Mausritter (2020) is so good!

So, much as I enjoyed Mouse Guard, I felt like it was ultimately too complex for what it was trying to do (and the big pool of first-time RPGers it seemed primed to attract). Mausritter, which bills itself as “swords-and-whiskers role-playing,” is much more in line with what I want out of a mouse-centric fantasy RPGs — the rules are light, it plays fast, the mechanical framework is flexible but also firm enough to keep you on track the entire time — no nebulous narrative clouds to get lost in here.

The game is basically a modified version of Into the Odd, so it is lean and precise — roll a D20, get equal to or under the stat for success. The core of the rules fits on the front of a single reference card and it is really all you need. Everything in the book proceeds out of a natural logic — you can probably guess the answer to any given question without cracking it open. Love that in a rule system. The real juicy stuff is the back half, which is aimed at GMs and contains tools for generating adventures, hex crawls and all manner of troubles for your players.

The box is pure delight — the art and graphic design of the components tells a story, there’s a cat on the side of the box bottom and the mice are going to need that grappling hook in a hurry. The rulebook even has a mouse hole gnawed in the cover. You gotta love it. Also included is a screen, a fold-out pamphlet adventure (cursed bees!), a pad of character sheets, a marker and several sheets of cardboard tokens. These are used to track inventory and status effects, which adds a nice tactile component to the game.

All in all, a great box set. It is right in line with the level of quality I have come to expect from Games Omnivorous. They kickstarted a second edition and adventure pack last year — I am keen to see what they come up with.