Battle Report: Sand & Trees

For the last weekend of September the usual suspects got together to play another game of MFZ: Rapid Attack.  There were a number of experiments going on with this game.  I tried combining two setting ideas for the first time.  I also tested the trees for an upcoming setting.  I was also trying out a new squad idea.

Me (3 Frames & 12 Systems) = (7 Points per Asset) * (4 assets) = 28 points.  (The Draz)
   Blue Defender -- 2B/1G+d8/1Y/2W + SSR.
   Red Defender -- 2B/1G+d8/1Y/2W + SSR.
   Grey Defender -- 2B/1G+d8/1Y/2W + SSR.

Occam's Spork (4 Frames & 16 Systems) = (5 Points per Asset) * (5 assets) = 25 points.
   Grey Spotting Bodyguard -- 2Rd/2Rh/1B/1Y/2W +SSR.
   Green Spotting Bodyguard -- 2Rd/2Rh/1B/1Y/2W +SSR (x2).
   Orange Recon by Fire -- 2Ra+d8/2Y/2W.
   Blue Recon by Fire -- 2Ra+d8/2Y/2W.

Narbey (4 Frames & 16 Systems) = (5 Points per Asset) * (5 assets) = 25 points.  (Skitterers)
   Red Soldier -- 2Rd/1B/1G/1Y/2W + SSR.

   Orange Soldier -- 2Rd/1B/1G/1Y/2W + SSR.

   White Soldier -- 2Rd/1B/1G/1Y/2W + SSR.
   Yellow Recon by Fire -- 2Ra+d8/2Y/2W.

Chuck (4 Frames & 16 Systems) = (5 Points per Asset) * (5 assets) = 25 points.
   Purple Recon by Fire -- 2Ra+d8/2Y/2W.
   Yellow Light Tank -- 2Rd/2B/2W.
   Red Hammer -- 2Rd/2B/1Y/2W + SSR.
   White Moving Wall -- 2B/2G+d8/2W + SSR (x2).

Tom (5 Frames & 19 Systems) = (3 Points per Asset) * (6 assets) = 18 points.
   White Armored Swarmer -- 2Rh/2B/1Y/2W + SSR.
   Purple Armored Swarmer -- 2Rh/2B/1Y/2W + SSR.
   Green Hammer -- 2Rd/2B/1Y/2W + SSR.
   Red Static Soldier -- 2Rd/1B/1Y/2W.
   Yellow Squad Leader -- 2Rd/1B/2Y/2W.

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

Events of Turn 1 (DDC @ 11): I capture Tom's Station with my Red frame before the game starts.  My Red frame then moves into cover behind the nearest wall.  Occam's Spork's Orange frame opens the game with a thunderous strike to Chuck's Red frame, dealing 6 damage and destroying it.  Occam's Spork's Grey frame moves up and claws Tom's Green frame for 3.  Tom's Green frame moves into cover behind the Moai and hits Occam's Spork's Green frame for 2.  Occam's Spork's Green frame hits Tom's Purple frame for 2.  Tom's Purple frame turns towards Occam's Sporks Frames and buzzsaws Occam's Spork's Grey frame for 2.  Narbey's Yellow frame targets Tom's Red frame but blasts the top off the tower instead with 3 damage.  Narbey's White frame moves to the other side of the trees and hits Chuck's White frame for 1.  Narbey's Orange frame hits my Blue frame for 2 which then retreats towards my Station.  Chuck's Purple frame hits Occam's Spork's Green frame for 2.

Me: 35 points.
Occam's Spork: 25 points.
Narbey: 25 points.
Chuck: 20 points.

Tom: 15 points.

Events of Turn 2 (DDC @ 8): Occam's Spork's Orange frame hits hits Tom's White frame for 1.  Tom's White frame closes range and buzzsaws Occam's Spork's Blue frame for 2 after climbing on its back.  Occam's Spork's Blue frame punches back for 3.  Tom's Yellow frame hits Occam's Spork's Green frame for 1.  Tom's Purple frame chases down and buzzsaws Occam's Spork's Grey frame for 1.  Narbey's Red frame hops over the tree stand then hits my Blue frame for 1 and the tree it was hiding behind for 3.  Narbey's Yellow frame follows up that strike with 2 damage that destroys my Blue frame.  Tom's Green frame moves out of cover and hits Occam's Spork's Grey frame for 1.  Chuck's White frame hits Narbey's White frame for 3, then runs over and captures my Station.  My Red frame launches its SSR and hits Tom's Red frame for 3.  Chuck's Yellow frame hits Narbey's White frame for 1.

Occam's Spork: 25 points.
Narbey: 25 points.
Me: 21 points.
Chuck: 20 points.

Tom: 15 points.

Events of Turn 3 (DDC @ 5): Occam's Spork's Grey frame jumps over and captures Tom's Station that I was controlling.  Narbey's Yellow frame hits Chuck's White frame for 1 and it does the Station Dance.  Occam's Spork's Green frame moves towards chuck's Station, launches its SSR, and hits Chuck's Purple frame for 1.  Chuck's Purple frame hits Narbey's White frame for 1.  Occam's Spork's Orange frame hits Chuck's Purple frame for 1 and the Moai it was using as cover for 2.  Narbey's White frame hits Chuck's White frame for 2 then moves beside my former Station.  Tom's Purple frame buzzsaws Occam's Spork's Grey frame for 1, it does the Station Dance, and Tom takes his Station back.  Narbey's Orange frame moves towards the next stand of trees and hits Chuck's White frame for 1.  My Grey frame glides up beside Narbey's White frame -- that has a 0 Defense -- double hammerfists it for 7, and destroys it.  Tom's Red frame hits Occam's Spork's Grey frame for 4, destroying it.  My Red frame moves over beside Tom's Station.  Chuck's Yellow frame hits Tom's Red frame for 2, destroying it.

Chuck: 25 points.
Occam's Spork: 20 points.
Narbey: 20 points.
Tom: 15 points.
Me: 14 points.

{And somehow I forgot to take pictures of this round.}

Events of Turn 4 (DDC @ 2): Narbey's Orange frame hits Chuck's White frame for 1 then moves up to my former Station.  Occam's Spork's Orange frame hits Chuck's Purple frame for 2 and the Moai for 2.  Occam's Spork's barely surviving Green frame -- it has 1 White die left -- lurches across the battlefield, smashes into Chuck's Purple frame for 5, destroys it, and captures the Station it was guarding.  Occam's Spork's Blue frame punches Tom's White frame for 2, destroying it and finally getting the monkey off its back.  Tom's Yellow frame moves towards the scrum around my former Station and hits Chuck's White frame for 1, destroying it.  Tom's Purple frame moves down the battlefield towards Occam's Spork's Station and hits Occam's Spork's Blue frame for 2 which then does the Station Dance.  My Red frame captures Tom's Station again.  The Doomsday Clock is ticked to zero.

Occam's Spork: 25 points.
Me: 21 points.
Narbey: 20 points.
Chuck: 10 points.

Tom: 9 points.

Here's a bunch of during/aftermath pictures.

Tom's White Frame, Turn 1

Tom's White Frame, Closeup,Turn 1

Occam's Spork's Station, Turn 2

Occam's Spork's Station, Turn 2

My Station, Turn 4

My Station, Turn 4

Tom's Station, Turn 4

Chuck's Station, Turn 4

The table, Turn 4

Thoughts & Observations:

• The composition of my squad was conceived over dinner after the game in Greenfield.  The base concept was inspired by the whole "Always Punch Up" conversation from the RA game before that.
• I wasn't sure what I wanted to use for a setting for this game.  I didn't want to debut the setting that I'm going to use at PAX Unplugged, I felt the Oasis setting still needed a little work, and I didn't have time to dig the Science Colony setting out of storage.
• So I combined the Oasis setting with the trees for the PAX Unplugged setting.  It seemed to work okay.
• We had a roll off to determine Defender between me and Occam's Spork.
• Concerning that opening salvo from Occam's Spork's frame -- I had Spotted Chuck's frame for 6 and Occam's Spork's Attack was 6 versus a Defense of 2 -- it was commented that that was the first time we've had an instant kill on the first attack of the game.
• Occam's Spork's Frames dealt out 30 points of Damage this game.
• There were eight Frames destroyed in this game.  Which is, I think, a record for us.
• I made a rookie mistake and ignored Occam's Spork's heavily damaged Green frame.  I should have attacked it on Turn 3 and made a play for Chuck's Station.
• Only having three Direct Fire attacks for the entire game had me lost in analysis paralysis for a lot of it.
• It felt like the game broke down into fights between Chuck & Narbey and Tom & Occam's Spork, with me in the middle going "What do I do now?".
• This might not have been our best game, it took us forever to play, but I think we're going to be talking about it for a long time.
• Tom was having fun posing his White frame for the camera.