The Odd Lounge

So last week was officially the first Mouse Guard session and it was very interesting. Using a sample adventure from the book, the characters have to go rid Grasslake of a rampant turtle that is destroying the settlement. But they have also heard that an enemy of one of the mice in the patrol that is going to meet them there was seen in Grasslake…

A week ago I got together with the players and they made their characters while we had a look at the core rulebook.

It’s just the two of them now, which is perfect, as I’ve never played Mouse Guard before, and a really good season to play when a beginner is spring, which also happens to be when Gwendolyn, the Matriarch of the Guard, sends out mice in pairs to repair paths after the snow and thaw, help mice trapped near, or in puddles caused by the spring rain, and to maintain the Scent Border after the snows have melted. It is an especially dangerous season, as all the predators wake up and hunt and breed, but not nearly as dangerous as winter, which was initially when I wanted to run the game.

I sense an interesting chemistry between the two characters, as one is the scion of a noble house that taught him honour, strength and to protect and serve, while the other is the scion of a noble house against his will, trying to run away from his past. I have already thought of one connection these two have in the past, and it’ll be interesting to see what I can do with the events they present me with in their past.

So these past 3 days I have been playing Minecraft with the Industrial Craft and Build Craft mods. I don’t think I will ever be interested in playing Minecraft without them again.

Industrial Craft introduces electrical power, wiring, nuclear energy, “green” power generation, like windmills and solar panels, new ways to mine, and a ton of other stuff, from mining lasers and teleporters to personal safes and terraformers.

Build Craft introduces quarries, oil and fuel, and engines, among other things.

These two work perfectly together, and make Minecraft into a whole new experience. Forget that treehouse you wanted, or that castle on a mountaintop - time to ravage the land with quarries, underground nuclear reactors and oil derricks! Grab yourself a nice modern texture pack or two, and you’re set!

So far, I am playing an SSP world where I spawn items I can’t be asked to build, so that I can get the hang of complicated stuff in the packs, like wiring or transferring power and liquids, then I will start a new SSP world without item spawning, where I will have to do eveything manually.

My ultimate goal will be to have a perfectly independent and self-reliant patch of heaven, where everything will be automated. I will know to stop playing when I will not need to craft or gather a single item (well, maybe apart from the ones I don’t need much of, like a nuclear reactor). I will post updates (hopefully) on here.

I recently discovered Mouse Guard, the tabletop roleplaying game. It looks like a really cool concept, and even though the protagonists are mice, that does not make the game childish at all. More so than not, it has to be played with a sense of maturity and understanding, as it delves deep into the psyches of the characters, more than bigger, more popular games that center on combat.

The ruleset uses the Burning Wheel rules, making it ideal for characters with interesting personalities and defined nature.

Mouse Guard, as I understand, started off as a series of comics, which describe a snapshot of the most recent history of The Territories, as they are called; of the lands where mice built their homes on and got organised.

The players are part of the Guard, mice that are sworn to protect The Territories and the mice in it, to escort them from town to town, to ward off predators and sometimes to settle disputes between settlements, or sent off to rescue and help other mice.

The fact that the players ultimately play mice might alienate some people and make them think Mouse Guard is not for them, but I urge those people to find the book, have a read, and see what they think. The world is detailed, believable in a medieval setting, and the way even non-player characters are detailed makes the player really want to get involved in the affairs of The Territories, and to bond with their character in a unique way.

Even though Mouse Guard is about, of course, mice, that does not make the game childlike. It is for all ages, in the way that Tolkein’s ‘The Hobbit’ is for all ages. It might be in a world of fantasy (Though there is no magic in Mouse Guard), but there is still violence, death and evil personae. But everything is tinged with a sense of optimism and light-heartedness, like in ‘The Hobbit’. Unless of course, as a GM, you don’t want it to be, which is fine. The game allows the GM to fiddle with it and do as they please, it is flexible enough for that.

So I urge you to try this game out, and if you do, contact me and let me know, as I am very eager to play this online.

Official site here