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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Novem5er" data-source="post: 5052940" data-attributes="member: 57859">My regular D&D group got together last night and we made our Mouse Guard characters. The book suggests that the whole party gets together to make your mice as a group, that way you can explain the rules once to everyone, and the players can work together so that their characters will compliment each other. Also, it allows the players to set up roleplaying conflicts... which I can get to in a bit.The last chapter of the Mouse Guard book details character creation, which is odd because it's often the first chapter or two in other roleplaying systems. The book presents character creation as a list of questions or prompts. For instance, the prompt asks the players "What rank do you hold in the Guard?" and allows the players to choose anything from a new recruit (tenderpaw) up to a grizzled veteran (guard captain). This choice gives you some base stats (younger characters have less Will (mental strength) but more Health (physical strength) etc.) and also affects other prompts down the line.The prompts continue and have players choose things like:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Where were you born? (gives 1 skill and a Trait)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">What did your parents do? (gives another skill)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">What are you innately good at? (another skill)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Whom did you apprentice under when you started at the Guard (skill)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">What did your Guard mentor stress you learn? (another skill)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">etc...</li> </ul>Sometimes the different ranks (chosen earlier) get to choose more than once. Tenderpaws get to choose TWO skills from the "parents" list, reflecting that they are still young enough to have a greater parental influence. I like this system a lot because, instead of giving you X number of skill points to spend on a big list, each choice helps the player build character background.Each of these skill choices is also interesting in that, instead of choosing an additional skill, a player can often put another point in a skill he'd chosen earlier. Thus, players have the option of branching out or really focusing their skills.Character creating in Mouse Guard, however, is not just about selecting skills! At a certain point, the characters are asked to:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Name a friend; give him/her a name, profession, and a home city.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Name your parents; give names (their profession was chosen eariler) and home.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Name your mentor (another mouse guard who can be an ally)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Name an enemy! Give them a name, profession, and location.</li> </ul>These choices aren't just roleplaying fodder. The players can get bonuses and aid when they are in a city with one of their allies. Of course, being near an enemy could cause complications...The players choose a few more things, like their own name, fur color, and cloak color. Each mouse is given a cloak of a certain color by their mentor when they graduate from being a Tenderpaw. The color is supposed to represent some part of the mouse's personality; so this is again an interesting little choice for characters to make.In our group, one of the players chose to be a Tenderpaw so she did NOT get a cloak. In fact, the rules state that she has to choose another one of the PLAYERS as her mentor! If we play a whole season of missions, our tenderpaw recruit can be promoted to full guardmouse, at which point her mentor (our other player!) will award her with a cloak in the color of his choosing. We were already looking forward to that RP moment, lol.At the very end, the players are then tasked to think a little bigger than skills and traits. They have to create their character's Belief and Instinct.These are two really neat mechanics in Mouse Guard. They are both roleplaying cues that, if used in the game, can give the player special rewards. A Belief, is an overarching ethical or moral statement that guides that individual mouse. An Instinct is like a gut-reaction, almost like a catch-phrase or action. Both help define a mouse, give players a direction for roleplaying, and help the GM set up situations that will challenge the players.One of my players wrote these for her inquisitive, science-based mouse:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Belief: "The reward of discovery is worth any risk."</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Instinct: "I will always aid the injured or sick."</li> </ul>If this player "plays her belief" in the course of a mission (perhaps risking herself for a chance at finding a new scientific truth) then she will be rewarded with a Fate point (a resource that lets her re-roll failed dice). Now, if the player goes against her belief in the course of a mission (perhaps reluctantly ignoring a potential source of new knowledge in order to complete a vital mission) then she will be rewarded with a Persona point (a resource that can give you bonus dice!). Players are also rewarded for playing their Instincts (though there is no reward for NOT playing your instinct).The Belief/Instinct aspect is such a neat part of Mouse Guard. As a GM, they give me direct insight into what my players want to encounter in the game. The player I mentioned above obviously wants to encounter new scientific discoveries... and is willing to risk a lot to get them.My job as a GM is to challenge that Belief by saying "Oh really?" and setting up situations that will put that character in a bind. Is a new discovery worth risking personal injury? The safety of a friend? The success of a Guard mission? Life itself?These are the kind of stories that this player wants to play, and I can tell all that by one line on her character sheet.It really gets interesting when different players have conflicting beliefs or instincts. When the Patrol Leader has an Instinct to "Approach new situations with caution", what does he do when his tenderpaw apprentice rushes into unknown country after a rare medicinal herb?I'm so looking forward to our first session!We did do a test combat (called a Fight Conflict) involving a pen of pet crickets, two guard mice, and a hungry toad. It was a blast, and I'd post how it went if anyone were interested...</blockquote>

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