Design Challenge: Support Frames

We're going to be running a Design Challenge on the Hangar for the month of August.  Rook, creator of the Rook Maneuver, came up with the idea.

The Design Challenge is as follows: create a Frame that provides a support role to another Frame, e.g.; co-gunner for a squad support weapon; spotter for a sniper; loader for an artillery frame, etc.  The reasoning behind this is -- if you think about the 1:6 rule of Frames*, any role that typically has support can only work as 1:3 by providing its own.  Or less if it's also doing other jobs.

How it works: you build a Frame -- either physically or digitally -- that fits the parameters of the Challenge and post it to the Hangar in a special topic that will be created for the Challenge.

Duration: This Challenge opens Saturday, August 1st and ends Monday, August 31st.

Entry Criteria: 1) All submissions should fit inside "The Box".  ("The Box" is an area 10 Studs long by 10 Studs wide by 10 Bricks tall.)  2) The design must cover a non-combat role of your choosing.  It can have weapons, but combat MUST NOT be its primary function. We're looking for spotters, ammo carriers, fuel tankers, medical units, etc.  3) Your design can either be completely new and original or it can be based on an existing template. The choice is entirely yours.

Judges: The judges will be myself, Rook, and a third judge yet to be named.

Judging Criteria: 1) Checking to see if the creation fits Entry Criteria One and Two.  2) We're looking for creations that wouldn't be out of place in a game of Mobile Frame Zero: Rapid Attack.

Prize: Bragging rights to say you've won a Design Challenge in the MFZ community.

* The in-universe fiction for having Frames, instead of any other mechanical construct, is that they can do the work of six humans.  Which is expressed as the shorthand ratio 1:6.

MFZ Pride 2026

The calendar has turned to June which means it's time, once again, for the Mobile Frame Zero Pride Build Invitational!  For those of you unfamiliar with this event, members of the community make Frames in the colors of Pride flags. These can be new designs or old ones converted into new colors.  I believe some people are also trying this challenge with starships too.  There is even the chance that the "best" design will become the MF0 Discord server logo for the next year.  We have a dedicated topic on the Hangar for those that want to share their designs there.

This is my design from last year.

I'm working on more designs and hope to have them posted on Flickr before the end of the week.

Don't forget we have a hashtag, #MFZPride, for better connecting all of the community's builds for this challenge.  There's also the "MFZ Pride" tag on Flickr.

 

Third Time's the Charm

In light of Discord's recent decision to turn the place into a dumpster fire, a few people from the Mobile Frame Zero community have opened a new version of the Hangar forums.  It's early days but we're hoping to build a community that will last.  It will take a while to get all the sub-forums populated but the more people participate, the sooner that will happen.

Sign up, share your thoughts, and stay a while.  Let's create the future together.

Safe Spaces

I was going to post a review today but, given the events in the United States on Tuesday, this needs to be said.

The Mobile Frame Zero community is a safe space and will continue to be so.  We have always been, and will remain, Anti-Fascist.  I know this is not what we want.  I know this hurts.  But, we have weathered this storm before and we can do it again.

I know this will not be easy.  If we stay resolute we can make it through the next four years and maybe, somehow, build a better future.  Stay safe, stay sane, practice self-care.  Remember, you are not alone.

MFZ @ Gen Con

Gen Con is four weeks away tomorrow.  Or is four weeks and a day less confusing?  :-)  I won't be attending but lots of other people will.  In fact there are a number of Mobile Frame Zero: Rapid Attack events on the schedule.  See here.  The majority of them are sold out but a few are still open.  So if you're there, stop by, have a look, and maybe even participate.  Please post pictures if you do!

MFZ Pride

We've swung around to that time of year again.  Summer has started -- in the Northern Hemisphere -- and Pride month is upon us.  Just like last year, The Mobile Frame 0 University -- the community Discord -- is having a build challenge to create Frames and/or stations in Pride colors.  We had a good turn out last year so let's see if we can get more people to participate this time around.

This is my contribution for this year.  A pair of Generics in Nonbinary colors.  They are assembled from a brickblend of Lego and Block Tech parts.  I've made a few tweaks since this picture was taken.  I've also assembled more of them, made Systems, and made Stations, so hopefully they'll be table ready soon.

I haven't forgotten about my build from last year.  I made Stations for that squad -- only two because I didn't have parts for more.  All I need to do now is make Single Shot Rockets and the squad will be ready for a medium sized game.

We've come up with a new hashtag, #MFZPride, for better connecting all of the community's builds for this challenge. I've also started the "MFZ Pride" tag on Flickr.

New MFZ Setting

It's not often we see people sharing their homebrew setting for Mobile Frame Zero, in fact it's something those of us who do moderating on the various MFZ sites have always wanted to see more of from the community in general.  Anyway.

Lord Talmage recently shared their fiction on the world they've put together for their home games.  Give it a read.  Hopefully this inspires other people to share what they've created.

MFZ Pride

Over on the MFZ Discord, Templeton has started a challenge for the community to build Frames in LGBTQ+ colors.  Some people have already joined in, including yours truly.

Of course the gold standard is this one by JP Nicht.

With the war being waged on some of our most vulnerable community members by fascists everywhere the rest of us should do our best to show support for all our LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters.  Joining in this challenge and posting your build for all to see is a way of showing support.  It's also fun.  I can't wait to see what the rest of you have to offer.  Let's make this an awesome Pride month!

New Survey Question

Back in 2018 I ran a series of surveys on the Hangar (R.I.P.) asking some questions about the community.  Inspired by a recent question on the subReddit, I asked another question of the community, "So, Why Don't You Play Mobile Frame Zero?"  The categories, number of replies, and percentages of the answers are as follows.

No Interest.  17 of 281 (6.0%)

I Just Like To Build Mecha.  70 of 281 (24.9%)

There Are No Players Near Me.  80 of 281 (28.5%)

I Don't Have Enough Pieces To Get Started.  53 of 281 (18.9%)

I Don't Have Enough Time.  39 of 281 (13.9%)

None Of The Above.  22 of 281 (7.8%)

Actual post on the MFZ subReddit.  There's some interesting discussion to be found there.

Match Finder

With both versions of the Hangar being offline, there has been no long term method of finding other players and arranging games.  After being asked by users, we've expanded the Discord to add a dedicated channel for player finding, #Match_Finder_Zero.  We've had a large influx of new users lately on the Discord so hopefully this helps people meet other players and start building gaming groups.

Monthly Mecha Making Inspiration Game

Occasionally I get asked "Why doesn't the community have building contests?"  There are many answers why not but it basically comes down to the fact that the MFZ already leans heavily on building as a means of interacting and doesn't really need any encouragement on that front.  Honestly it would be nice if we saw more actual play, rules exploration, fiction, or terrain builds out of the community.

That being said, there's been a long running MFZ building challenge -- since 2017! -- called the Monthly Mecha Making Inspiration Game organized by J. Phayze.  With the lack of a community message board the challenges are currently being posted to the MFZ subReddit.  The current one can be found here.  This challenge can be a great way to supercharge your creativity, I know it's helped me a few times.  I've made a number of builds for different iterations of the MMMIG.

Here's my build for the latest outing.  It's based on the top center mecha from the source material.

Flickr page.

So, if you're looking for an excuse to build something or just need inspiration in general, check out the Monthly Mecha Making Inspiration Game, and help support a long running community tradition.

A New Addition

There's a new addition to the Mobile Frame Zero family of websites.  A new Flickr group for Intercept Orbit builds was started just the other day by community member "That Bro Dad".  So go on over and add your IO pictures to the group.

And to better reflect the nature of the core MFZ Flickr group, I changed the name.  I realize it's not a great name but I can't come up with anything to reflect the all inclusive nature I'm looking for.

Data Mining

Last week I rebuilt the database I had compiled of all the games I had notes for.  Originally it was just composed of entries pertaining to the games and people I considered part of my gaming group.  I felt like I needed a better look at the bigger picture and by limiting the data any averages I might project would be off.  I also wasn't including two player games so that was definitely effecting the overall math.  Let's look at what's out there.

Ten years, 65 games, 261 turns, and 37 different players all leads to the following breakdowns.

Players per Game

Six = 5%

Five = 23%

Four = 26% 

Three = 35%

Two = 11%

Turns per Game

Six = 6%

Five = 22%

Four = 45%

Three = 26%

Type of Game

Battle = 48%

Skirmish = 37%

Unknown = 15%  (There are some holes in the data.)

Winning Position

Defender = 17%

Secondary Attacker = 54%

Primary Attacker = 25%

Unknown = 5%

As to what isn't included, three games that I either knew about or played in but didn't keep records for.  I didn't include demo games either as they're a different thing and there generally isn't time to take notes when running demos.  As far as I know, the only person with a bigger database is Blorf, through the Commander's Handbook.  Hopefully this information helps people and creates more interest in compiling and analyzing data for Rapid Attack games.

Community Alert!

The developer of a new video game, Robodunk (YouTube reveal trailer) (Steam page), has used Frame designs from the MFZ and Lego communities without permission.  A list is below, so please reach out to these designers and let them know about this if you know them.  I've posted links to all the ones I could find to help with comparison purposes.

MittenNinja (Hellion Red Devil)

A. YATES (RAT)

Aardvark17 (Budgie Igneous)

KungFujiApple (Glorificus Nuncius)

the sylince (Shrike Frame Stalker Loadout)

Omniscient Frog (ZK-09 "Rideigu")

chubbybots (Cubots and a WIP unnamed model)

Jay Biquadrate (VLS D051z 'Guishan' and Post-Apocalyptic Scavenger Bot)

There are also builds from Alexial1 and myself that haven't been revealed yet.

The developer has reached out to people to secure permissions.  A couple people have said yes but I've refused.

New Blog Alert

There's a new blog on the scene.  It's simply called "Mobile Frame Zero: Rapid Attack" but it's aimed at the French speaking part of the MFZ community.

Please welcome them to the community.  :-)

In case you didn't know, Francisco Duarte has his own blog too.  He's posting instructions for Frames based on Battletech mechs.

A New Hangar

Since the Mobile Frame Hangar forums have been inactive for a while, community member Vitoria set up  a new forum this weekend.  It's called the Mobile Frame Hangar Nova.  It's set up roughly the same as the old one.  Click on over and register, (re-)introduce yourself, then post away.

Let's give Vitoria a big round of applause for doing this.

NaMoFraFArMo

Joshua is starting a new meme? event? happening? for the month of November.  Post your creations with the hashtag #NaMoFraFarMo and get in on the fun!

As a note, you should still use the #MobileFrameZero hashtag along with it so whatever post you make can still be located, long term.

Mobile Frame Zero, Social Media, and You (Redux)

Back in 2015 I wrote a post about the four major places where MFZ is discussed.  The landscape has changed slightly, so let's take another look.

MFZ Flickr Group -- Do you like looking at pictures of cool mecha made of Lego? Yes? Then you should be a member. It's been around since the game was called Mechaton and has over 10,000 photos from the community. It has plenty of amazing constructions to gawk at and ideas to mine.

MFZ Facebook Group -- This is actual social media and is probably the quickest way to get whatever you want to talk about, you want to show off, or question you need answered in front of the most eyes. It also has an attention span measured in milliseconds so don't expect any long term discussions or results from here.

MFZ Discord Channel -- Want to have a discussion with other MoF0s?  Need an answer on a MF0 question?  Just feel like chatting?  This is the place for you.

Mobile Frame Hangar Forums -- For any matters needing long term discussion, this is the place you need to be. Comments and constructive criticism on your builds, a place to find other players, official background, and long and short-form fan fiction are just some of the things you will find on the Hangar.

These are the places were the strongest voices can be found.  We are a welcoming community, come and add your voice to the chorus.

The Meta Game

There was a small discussion yesterday on the Discord channel about the metagame of MFZ.

As far as I can tell, the metagame changes from group to group which is true of every game.

When it comes to different strategies, there's the Swarmer strategy where you try to overwhelm your opponent's with a squad of Swarmers.  There's a "Recon From the Corner" strategy where you set up away from all the other players and attack them with artillery.  "Soldiers All The Way Down" is a squad composed entirely of Soldier frames.  The "Soldier+" squad is 90% Soldiers with one other archetype splashed in for contingencies.  Joshua has a strategy called "Hammer & Anvil" which is a split squad of Hammer archetypes driving opponent's Frames into Anvil archetypes.

There are a few different types of players I've seen.
The one that tries different things every time. (That's me by the way.)
The one that shows up fully loaded (most Frames & Attachments) every time.
The guy who just shows up to show off his builds?  (This may also be me.)
The one that is good at social engineering.
The one that is the MFZ equivalent of Mr. Suitcase.  (Also me.)

Can you think of any other strategies or player types?

Armour Con 1

I've been sitting on this information for a while and I'm finally able to talk about it.  Armour Con is a new convention in Massachusetts that is happening in October of this year.  I've been talking with them for a few months about setting up a tournament for Mobile Frame Zero: Rapid Attack.  We're on the schedule!  That's right, we're going to be doing a MFZ tournament.  Joshua and I will both be there as vendors.  I hope to see you there.