Mouse Guard RPG vs Pathfinder
Compare Mouse Guard RPG and Pathfinder side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Mouse Guard RPG | Pathfinder | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy | Fantasy |
| Play Style | Character-Driven, Atmospheric, Mission-Based | Tactical, Crunchy, Character Building, High-Fantasy, Dungeon Crawl, Lore-Heavy |
| Core Mechanic | Roll a pool of d6s equal to your ability or skill: each die showing 4+ counts as a success. Meet or exceed the obstacle number to pass. Conflicts (fights, arguments, chases, negotiations) use scripted actions and disposition. Beliefs, Instincts, and Goals drive advancement. Play alternates between GM's Turn (missions and obstacles) and Players' Turn (personal goals and recovery). | Roll d20 + modifier against a DC. Four degrees of success: critical success (beat DC by 10+), success, failure, and critical failure (miss by 10+). Each turn grants three actions to spend freely on strikes, movement, spellcasting, or other activities. Multi-attack penalty (-5/-10) discourages repeated strikes and encourages tactical variety. |
| Dice | d6 dice pool | d20 |
| Complexity | Medium | High |
| Accessibility | Medium | Very High |
| Runnability | High | Very High |
| License | Proprietary | ORC |
| Cost | $$ | Free (ORC) |
| Publisher | Archaia Entertainment | Paizo |
| Year | 2015 | 2023 |
| Best For | Groups who love the Mouse Guard comics and want a mission-driven RPG where brave mice face nature, weather, and predators: with Burning Wheel's belief-driven mechanics in a streamlined package. | Groups who want deep character customization, tactical grid combat with meaningful turn-by-turn decisions, and a richly detailed fantasy setting with free rules. |
| Highlights | Beliefs and Instincts mechanically drive play, versatile conflict system handles fights, debates, chases, and negotiations equally, streamlined Burning Wheel engine, well-integrated with the comics, included sample missions and 12 pre-made characters | The three-action economy gives every turn the same three actions to spend on strikes, movement, or spells, so each turn is a fresh tactical decision. Characters customize through ancestry, class, skill, and general feats gained at nearly every level, letting builds diverge sharply within a single class. Four degrees of success, set by beating or missing the DC by 10, turn each roll into a range of outcomes rather than a binary result. |
| Considerations | Tightly bound to the Mouse Guard setting, conflict scripting takes getting used to, limited character options, currently out of print | New players must learn the trait system, conditions, and four degrees of success before combat runs smoothly. Multi-attack penalty and numerous combat actions can slow turns for indecisive players. Character creation draws feats from ancestry, class, skill, and general pools at every level, making each build a slow step. |