Silverwood Mouselings: a twist on T&T

[gaptooth]

For a few months, my daughter has been eyeing a set of "Mouselings" Reaper miniatures every week at our local game shop, and last night she bought them. My immediate notion was to use them for a Sorcerer & Sword game in which "demons" are the predatory animals that mice are not meant to reign over. I jotted down some notions toward a onesheet last night before I went to bed.

Anyway, this morning my daughter was too sick to go to school. While sitting in bed, she picked up the notebook she's been keeping for game design and began filling it with a fully-realized game that she's calling "The Silverwood Mouselings". So far, the mechanics look a lot like Tunnels & Trolls, with some interesting twists. I might post her rules later if I get permission.

[ProfGremlin]

Those minis look pretty cool. The acorn cap shield is a neat idea. So, is Sliverwood Mouselings more in the feel of Redwall or Mouseguard? I broke down a few months ago, maybe back in August or so, and borrowed both the Mouseguard compilations Fall 1152 and Winter 1152 from the library along with a couple of Redwall novels.

While both storylines deal with the same basic premise, anthropomorphic mouse culture, they are done quite differently. Personally, I found Mouseguard much more satisfying. The Redwall series - well, upon reflection I couldn't get past all the different dialects the various animal cultures spoke in. To me it just got in the way of telling the story. Mouseguard was much more fantasy heroic. Of course, the mediums of the story are different as well so that may have played a part, too.

[gaptooth]

We're not familiar with Redwall, but we're pretty big fans of the Mouse Guard comics. My ideas are definitely informed by Mouse Guard, The Tale of Despereaux (the book, haven't seen the movie), Reepicheep (from the books too, not the Warwick Davis or Eddie Izzard versions), and even Watership Down. Sorcerer & Sword is big on source literature.

But I don't think the Silverwood Mouselings will be focused on literary sources-- already it includes Wizards and Monks, and earlier today she was incorporating most of the weapons listed in 7.5.

[gaptooth]

She worked on this most of the day. Here's the first five pages of the really raw edition-- all the following text is copied directly from her design notebook with her permission:

The Silverwood Mouselings

First things first.

Roll 3 dice, triples add and roll over. Do this intill you have filled in you atributes:

Sight
Smell
Hearing
Luck
Nature
Bravery
Strength
Skill
Magic

Now pick what you would like to be:

Wizard - Mage/wise
Knight - Smug/rich/loves rescuing laddies
Warrior - Barbarian/Pirate/Fencing
Theif - Sneaky + must get treasure
Monk - Wizard/kind of kung fuey/random
Bard - Jolly loves jokes
Archer - Sneaky hiding while fighting

Wizard - +1 in Magic, Sight, Luck, and Skill

Knight +1 bravery, Strength

Warrior +1 bravery, Strength, Nature

Monk +1 sight, skill, Magic, and Bravery

Bard +1 in Hearing, Sight, Skill

Theif +1 in skill, luck, and Smell

Archer +1 in Skill, luck, Hearing, and Nature

Wizards, Theifs and, Archers do not and can not where armor. If they have 20 or higher in skill they get 10 damage resistance/Hits.

In battle you use a certain # of dice according to your wepon then you have adds. The combat adds come from Skill, Strength, and luck. So add that up and put it next to combat adds.

By the way if you didn't add in the pluses yet do that.

Next beside HP you need to write your sight, Smell, hearing, and Strength added together.

Now roll 1 die for Riches. If you are a Knight than roll two times. If you are a theif roll 2 times and add 10 GP, a dimond ring, and a pearl necklace.

1 40 GP 2 healing Potions small pearl
2 80 GP 1 healing Potion
3 100 GP small dimond
4 120 GP small Topaz
5 140 GP small pearl
6 180 GP small emrald

Put Gems and potions under Items.

Put the Gold next to GP

The way to use a potion is it has two servings. You drink it when you are at 1 HP and you get 10 HP.

Go to the store to sell your gems for more gp. With your GP you can upgrade wands, armor, and weapons. Go to pages 6-10 to get things at the store. If you are a wizard when you get to level 2 you can gems to make wepons increase in power. To see that go pg 20.

So far you have filled in: Your Atributes, your type, and your GP. You have also filled in a bit of your Items. Now we will fill in a bit more.

You have: rope (12"), travleing clothes, a water skin, and food (7 days worth)

Wizards have oak wands.
Knights have acornarmor. (5 damage resistance)
Warriors have acorn sheilds (2 damage resistance)
Theifs have black cloaks +1 for being stealthy.
Monks have sun rod stalfs.
Bards have an insterment of your choice. (+1 for others bravery when fighting)
Archers have a bow and quiver of 50 arrows (3d damage + combat bonus/adds)

[gaptooth]

The next section of her design notes is dedicated to "TREEMART", which lists the available equipment, weapons, and armor along with relevant stats and prices. At this point, she got out the equipment list from the 7.5th edition of T&T and adapted it to suit her tastes.

[mahrundl]

How old is your daughter, Gaptooth? That looks like a pretty good start to a game.

Also, kudos for getting her permission before posting this. Even leaving out the whole copyright and intellectual property issues, I've met too many parents who assume that they can show things that their kids have done without checking whether the kid minds them doing so.

I'd Exalt your daughter for this, but since I can't, I'll Exalt you for encouraging her and being a good dad...

[gaptooth]

Thanks, Mahrundl. She just turned ten.

I like that she gave the senses separate attributes, but decided to combine "Intelligence" and "Dexterity" into "Skill", and that "Nature" has its own attribute, showing that the central concerns of playing a mouse are quite different than the other fantasy games she knows. Although I personally prefer dealing with fewer ability scores, I appreciate her attention to these details. I also like that adventurers are assumed to start out with some relevant basic equipment, without having to pore over the equipment lists before you even learn how to play.

[feldrik]

Obviously a superior child, I feel more secure about the future of the world for some reason.

[feldrik]

I also have to add that this could be a great RPG for youths. Imagine playing a mouse, adventuring in your own home. I t would really enhance the game to be able to see the table leg they need to climb, the distance from sofa to coffee table and the terrifying cat they must avoid because they are too tiny to defeat such a monster.

[Aramis of Erak]

Playing mouseguard, my daughter, then 10, really enjoyed it as both setting and the MGRPG rules.

[Darknight]

Your daughter has an excellent grasp on what makes a good RPG; integrated setting and rules. Too many people grab any old rule set and bolt a setting on; but your daughter has recognized it is important to make the ruleset reflect the world. The presence of three "sensing" attributes, a courage stat and a connection to nature really captures the essence of what a mouseling world would be like - a world of knowing stuff, being brave about it, and being connected to what it important. I also think the rolling together of intelligence and dexterity is an excellent idea - it prevents the issue of stupid but agile characters, and (for some reason, and to me at least) really suggests "mice".

I want to play this game

[Darknight]

I also think she has managed to get BALANCE in the character types. Obviously, the rules aren't complete - but I get the impression the bonuses to attributes (more for some types than others) are balanced by her disadvantages and advantages for each class.

Really great stuff.

[mahrundl]

Agreed, Darknight. Gaptooth, do something nice for your daughter to make up for the Exalts that we can't give her!

[ProfGremlin]

I agree, Gaptooth, may I suggest some rare Mickey Mouse Dice? Oh, and an exalt-by-proxy!

[feldrik]

I am strangely drawn to these rules, mice and setting.

When she gets the rules done perhaps you could take a PDF copy of it to one of the office stores and get it printed and bound for her.
Didn't T&T start as hand written, self published rules?
The future is in good shape....