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.

Space Monkey Mafia

I don't talk about lore or fiction in Mobile Frame Zero that much because I generally come at this game from the Lego side.  But this idea is too fun not to talk about.  So I was driving home the other night and Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire" came on the radio.  In the sixth verse there's this couplet "Space Monkey, Mafia" but my ears heard it without the comma, "Space Monkey Mafia".  Then my brain went into overdrive.

So the name "Space Monkey Mafia" definitely has an Ijad vibe to it for me.  I see a clan, or at least the core of the clan, of Ijad bonded with creatures that resemble terrestrial monkeys but may not be actual monkeys.  I'm still trying to process this element.

Now I'm not saying this is a criminal group, just that the word "mafia" has expanded in use as slang to denote a group of people joined in a semi-secret manner.  Even though we generally don't discuss criminal elements in MFZ.  Crime is a result of failing economic policies and since the Solar Union is a failing empire there would be criminal events happening.  Also, this name doesn't have to be the real name of the group.  It could be a derogatory nick-name an outsider used to refer to the group and it stuck.  "We just got screwed again by that +@#$%&* Space Monkey Mafia!"  I'm sure we've all had experiences with stupid nick-names that wouldn't go away.

I see this moniker as a callback to old school science fiction and the early days of the space race.  Now all I have to do is build some Frames for this faction.  I hope you enjoyed this little interlude, they don't come along too often.  I guess you could see this as a reason to be open to moments of creativity and to try and make the most of them.

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.

System Notation 2

Almost a year ago I started working on a different systems for notating Systems.  For the most part I liked it but I felt it had a couple of issues.  So I set it aside until recently when I had a moment of inspiration after seeing yet another discussion of Systems versus Dice notation on the Discord.

Here's the newer version.  Updated "codes" are italicized.

1F = one Direct Fire System.
2F = two Direct Fire Systems.
1A = one Artillery System.
2A = two Artillery Systems.
1H = one Melee System.
2H = two Melee Systems.
1D = one Defensive System.
2D = two Defensive Systems.
1M = one Movement System.
2M = two Movement Systems.
1S = one Spotting System.
2S = two Spotting Systems.
1W = one White die.
2W = two White dice.
1R = one Single Shot Rocket.
1Z = one Sprint die.

Written out the notation will look like this: Soldier (1F/1D/1M/1S/2W), Recon by Fire (2A/2S/2W), and Brawler (2H/2B/1Z/2W).

I basically adapted the changes Chromeknight suggested in the comments from the last post along with one other change.  I think this clears up the issues the prior version had and makes it flow better.

Of course, if we expand this to Intercept Orbit we run into issues again.

1? = one Assault System.

2? = two Assault Systems.

1? = one Support System.

2? = two Support Systems.

1P = one Point Defense System.

2P = two Point Defense Systems.

1C = one Catapult System.

2C = two Catapult Systems.

RA = Red Ace.

BA = Blue Ace.

GA = Green Ace.

YA = Yellow Ace.

System Notation

There was some discussion of Split Range Weapons last week and I found myself having difficulty writing out System loadouts in a quick and easy manner.  There's a method that has seen long term use in the community -- and I'll detail that first -- but I didn't feel it met my needs in that conversation at that moment.  So this will be my attempt to come up with a new form of System notation.

First, the method we -- the MFZ community -- have been using for a while.

2Rd = one Direct Fire System.

2Rd+d8 = two Direct Fire Systems.

2Ra = one Artillery System.

2Ra+d8 = two Artillery Systems.

2Rh = one Melee System.

2Rh+d8 = two Melee Systems.

1B = one Defensive System.

2B = two Defensive Systems.

1G = one Movement System.

2G = two Movement Systems.

1Y = one Spotting System.

2Y = two Spotting Systems.

1W = one White die.

2W = two White dice.

1SSR = one Single Shot Rocket.

1Gd8 = one Sprint die.

When writing out this form of natation I list Weapon Systems first -- because that's the first thing you're looking for when attacking and the name of the game is Rapid Attack -- then Defensive systems -- because that's the first thing you look for when being attacked -- then Movement systems, then Spotting Systems -- because that's the last thing you do in a turn.  I generally list Single Shot Rockets after White Dice because they can get lost when including them with the weapons and not all Frames have them.  I list the Sprint Die in with the Movement Systems because that feels like the right way to do it.

So it looks like this in practice: Soldier (2Rd/1B/1G/1Y/2W), Recon by Fire (2Ra+d8/2Y/2W), and Brawler (2Rh+d8/2B/1Gd8/2W).

Okay, now that that's done, let's look at my new method for detailing Systems in a quick manner.

1DF = one Direct Fire System.

2DF = two Direct Fire Systems.

1A = one Artillery System.

2A = two Artillery Systems.

1H = one Melee System.

2H = two Melee Systems.

1D = one Defensive System.

2D = two Defensive Systems.

1M = one Movement System.

2M = two Movement Systems.

1S = one Spotting System.

2S = two Spotting Systems.

1W = one White die.

2W = two White dice.

1SSR = one Single Shot Rocket.

1Sp = one Sprint die.

Once again, I list Weapon Systems first, then Defensive systems, then Movement systems, then Spotting Systems.  Again, I'll list Single Shot Rockets after White Dice.  I'll also list the Sprint Die in with the Movement systems.

Written out it it will look like this: Soldier (1DF/1D/1M/1S/2W), Recon by Fire (2A/2S/2W), and Brawler (2H/2B/1Sp/2W).

I'm not sure how I feel about this at the moment.  I know I don't like the notation I chose for the Sprint Die though.

Getting Started, One More Time

Six years ago I did a post on getting started in Mobile Frame Zero.  We've had a few people asking the same question on multiple platforms recently, so maybe it's time to revisit the issue.  But this time let's look at it in a different manner.  Instead of putting together an individual squad -- since the Demo Game Rules have been discussed recently -- we're going to look at how you get the parts for a Demo Game set-up so you and three other people can play.

1. You'll need a copy of the game.  Those can be found here.  A simpler rules only document can be found here.  There's also the Commander's Handbook.
2. Dice.  You'll need 4d6 Red, 4d8 Red, 4d6 Green, 2d8 Green, (X+1)d6 Blue, and (X+1)d6 Yellow.  X = The number of frames you are using.  This will give you enough dice to cover all your frames and enough to roll dice for at least two at a time.  You'll also need a d12 for the Doomsday Clock.  Hopefully you'll already have these.  There's also an online dice roller program for MFZ.
3. Frames.  We're going to start with eight Titanium Mini Mechs (30591) for $40, giving each player two.  They can be configured in at least three variants so each person should be able to use a different looking design.  Then add two Imperial Shuttles (30388) for $10 for Systems and extra parts.  That gives us a total of $50.
4. Station.  An Olivia's Electric Car (41443) costs $15 for a Station and extra parts, that brings the total to $65.  You should have pieces left over for Terrain too.
5. Ruler.  We're going to build a Ruler from eight of this Make-It Blocks City Construction set.  That will set you back $10 but you'll also have a ton of terrain along with that Ruler.  That brings our total to $75.

So this should hopefully get you -- and three of your friends -- started playing Mobile Frame Zero: Rapid Attack.  It also gives you a starting point to build from if you want to move up to playing full size games.  All the sets I mentioned should be currently available.

First Hints from the Second Edition

Joshua has posted a short background blurb for MFZ2E on his blog, Xenoglyph.

You're welcome.

Mobile Frame Zero 2nd Edition Discussion

Joshua A.C. Newman has started working on the second edition of Mobile Frame Zero.  He posted the following to the Discord yesterday, 

"Hey, MoFØs! I’m starting to assemble a 2nd edition and I’d love your help! I’m looking for experiences you’ve had, but very much not solutions. • What are rules that you’ve used that you’ve had a hard time understanding in either of the MFØ books? • Have you house ruled anything? • Have you seen someone flounder learning the rules because an action has a different kind of consequence than makes sense?"

If you go to this channel you can join in the discussion.

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.

Single Shot Rockets 2

My initial post -- six years ago -- talking about the different ways you could make Single Shot Rockets seemed to be pretty popular -- and there's been some chatter about SSRs on the Discord -- so I'm taking another stab at it.

Only four designs this time.

This one is pure Kre-O.

The SSR for my Blue

Devils Chub squad.

This one's kinda funky, but
it does stand out nicely.

The SSR for my Hopper squad.

You can see it's been changed

between this and the initial photo.

I figured, this time around, that full pictures of the frames and the SSRs

will give you a better idea of how they integrate with the frames.

MFZ Promotional Pictures

Joshua posted this on the Discord channel on Friday.

Hey, @everyone! I'm changing out the images on the official Mobile Frame Zero site and would love to highlight some of your works there! Anyone who's into it, please send me some images and I'll put them in a gallery! These are to make the game look good, as well as your own work, so I'm looking for:

* Decent shots. In focus, good light, all that business. I've watched you all help bring your photos up to snuff, so I know you can do this!

• Game-plausible scenarios, not just a robot standing around looking badass. Set up a little situation with a piece of cover that's getting blasted away, or running from one tree to another, or going down as two Swarmers pull the joints apart. Be creative!

* Simple composition. White backgrounds, a handful of mobile frames at most.

* All special effects are built out of LEGO! It's fine to clean up your photos with a photo editor or something, but any laser blasts or rocket smoke or whatever should be actually built. It's fine if you want to use non-LEGO stuff, but make sure it's real stuff!

* NO designs based on Soren's designs. No Chubs, Ospreys, Suzerains, Scramblers, Hi-Legs, or Commissars. The reason I'm doing this is to remove as much of his intellectual property from the game as possible at his request.

* A link to your favorite place to show off your frame designs! Your Flickr account, a Mobile Frame Hangar thread, your Facebook page, whatever. It doesn't have to be just frames. It's just where you want to point someone who likes your build.

You can look at the pictures at http://mobileframezero.com/ to see the kind of thing I'm thinking of, except that everything there (aside from Vincent's barrel-chested guys) is, or is closely based on, one of Soren's designs. You will, of course, get full credit. That's what the link is for! And if you've been thinking about selling some of your frames, you might want to point to that!(edited)

[3:49 PM]

Additionally, please pay close attention to the rules for making (and publishing) your stuff on page 215! In short, I won't use Fascist imagery, like 40k. If you have questions and I don't get right back to you, please @ me to make sure I see your question as soon as I can!

So get out your prettiest Frames, take neat pictures, and send them to Joshua!

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?

Getting Started 2

"How do I start playing Mobile Frame Zero?"  As with many other situations, the answer is, "It depends."

Back in September of 2015 I did another post about this issue.  This is a different take.

Just want a squad for yourself? Find the instructions/parts list for the Frame you want to build, buy those parts off Bricklink/Brickowl/Pick-A-Brick, assemble your squad, find players, play game.

Intent on starting a MFZ gaming group by yourself and providing squads for all the players? Find sets that have the parts you want/need at a price you're happy with, build Frames, build Terrain, stockpile leftover parts, find players, play game, Rinse, Repeat.

Some where in between those points? Pick and choose from both methods.

A specific thing people might want to look at is the Double Set Challenge. In that I combine two small, cheap sets to make a Frame and possibly a Station. I've also been breaking down the costs to make Defender/Attacker/Primary Attacker size squads from those sets. 

Storage? Tackle/tool boxes are good for storing and transporting squads or small collections. Have a larger collection that you want to organize in some fashion? Read this.

Demo Kit Starter Set

So with Pax Unplugged happening a little over three weeks ago, talk of Starter Kits, sources for parts, and other such talk ramped up in frequency again.  This led to me thinking a bit about the topic and I came up with an idea, a Starter Demo Kit.  What do I mean?  a set made so you can run demonstrations of the game.  Eight Frames -- four sets of teams of two -- four small walls, four large walls, a Station, a Ruler, and enough dice to play.  It would also be a group starter kit, allowing a group of friends to start playing right out of the game.  It could also -- possibly -- act as a starting point for someone wanting to  build a squad.

This is the Frame design I'm going to use, Soren's Conscript.  They won't be in those exact colors, but the Attachments will be the same.

These are what the

walls would be like.

This is a quick mock-up of the Station.

Here's a group picture,

along with a Ruler.

Keep in mind these are all mock-ups and not the final items.

Now, this isn't going to be cheap.  I'll be sourcing all the parts from Lego Pick-A-Brick so I won't be able to look for the cheapest option.  Why?  Because it's a single source and I don't have the time to invest in looking through individual Bricklink stores.  Right now the math is putting this at $150 USD and that's before I factor Shipping costs.

So what does everyone think?  Yes?  No?  Special Snowflake?  Thoughts?  Criticism?  I'm going to put at least one of these together just to see if it can be done and what costs and lead times are like.  The final goal is to sell these at PAX East if there's any interest at all.

Mobile Frame Zero: Z-G

And now for something completely different.

There used to be an old Collectible Action Figure/Card Game called Z-G designed by Mark Rein-Hagen.  This is what the action figures looked like.

Source.

Now, I hadn't thought about it until the other day -- because someone brought it up on a forum I frequent -- but these figures might work for a larger scale game of MFZ.  I actually own one each of the Green one and the Blue one and I'm kinda intrigued by the thought of using them at some point.

Noble Knight still has the Green one in stock, and I've heard of other sources for the figures.

Ijad Lexicon

This is something I've compiled over many trips through the rulebook.

Ahu = <noun> God Place, lit. “Breath/Word Place”.

Auah Auijadé = <phrase> "All the people's words" or "Ijad words".

Auchiejh = <noun> Dagger.

Aushad = <noun> Torrent.

Bhadal = <noun> Community, Self Determination.

Boleh = <noun> An animal.

Eshaku Ghanatehé = <phrase> Eshaku's Ghanat.

Ghanateh = <noun> Four legged animal.

Ijad = <noun> People.

Ojebed = <noun> Gust.

Puketeh = <noun> Tiny (1 meter max. length), stalking, predatory animal.  Has four limbs.

Uhmetwan = <noun> An animal.

Ujekeh = <noun> An aquatic creature.

Utechteh = <noun> Migratory animal, livestock.

If I've missed anything please feel free to let me know.

Getting Started

I've seen a few "Mobile Frame Zero, getting started" search terms used to find my blog, so it's about time I tackled that topic.

1. You'll need a copy of the game.  Those can be found here.  A simpler rules only document can be found here.
2. {* Keanu Reeves voice*} Dice, lots of dice. {*/Keanu Reeves voice*} You'll need 4d6 Red, 4d8 Red, 4d6 Green, 2d8 Green, (X+1)d6 Blue, and (X+1)d6 Yellow.  X = The number of frames you are using.  This will give you enough dice to cover all your frames and enough to roll dice for at least two at a time.
3. Frames.  For four people; one team of three Frames with less than maximum attachments, one team of three frames with maximum attachments, one team of four frames, and one team of five frames will give you a span of starting points with clear Defender, Primary Attacker, and Secondary Attackers. That's fifteen frames total. Ordering from Mobilefra.me would cost you $150.00 for three sets of five frames. Or you could try and build your own frames from a bunch of Umbaran MHC polybags. It's basically an Ijad frame-in-a-bag. Or you could look at any number of creations people have made for the Single Set Challenge.
   
   There are any number of ways to build a starter squad in this game. Unfortunately I don't know what you have for a budget, what you like, or what you're looking for in a play experience so I can't really suggest more than that.
4. Other people to play against.  That I can't really help you with beyond pointing you to the Game Finder section of the Hangar.

I hope this helps you begin your journey with Mobile Frame Zero.

The Friction of Fiction

Anytime I upload a picture of a build to Flickr I struggle with writing some snappy patter to go along with it.  I'm sure other people have this problem.  We throw together a combination of parts that makes us go, oooooohh, and then find that we have no idea how it might fit into the little gaming universes we've created for ourselves.

On top of that, there's trying to create stories set in your own little corner of the MFZ Solar Calendar to deepen the sense of immersion for the players.  Fabricating these out of whole-cloth can be difficult.  Myself and the other moderators on the Hangar would like to see more posted. I can understand though how putting words down on paper might be more than what some people are interested in while playing this game.  I'd like to point out a few that have been posted on the Hangar within recent months that I really like.

Unity by Atavism.

Planet Hansen by djmor.

Why We Wait by CmdrRook.