RPG 2nd Edition Card Art

The Second Edition of the Mouse Guard Role Playing Game will have new cards. In the original release, the cards were only a part of the boxed set and only in the boxed set supplement were the rules to implement the cards explained. For the Second Edition, Luke has included the rules in the Hardcover Rulebook, and decks of cards will be made available separately through Archaia (though they will also be included in a new release of the Boxed Set) For today's blogpost, I'll give a rundown of the types of cards and show the newly created art for each group. (Note this is only the art for the cards, other information, borers, rules, text, etc will adorn the final cards)

Action Cards:

In the Mouse Guard RPG, the characters and GM plan out their three actions for a round in a conflict secretly from one another and then revealed and resolved in order. The deck of cards allows each player (and the GM) to easily set face-down in front of them their action cards for each round and flip them over as they need to be revealed. The four types of actions are Feint (represented by Kenzie), Maneuver (represented by Sadie), Defend (represented by Rand), and Attack (represented by Saxon). Each card will contain rule details for how to handle each action type. And the Action cards in Mouse Guard aren't just for fighting, but can be used for any type of conflict in the game: a race to a goal, a public debate, even a cooking competition!

Weapon Cards:
In the Mouse Guard RPG, each weapon has rules associated with it that are more to do with how they act in use than just the amount of damage each inflicts. For players to keep track of those rules and swap weapons if they wish, they can use the cards and keep their weapon(s) in front of them for easy reference. For the new art, I tried to show a variety of styles of weapons where possible, but overall just make everything look cool and like it came from a Mouse Guard story you read (even if you haven't yet). The weapons cards consist of: Axe, Mace, Staff, Knife, Spear, Halberd, Bow & Arrows, Sword, Shield, Sling, and Hook & Line.


Luke also asked me to include for this release (something that was not in the original Boxed Set) artwork for new Armor Cards: Heavy and Light. Each have a bonus for using in terms of defense, but come with other downsides in terms of maneuverability and hiding. The heavy armor I based on a piece I drew as a commission that became the 2011 sketchbook cover, and the light is based on Jeremy Bastian's take on Midnight's armor from Fall 1152.

Condition Cards:
Instead of the traditional hit points as a way of marking the effects of damage and failures the Mouse Guard RPG puts conditions on your character which each have their own way of affecting your character and their own way to recover from them. The rules for each take up the majority of the card space, but for these instead of drawing 5 unhappy & unpleasant looking mice, I opted to design a unique border to stylize the card's condition type (each with a unique palate to help with distinguishing the cards from one another. Below you will find the art for Angry, Sick, Tired, Injured, and Hungry/Thirsty.

Luke, Archaia, and I do not have a firm date for the Mouse Guard RPG Second Edition, the Boxed set, or these cards, but the materials are being final-edited and proofed currently. We will update when we can....However....

Swords and Strongholds:

We are in the final two days of our  Kickstarter for the Mouse Guard board game Swords & Strongholds designed by Luke Crane & I. Now's the time to secure your copy: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/burningwheel/mouse-guard-swords-and-strongholds

2014 Appearances:

Boston Comic Con: August 8-10

Baltimore Comic Con: Sept. 5-7

NY Comic Con: Oct. 9-12