Meles Badger Scout Word Crawl
Welcome to the Meles Badger Scout Unit training event, where we train our cubs how to detect, make traps for, and evade the Undead Horde.
Help our unit perfect their technique as we prepare for November—and the expected advance of the Night Monarch. The Scouts will need to search for signs of the Horde and give warning to those at The Den so we can put out a Protectorate-wide alert!
Grab your training kit from the training officer on duty and head to your assigned area.
Log your interactions in the logbook!
0-500 words
Your baby badger played tag with you but got bored and wandered off to nap with their toy stash. You had to wake them up for training, and they were a bit grouchy.
501-800 words
Your cub enjoyed playing with you but got in a tussle with a friend cub over a toy. It took a bit to break up the fight. After that, your reminder of a donut reward for training had them eagerly following you.
800+ words
You and your cub can practically read each other's minds and are "in sync." You knew just when to let them rest and when to rile them up! They're raring to go train with you!
(Too many donuts, and it will mess with scent training later on.) Put the donut in a scent-resistant bag (located on the right-hand side, second drawer down).
Also, fill a canteen with water for you both. You'll need it! Did your Badger Scout snitch another donut? Log whether they did or not in the logbook.
500 words was shorter
You managed to get the Scout out of the kitchen without snatching an extra donut! Good job!
10 minutes was shorter
Your Scout snuck an extra donut. The Training Officer will scold you for not watching your Scout well enough and your cub will disagree with them. You read their Scout paw signs to say, "I like you better than the training officer."
If they require convincing, give your badger 1 bite of donut and show them the picture of Clawdia wearing her helmet. If she can wear a helmet, so can your Scout. Note how hard it is to get them to wear a helmet in your logbook.
Follow your Badger Scout. When they find the scent sample, ask them to point to what they think it is on the undead ID card. If they are correct, give them 2 small bites of donut. If they aren't sure what it is, give them 1 small bite of donut for trying! (And no, they can't redo the course for more donut bites. That would be cheating.) Write down the results in your logbook.
0-800 words
Your cub found 1/2 the scents and misidentified 3. Give them a scritch under the chin for trying hard.
800-1500 words
Your cub found 3/4 of the scents and misidentified 1. Give them an extra donut bite.
1501+ words
Your Scout found and identified all the scents! Give them 2 extra donut bites!
More than an hour
Your cub dug for a bit, then decided they were hungry and ate all the grubs they could find. You'll need to help them dig the hole. They will also eat any grubs you dig up.
20 minutes to an hour
Your cub dug well and stayed on task. Give them a pat on the head.
less than 20 minutes
Your Scout is a digging master! Point out the extra grub in the dirt pile for them.
When your Badger Scout pushes the button at the end of the course, the robo-zombies will halt and reset the course. Your time will be displayed above the button. Write it down in your logbook.
More than 5 minutes
You and your Scout finished the course, but one of the robo-zombies tagged you. No worries, that red stain is just jam, and your Badger Scout will be happy to lick it off.
Less than 5 minutes
You and your Scout finished in record time! Take a victory lap around the gym and let your Scout bite the leg on the robo-zombie.
More than 7 minutes
Your Scout squeezed through all the places they needed to. But they got distracted by a mushroom.
Less than 7 minutes
Your cub managed to stay focused and crawled through the tight spots in record time!
If you have a donut bite left, give it to your Scout. Ensure they finish the bite before heading into the course! (Badgers are noisy eaters and will set off the sensors.) Mark down how many sensors they set off in the logbook.
Got a little distracted during your writing time
Your Scout was detected by one of the sensors when they sneezed after sniffing a flower. Give them a scritch behind the ears.
Didn't get distracted by anything
Your cub wasn't detected by the sensors! Wrestle with them for a few minutes.
5 minutes
Your cub got a little sticky when dumping the slime, but the slime helped with covering the trap. Take your cub to the baby badger cleanup area before they get donuts. They will fuss, but slime does not go well with donuts!
300 words
Your Scout didn't get messy and made the perfect trap! Head directly to the next task!
0-5 minutes
Your cub grabbed the last of the chocolate-frosted, sprinkle-covered, cream-filled donuts and paraded around the room with it, then tossed it in the air and swallowed it in one bite. Afterward your cub signed that they want to train again with you. But now they would like a nap and would like you to stay with them at least until they fall asleep.
5+ minutes
Your Scout snarfed down 3 donuts and needs a glass of milk to settle their tummy. They sign that they like working with you and would like you to carry them back to the nursery for nap time.
The Training Crawl
1 - Meet and Greet / Play Time
Head to the baby badger nursery.New Recruits
Wander around and play with as many cubs as you can. See which one picks you. Once you are chosen by a baby badger, get them to listen to you and head to the training site. (Without a donut! Don't give them one yet, or you'll have the entire nursery full of babies following you.) Give your baby badger a name along the way. Once they've bonded with you, they will follow you everywhere! (See the video for what to expect. Video is about 1 min.)Those with a baby Companion Badger
Play with, wrestle with, and chase your cub. They love interaction. Though, be warned...they play rough! Find their favorite toys and learn where their personal stash spots are. Are there any cubs that they play "steal the toys" from? Make note—those cubs are probably good friends with your cub. You'll want to connect with the Melesian companions for those Scouts.
by Shyredfox + Hero Forge
Sprint for 15 minutes.
How many words did you get? (This determines how you interacted with your cub.)2 - Grab a Bribe
by allevinatis
Some parts of training will be like pulling teeth. Badgers are a stubborn lot. So when you go past the kitchen, grab 1 regular cake donut. No more than that.
Write 500 words or 10 minutes, whichever is shorter.
If writing for...3 - Safety First
Put on your helmet and help your baby badger into theirs! Baby badgers rely on their hearing and don't like their ears covered. So you'll have to explain that the helmet protects their hearing (from loud noises) and their noggin! (This also muffles the loud noises to keep your badger from freaking out and running off, but they don't need to know that.)
Badger Scout Clawdia
by Shyredfox + Hero Forge
by Shyredfox + Hero Forge
Sprint for 5 minutes and try to get the best words/min rate you can!
If your rate was...
0-10 words/min
You had to practically sit on your cub to get their helmet on and they snitched an extra donut bite.
11-20 words/min
You needed to give them a donut bite bribe to get their helmet on.
21+ words/min
You didn't even need to give your cub a donut bite! They waited patiently for you to put on their helmet. Though they did ask for an extra donut at the end of the training session.
4 - Scent Training
Badger noses are keen. But they need to know what the various types of undead smell like. No, this won't be pleasant. At all.
Pull out the day's map of the scent testing area and the picture cards from your kit bag. (Scent locations and amounts are changed daily.)
by Shyredfox + Hero Forge
Sprint for 30 minutes.
If you wrote5 - Digging Speed Test
Sometimes Badger Scouts need a place to hide, and sometimes they need to prep a trap for the more mindless zombies. Fast digging is essential for both!
Grab the stopwatch from the kit and time how long it takes your Badger Scout to dig a six-foot-deep hole. Remind them they can eat any grubs they find AFTER the test. Write down their time in your logbook.
Write 1000 words.
If it took you6 - Hasty Retreat
by Shyredfox + Hero Forge
Both you and your Badger Scout need to be able to beat a hasty retreat. To test you both, head to the gym. There you'll practice completing the obstacle course and dodging the robo-zombies chasing you and your Scout.
Write 100 words.
If it took you7 - Speed Crawling
Send your Badger Scout through the dense forest underbrush along the marked path. They'll need to squeeze through some tight spots. Ensure they don't go around the easy way! Write down their time in your logbook.Write 300 words.
If it took you8 - Sneak Check
When in zombie territory, stealth is essential! Can your Badger Scout make it through the sensors undetected? Head to the sensor course. Remind your Badger Scout that this is not a speed run for the donut reward at the end, nor is it time to check out the new scents in the area.
by Shyredfox + Hero Forge
Write for 20 minutes.
If wrote and...9 - Trap Making
This was hinted at in previous training. Go back to the hole your Badger Scout dug. Have them push a pail of sticky slime into the pit, then drag light branches and leaves over to cover the pit. Time the work and rate it for detectability. Write the time and rating in your logbook.Write for 5 minutes or 300 words, whichever is shorter.
If you sprinted for...10 - The Final Round: Dash for Donuts!
by Shyrefox + Hero Forge
Training is complete! Give your Badger Scout a scritch under their chin. Then make a circle with your fingers and thumb, leaving the index finger pointing upward (like an ASL "d")—the sign for donut! Your Scout may dash faster toward the break room for their reward of special cream-filled donuts than they did when they were supposed to be "running for their lives" in the hasty retreat. That's ok. We keep stashes of the best donuts for emergencies.
Grab a snack or treat and munch while you write until the food is gone.
If you sprinted for...Turn in Your Logbook
Thank you for training with your Badger Scout! If you would share your Scout's progress, we'd be appreciative. It helps us to know what areas we need to work on with our Scouts! To do this, please share a picture of you and your Scout in the #the-willows Discord channel. Tell us what their name is and tell us how you both did! (Hero Forge (has a free version) has badger companions if you'd like to take a snapshot that way. But any way you wish to share images of you and your Scout is good!)WIP
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