This is part 4 in an ongoing series of play reports. Get started with part 1.

Hello, fellow Guard mice, and welcome to the recap of our latest session of Mouse Guard. This time the session was a bit shorter, but that doesn’t mean we skimped on the drama and action!

If you recall, when we last left the patrol, Finn and Quinn had successfully pushed Willow — the lead actress of a potentially seditious acting troupe — into allowing Honeymeade—the conspirator being sought by the patrol — to reveal herself. With the insurgent before them, the two patrol mice now had to figure out some way of getting Honeymeade to come with them, as the patrol had orders to bring the actress to Mouse Guard headquarters. Thinking quickly, Quinn decided to convince the rebel that she and Finn were defecting from the Guard, and wanted to join the insurrection. Honeymeade decided to hear them out, but as Quinn was about to start her pitch, Jasper and Aengus came walking down the path from town towards the camp.

Having spent the evening driving off a bullfrog and then trekking the remaining miles to Dawnrock with a bereft child in-tow, the late-comers were completely unaware of their companions’ plan and were merely intent on rejoining their fellows. Luckily for everyone, Finn spotted the two coming out of the town, and made a quick excuse to go relieve himself, hoping Jasper or Aengus would see him leave and try to meet up with him. Honeymeade was suspicious, of course, and ordered one of her fellow actors to accompany Finn, to “make sure nothing happened while he was in the woods.”

Hustle the Hustler

While Finn was off doing his business, Quinn continued her line of trying to convince Honeymeade she and Finn were disillusioned with the guard, and had heard from Wulfrid (their prisoner/contact from the previous mission) that the troupe was a good place for them to go. Now, this would have been a great place to have a conflict, but I knew our session was going to be short this time, and so I opted to let it come down to a simple versus test instead. Quinn came out on top, but only just, so Honeymeade asked her to prove her commitment; she and Finn would take a few of the other actors into town that evening and steal some weapons from the local garrison. Afterwards, they would rendezvous with the rest of the troupe along the road. Not having any alternative, Quinn promised to get it done, just as Finn was returning.

Potty Break

While Quinn was making her play with Honeymeade, Finn had been escorted into the woods. Rather than answering the call of nature, however, he was hoping Jasper and Aengus would be nearby. Luckily, his two companions had seen him, and made themselves known. While his escort was busy doing his business, Finn was able to quickly let Jasper and Aengus know what was happening. He didn’t have time to lay out too much of the plan, however, before he was taken back to the camp. Upon returning, Quinn told him what Honeymeade had tasked them with doing, and the two of them tried to figure out the best way to break off from the actors and inform Jasper and Aengus of the full plan.

Reunited and It Feels So Good

With Quinn and Finn trying to figure out how to ditch Honeymeade’s cohorts for a bit, it was on Jasper and Aengus to get the ball rolling. Jasper, once again acting against her nature, strode into the actor’s camp and loudly demanded to know why Quinn and Finn were fooling around, instead of doing their jobs. Quickly picking up the thread, Finn made apologies and then told the actors they’d have to come back later for “that drink we promised you,” all the while shrugging towards Jasper as if to say “you know how it goes with the boss.” Another good roll, and the troupe bought it, leaving the four Guard mice to leave and hash out a quick plan.

After a bit of back-and-forth amongst the group, it was decided that the easiest way to accomplish the mission (that is, to grab Honeymeade and take her to Lockhaven) would be to take the direct approach; Quinn and Finn would return to the camp and bring the two conspirators with them back to town, where-in Jasper and Aengus would ambush them. With two of the members of the troupe out of commission, the entire patrol would then descend upon the camp, hoping their training and reputation would carry them and allow them to capture their quarry.

Their plan of attack decided, the patrol set things into motion. Quinn and Finn returned to the camp and collected their escorts. Again, owing to the lack of time for the session, we didn’t use the conflict system. Instead, after a few dice rolls (including some fate and persona), the group had subdued the two insurgents and were poised to attack the camp… next time.