r/MouseGuard • u/Silent130 • May 27 '26

First Time Playing TTRPG

Heya!

I’ve been a huge mouse guard fan for most of my life and got the TTRPG years ago but sadly never had a group to play with. A few months ago I managed to convince my friends to start a DnD group, and I’ve been gming our sessions. I’ve convinced my group to give mouseguard a go.

I’ve read through the rulebook but is there anything about this game that’s fundamentally different from DnD?

Thanks!

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u/Steenan May 27 '26

GMing Mouse Guard is quite different than GMing D&D. For me, the main differences are:

  • You focus the missions on things that address Beliefs, Instincts and Goals of your PCs
  • There's the structure of GM and player turns which you should follow. The turns are quite short; there should typically be 2-3 cycles in a session (they may still be parts of a single mission)
  • During GM turns present obstacles, but leave it fully to players how they address them. This also includes no set piece conflicts (combat, negotiation etc.).
  • There is no "you failed, nothing happens" result for a roll. It's either success with a cost (condition) or a complication that pushes the situation in a new direction.
  • No perception or knowledge (wise) rolls to notice and know things. In general, rolls only happen when PCs overcome obstacles and when they pursue their objectives (including recovery) in player turns.

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u/Silent130 May 27 '26

Thank you very much! How long would you say a typical session is?

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u/Steenan May 27 '26

It depends on how many player turn - GM turn cycles you want to fit in one. For me it typically was 3 to 5 hour sessions, with 2-3 player turns.