A Meal for Crows (Inactive)

Game Master BastianQuinn

Finn might not like Bry o.o

Bry would grow on Finn.

Sorry, long day at work and feeling sick. Hopefully I will have a post up tomorrow.

Still waiting on Belief/Instinct/Goal and Gear from Niall as prompted here.

Soldier on, friend. We'll get this thing rolling eventually, no pressure. IRL first.

Okay. Gear. 2-handed sword, flint and tinder (from Survivalist), map of the Ferndale region (Cartographer), and bandages (Healer).

Loss is always avoidable and I always look before I leap. (I can make one up, right?)

Yep! Traits, Goals, Beliefs, Instincts, wises, and just about anything but skills can be made up.

A sheet with some information pertaining to Conflicts has been added to the thread description above.

Reading up on conflicts

Disposition - like HP, but more interesting.

Attack - approach your goal directly, reducing your enemy's disposition.

Defend - work to prevent your enemy's goal, increasing your disposition.

Maneuver - gain an advantage next move.

Feint - a sneak attack! Prevent a Defending opponent from rolling. However, if they Attack, you don't roll.

Each side chooses three moves and reveals them. ( kinda hard in PbP) Then, tests are either vs or independent depending on how they match up.

Some tools have special effects during conflicts. Mostly weapons. As an example, bows are really good for Maneuvers. Niall's Flint and tinder offers Protection in this conflict, and will add an extra +1D specifically to defend moves in addition to the +1D you get for using it as a tool for survival.

In this conflict, your...

Attacks represent moving south and east along the border, and searching for signs of Nathaniel. (Scout, Pathfinder, Cartographer)

Defense represents finding shelter against the weather, avoiding weasel bands, running from predators, and generally avoiding death. (Survivalist, Scout, Nature(mouse))

Feints represent anticipating weather or ambushes, and making progress despite it. (Weatherwatcher, Scout, Boatcrafter, Survivalist, Pathfinder)

Maneuvers represent taking time out to gain strength, or biding your time for an opportunity. (Cook, Scout, Weatherwatcher, Nature(mouse))

Your opponents will try to...

Attack with flooding, mudslides, weasel warbands, weasel scouts, and sparow hawks, etc. all to injure or kill you.

Defend by making your progress slow with deep snow, torrential rain, marching weasel patrols, etc.

Maneuver by gathering storm clouds, mobilizing forces, or moving your goal.

Feint with a thunderstorm, or by sending a lone scout to spot you and report back to command.

~~~
Finn can roll disposition. Niall may have a separate goal if he wishes. Survival and probing the border are currently covered. I don't think you need another goal, but if you think of something, I'm open to it.

I have chosen my three moves for the first round. What moves will your team make, in what order, and who is rolling each move?

So we should probably use Defend once with my flint and tinder, since it gives us so much value. I feel like Feint would be good too. This is all opposed rolls, and you have a big Pathfinder, so that might be pretty good too. I'm not sure the order, though.

How about attack (Finn) defend (Niall), feint (Niall) in that order?

Still need a Scout roll from Finn (plus help and modifiers) for your disposition. Go all out, this is your lives on the line. Niall has Snow-wise, so he can help here, and should have a bonus die for almost all of his rolls until it rains.

All, I will be on vacation for the next 9 days (yeah)! I will probably not be able to post for the next two weekends and if I do it will be from my phone so don’t expect anything spectacular :(. I do not foresee having any problems posting during the weekdays as I will have wifi and my ipad. However, if you don’t hear from me it is because I spent too much time on the beach or at one of the overpriced theme parks in the Orlando area. Please bot me as necessary and try not to kill my PC

Niall, Militarist(2) can be used to sabotage an outpost by cutting supply and scout lines, or ruining existing supplies. Pathfinder(2) could be used to find a back way into the Weasel camp. Fighter(5) can be used to knock out or attempt to kill the Weasel Scout who is looking for signs of a rescue party. Accounting for the size difference, you would need a Margin of Success of 2 to kill the weasel scout.

You can assume you have Finn's help for any of these rolls. We'll count his die as your last one.

I'm back and exhausted. Move suggestions: Defend, Attack, Attack? Thoughts?

Sounds good to me.

Okay lets go with Defend (Finn), Attack (Niall), and Attack (Finn).

We have a decision to make. The book states that Disposition can't go above its starting point. I was a little disappointed to read this. What do we think?

Rule #2 of any RPG is "You're the GM. Do what you think is best".

I'm fine either way.

Why wouldn't it just stop at the max? Part of the challenge of conflicts is that if you defend against someone who isn't attacking, you're wasting your move. It's strategy and trying to anticipate your opponent.

Good point.

Technically, Defending against a Maneuver is advantageous in that it is mechanically an independent test that increases your disposition. It's only against a Feint that there is no potential for improving your disposition.

Mostly, I just want to make sure this rule doesn't take away from strategy. It increases predictability if Defend is seen as a waste at or near full disposition. I'm just not sure if it's the right amount of predictability. I don't want to make Attack and Maneuver seem like the only viable openers.

But defense is a viable opener if you think the opponent will attack. And feint is a viable opener if you think the opponent will defend.

Sorry for the poor rate of posting. I'm going through some crap in real life, and sometimes I forget about my games, or read them, then decide I'll post later, and then never do.

Welcome back! Glad you're alright.

Congradulations! You won the conflict.

Now is the time to talk about Compromises. Having lost half of your disposition, you owe the opposition "half of their goal". This can mean conditions. Maybe one of you took a bad cut from the weasels, or broke an arm climbing. It can mean the loss of resources or reduction of reward. Maybe you arrived too late, and Nathaniel is dead. It can also involve your situation coming out of the conflict. Maybe you're now surrounded and captured by the weasels yourself. This is the only way, per the book, for a player to introduce a plot twist.

Consider what you're willing to offer.

I think that Nathaniel being dead or an injury could be interesting. I'd be okay with breaking an arm or a bad cut. Thoughts, Finn?

Those sound fine with me I'd also be okay with an injury.

I'm sorry, but the system's not really clicking for me, and neither is my character. Since the parties are (or seem to be) together, I'm going to go ahead and drop out. That way Finn won't be going it alone. Thanks for letting me give the system a try!

Sorry you didn't click with the system. It's a weird one, especially if you're used to PBTA type games. It's VERY rigidly structured. I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to play together. Good luck!

Sorry to see you go... I think this makes the party an instructor, a pathfinder-to-be, and healer-to-be, and A scout... we're search and rescue now, aren't we

I'm sorry, but the system's not really clicking for me, and neither is my character. Since the parties are (or seem to be) together, I'm going to go ahead and drop out. That way Finn won't be going it alone. Thanks for letting me give the system a try!

Burning Wheel is as crunchy as it comes, and Mouseguard, while significantly lighter, is still pretty darn crunchy. It's not for everyone. I'm happy to have hosted, and hope to see you again on the forums. ;)

Sorry to see you go... I think this makes the party an instructor, a pathfinder-to-be, and healer-to-be, and A scout... we're search and rescue now, aren't we

That seems to be the case. Though, I don't think Gwendolyn would send you on anything too risky if you get back with half a dozen injured mice.

There's still Elmoss.

Thanks again for running it! Could you mark me inactive?

Sorry to see you go. It was fun, good luck and I'll say hi when I see you around the boards.