Character Creation: Mouse Guard

SQUEAK.

The Game: Mouse Guard
The Publisher: Archaia Studios Press
Degree of Familiarity: None with this game specifically. I played Burning Empires at Origins a few years back.
Books Required: Just the core.

 
The idea here is that you play a mouse. Yep. The mouse is part of the Mouse Guard, which protects mice from larger predators. There's definitely a "you are the noble knight" vibe that I like, and I love the tag on the back: "It's not what you fight, it's what you fight for." I can groove on that.

The game is based on a comic that I'll have to check out at some point. But I haven't yet, so my character isn't going to be real derivative of those in the comic, clearly.

Concept: I want to make a mouse who's not a tenderpaw, but isn't real experience under the Guard. I also want him to have a kind of a weird vibe to him, something that isn't normal but isn't really under his control.

Guard Rank: He's a guardmouse. He's been around too long to be a tenderpaw, but he's not ready to be a patrol leader yet.

Mouse Age and Ability: I'll say 25 (apparently mice in this game age like people, or at maybe we're measuring months or something). Anyway, that means I'm an adult mouse. That gives me a Will of 2 and Health of 5.

Mouse Nature: I start with Nature 3, and then I answer three questions:

Do you save for winter even if it means going without something now? Or do you use what you have when you need it? I see my mouse as being frugal and careful, a good forager. So, yes to the first one. That means my Nature increases to 4, but I can't take the Generous or Bold Traits.

When confronted, do you stand your ground and fight or try to run and hide? I want my mouse to fight by arranging situations to his advantage, so I'll say I run and hide. That increases my Nature to 5, but I decrease my Fighter trait by 1 (if I take it).

Do you fear owls, weasels and wolves? Hell, yes. They want to eat me. My Nature goes to 6, but I can't take Fearless.

Where Were You Born? There are eight cities in the Territories, so 'scuse me while I look them over again. OK, I like several of them, but Sprucetuck is cool. It's a mouse village in a big old spruce tree, and they harvest fruits and saps to make medicine and so forth. Sounds like a fun place to be from. That gives me the Loremouse or Scientist Skills, and the Inquisitive or Rational traits. Suits me. I'll take Loremouse and Inquisitive.

Life Experience: I get a Skill I'm naturally good at. I'll take Harvester. I get to pick what my parents were good at. Hmm. I'll say that my folks were Brewers. I pick how I convince people I'm right; I take Persuader.

When I came to Lockhaven to join the Guard, he was placed with a senior mouse to help out, learn a trade. I think he arrived during a drought, and had to help with foraging. He apprenticed with a mouse named Ainsley, known as a skilled and persistent forager. So I'll give him Harvester (which is another check on that Skill).

My mentor in the Guard didn't stress fighting (I think he, too, was from Sprucetuck). He stressed knowing your way around rather than fighting your way out, so I'll take Pathfinder.

Now, I need to think of my experiences in the guard and what Skills it's given me. I get six checks as a guardmouse. I take Hunter 2, Pathfinder, Scout 2 and Survivalist.

My specialty is Scout. I've got a little ninja-mouse. Anyway, now I add all my Skills and add 1 to each, and I come up with:
Hunter 3
Pathfinder 3
Scout 4
Survivalist 2
Brewer 2
Persuader 2
Harvester 3

All right, moving on, what am I knowledgeable about? This gives me checks in wises. I have 2 checks, being a guardmouse.

Well, I figure my mouse knows predators. That's why he fears them. I take Predator-wise. Also, since he made his bones, as it were, foraging during a drought, I'll take Drought-wise. I have 2 in each of those.

Guard Resources: Guard pay, and other stuff. I start with 2 and answer more questions:

In winter, do you still practice a trade like weaving, smithing or pottery for the Guard? I'll say yes; winter's a good time for foraging, or even brewing. My Resources goes up to 3.

Are your parents smiths, politicians, merchants or apiarists? Nope, they were brewers. No change.

Do you like to buy gifts for yourself and your friends? No, I see this guy being frugal. No change.

Are you thrifty? Yes. My Resources goes up to 4, but I can't take the Generous trait.

Have you ever been in debt? Or are you bad with money? Kind of redundant, no? Nope. No change.

Do you always pack carefully for a journey, ensuring you have everything you need? Hell, yes. A good scout is one that comes back. My Resources goes up to 5, but I can't take Bold or Fiery.

Guard Circles: Again, I start with 2, and again I answer questions.

Is your mouse gregarious? Does he have lots of friends? Does he make friends easily? I have a hard time playing taciturn characters. Can't imagine why. I'll say yes, which means I go up to Circles 3. I can't buy Bitter or Jaded.

Do you have strong ties to the Guard? Not especially. No change.

Has your character accomplished some great task in the Guard? Does he already have a reputation? Nah. He's too much a ninja-mouse. He's overlooked much of the time. No change.

Does your character have powerful enemies in the territories? I'll say yes. He pissed off the daughter of a powerful family once. My Circles falls to 2.

Has your character been convicted of a crime? Nope. No change.

Is your character a loner, tough and cool? No. Loner characters are annoying. No change. My Circles is 2.

Mouse Traits: A lot like Skills, really. I pick one I was born with, noting that there are a bunch I can't take. I already have Inquisitive from my hometown, though I could take it again. But I'll take Nocturnal. It's not safe at night (owls! OMG!) but that's the best time to scout. I'm not a tenderpaw so I don't get one from my folks, and I'm not a guard captain so I don't get the "life on the road" trait.

Name: The book says that mice in the Territories have Old English-sounding names. I can dig it. My mouse will be named Siddel, which, according to the extensive Googling I did, means "from the wide valley."

Fur Color: I'll say black. Black mice look cool. Plus it gives him a kind of mysterious air, that I may or may not play to.

Parents: Siddel's mother was a black mouse, too. Dad was a more traditional nut brown. Dad's name is Myles, while Mom's is Siobahn.

Senior Artisan: When Siddel came to Lockhaven to join the Guard, he was placed with a senior mouse to help out, learn a trade. I think he arrived during a drought, and had to help with foraging. He apprenticed with a mouse named Ainsley, known as a skilled and persistent forager.

Mentor: Siddel's mentor in the Guard was an old, light-gray-almost-white mouse named Laird. He taught Siddel that if you stay still and patient, and choose a hiding spot well, you can get away from almost any predator.

Friend: Siddel, on his way from Sprucetuck to Lockhaven, met a mouse named Richard. Richard is a wanderer, not part of the Guard, but skilled enough to be. Siddel looks up to Richard, and though they don't see each other much, they've both made vows to help each other out when they can.

Enemy: While foraging, Siddel saw another mouse, a young tenderpaw named Blythe, munching on food that she should have been taking back to Lockhaven, and ratted her out. Blythe took it personally (she got reprimanded, but not seriously) - she grew up rich in Copperwood, and her folks have some influence. They occasionally spread nasty rumors about "that black mouse from Sprucewood, the one that sneaks out at night."

Cloak Color: Laird made Siddel a deep red cloak with black trim. He says that's because deep red is hardest to see at night, harder even than black.

First Mission: Would require a GM, so this doesn't apply.

Belief: This is how Siddel views his role in the Guard, a kind of ethical statement. Siddel's Belief is, "A dead guardmouse is no good to anyone." Siddel is a survivor, and a careful planner. He's fine with violence, but not stupid fighting. And he never, ever forgets that we're mice, and we break easy.

Goal: Doesn't apply, since you write this upon learning about the mission.

Instinct: Siddel's instinct is to hide, watch and wait. But for all that, his instinct is based on his inquisitive nature, not cowardice. So the Instinct statement is: "Always hide when the trouble starts." Note that this doesn't imply cowering, just hiding. No shame in that, certainly not for a mouse.

Gear: Siddel carries a hook and line (for climbing, not fishing) and perhaps a little flask of something medicinal. Beyond that, he travels light.

I see Siddel as having a lot of weird rumors about him. Kind of like Billy in Predator, except he really doesn't encourage them. He's just a black mouse who's good at scouting and hiding, and there's nothing really mysterious about it. Not yet, anyway.