Yearly Look Back, 2022 Edition

It's time once again for another look back at the year that was.

The Central MA gaming group continued to meet this year.  We managed eight games together, which is an improvement over 2021.  I managed to break through the 70 games played barrier this year.

I'm down 8 posts from last year but, still maintaining my "at least three posts per week" average for the tenth year running.  I'm now estimating cracking 2,000 posts sometime around the last week of May of 2024.

I managed 85 reviews this year; 1 Book, 3 Mega Bloks, 3 Zuru Max, 10 non-building block, 11 Clone, 18 Make-It Bricks, and 39 Lego.  That comes out to an average of 7.1 per month.  Which is a decrease of 2.15 review per month from 2021 -- which I'm okay with as I feel like I need to pivot away from being review heavy.

I did 5 War College and 20 Terrain Workshop posts this year.  Which is a major increase in Terrain Workshops.  I'm hoping to do more of both, I really enjoy talking about MFZ in that way.

I'm now over 1M views, which is roughly another 66K views since last year.  I have no idea when I'll break 2 million. Thank you to everyone for the continued readership.  My Flickr stream is over 5.1 million views which I must thank everyone for as well.

I managed to attend PAX Unplugged this year on pretty short notice.  It was great seeing people I had shared a gaming table with back in 2019, it was also great meeting all the new people that were enthusiastic about MFZ.  It was trippy attending with friends from home this time -- apart from my booth-mates, that is.  I'm looking forwards to attending more conventions in 2023, and I'm really looking forwards to PAX Unplugged 2023 as I feel like we were on the cusp of multiple MFZ games happening at once this time around.

Keep on gaming and I'll see you next year. :-)

Review: Nickelodeon TMNT Leonardo Polybag

This is another Dollar Tree find I picked up while looking for something else.

Bag.  MSRP is $1.25, for a $0.04 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

Parts. Plates, Printed Studless Slope, Printed Tile w/Studs, Tile

w/Studs, Jumper, Studless Slopes, Wedge Studless Slopes,

Cheese Slopes, Tile, Printed Plates, Brackets, Padlocks, Studs w/Bar,

Clip Bar Holders, Bricks w/Studs on side, and Minifig Katanas.

Build.  Frame [2Rh+d8 (swords) 1Gd8 (no ranged weapons)].

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?  No.  (-5)
Score: +10 (A-).  Another good set.  The whole line is pretty fun and you should be able to put together a squad with little difficulty.

Review: Nickelodeon TMNT Donatello Polybag

This is another Dollar Tree find I picked up while looking for something else.

Bag.  MSRP is $1.25, for a $0.04 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

Parts.  Plates, Printed Studless Slope, Printed Tile w/Studs, Tile

w/Studs, Jumper, Studless Slopes, Wedge Studless Slopes,

Padlocks,  Studs w/Bar, Cheese Slopes, Printed Plates, Tile, Brackets, 

Clip Bar Holders, Bar Clips,  Bricks w/Studs on Side, and a Bar.

Build.  Frame [2Ra(cannon)].
 

 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?  No.  (-5)
Score: +10 (A-).  It's a good start but probably the weakest of this line so far.

Review: Nickelodeon TMNT Michelangelo Polybag

This is another Dollar Tree find I picked up while looking for something else.

Bag.  MSRP is $1.25, for a $0.03 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

Parts.  Plates, Printed Studless Slope, Printed Tile w/Studs, Tile

w/Studs, Jumper, Studless Slopes, Wedge Studless Slopes, Padlocks,

Studs w/Bar, Printed Plates, Tile, Cheese Slopes, Brackets, Clip

Bar Holders, Bar Clips,  Bricks w/Studs on Side, and Bar Bars.

Build.  Another quad like Wednesday's review, although

I've made a couple of tweaks.  Stats: 2Y (scanners).  

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?  No.  (-5)
Score: +10 (A-).  Combine this with the Raphael poly and you can build two Frames with three Systems each with Sentai Marking and Systems in a clearly separate color.

Review: Nickelodeon TMNT Raphael Polybag

This is another Dollar Tree find I picked up while looking for something else.

Bag.  MSRP is $1.25, for a $0.03 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

Parts.  Plates, Printed Studless Slope, Printed Tile w/Studs, Tile w/Studs,

Jumper, Studless Slopes, Wedge Studless Slopes, Cheese Slopes, Printed

Plates, Tile, Brackets, Padlocks, Bars, Studs w/Bar, Clip Bar Holders,

Bricks w/Studs on side, Round Bricks w/Studs on Side, and Bar Clips.

Build.  Frame [2Rd+d8 (guns) 1G (roller wheels) 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?  No.  (-5)
Score: +10 (A-).  A bunch of fun parts for a good price.

Terrain Workshop: The Evolution of Owen's Crossing

The inspiration for this table-setting comes from one of my players asking about playing a game in an urban setting.  For a while the idea was a no-go because of the price of Lego baseplates.  Then Make-It Blocks started selling $1.00 baseplates and everything changed.

This is the first time I started working on it.

This should give you an idea of just how much space this covers.  I

 measured it, just in case you're curious, it's 41" long x 36.5" wide.

So after looking at that first photo it gave me the idea to change things up a little.  Most of those buildings are rectangular and while they are all different colors there's a sameness to them that I didn't like.  The addition of the Blue baseplate -- for a splash park/wading pool -- helped liven things up a bit.

I did more work on collecting parts for buildings and I managed to find one of my old buildings stashed away in some boxes from my move, so the table-setting took a quantum leap forward from the first picture.

I'm going to turn the FLW Building towards the far street and that should give me room enough to put another building behind it.  

I added two of my second generation Medium Sized Buildings to the map.  They look like some sort of warehouse structures here.  Roofing on most of the structures is closer to being finalized as well.

A street level view gives us a better look at the elevation of the office building next to the warehouses.  I also moved the panels in the Black & White building to the corners.

In an effort to add more Cover and make it look a little more "normal" I added in some of my Paper Tree designs, including my most recent design.  I modified one of the design from the first post into some sort of "shrub tree" as well.  I also added the last row of baseplates back in so it's now the same area as the first photo.

I feel like I need to add one more large building, a small building, and some cars for this to look really awesome.  But I'm happy with the initial roll-out.

There are even some interesting little details that you can't see due to the camera angles I used.  :-)  Here's the battle report in case you want more pictures.

Battle Report: Owen's Crossing

I've been working on this table setting for a while, so I figured it would make a nice treat to put it into play for my group's last game of the year.  And to make things even more fun, we basically played a week after the game at PAXU22.  This was a Skirmish.

Tom (3 Frames & 12 Systems) = (7 Points per Asset) * (4 assets) = 28 points.
   White Armored Swarmer -- 2Rh/2B/1Gd8/1Y/2W+SSR

   Red Armored Swarmer -- 2Rh/2B/1Gd8/1Y/2W+SSR (x2)
   Blue Recon by Fire -- 2Ra+d8/2Y/2W.

Phungkyjams (4 Frames & 15 Systems) = (4 Points per Asset) * (5 assets) = 20 points.

   Lime Fast Sniper -- 2Ra/1B/2G/2W.

   Red Brawler -- 2Rh+d8/2B/1Gd8/2W.

   Blue Watchtower -- 2B/1Gd8/2Y/2W + SSR (x2).

   Orange  -- 2Rd/1G/1Y/2W + SSR.

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

   Red Brawler -- 2Rh+d8/2B/1Gd8/2W + SSR.

   Orange Bodyguard -- 2Rh/2Rd/2B/2W + SSR.
   White Bodyguard -- 2Rh/2Rd/2B/2W + SSR.

Me (4 Frames & 16 Systems) = (4 Points per Asset) * (5 assets) = 20 points.  (Quadcasts)
   Lime Recon by Fire -- 2Ra+d8/2Y/2W.

   Blue Brawler -- 2Rh+d8/2B/1Gd8/2W + SSR.

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

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

Chuck (4 Frames & 16 Systems) = (4 Points per Asset) * (5 assets) = 20 points.  (Old School)

   Purple Recon by Fire -- 2Ra+d8/2Y/2W.

   Green Swarmer -- 2Rh+d8/1B/1Y/2W + SSR.

   Orange Swarmer -- 2Rh+d8/1B/1Y/2W + SSR.

   White -- 2Rd+d8/1G/1Y/2W + SSR.

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

Events of Round 1 (DDC@11): Tom's Blue frame captures Occam's Spork's Station before the game starts.  Tom's Blue frame hits Phungkyjams' Lime frame for 1.  Tom's Red frame hits Chuck's Orange frame for 3 then retreats to the next tree.  Chuck's Purple frame hits Tom's Blue frame for 2.  Chuck's Green frame hits Phungkyjams' Red frame for 1 with a SSR and steps towards the Tan building.  Phungkyjams' Red frame responds by moving to the Wading Pool and cutting Chuck's Orange frame for 2.  Chuck's White frame hits Occam's Spork's Red frame for 3 then moves to the other side of the Octagonal Building.  Phungkyjams' Orange frame hits Occam's Spork's Orange frame for 1.  My Yellow frame hits Phungkyjams' Lime frame for 3 and moves closer to a tree. My Blue frame jumps to the corner of the FLW Building and hits Occam's Spork's White frame for 1 with a SSR. My Red frame moves into the shade of the FLW Building and hits Tom's Red frame for 5.

Tom: 35 Points.

Phungkyjams: 20 points.

Me: 15 points.

Chuck: 15 points.

Occam's Spork: 12 points.

Events of Round 2 (DDC @ 8): Phungkyjams' Blue frame moves to the fence around the Wading Pool and hits Chuck's Orange frame for 1, destroying it.  Chuck's Green frame clubs Occam's Sporks' Red for 3, destroying it, then moves to the Blue Castle.  Chuck's Purple frame hits my Red frame for 2 and the FLW Building for 3.  My Red frame moves forward and captures Tom's Station.  Occam's Spork's Green frame hits Chuck's White frame for 1, which then moves to the Grey Building, and steps sideways to capture Phungkyjams' Station.  Occam's Spork's White frame moves across the Wading Pool and hits Phungkyjams' Blue frame for 1.  Phungkyjams' Red frame sprints away from the Wading Pool and cuts Occam's Spork's Orange frame for 7 -- 10 dice rolled -- destroying it.  My Lime frame hits the big tree for 3, destroying it, while aiming at Phungkyjams' Lime frame.  My Yellow frame moves to the fence around the Wading Pool and hits Phungkyjams' Blue frame for 1.  Tom's White frame hits my Blue frame for 2 with a SSR then jumps on the roof of the Stilt Building.

Tom: 28 Points.

Me: 18 Points.

Phungkyjams: 16 points.

Chuck: 12 points.

Occam's Spork: 9 points.

Events of Round 3 (DDC @ 4): Chuck's Purple frame steps to the left and hits the Grey Warehouse for 2. Phungkyjams' Lime frame moves to the corner of the battlefield and punches Occam's Spork's Green frame for 1, Station Dance. Occam's Spork's White frame hits my Red frame for 1, Station Dance, then it moves into the road. Chuck's White frame turns, hits Phungkyjams' Red frame for 3, then steps closer to the palm tree. Chuck's Green frame hits hits Phungkyjams' Red frame for 1, then moves towards the other side of the road. Phungkyjams' Orange frame hits Occam's Spork's Green frame for 1 then recaptures their Station. My Blue frame sprints forward and punches Tom's Red frame for 5, destroying it. My Lime frame hits Phungkyjams' Lime frame for 2, destroying it. The Doomsday Clock is ticked to zero.

Tom: 21 Points.

Me: 18 Points.

Phungkyjams: 16 points.

Chuck: 12 points.

Occam's Spork: 6 points.

Here are several during and aftermath pictures.

Round 2

Round 2

Thoughts & Observations:

• This was a Skirmish.
• Defender was decided by a dice roll.
• As was Point Attacker.
• I've been working on this table-setting for over a year.
• I actually finished some of the trees shortly before the game started.
• There was a twist in the third round that made things interesting.
• It was fun having new terrain to explore.
• This was my second game in eight days.
• Flickr page.

Sales Alert

Target is running a "20% Off on Mega Construx Sets" sale this week.

Also, I was in a local Walmart last night and there were Clearance and Rollback prices up and down the Lego aisle.  Looks like they're starting early on clearing shelf space for the new 2023 sets.  I saw some real deals so you might want to get in there soonest.

Good hunting.

Review: 30585 Fire Patrol Vehicle Polybag

 I found this on a sidekick on the toy section of Target.  It was the only one I found too.

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

Instructions.

Minifig.

Parts.  Tile w/Studs on Edge,  Plates, Wedge 

Plate, Axle Plates, Tires, Bricks, Studless Slope, 

Windscreen, Inverted Slopes, Brick w/Studs on 

Side, Tiles, Translucent Tiles, Grille Tile, Clip 

Plates, Bar Plate, Translucent Round Plates, 

Rims, and Minifig Steering Wheel. 

 

Build.  IO Frigate.

 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?  No.  (-5)
Score: -5 (B-).  Some good parts and new Neon Yellow but it's a City set and so gets screwed for price per piece.

Terrain Workshop: Papercraft Trees 4

I've been wanting to use a stack of 2x2 Round Bricks for a papercraft tree trunk for a while now. But, like an idiot, I kept trying to make things needlessly complex by trying to attach the paper to all the Studs on the 2x2 Rounds. Then one night as I'm trying to get to sleep the solution pops into my head.

So the solution is reducing the core from a stack of 2x2 Round Bricks to a stack of 1x1 Round Bricks. The 1x1 Bricks are attached to the 2x2 Bricks with an Axle/Pin. There's another one at the other end capped off with a Cone. This gives a better attachment point for the paper than trying to fasten it to studs. Harkening back to my second papercraft tree post there's a Minifig Ring in the middle.  I actually used most of the top end of that tree design for this build.

So there are three 2x2 Round bricks, one 2x2 Round Plate, two Axle/Pins, eight 1x1 Round Bricks, one Minifig Ring, two pieces of Paper, and a Cone for a total of 18 pieces.  That makes 3 Hits and it is 41 feet tall in 6P scale.

Flickr page.  Once again I hope I've given people ideas or techniques to use in their terrain builds.