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Diminutive RPG Mausritter’s box of new adventures includes a delve through a suit of medieval armour

Nice mice and dice on romps, journeys and heists.

The “sword-and-whiskers” tabletop roleplaying game Mausritter has hit Kickstarter to reprint its original box set, along with funding a separate collection of ten adventures written by a suite of creators and detailing an expansive campaign setting.

The adventure collection provides groups with ten interconnected adventures printed as tri-fold cardstock pamphlets nestled inside a separate storage box, along with a setting guide and map and its own set of specific item tokens. Creator Isaac Williams tapped tabletop designers from across the world and tasked them with building experiences in their own style, resulting in an interesting mix of dungeon crawls, townships and landscapes.

Each pamphlet can be run as a one-shot or tacked on to existing campaigns, but groups can also use the included setting guide to run them all as an interconnected series of encounters taking place in and around the colossal Estate and its overgrown environs. Paries can trudge through the sewers beneath, which are stalked by a giant snake, or visit a museum of magic housed inside an upright set of medieval knight's armour. Others details a breakneck mushroom heist, a dark fairy tale in a seemingly utopian orchard and more.

Cover image for YouTube videoRoot tabletop RPG actual play episode 1 - LET'S PLAY THE ROOT TRPG

The box set contains much the same content as the original run published In November 2020 - a hardcover edition of the rules, items cards, character sheets, a GM screen and the introductory adventure Honey in the Rafters. Creator Isaac Williams notes on the campaign’s description page that the rulebook’s contents fixes a few typos and adds some slight clarifications but is otherwise identical to the first edition. Its exterior, however, sports a new art treatment featuring a peek through a tree's knothole.

Both the adventure collection and the reprinted box set can be purchased separately for existing fans or together for newer players intrigued by the look and feel of Williams’ game of tiny daring-do. The contributing creators include Brazilian designers Alex Damaceno and Diogo Nogueira, Amanda Lee Franck, illustrator Josiah Moore and Madeleine Ember - half of indie publishing deo Ember+Ash.

Mausritter began as a series of homebrewed hacks of indie RPG Into the Odd throughout 2019 and early 2020, accreting to the point that Williams figured he would compile his efforts together in a single zine first available on digital platform Itch.io. The popularity of the system, which is highly modular and “resistant to hacking” according to Williams, has only grown since among tabletop hobbyists. Character creation is meant to be lightning fast, and its focus on exploration and danger rewards careful planning with a dash of boldness.

One of the key features of the system is its use of inventory as a primary means of defining abilities and character, adapted from the popular OSR title Knave. While each mouse sports three core stats, armour, weapons and spells are represented by physical cards that must be “equipped” on a grid of squares. Size and orientation are important. Light armour and a shield restrict a body and hand slot, while heavier armour instead needs a free head slot to be worn. Choosing what to bring on a journey defines each mouse’s capabilities and limits.

The Mausritter Box Set & Adventure Collection Kickstarter campaign will run through August 31st and has already shot past its original funding goal of AU$8,000 ($5,900/£4,200). The adventure collection can be purchased as a digital or physical edition, while the core rules for Mausritter are available at a pay-what-you-want price point on the game’s Itch.io page. Shipping is expected to begin in February of 2022.

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Chase Carter

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Chase is a freelance journalist and media critic. He enjoys the company of his two cats and always wants to hear more about that thing you love. Follow him on Twitter for photos of said cats and retweeted opinions from smarter folks.

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