Small Press, Big Game

From the first time I learned there was such a thing as a small press game, I came face-to-face with the fact that there were far more games out there than I had ever known. It made me want to learn more. I believe that when you hear about them, it will make you want to learn more, too. My mission, then, is to bring these small press games and their designers to you. They may never become your new favorite, but they might just give you a memorable session or two.

That may seem like a strange way to begin a column that will essentially focus on another game, Mouse Guard, but I think it's important to establish how this article came to be. I first approached Luke Crane, who designed both Burning Wheel and Mouse Guard as well as the successful Burning Empires, and told him I wanted to describe his games, most notably Burning Wheel, to those who might never have had the chance to play.

His response was simple: tell people about Mouse Guard. When pressed for why, he explained "I love Burning Wheel--Mouse Guard, though, we just better explain the concepts [in both games] and we focus on a few core concepts." It is certainly a valid thought since Burning Wheel has a number of these core concepts. The game may be great, but it is anything but rules-light.

In many ways, Mouse Guard was Crane's attempt to change that. The game was built from the ground up to take the best parts from Burning Wheel, streamline them, and create what he calls (and I agree with him) "a cutting edge piece of technology." If the name Mouse Guard sounds familiar, it is because the game is the role playing adaptation of the David Peterson's epic graphic novels about troops of mice battling enemies and the elements.

The game allows you to play one of these brave guardmice and, together with your fellow players, form a patrol whose job it is to guard mouse civilization from those who would see it destroyed. Guardmice are given armor and weapons and a little guidance from their mentors, but after that it's up to the patrol's experience and training to keep them alive in the face of snow, bats, bears, crabs, and snakes.

Mouse Guard has fantastic art, a great concept, and a unique question-based character generation scheme, but what sets it apart is the effort Crane and his team put into describing how to play. "We let you become familiar with [the] building blocks-- but we also tell you how to run a session in Mouse Guard."

In fact, Mouse Guard is very specific about the roles of both players and the Gamemaster. The text lays out a specific turn-based scene structure where the Gamemaster is instructed (and shown how) to push the players through adversity in the story. Then the game tells the players (and shows them how) to push back against the Gamemaster through their actions in the story.

It may sound too regimented. I was very skeptical at first, but the structure ends up supporting the game and actually allowing everyone to maximize the enjoyment they take from it. Also, because it's transparent, having the structure makes learning the game faster, a focus for Crane when writing the text. "We need to teach new players how to play role playing games and Mouse Guard does that. It's an instruction text from the ground up." Crane said.

Because of all the instruction on how to play, Mouse Guard makes a great starting point for those who want to play any Crane game. "Burning Wheel assumes you know how to set up a narrative and go," Crane said. On the other hand, Mouse Guard makes fewer assumptions about the player. "It contains some pretty radical concepts and it's just easier to get your mind around the radical concepts if they are presented in a clear concise manner."

Even though my preference is for Burning Wheel, I have played Mouse Guard almost as much. I understand Crane's argument and can admit that my preference may stem from the fact that I played Burning Wheel first. In fact, logically, Mouse Guard offers a number of advantages over Burning Wheel if for no other reason than Crane has grown as a game designer.

Whether fantasy, the adventures of a gaurdmouse, or even science fiction is your passion, Luke Crane has designed a game for it. If you have never played his games before, give Mouse Guard a try. It's a brilliant setting, the art is cute yet deadly, and the rules encourage good gaming. Then, once you are ready for something else, pick up Burning Wheel or Burning Empires. You'll find they are familiar, yet different, but still fantastic games to play.

You can buy Mouse Guard, Burning Wheel, Burning Empires or any of their supplements at BurningWheel.org, including the preorder of Bloodstained Stars, the latest book for Burning Empires.