Crime

This is an extension of the basic Scenario Generator. The list expands the Crime option from that original list, and was written by the amazing Rudolph Aligierski (who translated Mecha Mice into Polish).

Roll 1D6:

1. Theft
2. Arson
3. Murder
4. Sabotage
5. Burglary
6. Combine two of the above

Keep in mind that solving crime is not within regular Mecha-Corp jurisdiction, and might cause friction with local Cops. On the one hand - tensions, frictions, and conflicts are what makes a good game session. On the other - knowing about potential conflict with the law enforcement players might be hesitant to engage. That's why the crime must be an offense to the honour of the Corp (honour and face being the foundation of mice society).

If it's theft - the item stolen is one of the Mecha-Suits. If it's murder - make the victim one of their own - member of the Corp or a relative.

Incidentally it is not murder which is most severe crime on the list. Given the thousand enemies mice are used to death. Death in the hand of their own is repulsive, but hardly shocking. As the basis of the Community is work for the brighter future, work done by many for many, it is sabotage and arson directed against someone else's efforts, that are most angering and traumatic to mice society.

Lost-cape's Patrol

Red-paw and Sticky-mud sat on the sand looking out across the bay while munching the morning meal. Lost-cape was standing a few lengths up the beach on overwatch. Her eyes constantly flicking from sky, to sea, and to the trees behind. There wasn't much chance of a problem or threat here on the island, but that was because the Corp was here, and this patrol was one of the reasons the island was so safe.

Sticky-mud popped the last seed into his mouth. "Well, I guess we'd better get moving, they'll be expecting us in Small-on-sea by now."

"No." Lost-cape's one word put the other two mice on alert. They jumped to their feet as she continued. "There's a snake out there."

The snake wove across the water towards them. Red-paw's eyes narrowed. He slammed his visor closed and sprinted for the water. As he jumped out into the sea the other two moved to the water's edge unslung their power staffs.

The snake will be tired, thought Red-paw, it will want to get to land. It will strike, it will not hurt, I must not let it reach the beach. The snake saw him, veered away to one side trying to bypass him. Red-paw kicked hard and moved in its path. The snake kept coming, its tongue flicking out.

Red-paw couldn't get in front of it, he was moving too slow but he kicked harder anyway. With one gauntleted hand he pulled his bolas free. All within a half breath the snake's body was corrugating passed his visor, he swung the bolas over his head and it splashed down over the snake. With a dive Red-paw was under the snake and grasping for the other end of the bolas trying to create reins. His bemetalled claws brushed the weighted bolas before they bobbed out of reach. The snake slid on, he flailed, struggling to get a grasp on its slick surface but his suits paws found no purchase. With a yell of frustration he threw a punch at its tail before it passed out of reach, but if the snake noticed, it didn't show. Unwilling to give up, he kicked hard swimming after the enemy.

Lost-cape stepped to her left placing herself directly in the path of the snake, Sticky-mud took a position ten lengths to her side. Without taking his eyes from the oncoming enemy he slipped his bolas from their pouch and tied one end to his staff.

As the snake writhed from the water Lost-cape leaped at its face. It opened it's mouth flexing its fangs, but it didn't have time to strike before Lost-cape struck with her staff, driving the end into the beasts mouth sliding it up a wet fang. The staff discharged, the snakes poison sack pulsed splashing her mecha suit with poison. Sticky-mud was there too. With a mighty yell he swung his staff, the bolas tied to the end flailed for the snake's head. The bolas struck one of its eyes making it blink just as it lashed out at Lost-cape. With the shock the strike was misdirected and punched Lost-cape, sending her tumbling across the sand.

Sticky-mud struck again, and the snake slid away. It was trying to get away and across the beach. Running up the beach he put himself between the snake and the grassland above. The snake pulled back for a strike but suddenly flexed turning back to the water as Red-paw discharged his staff onto its tail. The snake's head whipped out at him and the impact sent him surging under the water.

When the beast turned back to the beach it found two Mecha Corp mice standing staunchly blocking its path. It wavered for a second undecided if it should attack or flee. When it slithered to its left, the mice matched its move blocking it.  In frustration it made a half hearted strike towards Lost-cape but it didn't connect. It moved left again, and again the mice matched it. There was a splashing to the snakes right and it's eyes flicked that way to see a third mecha emerge from the water. Red-paw marched up the sand and joined the others damning the way up the beach.
The snake suddenly back flipped into the water and started swimming for the opposite shore. Lost-cape issued orders, and Red-paw set off to warn the community of Small-on-sea while Sticky-mud found a high point from to track the snake's departure.

The Small-on-sea community

Small-on-sea is a small community on the opposite side of Searbay island from Carlyle. It is a wildly different place to Carlyle in a number of respects.

The community here is not built of mice that all share the commune-vision of mousedom. The mice of Small-on-sea are those that find they can't fit into a tight knit community. They include both mice invited to the island but who disposition can't cope with too many mice, and those born on the island who find it difficult to fit in.

The buildings of Small-on-sea are smaller, with many dug into the soil and widely spread with wide gaps between them. Few mice live within the notional borders of the town, instead they tend to live in more natural family groups spread throughout the nearby woods.

The mice that opt to live in or near Small-on-sea tend to be more solitary and self reliant, gruff to strangers and even occasionally aggressive towards strangers. There are families too of rugged mice that prefer the less crowded life. The fact that the town exists shows that as a group they see the benefits of some level of community cooperation but just prefer to spend most of their time away from crowds.

The town does have a contingent of Carlyle Cops that are regularly changed. All of the Cops are given strict hands-off instructions before setting out for Small-on-sea. For new recruits this can sometimes be a challenge as the social norms and attitudes in the town differ so widely from those they are used to in Carlyle.

There are warehouses and stores within the town and the surrounding families often contribute to the community so that in times of need they will have something to fall back on. To most though the town is a place that's necessary, just get goods now and then, but a place they'd rather avoid.

The town is on one of the standard patrol routes of the Mecha Corp and they tend to pass through the town or along the beach in front of it every couple of days. The local Cop contingent are expected to alert the patrol if there are any problems they need to deal with. By tradition, this has become a formal report-process that is mostly carried out for the sake of form and honour. On a number of occasions this has led to real problems when the Cops decided they could handle a problem better suited to the Corp.

Persistent Predator

This is an extension of the scenario generation post I made a couple of weeks ago. The initial posting listed six general types of scenario and this list expands on one of those options. This time, the subject of the scenario is a "Persistent Predator".

Roll 1D6:

1. Bear 
2. Eagle
3. Wolves
4. Coyotes
5. Lynx
6. Snapping turtle

Is the bear scraping up the soil of the island, hunting out the colonies winter seed supply? Maybe an eagle is constantly sweeping over the island and picking off the lookouts from their tree top hides. Perhaps a turtle has taken up residence where the main-land ferry usually docks. A single big predator could easily become a regular adversary in your Mecha Mice campaign.

Remember Brown-pebble

Brown-pebble leapt across the rivulet, scaled the bank and turned to encourage the others.

"Come on! Not far now! You're nearly safe!" He checked his suit's power reading, only two pads green. Not good.

Three mice splashed through the water and raced passed him, he gave them a smile that was only painted on, and turned to scan the far bank. He could hear them coming. They were closer. Gaining on him and his charges.

He raced after the others darting through the grass and fallen leaves. He estimated the distance to the boats where his fellow Paw member, Shattered-egg, would be waiting. It was too far. The enemy would be tearing the mice apart long before they reached safety. As he ran he went over the path ahead in his mind. There was a stream with over hanging branches not too far from here, he could ambush the pursuers there, perhaps gain time for the others to reach Shattered-egg and the boat.

At the stream he jumped across and used the strength of the mecha suit to leap for the branches overhead. Swinging round a twig he ran along the branch back towards the water just in time to see the first three rats streak out of the grass. As they hit the water, he dived onto the back of the lead rat.

-*-

Shattered-egg snapped round as the three mice broke from the grass and raced down the beach towards him. He had the boat launched before they reached  him, and was waist deep in the water helping the  mice into the boat before he realised that Brown-pebble wasn't with them.

"Where's Brown-pebble?"

"He was right behind us!" All four mice stared up the beach hoping to see Brown-pebble appear. The mice in the boat gasped at the sounds of combat. Shattered-egg took one step towards the sand before remembering the mice in the boat. If he left them to help Brown-pebble they'd be defenceless.

-*-

Brown-pebble threw himself backwards as the rat jumped. He slapped into the water jamming the staff's base into the stream bed. The rat landed on the staff's point yelped and jumped back. Before brown-pebble could react he was grabbed by the leg and being swung through the air. The rat's teeth were clamped on his suit's foot and he could feel the beasts roar vibrating through the metal covering. It let go and he crashed face first into the water and a rat was on his back before he could rise.

-*-

Shattered-egg was torn. His duty was to protect the mice in the boat, but knowing his Paw-brother was fighting so near at hand wrenched at his heart. He pushed the boat a few more paces out onto the waters of the bay before halting head down with tears of frustration forming.

-*-

A space to breath. The rats surrounded Brown-pebble, five of them. They'd learnt that he was no simple mouse to be devoured as a meal, but now they saw him as a challenge to their honour. They circled, each looking for an opening.

Another pad on his power display faded to dark red. He didn't have long. He wondered if the others had reached the boat, had he given them enough time. With his power-staff lodged under one arm the power point forward, he reached in and unholstered his bolas, started them swinging.

The rat to his right was the first to move, he sent the bolas flying to entangle its feet. Another came from his right, Brown-pebble thrust the power staff into its face, the staff discharged with a crack. The third came from his front, its huge jaws closing over his face plate. He punched it in the throat as  the staff was ripped from his other paw. The warning beep sounded as the last pad of his power indicator started to fade.

The boat floated a mouse-jump from the shore. The sounds of battle continued. The mice behind Shattered-egg urged him to paddle, they wanted to leave, but he just couldn't bring himself to abandon his Paw-brother.

Duty finally won out and he picked up a paddle. Just as he slid it into the water one of the other mice silently thrust out an arm pointing up the beach. Shattered-egg whipped round to see Brown-pebble stumble without mecha suit, covered in blood onto the sand. Rats burst out of the grass to either side of him, themselves battered and bloody, but looking terrifying and huge.

Shattered-egg and Brown-pebble's eyes met, an understanding born of training and utter truth passed between them. Brown-pebble gave a yell of triumph and leapt at the nearest rat. Shattered-egg turned, furiously dug his paddle into the water as tears ran like rain over his his fur.

Grey-bear and the Weaving Guild

Grey-bear is the head of the weavers guild of Carlyle. She has lead the weaving lessons and allocated mice to weaving duties for the last two years. The "Great Weaving House" in Carlyle produces all of the woven materials used by the Searbay mice.

Everything from the great tents and canopies used for celebration days  right down to the hard wearing sandals used by the miners are produced in the weaving house. The tents themselves are kept on one of the house’s attached storehouses. Other nearby storehouses hold the other woven products until they are needed.

One of the most sought after cloths produced by the Weaving house are the rarely produced silken blankets. These wonderfully warm and soft blankets are given to new mothers to swaddle their pinkies and traditionally they are handed onto the eldest as it comes of age. The reason these are in such short supply is that it is rarely that the silk producing worms appear on the island. Sometimes the Mecha Corp return with a worm or two that they discover while on their patrols, but this is very rare as they have more pressing duties.

As well as producing tents, and clothing, the woven materials of The Great Weaving House are used for other purposes. For instance they produce mats in various sizes. These are used to line tunnels, and for creating the roof of the covered way to the black-stone mine. Also as a platforms for crossing mud, which are used by the down-collectors who work among the water reeds. Surprisingly some of the boatmen use the mats to form the body of their coracles (subsequently sealed).

Inside the weaving house mice work in specific areas each mouse having a specific skill and working on a production line to create one type of item. There are similarities in the way weaving workers are organised to that of the Mecha Corp. They use the term “Paw” to describe a team of product specialists.

Audio treat - Joining the Commune

After a little prodding I have created a narration of the recent story "Joining the Commune". This is an audio reading with music and a sound effect or two added in for spice.

Take a listen