The Weasels, long our enemies, became our bane, as they smashed through our Southwesterly borders.
By the wit, wisdom, and leadership of , Matriarch of the Mouse Guard; and no small measure of Guardmouse sacrifice & blood, we beat back the Weasel horde, but at great cost.
Our Southwestern border is not what once it was. Several mouse communities were lost, their citizens now homeless, or worse.
The Weasels threaten our borders no more, but in their absence a new danger threatened.
Disgruntled by the 'performance' of the Mouse Guard, various 'free Mice' answered the call of Midnight, to usher in a new era of Mouse dominance, both over other animals, and over other mice.
By the actions of the Guard, Midnight's army was broken at the gates of , the Mouse Guard's home & Sanctuary, but Midnight's poison had spread far & wide among those mice who had grown fat & powerful in their homes, and who saw little need to recognize the efforts of the Guard when it meant letting go their own dreams of empire.
The Winter War is done.
Midnight is banished,
but the Mouse Guard, and by extension the Mouse Territories, are the least stable they have ever been in several lifetimes.
Are you the mouse to step forward & do what needs to be done?
First, you, the recruit must ask yourself these questions.
What is my name?
Who are, or were, your parents? What was their trade?
Who taught you your first trade?
Besides your Parents & your Teacher, who speaks up for you?
Who would speak against you?
Now you will consider more obviously concrete questions.
How do you see yourself?
What Rank do you currently hold within the Guard?
All living things act according to their Nature. Just as it is in a Weasel's Nature to be Aggressive, to Gloat, to be Clever & to Steal into and from Burrows. So too it is in a Mouse's Nature to Climb, to Escape harm, to Forage and to Hide.
Do you save for winter even if it means going without something now? Or do you use what you have when you need it, even though it might mean coming short later?
When confronted, do you stand your ground & resist, or do you run & hide?
Do you reasonably fear such predators as Owls, Weasels and Wolves? They all larger & more deadly than we, after all.
I am interested in this. I picked up the book last year and need to give a looking over. How many are looking to recruit?
Okay, that is quite a few questions...give me some time to mull them over, but I have an idea already.
Sounds good. I will look over the questions and get some answers together.
Working an questions now.. thinking a cunning veteran, whose skills with small blades have made him a "bulleye" like mouse with his blades.
Well since you asked us not to jump into much more than a concept, I'm thinking a Tenderpaw because that allows me to learn about the world and game from a combined IC/OOC standpoint.
His name is Wheat. Because he's the color of ripe wheat. A bit timid, not sure he's really cut out for this, but he wants to do his ma n pa proud.
The Mouse Territories are composed of vast swaths of wilderness punctuated with occasional pinpoints of civilization. While there are several more Mouse towns & villages than the ones I will mention, these make for an acceptable representative sample. Where you were raised does much to influence who you will become.
Barkstone A busy, working-class town, Barkstone is known for it's Carpenters, Potters & Glaziers. Mice from here are known to have a Steady Paw.
Copperwood One of the oldest cities & home to one of the two mines in the Territories, Copperwood mice tend to be Smiths & Hagglers. They also have a habit of being Independant .
Elmoss A once prosperous city, known for it's medicinal moss, now Elmoss mice are best known as Carpentes & Harvesters. All that work outside tends to make you Alert.
Flintrust A town suffering from neglect & societal decay, the mice of this former city are known for their Smithcraft & their Tools-wisdom. They are also known for their Determination & Boldness.
Grasslake The second-Easternmost town in the Mouse Territories, Grasslake has it's share (some Grasslake residents grumble more than it's share) of outlander predation. Consequently they have a disproportionate number of Insectrists & Militarists among their population. Grasslake mice tend to be Defenders & Nimble.
Ivydale Renowned for it's Bakers & bread, Ivydale mice also are able Harvesters. It's difficult to be an Ivydale mouse & not be a Hard Worker.
Lockhaven First true City of mice & home of the Mouse Guard, Lockhaven has few residents, now being more military command & less civil center. Lockhaven mice aid the Guard as Weavers & Armorers. They are renowned for being Generous & having a Guard's Honor.
Port Sumac A busy little port town situated between two bays of the Great Northern Water. Port Sumac mice are noted as Boatcrafters & Weather Watchers. They also tend to be Tough with a keen Weather Sense.
Sandmason A sandstone castle surrounded by ever-shifting dunes. The sands make for superior glass, consequently Sandmason Glaziers are well regarded, they also are known for their Dune-wisdom. Sandmason mice tend to be Nocturnal & Quiet.
Shaleburrow A simple town known for it's delicious drinks! Most Shaleburrow mice are Brewers, Harvesters or Millers. They have a reputation as Open Minded.
Sprucetuck Known for it's scientists, medicine & scent concoctions. Most Sprucetuck mice are Scientists & Loremice. They are also generally Inquisitive & Rational.
Should we be trying to answer these separately, or like...figure out a way to do it together?
Well I think I'll go ahead and start looking at some of the questions. To be clear, the current list of questions are things we should be able to answer ourselves, and don't require the input of other players?
What's the name of the game system? Is there a pdf of rules, somewhere?
Should have the basic questions up later today, once I have time to put them in a form legible by normal humans.
I just got through with some other events and have finally gotten to dive into the rule book a bit. Are there any slots left on this patrol?
Guard mouse
Name: Wheat
Parents: Hopkin and Foxglove, Harvesters.
Trade: Parents taught him to harvest, but he's really interested in medicine. He's in the Guard because it's useful and his Da had some forebears in the Guard.
Who speaks for you?: Kinborough (Kin for short, she hates her name), Wheat's best friend since...well forever. Kin is the doughty, brave, reckless, outgoing half of their odd pair, whereas Wheat is the cautious cowardly part. But Kin has always stuck up for the timid mouse.
Who speaks against you: Piers, a greedy bully of a mouse that latched onto Wheat as a victim a long time ago, and tried to ruin Wheat's family more than once for some reason that Wheat's never been clear on. This feud has gone on for a long time though, and Wheat doesn't imagine it'll quit any time soon.
Role
See yourself: Wheat is something of an idealist, though thanks to his ever cautious nature he's not entirely naive. He's just a bit too timid to make his ideas reality without help and some friendly prodding.
Rank: Wheat is a green Tenderpaw, a raw recruit.
Nature
Saving: Wheat will triage needs, leaning toward "saving for winter" as per his cautious attitude, but if necessary he'll use up resources now. Maybe. Are you sure we don't need that for later?
Confrontation: Wheat is totally a run & hide-er. Danger is best avoided when at all possible.
Fear: Reasonably fear? Wheat is utterly terrified of large predators. Getting him near one would require a feat on par with the most legendary of heroes.
Where You Came From!
Wheat is from Elmoss, and grew up entranced by tales of the Guard and the city's history of medicinal expertise that Sprucetuck has overshadowed.
Though to be honest, Wises are merely a particular, broad category of skill. These are how you do what you do. Most activities will fall into the purview of a particular skill, though many are affected by many sills. Which is to say, if you know about more than one thing & they are related, you will be better able to accomplish your tasks. Most skills should be self-explanatory, however I shall add a brief description of each.
Administrator: An administrator manages towns, cities and other groups of mice.
Apiarist: An apiarist is a specialist who raises bees and harvests their honey & wax.
Archivist: An archivist is a mouse who specializes in documenting events for historical purposes. They are also adept at interpreting said documents of history.
Armorer: Armorers forge armor & weapons.
Baker: A Baker makes savory bread, delicious cookies, and sweet cakes.
Boatcrafter: The Boatcrafter knows how to build & effectively use boats, ships & barges.
Brewer: The brewer turns water, grain and/or fruit into the elixir of life.
Carpenter: A Carpenter makes useful items out of wood.
Cartographer: A Cartographer creates & interprets maps.
Cook: A Cook is capable of turning otherwise unpalatable (if nutritious) matter into tasty food.
Deceiver: A deceiver uses lies, half-truths, ugly truths, soothing platitudes and intimidation to get what he wants.
Fighter: The Fighter is one who has taken up the entirely un-mouse-like pursuit of combat, and is good at it.
Glazier: A Glazier crafts glass objects. Bottles, windows, objets 'd art...
Haggler: To Haggle is to drive the best bargain for you & yours.
Harvester: Harvesters are skilled in the best means of gathering food for the community.
Healer: The Healer knows how to keep mice whole & healthy.
Hunter: As Mice are not predatory creatures, the Hunter does not hunt prey, rather the Hunter acts to locate & neutralize the threats posed by other animals on mouse communities.
Insectrist: The insectrist is a specialist who uses insects, and other like creatures, for a variety of purposes.
Instructor: An instructor knows how to commit knowledge to mouse brains.
Laborer: Laborers are the backbone of the mouse community, gathering material, moving objects & performing the physical labor necessary to accomplish the community's goals.
Loremouse: Loremice study the ways & habits of animals. As Scientist deals with the physical characteristics of the world around mice, Loremouse investigates how animals deal with each other.
Militarist: A Militarist knows how to effectively direct large numbers of mice into combat as a whole. Necessary for dealing with Large Animals in a direct, forceful, manner.
Miller: The miller knows how to grind substances into powders for use in cooking, brewing & industry.
Orator: The Orator is skilled at touching the hearts & minds of large groups of mice with the power of their words.
Pathfinder: A Pathfinder makes & marks paths between the mouse towns, villages, and cities. All Guard Mice will have some skill as a Pathfinder...
Persuader: A persuader is skilled at showing other individuals how a particular course of action may be in their own best interests.
Potter: Potters work clay, crafting vessels , containers, and other items from that material.
Scientist: This skill combines the disciplines of astronomy, biology, chemistry, the earth sciences & physics. In short, Science!
Scout: The scout is adept at spotting predators on the prowl, sneaking behind enemy lines, trailing targets & finding hidden things.
Smith: Smiths work with & make tools of, metal.
Stonemason: Stonemason's cut & build with stone.
Survivalist: The survivalist knows how to make & find shelter, find water, build fires, and other vital activities for survival outside the confines of mouse communities.
Weather Watcher: This skill pertains to accurately predicting the weather, an ability of life-or-death importance for individual mice& communities alike.
Weaver: A Weaver can manufacture fabric and create garments and other items of fabric.
Wises, varied: A Wise is an area of knowledge or expertise which does not precisely fall under one of the other skills. Examples include: Boarder-wise, Border-wise, Weasel-wise, Guardmouse-wise, Lockhaven-wise, and many others. Usually, you will not use a wise by itself; instead, a wise may aid you in other skills.
No Mouse is an island. The Bear acts alone. So too the Bull Moose & the Sick Wolf. Mice, however, are communal creatures. A Mouse alone is an affront to nature, and nature. Circles represent how well connected & regarded you are among the Guard & by extension, the Territories as a whole. These questions will aid you in determining your standing.
Are you gregarious? Do you have lots of friends? Do you make friends easily?
Do you have strong ties to the Guard? Familial or Filial perhaps?
Have you accomplished some great task within the Guard? Do you already have a reputation?
Do you have powerful enemies within the Territories?
Have you been convicted of a crime?
Are you a loner, tough & cool?
In winter, do you still practice a trade such as weaving, smithing or pottery for the Guard?
Are your parents smiths, politicians, merchants or apiarists?
Do you like to buy gifts for yourself &/or your friends?
Are you thrifty?
Have you ever been in debt? Are you generally bad with money?
Do you always pack carefully for a journey, ensuring you have everything you need?
I will get something like Fennec's up tomorrow. Got stuck replaing the exhaust system on my car after ripped off this morning, lol.
I'm gonna read these over tomorrow morning as well. I'm pretty excited, this looks like a really fun game and I haven't even learned anything about it mechanically, hah!
The questions are certainly well done, I'm already feeling like I've got a better grasp on the character than I did before.
Every mouse possesses (or is afflicted by...) qualities of character which do not readily equate themselves to mere sums in a ledger. These qualities we call Traits. Some will, at first observation, seem positive while others will seem negative. In truth, they all are boon & blessing in their own measure & at the appropriate (or inappropriate, as the case may be...) time. Some mice possess a great many traits, some mice only one or two. Most Traits are self-explanatory, those which are not, I will describe in greater detail.
Alert: You are notably talented at noticing things.
Bigpaw: Your paws are larger & stronger than average.
Bitter: You are definitely a 'glass-half-full' sort of mouse...
Bodyguard: Most of your life, you have devoted to the protection of another, not necessarily the same other.
Bold: You give little concern to potential dangers inherent in your actions.
Brave: You have faced your fear & risen above it.
Calm: You lack an impetus to excitability.
Clever: You possess a keen mind.
Compassionate: Your ability to perceive another's woes is strong.
Cunning: Your mind, while keen, is more attuned to tricks & deceit.
Curious: Often the first thought in your head is why?
Deep Ear: All mice have a keen sense of hearing. Then there is you...
Defender: You have survived direct action during the Winter War of 1149, or you have been called upon to defend your home against other predation.
Determined: You are difficult to sway from your goals.
Driven: It is difficult for you to acknowledge goals other than your own.
Early Riser: You are a morning mouse.
Extrovert: The phrase, 'I don't know any strangers', might have been coined just for you.
Fat: It takes you a while to really go hungry...
Fearful: You are very much aware that you are a small, small creature in a very big world...
Fearless: You aren't, somehow.
Fiery: You are passionate.
Generous: You are always willing to give to others.
Graceful: You are a figure of poise & grace.
Guard's Honor: As a scion of the longstanding traditions of service & self-sacrifice inherent to the Guard, you are keenly aware of it's Honor & those actions which may affect the Honor of the Guard.
Hard Worker: You don't shirk your tasks.
Independent: You have experience getting things done by yourself.
Innocent: You have yet to be exposed to some of life's harsh, cruel realities.
Inquisitive: While a Curious mouse may ask 'why?', the inquisitive one will go looking for the answer.
Jaded: You have seen a bit too much of life's harsh, cruel realities.
Leader: You have a talent for motivating others.
Longtail: Your average mouse has a tail noticeably longer than he is. Your tail is noticeably longer than that.
Lost: For reasons known or unknown, you just can't seem to keep straight where you are & where you are going at the same time.
Natural Bearings: You always know where you are & where you are going, especially when you ave been there before...
Nimble: Particularly when you have an audience, you are light on your feet.
Nocturnal: For whatever reason, you find yourself more comfortable at night.
Oldfur: No matter your actual age, you have passed your physical prime.
Open-Minded: You are quite willing to contemplate new ideas.
Quick-Witted: You respond quickly to stimuli.
Quiet: By nature mice are quiet creatures, then there is you.
Rational: You are best able to communicate your ideas through reason & logic.
Scarred: You have been marked, physically, mentally and emotionally, by the experiences of your life.
Sharp-Eyed: Your eyesight is keener than normal. What was that?
Sharptooth: You have very sharp, strong teeth.
Short: Just so.
Skeptical: Somebody always has an angle. You always know to look for it.
Skinny: Perhaps a sandwich is in order?
Steady Paws: You may not have the strongest grip, but you certainly have the surest.
Stoic: Things happen, you deal with them, you go on.
Stubborn: You believe what you believe, no matter what.
Suspicious: Somebody somewhere is up to no good. You just know it.
Tall: There hasn't yet been a top cupboard you couldn't reach.
Thoughtful: Planning & preparation are first, second & third nature to you.
Tough: You may not be the strongest, or the quickest, but nobody lasts longer or through worse than you do.
Weather Sense: Mice may train for years to be able to scent the wind the way you've done since birth.
Wise: Seems like you're the smartest mouse in the room.
Wolf's Snout: That tidbit of food there, the one on the back shelf, in the back cupboard? Yeah, you knew it was there before you opened the door.
Young: No matter your actual age, you maintain a vigorous exuberance.
Those are...big lists of skills and traits. Are there any guidelines for selecting them beyond "pick which make sense for the character?"
Either way:
Circles:
Wheat has a tendency to either clam up and barely speak or to ramble incessantly when he's nervous, which is often, so he could qualify as gregarious, I suppose. He doesn't have a lot of friends right now, but maybe if he could conquer his general skittish tendencies he could have plenty of friends.
Past generations of Wheat's family on both sides have served in the Guard, but no immediate family members currently serve. So he has a history of service, but no actual ties directly.
Wheat is a Tenderpaw and not a hero or anything, so he doesn't have a reputation yet (he's awaiting the inevitable confusion and derision his timidity usually brings when he talks about dangerous things like...being in the Guard at all).
He has not been convicted of any crimes, nor is he a loner, certainly not tough nor cool.
Resources
The Harvester that doesn't support themselves come winter isn't like to see the next one as Wheat thinks it. The off-season (as it were) is where he first developed his interests in lore and medicine, and his family history of Guard service. He looks to keep himself useful however he can, but hasn't had the chance to practice many trades.
His parents aren't involved in prestigious or particularly fungible activities.
Wheat does like giving gifts, but in keeping with his nature he's frugal and puts lots of thought into giving the right, best gift, since he doesn't have the means to give lots of them.
He's most assuredly the kind of guy that will check his pack three times over, and he's never met a knapsack that can't fit just one more thing in its already bursting confines.
This is a huge job you have taken on here,GM.Very nice to see someone willing to put in the effort to get a great, but not often seen on these boards, game going.
If I was going to play an older mouse, is that okay. I am thinking more of a grizzled verteran of the patrol.Not foolhardy, but also ready to due what he must if necessary.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Yeah I'd have to stress that while I'm aiming for a healer and man of knowledge type, pretty sure novices aren't actually that awesome so if you wanted to make an older, more experience person Wheat could learn from that'd be OK.
Or maybe I should say I'm aiming for "starts timid and unsure of himself and his abilities, aiming to grow the character into a zealous defender of mice and courageous field medic, who maybe also fights because Mouse Guard."
Nice, Feneec, hahaha. I have a great mouse laid out in my head that will be posted today. Likely a mentor type for Wheat on the fieldcraft side of things.
Totally new to Mouse-stuff, but love specialized RP, or niche RP.
I have to ask... Crunch or resolution system? Stats, dice, 25 words or less? I can see you're busy.
Perfect...
@Aluce, As for the age thing most mice enter the gurad around 14 and continue till around 60. Age begins to show itself in regards to your health, but I would say mechanics are not the main focus as a mouse does not tend to stand toe to toe with almost any enemy.
If you want to play that sort of mouse, a younger mouse just fine. Say one that wants to be treated like they are older, but not sure of themselves yet. The DM has put a huge amount of material up so I would look it over again. I am doing the same thing as I go over my book again, too.