A Human Is Seventeen Mice Tall: A Mausritter Scale Guide

A mouse standing on its back legs is about 4 inches tall. You’re probably about 68, uh I mean 72. That makes you roughly seventeen mice tall, and that one number is basically this whole post.

These are my GM notes for running Mausritter at the table with minis: how to describe the world, what base size to put every creature on, and what to raid from the kitchen for terrain. Everything here is measured against one standard. A mouse PC is a 28mm-ish heroic miniature on a 32mm round base.

I made this because I was having a hard time imagining scale and really wanted to bring the tiny world to the tabletop. I hope this helps other people do the same.

Times Seventeen

Any time you need to describe something, take the real object, multiply it by 17, and picture that from where you’re standing. A human is a walking ten-story building. A house is a mountain range. A puddle is a lake.

Real thing	×17 from a mouse’s view	Say it like
A human (170 cm)	~30 m / 100 ft	A walking ten-story building. A giant. An act of nature.
A house (8 m)	~140 m / 450 ft	A mountain range. Skyscraper-sized cliffs. A whole region.
A tree (20 m)	~350 m / 1,100 ft	A mesa. A world-pillar. Has its own weather.
A shrub or hedge (1.5 m)	~25 m / 80 ft	A deep, dark forest with a high canopy.
A dandelion or tall weed (35 cm)	~6 m / 20 ft	A tree.
A blade of grass (30 cm)	~5 m / 17 ft	A telephone pole. A meadow is a forest of poles.
A mushroom (8 cm)	~1.4 m / 4.5 ft	A shade tree or a small house.
A step (18 cm)	~3 m / 10 ft	A cliff. You need rope or a ramp.
A curb (15 cm)	~2.5 m / 8 ft	A city wall.
A sidewalk crack (2 cm wide)	~35 cm	A ravine you can jump if you’re brave.
A fallen twig (1 cm thick)	~17 cm	A log bridge.
A fallen branch (10 cm thick)	~1.7 m	A ridge full of caves.
A puddle (1 m)	~17 m / 55 ft	A lake.
A garden stream (1 m wide)	~17 m / 55 ft	A wide river. Bring a boat.
A creek (3–5 m wide)	~60–85 m	The sea.
A raindrop (5 mm)	~8 cm / 3 in	A thrown water balloon. Storms are dangerous.
A coin (2.5 cm)	~40 cm / 16 in	A giant’s shield. A tabletop.
A marble (1.5 cm)	~25 cm / 10 in	A magic orb. Two mice can carry it.
A key (6 cm)	~1 m / 3 ft	A legendary relic. A cart-load.
A sewing needle (4 cm)	~70 cm / 27 in	The mouse sword.
A thumbtack		A spear.
A coffee mug on its side	~2 m wide	A cave.
An old boot		A dungeon with a bunch of rooms.
A broken flowerpot		A ruined castle.
A tin can		A tower.
A birdhouse		A keep.
A mailbox		A haunted temple.

So what’s a tree to a mouse? Not a tree. It’s a landmark on the scale of a cathedral or a mesa. Mice live in the roots the way people live at the foot of a mountain, and the canopy up top is another country. Bird country. Only heroes and idiots climb up there.

The thing that plays “tree” for a mouse is a plant. Dandelion is a tree. Thistle is a thorny old oak. Fern is a willow, a mushroom is a shade tree, grass is a forest of poles, and the hedge is the Deep Wood.

How Big Everything Feels

Sizes are real body length, not counting the tail. “Feels like” is the times-seventeen view, so it’s how big that animal would feel to you if you were the mouse.

Creature	Real size vs. a mouse	Feels like	Fantasy role
Ant	1/16	A big bug. Only scary in a swarm.	Swarm, goblin horde
Ladybug	1/10	A beetle the size of your palm	Harmless, maybe a pet
Bee / wasp	1/5	A dog-sized flying thing with a spear	Flying skirmisher
Beetle	1/3	A pony or an ox	Mount, cattle, armored brute
Spider (wolf)	1/3 (leg span)	A big dog	Hunting beast
Grasshopper / cricket	1/2	A deer that jumps	Skittish wildlife, bard
Snail	1/2	A slow, patient crawler the size of a house	Mount, pack animal, hermit
Caterpillar	1/2	A giant worm	Wildlife, oracle
Moth / butterfly	1/2 body, big wings	A hang-glider with a face	Messenger, faerie steed
Centipede	1×	A man-length armored snake with legs	Dungeon horror
Frog	1× (bulkier)	A man-sized monster that eats you	Brute, swamp ogre
Shrew	3/4	A frantic, hungry person	Berserker, wild folk
Vole	1.2×	A stocky cousin	Neighbor, farmer
Mole	2×	A blind giant in a tunnel	Digger, sage of the deep
Bat	1× body, 3× wingspan	A cloaked flier at night	Night scout, sinister ally
Lizard	2×	A crocodile	Reptile predator
Chipmunk	1.5×	A big, fast cousin	Trader, rival
Squirrel	2.5×	An acrobatic giant	Canopy folk, noble
Rat	3×	A 15-foot brute	Ogre, troll, bandit chief
Sparrow / songbird	2× body, flies	A griffon	Sky-folk, mount for heroes
Weasel / stoat	3.5×	A fast, 20-foot serpent with legs	Wyrm, assassin
Hedgehog	3×	A walking fortress	Armored knight, hermit
Rabbit	5×	An 80-foot gentle giant	Elephant-folk, neutral kingdom
Snake (garter)	7× long	A 100-foot dragon-serpent	Dragon, dungeon boss
Turtle	2.5×	A slow, living hill	Ancient sage, moving island
Crow / raven	5× body, flies	A roc with a 40-foot wingspan	Dark omen, trickster king
Owl	5× body, 12× wingspan	A silent 60-foot roc at night	The terror. Campaign villain.
Hawk	6× body, flies	A roc in daylight	Sky tyrant
Cat	6× long, 8× at the shoulder	Four meters at the shoulder and faster than a horse	Dragon. Never fight it.
Fox	9×	A 50-foot hunter	Elder dragon, off-screen
Dog	10×+	A landslide with teeth	Force of nature
Human	17× tall	A ten-story building that moves	God, giant, weather

Base Sizes

Don’t build at true scale. A 28mm mouse is really about 1:3, and if you build everything at 1:3 your acorns turn into pebbles. So here’s how I think about it:

• The mice are heroic scale. A little chunky, like the Mausritter art or Burrows & Badgers minis.
• Found objects are 1:1. Real acorns, bottle caps, pebbles, and leaves. A real acorn next to a 28mm mouse reads like a barrel the size of a beach ball. Close enough. Nobody at the table is doing the math.
• Anything human-sized is automatically huge terrain. A mug, a boot, a brick, a trowel.

The bases below climb a compressed ladder. Bigger creatures don’t get proportionally bigger bases, or the cat would be on a dinner plate. I stick to the standard wargaming rounds (25, 32, 40, 50, 60, 80, 100, and 120mm) and use ovals for long bodies.

Mouse-sized and smaller (32mm and down)

Creature	Base	Height / footprint	Notes
Mouse PC / NPC	32mm round	25–30mm tall	The standard.
Shrew	25 or 32mm	22–25mm	A little smaller, frantic pose.
Vole	32mm	28mm	Stockier than a mouse.
Ant	20mm each, or 3–5 on a 40mm swarm base	6–8mm	Model the swarm, not the individual.
Ladybug	20mm	Tiny	Decoration or a pet.
Bee / wasp	25mm on a flight peg	12mm body	Clear stem so it flies.
Beetle	25–32mm	15–20mm	Mounts go on 32mm so a rider fits.
Spider	32mm	20–25mm leg span	Legs hang off the base. That’s fine.
Grasshopper	32mm	20mm	Long legs.
Snail	32mm	20mm shell	Riding snail gets 40mm.
Caterpillar	32mm or 40×25 oval	25mm long	The oval reads better.
Moth / butterfly	32mm on a flight peg	30–40mm wingspan	Wings hang over.

Medium threats (40–60mm)

Creature	Base	Height / footprint	Notes
Frog	40mm	25mm tall, squat	Bulky and wide.
Toad	50mm	30mm	Bigger, warty, the boss frog.
Centipede	50×25 or 60×35 oval	50–60mm long	Sculpt it in an S-curve.
Bat	40mm on a flight peg	40mm wingspan	Or hang it off the terrain.
Lizard	40×25 oval	45mm long with the tail	Low and long.
Mole	40mm	25mm, round	A furry boulder with hands.
Chipmunk	40mm	30mm
Slug	40×25 oval	40mm
Dragonfly	40mm on a tall flight peg	50mm wingspan	Fast flier.
Rat	50mm	40–45mm tall	The standard big enemy. Go 40mm if you want them scrappier.
Squirrel	50mm	45mm	The tail adds height.
Sparrow / songbird	50mm (flight peg optional)	40mm body
Mouse cart / beetle wagon	50×25 or 60×35 oval		Vehicles.
Hedgehog	60mm	35mm, round	Wide, low, and spiky.
Turtle	60mm	30mm	A moving island.
Weasel / stoat	75×42 oval	60–70mm long	Long, sinuous, and fast. The oval sells it.
Rabbit	60mm	55mm tall with the ears	Gentle giant. 80mm for a big buck.
Snake (garter)	60 or 80mm round, coiled		Coil it. A straight snake needs a 120mm oval.

Boss and dragon tier (80mm and up)

Creature	Base	Height / footprint	Notes
Crow / raven	80mm or 100×60 oval, flight peg	70mm body	Big wingspan hangs over.
Owl	100 or 120mm	80mm tall, 150mm+ wingspan	Put it on a branch above the board.
Hawk	120×90 oval, flight peg		Daylight terror.
Cat	120×90 oval or 100mm round	90–100mm at the shoulder	Think of this as a dragon.
Fox	160×100 oval	120mm	Probably off the board. Just the head, poking in from the edge.
Dog	Off the board		A paw or a nose as terrain.
Human	Off the board	~550mm tall at scale	Never model the whole thing. A real shoe, a hand, a boot at the table edge.

For anything I didn’t list, go by body length compared to a mouse:

• Mouse-sized or smaller: 25–32mm
• 1–2× a mouse: 40mm
• 2–3×: 50mm
• 3–4×: 60mm or a 75×42 oval
• 4–6×: 80–100mm
• Bigger than that: boss base, or keep it off the board

The Rulebook Bestiary

The core book (Mausritter 2.3, chapter 8) has 11 creature entries, and the stats already tell you how big each one should be. HP and Armour climb with size. The Cat is the only warband-scale creature in there, and the book says it fights at army scale. That’s your dragon.

Stat block	Book stats	Real size vs. mouse	Base	Modeling notes
Mouse (rivals, NPCs, hirelings)	3hp, STR 9	1×	32mm	Same as the PCs. Leif, the “massive mouse exile,” gets 40mm.
Rat (rat gangs)	3hp, STR 12	3×	50mm	The book stats rats like mouse-tier thugs at 3hp, so 40mm works if you want swarmy mooks. 50mm sells the ogre look. Trashknights get tin armour. Kings get their tails knotted together on one 80mm base.
Spider (species table)	6hp, DEX 15, Armour 1	1/3 leg span	32mm	Legs hang over. Wolf spiders come in packs of d6, so paint six. Longlegs get 40mm on a tall clear stem so they walk on water. Ghost spider is clear resin or a grey wash.
Centipede	8hp, Armour 1	1×	50×25 oval	S-curve pose. The “giant, as big as a snake” version (12hp, STR 15, Armour 2) goes on a 75×42 oval. The feathered one gets wings.
Frog (knights-errant)	6hp, STR 12, DEX 15	1×, but bulky	40mm	Sir Gwal, Phillip the cursed human, and the rest. They joust, so give them a spear and a tabard.
Faerie	6hp, WIL 15, silver rapier	About a mouse, slighter	25 or 32mm	Slim and taller than a mouse. On a 25mm base it feels unnervingly light. Or 32mm on a clear flight peg. For the glamour version, use a spare mouse mini.
Ghost	9hp, STR 5, incorporeal	About a mouse	32mm, clear base	Clear resin, or a mouse mini painted translucent blue or grey. Only silver or magic hurts it.
Crow	12hp, STR 12, DEX 15, Armour 1	5× body, flies at 3× speed	80mm round or 100×60 oval, flight peg	Wingspan hangs over. It wants to protect hallowed places, so it’s usually a guardian, not a fight. It sings songs. Model it perched on a standing stone.
Snake (strange snakes)	12hp, Armour 2, swallows whole	7× long	80mm round, coiled	Coil it. A straight snake needs a 120mm oval. The Wood, Bone, and Shadow variants are great for kids. The Drake gets wings and 100mm.
Owl (sorcerers)	15hp, STR/DEX/WIL 15, Armour 1, 2 spells	5× body, 12× wingspan	100–120mm	It sits on a branch above the board, not on it. Names like Bezalel, Prospero, and Morgana. A wizard first and a monster second.
Cat (cat lords)	Warband scale, 15hp, STR 15	6× long, 8× at the shoulder	120×90 oval or 100mm round	The book says it fights at army scale, so the table should too. Balthazar, Melchior, Solomon, Nefertiti. You go to their court. You don’t fight them.

The ones the book mentions but doesn’t stat

These show up in backgrounds, hirelings, and hex tables. Build them off the ladder above.

Creature	Where it shows up	Base
Beetle	Beetleherd background, “loyal beetle” hireling, beetle racing rink, beetle graveyard, Ghost Beetle spell	32mm (25mm for wild ones, 32mm so a rider fits)
Worm	Worm wrangler background	50×25 oval
Bee	Bee keeper background, “hive of bees and their veiled keepers” settlement	25mm on a flight peg
Bat	Bat cultist background, “ancient bat cult temple”	40mm on a flight peg
Sparrow	Sparrow rider background, sparrow nest hex	50mm, rider on top
Songbird	Songbird’s nest hex	50mm
Rabbit	Rabbit wagon (travel), rabbit warren hex	60–80mm
Fox	Fox hole hex	Off the board. Head at the edge.
Fish	Fishermouse background, river hexes	40×25 oval, mostly a hazard under the water
Human	Human town, human roads, the “cursed human” frog, Lechuza the owl-witch	Never modeled. A boot, a hand, a shadow.

The book has a rule for warbands, too. Warbands and warband-scale creatures fight each other normally, and a warband’s attacks on a normal creature get ignored unless they’re “particularly destructive.” At the table, a squad of mice-at-arms goes on one 60mm base. Anything the book calls warband scale (the Cat, and I’d say a fox, a dog, or a human) gets the boss base or stays off the board.

Building Terrain at Mouse Scale

These are the sizes that make 32mm-based figures actually fit inside the stuff you build.

Element	Size
Doorway	30–35mm tall, 25mm wide
Ceiling / room height	40mm
Table height	15mm
Chair / stool	8–10mm seat
Bed	35×20mm
Barrel	~25mm. Just use a real acorn.
Wall thickness	5–10mm (foam or cork)
Corridor width	40mm (one figure plus room to pass)
Stairs / ramp	5mm risers
Rope bridge width	20–25mm
Bridge / plank	Coffee stirrer is 6mm, popsicle stick is 10mm

Never model the whole tree

Model a section. An 8 to 12 inch chunk of cork bark or textured foam standing at one edge of the board, with the roots running across the table as ridges and walls. The village sits down in the roots. The trunk is the edge of the world, not a thing sitting on it. Same goes for a house wall, a fence post, or a garden shed. One wall with a crack in the foundation is the whole adventure.

Raid the Junk Drawer

This is the fun part. Half of this stuff is already in your kitchen.

Mouse-scale props (real objects, 1:1)

Object	Becomes
Acorn cap	Bowl, helmet, hot tub, coracle, lampshade
Acorn	Barrel, storage jar
Walnut shell	Boat, cradle, house, roof
Empty snail shell	House, tower, hermit’s hut
Thimble	Cauldron, well, bucket, bell
Button	Table, wheel, stepping stone, shield, coin
Bottle cap	Table, well, shield, cauldron, boat
Matchbox	Hut, crate, chest, drawer-house
Cork	Stump, barrel, cliff face, hut
Cork bark	Tree bark, cliffs, rock walls. The best texture there is.
Popsicle sticks / coffee stirrers	Planks, bridges, palisades, floors, docks
Pencils / dowels	Logs, fallen trees, pillars
Toothpicks	Fence posts, spears, rafters
Penne / rigatoni	Pipes, tunnels, drainage
Lasagna / sheet pasta	Planking, roof tiles (paint it)
Poppy pod / seed pod	Tower, spire, lantern
Pinecone	Tower, pagoda, spiky fortress
Pressed leaf (sealed with Mod Podge)	Roof, tent, sail, canopy, raft
Dried grasses and flowers	The mouse forest
Aquarium plants	Ferns, reeds, weird magic plants
Moss / lichen	Underbrush, hedges, soft ground
Torn sponge	Bushes, mushroom caps
Pebbles	Boulders, cairns, standing stones
Sand / grit	Gravel fields, riverbanks
Twigs	Logs, bridges, watchtower scaffolds
Bark chips	Shingles, shields, doors
Feathers	Sails, banners, roc-feather trophies
Paper clips / wire	Chains, hooks, fences, cage bars
Beads	Lanterns, orbs, eggs, berries
Sequins	Scales, shingles, coins
Cotton / wool	Smoke, clouds, spider webs, sheep-aphids
Clear plastic (blister packs)	Water, ice, windows, dewdrops

The giant world (human objects, used as-is)

Object	Becomes
Coffee mug on its side	Cave
Old boot or shoe	Dungeon with a bunch of rooms
Broken flowerpot	Ruined castle
Tin can	Tower, silo, prison
Brick with holes	Fortress block, cliff with caves
Garden trowel	Bridge, ramp, iron road
Birdhouse	Keep
Mailbox	Haunted temple
Book, open and standing	Cliff fortress, tent-cathedral
Watering can	Fountain-mountain, a dungeon that exits out the spout
Garden hose	Serpent tunnel, endless road
Old tire	Ring canyon
Tea tin	Dwarven hold
Shoebox lid	Ready-made dungeon floor or arena
Egg carton	Cave complex, honeycomb hive
Rake head, lying down	Palisade, iron cage
Teapot	Wizard’s tower
Colander	Domed temple with stars poking through the roof

Giant artifacts as treasure

Object	Treasure
Coin	Giant’s shield, sacred disc, table
Marble	Magic orb, dragon egg
Key	Legendary relic that needs a cart
Sewing needle	The mouse sword
Thumbtack / pin	Spear, dagger
d6	Carved oracle stone
Ring	A gate, a giant’s crown, the rim of a well
Bottle	Glass tower, a prison for a spirit
Safety pin	Grappling hook and chain
Washer / nut	Millstone, wheel, throne seat
Broken watch / gears	Clockwork dungeon, lost machine
LEGO brick	Obviously a giant’s magic block

Three Zoom Levels

I run the game at three scales and jump between them whenever I want.

Zoom	What it is	On the table	Notes
Overland	The whole known world	Hand-drawn hex map	One hex is about what a mouse walks in a watch. A real mouse’s home range is around 30 meters, so one backyard is a kingdom and the whole house is the known world.
Encounter	Where a fight or a scene happens	A 2×2 ft board of found objects	Grass tufts, pebbles, a twig bridge, a mug cave. Kids build these.
Interior	Inside a settlement or a dungeon	Dungeon tiles, a foam build, or a shoebox lid	True mouse scale, using the building sizes above. The village, the moathouse, the hollow log.

Movement with minis

You don’t need a house rule for this. Mausritter already measures in real inches at mouse scale, and those inches are 1:1 with your table.

Rulebook	On the table
Move up to 12” per Round	One ruler. A 2×2 ft board is two moves across.
Crow / Owl fly at 3× speed	36”. They cross any board in one Round. Don’t bother measuring. They’re just there.
Frog leaps at 2× speed	24”
Pole / chain, 6”	A real 6-inch stick. Use a coffee stirrer.
Fireball: 24” range, 6” blast	A real 6-inch circle. Cut one out of card.
Rooms built per 6” cube	A 6” foam cube is one standard room, which matches the building sizes above.
Blink spider teleports d6 × 10”	Anywhere on the board.
Ghost poltergeist throws d6 × 6”	Off the table if you roll high. Let it.

So the 1:1 found-object board isn’t a compromise. It’s what the game already assumes. A real acorn is an acorn-sized thing to a mouse that moves by the rules. The only thing that’s oversized is the mice themselves, about 3×, and nobody cares.

Stuff to Say at the Table

Keep a few of these in your back pocket for when you need to narrate on the fly.

• “The grass closes over your heads like a forest of green pillars.”
• “A shadow the size of a house passes overhead. It doesn’t make a sound. Everybody freeze.”
• “The step is a cliff. Up top, a flat stone plain stretches all the way to the giant’s door.”
• “Rain. Every drop erupts in a wave. Find cover.”
• “The tree root rises next to you like a mountain ridge, and the bark is furrowed into canyons.”
• “The puddle is a lake. Something ripples in the middle.”
• “You find a giant’s coin. It takes all three of you to lift it.”
• “The cat’s eye fills the gap in the fence. It’s bigger than your house.”

Now go steal a thimble.

Some Useful Things I’ve Been Using With My Kids for Our Mausritter Campaign

• Tomb of a Thousand Doors, a Mausritter megadungeon from Plus One Exp
• Field Guide of the Rittermarch by ManaDawn Tabletop Games
• Bernpyle Zines, a collection by ManaDawn Tabletop Games
• Mayfield, a Mausritter campaign setting by ManaDawn Tabletop Games
• Stink City, a popup dungeon by Frau Knurrkater
• The Gnarled Warden of Faeroot Gaol by ManaDawn Tabletop Games