Friday, September 9, 2022

Battle Report: Asian Antenna Farm 2

After a four year break we made it back to the Connector Cafe(We keep this up and the next visit will be in either six or eight years.)  This is also our first full game in two months.  We had a couple of new players join us which turned this into a six player battle.

Me (4 Frames & 14 Systems) = (6 Points per Asset) * (5 assets) = 30 points. (Sprockets!)
   Red Soldier -- 2Rd/1B/1G/1Y/2W.
   Yellow Soldier -- 2Rd/1B/1G/1Y/2W.
   Blue Soldier -- 2Rd/1B/1G/1Y/2W.
   White Spotter -- 1Gd8/2Y/2W + SSR (x3).

Phungkyjams (4 Frames & 16 Systems) = (4 Points per Asset) * (5 assets) = 20 points.
   ?? Hammer -- 2Rd+d8/1B/1Y/2W.
   ?? Anvil -- 2Rd/2B/1Y/2W + SSR.
   ?? Recon by Fire -- 2Ra+d8/2Y/2W.
   Shovelman Closer -- 2Rd/2Rh+d82W + SSR (x3).

Occam's Spork (4 Frames & 16 Systems) = (4 Points per Asset) * (5 assets) = 20 points.
   Red Recon by Fire -- 2Ra+d8/2Y/2W.
   Green Recon by Fire -- 2Ra+d8/2Y/2W + SSR.
   Orange Bodyguard -- 2Rd/2Rh/2B/2W + SSR.
   White Bodyguard -- 2Rd/2Rh/2B/2W + SSR.

Stevenik (4 Frames & 16 Systems) = (4 Points per Asset) * (5 assets) = 20 points.
   Green Armored Spotter -- 2B/1Gd8/2Y/2W + SSR (x2).
   Orange Artillerist -- 2Ra+d8/2B/2W.
   Blue -- 2Rd+d8/2Ra+d8/2W.
   Beige Tank -- 2Rd+d8/2B/2W + SSR.

Greko (4 Frames & 16 Systems) = (4 Points per Asset) * (5 assets) = 20 points.
   Drone Armored Fast Spotter -- 1B/1G+d8/2Y/2W.
   Black Bodyguard -- 2Rd/2Rh/2B/2W + SSR.
   Grey2 Tank -- 2Rd+d8/2B/2W + SSR.
   Grey1 Artillerist -- 2Ra+d8/2B/2W + SSR.

Rook (4 Frames & 16 Systems) = (4 Points per Asset) * (5 assets) = 20 points.  (Antaeus)
   Pink Delegator -- 2Ra/1B/2Y/2W.
   Purple Soldier -- 2Rd/1B/1G/1Y/2W + SSR.
   Yellow 
Soldier -- 2Rd/1B/1G/1Y/2W + SSR.
   Blue 
Soldier -- 2Rd/1B/1G/1Y/2W + SSR.

This is what the table looked like at the start of the game.














Events of Round 1 (DDC @ 11):
 My Yellow frame captures Occam's Spork's Station and my White frame captures Rook's Station before the game starts. In the first action of the game Stevenik's Blue Frame steps forward and captures Greko's Station.  My White frame lays down a Spot then retreats into the antenna farm.  Rook's Blue frame moves towards the center of the battlefield and hits my Yellow frame for 1 which then retreats into the antenna farm after doing the Station Dance.  My Yellow frame hits Stevenik's Blue frame for 2, Station Dance.  Stevenik's Orange frame hits my White frame for 1.  Phungkyjams' RbF hits a Red antenna for 5, destroying it.  Greko's Grey1 frame hits the antenna in front of my White frame for 1 and my White frame for 1, then moves from a bamboo stand into the antenna farm.  Occam's Spork's Red frame hits the antenna in front of my Yellow frame for 1 and my Yellow frame for 1.  Rook's Yellow frame charges out of the antenna farm and captures Occam's Spork's Station then hits my Yellow frame for 2.  Rook's Purple frame hits Phungkyjams' Black frame for 3 then sidesteps towards Stevenik's Station.  Occam's Spork's White frame hits my Yellow frame for 2 and moves forward onto the road.  Stevenik's Green frame hits Phungkyjams' Grey frame for 2 with a SSR.  Occam's Spork's Orange frame moves forward onto the road and hits my Yellow frame for 4, destroying it.  My Red frame hits Rook's Yellow frame for 1, Station Dance, and moves forward to capture Greko's Station that was under Stevenik's control.

Me:
 36 Points.

Phungkyjams: 20 points.
Stevenik: 20 points.
Rook: 20 points.
Occam's Spork: 16 points.
Greko: 16 points.




Events of Round 2 (DDC @ 8): Occam's Spork's Red frame moves towards the center of the battlefield and hits Rook's Yellow frame for 1.  Greko's Black frame hits Phungkyjams' Grey frame for 1.  Occam's Spork's Green frame moves closer to Phungkyjams' Station then hits Rook's Yellow frame for 4, Station Dance.  Phungkyjams' Shovelman frame chases after Occam's Spork's Red frame and hits it for 2 with a SSR.  Occam's Spork's Orange frame hits Rook's Blue frame for 2 then moves into the scrum in the center of the battlefield.  Rook's Blue frame steps, pivots, and hits Occam's Spork's White frame for 1 in retaliation.  Greko's Grey2 frame hits Rook's Blue frame for 1 and moves from the bamboo stand to the shrubbery.  Rook's Pink frame hits Occam's Spork's White frame for 1.  Stevenik's Beige frame moves out of the corner and captures Rook's Station that was under my control then hits my White frame for 3, destroying it.  Stevenik's Green frame hits Phungkyjams' Grey frame for 3 with a SSR, destroying it.  Phungkyjams' RbF hits Stevenik's Green frame for 1.  Stevenik's Orange frame hits Rook's Yellow frame for 1.  Greko's Grey1 frame hits Rook's Yellow frame for 2, destroying it, then moves laterally beside the remaining Red antenna.

Me:
 24 Points.

Stevenik: 24 points.
Occam's Spork: 20 points.
Phungkyjams: 16 points.
Greko: 16 points.
Rook: 16 points.

Events of Round 3 (DDC @ 3): Occam's Spork's Red frame stomps over and kicks Phungkyjams' RbF frame for 1. Occam's Spork's Green frame hits Phungkyjams' RbF frame for 3 with a SSR, Station Dance. Occam's Spork's Green frame captures Phungkyjams' Station. Occam's Spork's Orange frame hits Rook's Blue frame for 1 with a SSR. Stevenik's Orange frame hits Occam's Spork's Orange frame for 2, Station Dance. My Red frame hits Stevenik's Blue frame for 1. Stevenik's Beige frame hits Occam's Spork's White frame for 1. Rook's Purple frame hits Stevenik's Green for 5, destroying it, then rushes over and captures Stevenik's Station. Greko's Black frame moves closer to the road and hits my Red frame for 2. Phungkyjams' Shovelman frame hits Occam's Spork's Green frame for 2 with a barrage of SSRs. The Doomsday Clock is ticked to zero.

Me:
 24 Points.

Occam's Spork: 24 points.
Rook: 20 points.
Stevenik: 16 points.
Greko: 16 points.
Phungkyjams: 12 points.







Here are several aftermath pictures.





Thoughts & Observations:
  • This was a Battle.
  • We had one player show up at the last minute so we went from a five player game to a six.
  • This was the first game for Greko, and the first multiplayer game for Phungkyjams.
  • Greko used minifigs for Frames which is something Stevenik and I have been talking about for years.
  • Greko also managed to avoid taking any damage for the entire game.
  • We also had a successful implementation of the Rook Maneuver.
  • I had originally planned to field five Frames and eighteen Systems in the hopes of claiming an Attacker position.
  • With the addition of the sixth player I just dropped a Frame and hoped for the same thing.  Didn't happen.
  • I finished my squad a few days before the game.  They're pretty posable but also kinda fiddly at the same time.
  • They weren't that stable on the baseplates and I'm not sure if I'm going to modify them or just retire the squad.
  • It's been about a year since we used this table-setting.
  • It's also been about a year since Stevenik has played.

Wednesday, September 7, 2022

Micro Mecha 7

I'm feeling a little wiped out this morning so here's some pretty pictures to look at.


Fenrir Medium Assault Frame by MuttonchopMac.  I like the lines of the torso.







Tiny Bot by Dan Ko.  There's some neat parts use here.









OBAN Class Frame by Joe Murphy.  Joe has been knocking it out
of the park lately.  You should check out the rest of his work.





Cyclops Drone by Pasukaru76.  It looks a little
fragile but, otherwise it's pretty interesting.





Ajax Class Assault Frame by MuttonchopMac.  This is a really slick build.

Tuesday, September 6, 2022

Good Sets For Parts: Terrain 2

A short discussion on the Discord about good sets for terrain made me dig up this old post and update it.  It's been nine years since I've done one of these.  Every now and then Lego will have a batch of sets that make for a good starting point for building a battle field.  Looks like this is one of those times.  I'll warn you right up front that most of these are City sets and we know how horrible those price points are.

60307 Wildlife Rescue Camp.  $99.99 for 503 pieces, $0.20 per part.  Trees, rock outcroppings, megafauna, and a vehicle.  We've got a wilderness battlefield starter here.  Add in 60302 Wildlife Rescue Operation and 60301 Wildlife Rescue Off-Roader to expand it.

60336 Freight Train.  $199.99 for 1153 pieces, $0.17 per part.  A four car train and another vehicle along with a decent sized track oval.  Add in a bunch of my Medium Sized Building as a group of warehouses and that's the beginnings of a good business district battlefield.  Two of 60205 Tracks would build a bigger oval for cheaper if you had enough parts to build the train on your own but you'd be missing the switch and spur sections.

60351 Rocket Launch Center.  $159.99 for 1010 pieces, $0.16 per part.  Ever since G.I.Joe issue #8 -- and more recently, Gundam 0080 "War in the Pocket" episode 1 -- I've wanted to have a battle around a rocket launch site.  You could possibly expand it with 60350 Lunar Research Base.

60265 Ocean Exploration Base.  $79.99 for 497 pieces, $0.16 per part.  An undersea battlefield is another one of those "must build" ideas for me.

10303 Loop Coaster.  $499.99 for 3756 pieces, $0.13 per part.  All that Dark Blue and 29 Octagonal Bar Plates.  For someone that doesn't like trains, I weirdly have a thing for sets with track sections in them.  :-)

21058 Great Pyramid of Giza.  $129.99 for 1476 pieces, $0.09 per part.  Tons of bricks and no pesky minifigs taking up space.

41703 Friendship Tree House.  $79.99 for 1114 pieces, $0.07 per part.  I bought two of these so I could make a bunch of this and this type of tree.  There are also plenty of other foliage bits, bricks, and useful parts.

So, yes, the initial cost is high but, hopefully, these will be the start of an awesome battlefield for your group to destroy on a regular basis.

Friday, September 2, 2022

Review: 76202 Wolverine Mech Armor

We're now two-thirds of the way through the year so let's finally take a look at the first of the three new Marvel character mecha for 2022.


Box. I paid $9.99 for this which gives a $0.07 Price per Piece.

Instructions.










Minifig.














Parts 1.  Cockpit Shell, Technic Plates, Plates, Wedge Plates, Double Inverted
Slope w/Cutout, Studless Slopes, Pentagonal Tiles, Bracket,  Inverted Tiles,
Exo-Force Arms, Tile w/Studs, Ball Joint Plates, and Propeller Blades.





Parts 2.  Round Jumpers, Dishes, Boat Stud, Wedge Plates, Studless Slopes,
Corner Tiles, Clip Plate, Panel, Wedge Studless Slopes, Large Cheese Slopes,
Round Plates, Ball Joint Plates, Bar Plates (open ends), Plates, Quarter Circle
Tiles, Tiles, Clip Bar Holders, Brackets, and Bar Plates (closed ends).






Parts 3.  Printed Round Tile, Brackets, Ball Joint Plates, Ingots,
 Wedge Studless Slopes, Printed Tile, Plates, Inverted Studless
Slopes, Clip Tiles, Bar Ball Joint, and Slopes w/Cutout.



Build.  Two Frames (2Rd+d8/1B/1Y) and a Station.

The Questions:
Can you build something -- a frame, station, or starship -- right away?  Yes.  (+5)
Is it below, at, or above the golden ratio?  Below.  (+5) (The Golden Ratio is $0.10 per part.)
If you can't build a frame right away, or choose not to, does it have parts you should be able to put into use right away?  Yes.  (+5)
Does it have more than a handful of immediately useful parts?  Yes.  (+5)
Score: +20 (A+).  Like the other Marvel mech/mech armor sets this one is good for parts or as a starter kit.

Wednesday, August 31, 2022

Terrain Workshop: Medium Sized Building 2

I was working on some buildings for another project so I took a little time to revisit my Medium Sized Building design in the hopes of incorporating them into that project.  One of the things lacking from the original design was a door so I tweaked the design to add a door, or at least an opening for one.


I started with the third roof option build from the original post then removed two of the 1x10 Bricks from each building.  To the building on the left I added in three 1x4 Bricks, one 1x3 Brick, one 1x1 Brick, and one 4x4 Plate (for the roof).  To the building on the right I added in two 1x4 Bricks, three 1x2 Bricks, two 1x1 Bricks, and one 4x4 Plate (for the roof).

Underside View

In 6P scale the left-hand building is still 25.5 feet on a side and 11 feet tall.  (The overlapping roof is 30 feet on a side.)  The building will now take 4 Hits to destroy.  It will still be Cover if the roof is blasted off but not past the third Hit.  In 6P scale the right-hand building is still 25.5 feet on a side and 14 feet tall.  (The overlapping roof is 30 feet on a side.)  The building will now take 5 Hits to destroy.  It will still be Cover if the roof is blasted off but not past the third Hit.  Also, adding the reinforcing plate to the roof resolves the issue of the roof shattering when it's picked up by the roof.





 Doing some quick checking; a 6x6 Plate (x4) is $0.13 on Bricklink, a 1x10
 Brick (x10) is $0.29 per, a Large Jumper (x4) is $0.01 per, a 1x4 Brick
 (x3) is $0.03 per, a 1x3 Brick (x1) is $0.03 per, a 1x1 Brick (x1) is $0.01
 per, and a 4x4 Plate (x1) is $0.02.   That's a total of $3.61 per building.








More quick checking; a 6x6 Plate (x4) is $0.13 on Bricklink, a 1x10 
 Brick (x14) is $0.29 per, a Large Jumper (x4) is $0.01 per, a 1x4 Brick 
 (x2) is $0.03 per, a 1x2 Brick (x3) is $0.02 per, a 1x1 Brick (x2) is $0.01 
 per, and a 4x4 Plate (x1) is $0.02.   That's a total of $4.78 per building. 

So both of these options are cheaper than most of the options from the original post and look a little more functional as well.  I 'll leave people with one last size comparison photo.


I hope this helps people working on constructing buildings for their battlefields.

Monday, August 29, 2022

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.

Friday, August 26, 2022

Random Starships 8

It's been ten months since the last "Random Starships" post, so let's spend Friday morning -- or whatever time of day or week you're viewing this -- looking at the spaceship hotness I've discovered.



BlasterCraft by tbone_tbl.  Under the size limit for IO Frigates,
a bunch of these together as a flotilla would look neat.







This should just fit under the size limit for Frigates.





Guppy Gunship by just0nebrick.  Another build that
could be used in IO or RA.  Great color choices on this.





built for IO!  And you know I'm a sucker for offbeat parts.





Space Destroyer by Amrit Arora.  A little long for an IO
cruiser but the shaping and color blocking on this is great.