The mini patrol fail to locate a beetle to pull the small wagon through the cold spring rain, but they nonetheless boldly set off on their journey.


En route to Mapleharbor the pair is forced to find a path around a stream that is swelling with the rain and snow melt. The weather and the effort cause them to become tired before reaching Mapleharbor. They arrive to discover the town is having a problem at the harbor where they are busily unloading casks of grain for the spring planting. A hungry bird has discovered the grain and is threatening the supply as well as the boat and its crew. Tobias decides to attempt to injure the bird with an arrow to drive it away, and Bryony uses some of her herbs and knowledge of science to quickly concoct a brew to coat the arrowto cause the bird to become sick. In spite of only a glancing blow, the bird is driven off but two of the crew fall into the chilly waters. The patrol is able to throw together a makeshift rope and float to bring the mice safely to shore, though the crew mice become ill. Still, the town rejoices and most of the grain is saved and moved to a safer storage location.


Between the next towns the weather causes Tobias to fall ill but he is able to be transported on the mail wagon after his friend Clove in Rootwallowlocates a beetle to pull it. They near their final destination of Shorestown but the wagon is overturned by roots and stones washed into the path and Tobias injures his leg in the fall. What a terrible series of events! A good night's sleep at his parents' helps him feel rested but his injury and illness linger. Alas.


Game Commentary:


On the positive side I started out with some descriptions in Lockhaven, and I had somewhat of a plan for the trip based on the season information. i had a better understanding of the game than I did when we did a game run through previously without any planning. That game does not count. I guessed at some stats but my guesses were close to the actual stats which is good. I only had Tobias to play so I added Bryony, whom I had already created, as an NPC helper. That worked well too. After making many mistakes I had a good context for reviewing particular rules which was very helpful after the fact.


On the negative side, Tobias suffered for my mistakes. I did too may health tests for the weather I think, which made him have bad luck. I kept the rain going but it should only have lasted a couple days and then one test of health would have been sufficient instead of four! Also, I didn't know about the healer test that results in a mouse losing a stat, or the rder which conditions must be removed. So many rules! I did not pay attention to Bryony's tests and did not apply conditions to her but I think I should have since she may appear again. I made mistakes with circles, overusing them to get news of the towns which would probably have been given automatically. When circles tests failed I could have you used the enmity clause to bring in an enemy, but I also could have allowed Bryony to help with those tests so it all evens out. I did not have enough planning time to contemplate the towns and I forgot to do any description of them which I think would have added to the game. We did not use checks or nature very much, or the reward points, but I think brainstorming ways of getting in one's own way would be helpful at the outset. I will ask more questions next time and try to help with this so the player's turn isn't just one check long.


I will add some description in here soon of the towns we saw and what the wilderness looked like between. Tobias will return with no conditions since I feel they were given in error. We will see if his skills or traits or attributes advanced now that I better understand how that happens. All in all, playing is clearly the best way to find out the rules. Go figure. Context is important. Perhaps we will tackle a conflict in the next game, and I may add another mouse or else a second small patrol.

A New Campaign

So I have taken the leap and this will be a blog dedicated to my experiences playing Mouse Guard as a very, very inexperienced (read no experience) GM. I hope my mice minions will weigh in as they see fit, to share a little about their mice or whatever they choose. I have been learning the most about playing the game from looking at the blogs of others as well as listening to podcasts of actual play, and so this blog is presented as something that may assist others, or simply assist those who are roped into agree to play in my game. Yay. Let the games begin! I will soon post about what was really the first outing for me with a real mouse, as a GM.