This mission is a fairly easy one to run, and I designed it with the idea of being a way to introduce new players to the system. My Mouse Guard group that I formed a few years back is made up of two players who had never played a roleplaying game before, and one experienced player who had only played d20, so I needed a way to get them involved in the setting and system of Mouse Guard as easily as possible. For the d20 player especially, I also needed to discuss expectation of combat and themes. I tend to run Mouse Guard as a "lighter" fantasy RPG, and run at least as many missions that focus on more mundane obstacles like mediating trade disputes between settlements as I do ones that involve heavy combat or espionage.
So for this one, I tried to fit in a little bit of everything to give players a feel for the system and setting. The basis of the mission is that an important weather station hasn't provided it's annual early spring weather report to Lockhaven, which Gwendolyn uses to try and schedule the first patrols of the year. The patrol heads out to investigate, and find that the meteorologist's reports went with his young pupil, but that the young pupil has been attacked by a shrike on his way back to town to mail the report to Lockhaven. This gives new players an idea as to some of the duties of the Guard, with also throwing in a bit of more traditional RPG tasks like tracking and fighting beasts.
It's early Spring, a time when the land has begun to thaw and beasts have begun to awaken. Despite the optimism that a new spring can bring, it is a dangerous time for the mice of the Territories. Beasts of all manner awake from their winter slumbers with angry bellies. The melting snow can turn a well-traveled path into a raging river. Perhaps worse, a slow spring can lead to depleted stores, forcing untrained mice to risk venturing out into the unforgiving cold.
Early spring is a time when mice are at the mercy of the unpredictable weather, and it is because of this that the weather watchtower, manned by the humble scientist Dinkle, was originally erected outside of the town of Blackrock. Fitted with a powerful telescope, it is able to track weather patterns from the north, west, and spy the lakefront storms of the shore towns both to the south and north. It is this tower that provides to Lockhaven an early spring report, advising which areas might be in need of the most urgent assistance from the Guard.
Except no news has come yet this year, and the Matriarch fears the worst.
Assign the Mission: Venture to Blackrock and discover why the communications from Dinkle's Tower have ceased.
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(Optional Obstacle:
- If anyone in the patrol has an Instinct related to checking the weather, roll Weather Watcher Vs Spring 6. If failed, an early warm rain falls, expediting the melting of the snow and causing flooding during the Pathfinder test later on.)
Obstacle: Ob 3 Health
- It is still very early in Spring, and while warm enough for the snow to begin melting, it is still quite cool, and made more treacherous by the water. Those that fail are made Tired on their march towards Blackrock.
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Upon reaching Blackrock, the patrol finds the town slowly waking from its hibernation, with some of the townsmice working on repairs here and there after the winter. Any mice the patrol asks about the Tower will direct the group towards the town clerk's office for guidance.
The town clerk, Matteo, is an incredibly overworked archivist, or at least he believes himself to be. Despite being the only ones in the office, the patrol will find Matteo completely frantic, shuffling about papers everywhere and filing in a frenzy. If asked for news from Dinkle, he will reply that Dinkle is typically very well stocked for the winter months, so no one hears from him before the first few weeks of spring when he needs to restock and brings the weather report to be mailed to Lockhaven. When asked about how to get to the Tower, he will reply that he is very busy, giving the patrol hasty (and very confusing) directions to the whereabouts of Dinkle and the Tower outside of town to the northeast.
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Matteo
Nature 3 ; Will 4 ; Resources 4 ; Health 3 ; Circles 3
Skills: Archivist 5 ; Administrator 2 ; Records-wise 3 ; Archive-wise 4 ; Cartographer 2
Traits: Hard-worker 1
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Obstacle: Persuader/Deceiver vs Matteo Will 4
- If successful, Matteo will produce a quick map that will provide the patrol with +1D tools for the Pathfinder test to locate the Tower. If failed, he will shoo the patrol out of his office due to his being "incredibly busy," making the patrol Angry as a result.
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The primary path to the tower is flooded in some areas due to the melting snow, meaning that the patrol needs to find alternate passages in certain areas.
Obstacle: Pathfinder Ob 3
- If failed, the invoke the Shrike Twist during the journey to the Tower
- Special: If the patrol failed the optional Weather Watcher test prior to setting out, there is a large area of flooding that will not be passable with a mere Pathfinder test. In this case, the patrol will also need to make either an Ob 4 Health test to swim across the flooded area, or an Ob 3 Boatcrafter test to build a vessel that will carry the patrol across the water. If either failed, invoke Shrike Twist.
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Upon reaching the Tower and Dinkle, the scientist will be confused, claiming to have given his assistant Hennik the report a week ago to send to Lockhaven with the rest of Blackrock's mail. He will assume that something terrible must have befallen Hennik, and will insist that the patrol find the poor young mouse.
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Dinkle
Nature 2 ; Health 3 ; Will 6 ; Resources 7 ; Circles 4
Skills: Weather Watcher 5 ; Healer 3 ; Instructor 3 ; Loremouse 2 ; Star-wise 4
Traits: Curious 2 ; Oldfur 2
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Obstacle: Scout Vs. Nature (Mouse) 5
- A successful Scout test finds Hennik injured but otherwise fine (use standard Naturalist stats for Hennik). If failed, invoke the Shrike Twist.
- Special: If Scout test is failed and Shrike Twist has already been invoked, Hennik has been killed by the Shrike. The patrol finds his body impaled in a thorn bush and partially eaten, but with the majority of the weather report in tact. The patrol will need to report this to Dinkle and get his confirmation of the weather report before departing Blackrock.
Obstacle: Pathfinder Ob 3 or Cartographer Ob 2
- If found alive, Hennik is Injured and requires medical attention. The patrol must either hastily make for the quickest route back to town from where they've found him (Pathfinder), or use Matteo's map to discern their direction back to the main path (Cartographer). A successful Healing Ob 3 test will reduce the Pathfinder/Cartographer Ob by 1, due to allowing Hennik a bit more mobility and comfort during the trip. If failed, Shrike Twist (if not used) or Conditions.
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Shrike Twist!
At multiple possible points during the mission, the patrol may be descended upon by a hungry Shrike. This bird is also responsible for the disappearance of Hennik, and depending on when the patrol encounters the beast they may find Hennik hiding beneath a thorn bush, trying to keep away from the hungry bird.Use the standard Shrike stats for the animal.
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Player's Turn Suggestions:
Depending on how things play out, a number of possibilities exist for the patrol to explore during the PT. They may assist in healing Hennik, or they might buy/fashion some armor for the boy to keep him safe on future ventures back into Blackrock. If Hennik has been killed by the shrike during the mission, the patrol may try and find a new apprentice for Dinkle. If the shrike was not encountered during the mission, the patrol may hunt down the creature for its attack on Hennik.
Feel free to use, and let me know your thoughts and experiences.
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