Review: 40524 Sunflowers

I'm still interested in the larger Botanical sets and after reviewing the first smaller set I'm going to continue to do so.  Many thanks to my friend, JP, for getting me this set.

Box.  MSRP is $12.99 for a $0.07 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

Parts 1.  Steering Wheels, Octagonal Bar Plates, Round Plates,

Windscreens w/Bar, 3L Axle Connectors, Minifig Oars, Angled

Axle/Pin Connector, Pin Connectors w/Clips, and Round Bricks.

Parts 2.  Round Plates, Clip Plates, 2L Axles, 3L Axles,

Bar Clips, and Axle/Pin Connector Hubs w/Axles.

Parts 3.  Leaves and Clip Plates.

Build.  Four Frames.
 

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+).  Four basic Frames and plenty of spare parts, that's a great start.

War College: Gaming the System

When putting together a squad for a game there are several questions you should ask yourself when choosing the number of Frames and number of Systems.

How many players are there?  Is it a Skirmish or a Battle?  Do you want to be Defender, Attacker, or Primary Attacker?  Figuring out where you want to be in the initiative order and how you want to play will help you construct your squad.

First step: How many players are there?  Knowing this gives us the range of Frames we are allowed to use.

Second step: Is it a Skirmish or a Battle?  Knowing this either increases or decreases the amount of Frames we are allowed to use.

Third step: Do you want to be Defender, Attacker, or Primary Attacker?  Now we start selecting how many Frames we want to have and how many Systems we want to carry.

Now that we've gone over those steps let's try and figure things out.

Let's just state right out, it's easy to be Primary Attacker.  Just show up with the maximum Frames and Systems for the number of people/game size your group has chosen.  If there's more than one of you it's a die roll to determine who the Primary Attacker will be.  This doesn't require much work.

Aiming for Attacker or Defender is a little more of a balancing act.  Underbid in an aim to be in the middle of the pack when everyone else comes in heavy and you could be an Accidental Defender.  Underbid too much and you're left with inadequate forces to survive the game.

The Oasis 4 game has a decent spread so let's look at that one.

1st & 2nd Step: We had five players and had chosen Battle for the game size.

3rd Step: I wanted to try the Sniping Turtle Formation so I underbid on Frames and Systems to try and take Defender, I chose (4 Frames & 15 Systems).  Nikko came in heavy -- full Frames and Systems -- aiming for Primary Attacker, he chose (5 Frames & 20 Systems).  The other three players underbid on Systems aiming for Attacker, Chuck chose (5 Frames & 18 Systems), Occam's Spork chose (5 Frames & 18 Systems), and PJ Nicht chose (5 Frames & 19 Systems).  

That lead to me being Defender (7 PpA * 5 assets) = 35 points. Chuck, Occam's Spork, and PJ became Attackers (4 PpA * 6 assets) = 24 points. Nikko became the Point Attacker (3 PpA * 6 assets) = 18 points.  Did it all work out?  I won, so I'm biased in thinking that it did.  :-)

If you have an established group, keep records of games, or post game reports online -- gee, who could I be talking about? -- it can be easier to estimate what your opponents are bringing to the table.  If you're playing against a group of strangers it's more of a guessing game and you could end up as Primary Attacker or Defender.

Lego Ideas 11

For anyone wondering why I'm talking about potential Lego Ideas sets, they could be useful in some way for Mobile Frame Zero -- potential mecha, terrain, great parts, or they're just cool.

Lego Mushroom House.  This would be a massive terrain set.  Nevermind the fact that it just looks cool.

The Great Wave off Kanagawa.  That is a lot of Exo Force Arms and Nanofigs.

There's currently a vote running for a Target Ideas set.  The vote closes at the end of May 2022 so you might want to hurry if you have an opinion on which set is best.

Speaking of that, there's a Marine Life 2.  Tons of good pieces and colors.

Operation Angler.  Steampunk?  Check.  Cool build?  Check.  Neat parts?  Check.

As always I've supported all of these submissions.

Non-Human 35

Another look at non-human mecha designs!

Aardvark by Ted Andes.  Great color use and physical design here.  Disabled downloads though.

The Archivist by pixelogre.  I know it's big, and it looks a little fragile,

but this has a bunch of techniques that could be used for other builds.

Construction Bot by leewanlego.  Construction mecha are always cool.

Racing Tachikoma by Blair Archer.  I love the colors on this.

Hermes Mech by cixpack.  This feels way too big for MFZ:RA but I

like the way it looks and the fact that it uses a vehicle mudguard piece.

Review: Gundam Converge Plus ZMT-S33S Gottrlatan (+008)

Let's finish out the week with a review.  I haven't reviewed any of the Gundam Converge Plus figures yet.  Supposedly this line is a little bigger and more detailed than the standard Gundam Converge units.  This one is from the second wave which was released in June of 2021.

Box.  I paid $12.99 at Barnes & Noble for this.

Parts.

Disassembled.  The head could be Defense or Spotting.  The backpack could be Defense or Movement.  The gun could be Direct Fire or Spotting.  The arms can be removed for White die damage.

Assembled.  It can stand without the base.

Size Comparison.

The Questions:
Is it below, at, or above $10 per Frame?  Above.  (-10)
Is it a good size to use in a game?  Yes.  About the same size as a Chub.  (+5)
How many parts does it have to represent systems?  Three.  (0)
Does it have enough parts you can remove to represent White Dice damage?  Yes.  (+5)
Score: 0 (B).  It's not bad, definitely doesn't look like a Gundam which is why I bought it.

Terrain Workshop: Rocks and Dirt

Back in February I reviewed a moss mat for possible use as a table covering for a game of MFZ: Rapid Attack.  I kept looking in the same section of the pet store every time I went back for more things that might be interesting or useful as terrain. (That's how I ended up building a skull.)  I found this a few weeks ago.  Like the previous review it's made by "Exo Terra" and comes in other sizes.  This is the 11" x 11" version and, again, I think that two of the 40 gallon versions will fit nicely on my kitchen table.

 

Here's a look at it right out of the box.  It'll

 need to spend some time flattened out

 under some weights to be ready for use.

Here's the back. 

Size Comparison?  Here's my usual size

comparison pieces standing on the mat.

This one sheds too. 

So footing might be a bit precarious, depending on the build

but, I think this could make for a really cool table covering.

It would fit best with my Oasis table-setting, at the moment.

Player Count 4

The last time I mentioned Player counts I thought it would be the last.  I guess not.  I had an idea the other morning that might allow a little more breathing room and still allow the progression to flow like it "should".  Lets look at the original version for reference.

Original

                                Frames

Players  Stations Skirmish Battle

    2           3         4 to 6 5 to 8

    3           2         3 to 5 4 to 7

    4           2         3 to 4 4 to 6

    5           1         3 to 4 3 to 5

Base Premise: A core concept of Mobile Frame Zero is that there's a Defender, Attacker, and Primary Attacker.

Needed: A way to allow people to pick a different quantity of Frames when they come to the table that allows at least three different levels of choice -- for example 4, 5, or 6.

Revision 2.3

                Frames

Players Stations Skirmish Battle

      2       3  4 to 7 5 to 8

      3       2  4 to 6 5 to 7

      4       2  3 to 5 4 to 6

      5       1  3 to 4   3 to 5

      6       1   N/A   3 to 4

As before I'm going with the new level of conflict to add some granularity to the choices available.

New 1.2

        Frames

Players Stations Clash Skirmish Battle

      2       3 4 to 6  5 to 7 6 to 8

      3       2 3 to 5  4 to 6 5 to 7

      4       2 3 to 4  3 to 5 4 to 6

      5       1 N/A          3 to 4  3 to 5

      6       1  N/A          N/A 3 to 4

N/A = Not Applicable.

So I added back in the "3 to 4" levels to remove some of the N/A choices that were in the last versions.  Thoughts?

Review: 31124 Super Robot

This is a new Creator set for 2022 so that means no minifigs and, look(!), it's a giant robot with a decidedly old school appearance.  So the chances of me reviewing this set were really high.

Box.  MSRP is $9.99 for a $0.06 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

Parts 1.  Wedge Plates, Plates, Tiles, Brackets, Double Bar Plates (open

end), Ball Joint Plates, Double Bar Plate (closed ends), Slopes, Corner

Bricks, Brick, Curved Slope w/Studs, Inverted Slopes, and Log Bricks.

Parts 2.  Plates, Wedge Plates, Jumpers, Studless Slopes, Cheese Graters, Rounded

Plates, Clip Plates, Tiles, Ball Joint Plates, Studless Slope w/Cutout, Brackets, Bricks,

Quarter Circle Tiles, Translucent Cheese Slopes, and Translucent Round Plates.

 

Parts 3.  Studless Slopes, Tiles, Bar Plates (closed ends), Large Cheese

Slopes, Panels, Plate w/Door Rail, and Bar Plates, (open ends).

Build. Two Frames (2Rd) 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+).  Two Frames and a Station with plenty of leftover parts.  Deal!

War College: The Three Amigos

I was recently asked if I'd done any write-ups of the archetypes used in Mobile Frame Zero: Rapid Attack and their strengths.  While I have the Archetype Archive page that's more of an overview than an in depth look at archetypes.  So for this meeting of the War College, let's talk about what I consider to be the three basic units of Rapid Attack; the Soldier, the Brawler, and the Recon-by-Fire.

The Soldier (one Direct Fire, One Defense, one Movement, and one Spotting): It can attack, defend, move, and spot, which are all the categories of actions within the game.  It can also do those things at or within a Ruler Length.  That makes this archetype the proverbial Jack-of-All-Trades, which means -- when it's undamaged -- it can do everything (provided you get the dice rolls you need).  This is the reason why it's recommended that this archetype be the core of whatever squad you put on the table.

The Brawler (two Hand-to-Hand, and two Defense): It can attack and defend, with some caveats.  It attacks at melee range but has the potential to deal the most damage in the game (for reference, see the first turn of this game).  It can act as Cover for other Frames in addition to defending itself.  It also has a Sprint die (Green d8) for having no Ranged weapons.  That makes this archetype a brutal close range combatant, especially in groups.

The Recon-by-Fire (two Artillery, and two Spotting): The long range hitter and enhancer.  It can reach out and touch the other end of the table and debuff any Defense anywhere on the table.  I think I remember one person stating they attack this archetype first if they see any on the table.  The only real limitations are the ones for Artillery, and the choice of what to drop when damaged.

As to how to make these all work together, that's the next step.  I could use some of the squads I described in my Meta Game blog post but let's do something different.  Let's try to build squads of different sizes aimed at different Initiative positions.  Since the most prevalent amount of players is three -- according to my data -- we're going to use that.

Skirmish (3 Players - 2 Stations, 3 - 5 Frames)

Defender -- Two Soldiers, one Brawler.  Use the Soldiers to set the Perimeter then drop the Brawler in behind enemy lines to try and capture Stations after they're all in position.  The Soldiers should support one another but the Brawler will probably be on its own.

Attacker -- Two Soldiers, one Brawler, one Recon-by-Fire.  The Brawler is the point of the spear, the Soldiers cover the middle ground, and the Recon-by-Fire provides rear echelon support.

Primary Attacker -- Three Brawlers, two Recon-by-Fire.  The Brawlers form a wave attack with the Recon-by-Fires providing support and Station retention.

Battle (3 Players - 2 Stations, 4 - 7 Frames)

Defender -- Two Soldiers, one Brawler, one Recon-by-Fire.  Use the Soldiers to set the Perimeter then drop the Brawler in behind enemy lines to try and capture Stations after they're all in position.  The Soldiers should support one another and the Brawler will be supported by the Recon-by-Fire.

Attacker -- Three Brawlers, two Recon-by-Fire.  The Brawlers form a wave attack with the Recon-by-Fires providing support and Station retention.  You can add in a Soldier for additional support and still not be maxed out.

Primary Attacker -- Four Brawlers, one Soldier, two Recon-by-Fire.  The Brawlers form a wave attack with the Soldier providing support, and the Recon-by-Fires providing support and Station retention.

If you're unsure of your strategy, or unsure what your opponents are planning then a squad of Soldiers is always a versatile -- and solid -- bet.

Sales Alert

Target is running an "Up to 20% off on select Lego City, Friends, Marvel and Duplo building sets" sale this week.  As usual, there are some good deals to be found and some sets with annoying price points finally becoming affordable.

Good hunting.

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.

Review: 30390 Jurassic World Dinosaur Market Polybag

I found this polybag recently while shopping in Target.  But a different store than the previous two reviews.  :-)

Bag.  MSRP is $4.99, for a $0.15 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

Minifig.  And Dinosaur.

Parts.  Plates, Arch Brick, Door Frames, Log Bricks, Brick, Box, Fences,

Wedge Slope, Bar Plates, Dish, Egg, Inverted Slope, Printed Translucent

Brick, Translucent Round Plate, Clip Tile, and Round Plates.

Build.  Two Hit piece of Cover.

The Questions:

Can you build something -- a frame, station, or starship -- right away?  Cover.  (0)
Is it below, at, or above the golden ratio?  Above.  (-10)  (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: 0 (B).  It has some nice pieces, and I have reasons to want more, but that Price per Piece is awful.

Review: 30432 Minecraft Turtle Beach Polybag

I found this polybag recently while shopping in Target.

Bag.  MSRP is $4.99, for a $0.11 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

Minifig.

Parts.  Plates, Bricks, Large Double Jumpers, Large Jumper, 2x3 Plate

 w/Round End, Tiles, Angular Flower, Boat Slider, 1x1x5 Bricks, 3x3

 Plate, Clip Plates, Padlocks, Printed Tiles, Lampholder, Printed

1x1 Plates, Transparent Plates, Flower Plates, and Plant Stems.

Build.  One Hit piece of Cover, mini Frame, and 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?  Above.  (-10)  (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: +5 (B+).  The pricing is a little rough but, you get a mini Frame, Cover, and a Station out of the deal with parts left over.

Review: 30594 Rock Monster Truck Polybag

I found this recently while shopping in Target.

Bag.  MSRP is $4.99, for a $0.09 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

Parts.  Tires, Technic Pins, Rims, Plates, Round Plates, Slopes, Brackets,

Pin Holder Plates, Wedge Plates, Tiles, Grille Tiles, Double Clip Plate,

Push Bumper, Log Brick, Transparent Round Tiles, and Pentagonal Tile.

Build.  IO Ram Frigate (1B/1G/2W). 
 

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+).  Some neat colors but I'm not seeing a lot here.