The updated Mausritter rulebook comes with an adventure location called Stumpville.

I ran it as a one-off with some friends and here are some of my notes on how I packaged it into a three hour game.

The set-up

It’s the middle of winter, its icy cold but no snow has fallen yet.

Player characters are stranded in Oaksgrove when their caravan leaves without them. They were sleeping in after a night of heavy carousing on town. They are without money and need to earn some urgently if they want to avoid winding up on the street. But they’re in luck:

Agnes Butterball head of the merchant guild announces, standing on a barrel in the middle of the square, that the yearly Yule Cheese market is cancelled because the cheese has not showed up yet! She offers 500 pips to the one who can bring back the cheese to Oaksgrove (30 pip up front max). She suspects it has been caught up somewhere on the route from Stumpville.

Travel

Remember: roll for winter weather conditions (use the PDF version of the weather table as the printed book has less options)

Remember: Roll for random encounters every watch

Takes a watch of travel to get to the river.

If its bitter cold when the get there the river is frozen over and they can cross it on foot.

There is a bargeman there taking anyone over the river for 2 pips. His name is Gil Seedfall. If weather conditions are severe roll DEX save or lose one item (tick one use on multiple use items like rations).

If they can’t afford the pips for Gil they can travel two days south to the hamlet of River Rest and cross there in the fallen log.

Poppyseed roadhouse

First evening they arrive at the roadhouse. Under a root. Cozy and warm. The innkeeper is a tiny mouse named Orin White. He offers beds in the big sleeping room for 1 pip a night.

They serve Mushroom stew (2 pips).

A mouse knight sits by a table himself eating the stew. He works for Lord Larkspur. Tracking down river smugglers. He can be convinced to join to Stumpville if he thinks it’s in the interest of his lord.

Fennel Thorn - 4 HP, 1 Armor, STR 10 DEX 9 WIL 9 Sword 1d6

A band of river rats working as smugglers are having a few drinks in the corner.

Stumpville

Remember: Roll for encounters every three turns

Remember: Track torch use if it’s during the night

I played out the location just as described but had the villagers not kept far away in the shed but rather caged wagons not far from town. This sped up the wrapping up of things after the cheese had been recovered and the rats were outwitted (or murder-hobo’d).

Only note in retrospect: Even with just three new fresh characters it was a bit too easy to just murder all the rats (in a one-off when the players are not as worried about the characters). If you want to encourage some strategy maybe increase the amount of rats (or pick max instead of roll).