Terrain & Scenery 24

How about some pretty pictures for a Friday morning?

Mobile Repair Rig by pyrefyre.  This would

make a great inclusion for a battlefield.

Arch Valley Bridge by Popider.  This would make for amazing terrain.

Mini A Team by Rod Gillies.  Like I wasn't going to 

share this.  The A team built in 6P scale?  Awesome.

Cargo Lifter by Red Spacecat.  These would look great on the table.

Especially if the Lifter was on some sort of flight base.  Looks like  both

pieces would be a lot of Hits to destroy but you could work around that.

AAAPC by Ska2D2.  A micronized version of the APC from Aliens.

Looks to be about 8 Plates tall which is one under the Minimum

to be Cover.  Would still look awesome on someone's table.

Review: Your Action Hero Robot

I stumbled across this in a new-to-me Dollar Tree and I figured I'd give it a review.

Package.  I paid $1.25 at Dollar Tree for this.

Disassembled/Parts.  Well, this thing doesn't disassemble.  Apart from the

"weapons" it comes with.  The smaller one could be Melee, Direct Fire,

or Spotting.  The larger one could be Direct Fire, Artillery, or Spotting.

Build.  It does have neat storage spots on the back though.  And if you had a second one of either of those "weapons" they could act as a Movement system in that position.

Size Comparison.

The Questions:
Is it below, at, or above $10 per Frame?  Below.  (+5)
Is it a good size to use in a game?  Yes.  It's bigger than a Chub.  (+5)
How many parts does it have to represent systems?  Two.  (-5)
Does it have enough parts you can remove to represent White Dice damage?  No.  (-5)
Score: 0 (B).  It's not bad, limited variability but dirt cheap.

Sales Alert

Target has a "BOGO40% Off" sale on select Lego sets this week.  From the promo image it includes the Harry Potter, Minecraft, Friends, and Super Mario lines.  According to Toys'n'Bricks it's 92 sets on sale.

Good hunting.

War College: Single Shot Rockets

As I've already done two posts about building Single Shot Rockets -- and since this is a War College post -- let's look at the distribution and use of SSRs in your squad instead.  And, yes, the generally accepted abbreviation of Single Shot Rocket is SSR.

On page 134 of the rules it states that "Every company must carry the same number of single-shot rockets. By default, every company must carry 3."  Single Shot Rockets are not Systems and you do not lose them due to Damage.  Also, since they are not Ranged Weapon Systems, they do not interfere with the Sprint Die.  There's no page reference for this although it's kind of obliquely mentioned on page 65.

For distribution, in general I place one per Frame.  Other people, like Chuck in this somewhat recent game, have two SSRs on one Frame.  In this game I loaded them all on to one Frame.  Pete did the same in this game.  If you do that on a Frame that has no other Systems it's generally called a "Missile Monkey", and it's seen use in at least one other game.  In the "Sand & Trees" game Single Shot Rockets were the only weapon my Frames carried.

As to when to use them, the conventional wisdom is "Use them before you lose them."  Which generally means fire them all off in the first or second Round.  In this game all players managed to use their SSRs in the first round.  That's not to say a late game application of a Single Shot Rocket can't be helpful, take this game for example, a last round hit for 5 damage can be pretty powerful.  And as a counterpoint, going back to this game, using all of your SSRs in the first Round without proper Spotting can be futile.

According to the Commander's Handbook a standard Direct Fire attack, from a Soldier loadout, will potentially yield 1.49/1.65/1.75 Systems worth of Damage depending on how many White Dice you have to spare.  The same attack with a SSR added in will yield a potential 1.86/1.94/1.98 Systems worth of Damage -- again depending on how many White Dice you have to spare.  So if you manage to chain three Direct Fire attacks in a row on the same target using a single SSR in each you could potentially do enough damage to a fully loaded Frame to destroy it.  Alternately, if you use all three SSRs in a single attack you can run this up to potentially 2.22/2.24/2.25 Systems worth of Damage.

Switching to a Tank loadout with one SSR potentially gets us 2.08/2.12/2.14 Systems worth of Damage.  Going all in with three SSRs is a potential 2.32/2.33/2.34 Systems worth of Damage for an "Alpha Strike".  Of course this may invite attacks from opponents when they figure out that you could roll 4d8 for one attack.  But if you're going for a "Walking Target" aspect -- and you're willing to place all your SSRs in one basket -- this is a valid tactical option.  I'd be more likely to use one per Round though, as a potential 2.08 Systems worth of Damage three Rounds in a row is pretty powerful.

To go in the other direction, a "non-combat" Frame carrying the Watchtower loadout with one SSR for self defense has a 1.50/1.74/1.86 Systems worth of potential Damage at Direct Fire range.  Going to three SSRs has a Damage potential of 2.16/2.20/2.22 when using them all at the same time.

The classic Missile Monkey loadout has a Damage potential of 1.50/1.74/1.86 for one SSR, 1.94/2.03/2.08 for two, and 2.16/2.20/2.22 for a three SSR salvo.

Hopefully this helps with your distribution and use of Single Shot Rockets in your next game.

Review: 40646 Daffodils

This is the new for 2023, small Botanical set.  As prior Botanical sets have been potentially useful, I will continue to review the smaller sets from the line.

Box.  MSRP is $12.99 for a $0.06 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

Parts 1.

 Angled Hinge Plates.

Parts 2.

Minifig Shields, Axle Connectors, Dishes, 

Cones, Axles w/Pin Connection, and Axles. 

 

Parts 3.

 Weapon Holder Rings, Cylinder Hinges,

 Axles w/Notches, 3L Bars, Axle

 Connectors, 4L Bars, and Half Bushings.

Build.

Two 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+).  Sand Green Cylinder Hinges and that new Weapon Holder Ring?  Yes, please!  Other than that, considering there are only 14 different parts types in this set, it's more of a parts pack than anything else.

Review: Mega Bloks HKT19 Pokemon Zubat's Midnight Flight

I found this sitting on an endcap in the Toy section of Walmart with other Clearance toys but it didn't have a Clearance tag on it.  I'm glad I scanned it because I got a decent discount on the set.  Also, with this review I have equaled the number of Mega Bloks reviews I did last year.  Onward and upward!

Box.  MSRP is $10.99 for a $0.18 Price per Piece.  I paid $7.00 at Walmart for a $0.12 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

Parts 1.  This is incorporated into the packaging.  Gear Brick.

Parts 2.  Plates, Wedge Plate, Tile w/Hole and Studs on Edges, Tooth Plates, Axle,

Axle/Pin w/Stop, 1/2 Bars w/Stop, Hinge Brick (2 Plates tall), Studless Slopes,

Wedge Tile, Corrugated Brick, Slopes, Bricks, Cheese Slopes, and Bent Bar Holder.

Parts 3.  Wings, Printed Curved Slope, Tooth Plates (I inverted them

so you could see the coloring.), Curved Slope, Round Tile w/Bar

Hole, Round Tile, Double-Sided Ball Joint Plate, Half Circle

Plates, Bar Ball Joints, Double-Sided Bar Plates, Double-Sided

Half Circle Plate, and Double-Sided Half Circle Ball Joint Plate.

Parts 4.  These are in a bag inside of the second parts bag.

Pointed Bars (rubber, not plastic), and Bar Connectors.

Build.  The base is a 1 Hit piece of Cover -- 3 to destroy -- and the Frame really

needs feet.  It is super posable though and that makes it really expressive.

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+).  A really fun Pokemon and terrain in one set, not bad.  Shame about the price though.

Review: Block Tech US24-2414 Lazer Blocks Jellyfish

Another purchase from 5Below, this one dates back to 2022 and was initially located by Richard KL on the MFZ Discord.

Box.  MSRP is $5.00 for a $0.05 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

Parts 1.  Quarter Domes, Round Plates, Quarter Round Plates,

Long Macaroni Bricks, Short Macaroni Bricks, Round Light Brick,

Studless Slopes, Round Bricks, Brackets, and Ball Joint Plates.

Parts 2.  Ball Joint Plates, Studless Slopes, Tiles, and Round Tiles.

Build.  Two Frames and one Station/1 Hit piece of Cover.

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+).  A nice set, I just wish there were more Translucent Yellowish Green parts.

Review: Block Tech US24-2235 Block Bouquet Safflower

I found these the other day after visiting a new 5Below that opened up near where I work.  I already like the Botanical line from Lego so I figured I'd give these a shot as well.

Box.  MSRP is $3.25, for a $0.03 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

Parts 1.  Axles, Plates, Slopes, Octagonal Bar Plates, Pin Connector

Triple Ball Joint, Ball Joint Plates, Tiles, 2x2 Studless Slopes,

Clip Plates, Round Brick, Horn/Tail Sections, and 1x4 Studless Slopes.

Parts 2.  Axles, Axle/Pin, Pin/Axle, Axle Connectors, Pin Connector,

Clip Plates, Padlocks, Inverted Tiles, Plate, Clip Bar Holders,

Wedge Studless Slopes, Bases, Levers, Round Plates, and a Gear.

Build.  Two Frames 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+).  Another excellent set, not quite as good as the Chrysanthemum set though.

Review: Block Tech US24-2234 Block Bouquet Chrysanthemum

I found these the other day after visiting a new 5Below that opened up near where I work.  I already like the Botanical line from Lego so I figured I'd give these a shot as well.

Box.  MSRP is $3.25, for a $0.03 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

Parts 1.  Technic Axles, Octagonal Bar Plates, Palm Leaves, Tail/Trunks w/

Bar End, Curved Plant Stems, Clip Claws, Round Plate, Technic Connectors,

Technic Angled Pin/Axle Connector, Ball Joint Plates, and a Travis Brick.

Parts 2.  Round Jumpers, Dish, Technic Gear, Clip Bar Holders, Technic

Axle Connectors, Axles, Half Bushing, Tooth Plates, Cone, Claws,

Exo-Force Arms, Pin Ball Joints, Bushings, and 1/2 Bar w/Stop.

Build.  Four Frames, a Station, and a 2 Hit piece of Cover.

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+).  All that for $3.25?!?  Sold!  The only downside is that the clutch on some of the Tail/Trunk pieces is substandard.

War College: Archetype Analysis - The Closer

We were chatting a bit about loadouts the other morning on the MFZ Discord and I got to thinking about the Closer Archetype.  And as it's been almost a year since I've done a War College post, let's go to class.

Here are the details if you're not familiar.

Closer: One Direct Fire attachment, two Hand-to-Hand attachments, and one Defensive attachment. (2Rd/2Rh+d8/1B/2W)
Loadout (4 systems): 1DF2H1D2W
Role: This is the first mech you place if you're the Primary Attacker. He starts outside the Defender's perimeter and rushes in to take a Station. He has enough defense to survive for a little while and the Direct Fire Weapon can be sacrificed to soak damage as well. After the DF Weapon is ditched it gains a Green d8 for movement which allows it to close at high speed and use the two Hand-to-Hand Weapons.

Someone commented that the Closer having three weapon Systems felt "dirty".  There's a reason for the Closer to have three weapons though.  It's one of the early versions of a "Walking Target".  If you look at the description, this is meant to be the first Frame you place if you're the Primary Attacker.  You want the Defender concentrating on this, "Oh geeze, it's loaded for bear!"  It's a psychological ploy that keeps the Defender's attention focused on one spot while you prepare a sneak attack somewhere else.  This may mean this Frame is a bit of a sacrificial lamb but as the Primary Attacker you should have Frames to spare.

A different discussion on the Discord had someone asking about which order Systems should be removed from Frames.  Other general use Archetypes will have System removal be whatever is needed for the task at hand.  System removal for this Archetype, on the other hand, should go like this; Direct Fire, Melee, Melee, Defense.  It should always be in this order.  Removing the Direct Fire system gives you access to the Sprint Die which supercharges your attack options for hand to hand range.  White Dice can substituted for Melee systems so those should be the next Systems to go.  Holding on to the Defensive system for as long as possible improves the survivability of the Frame.  Seeing as this is the Point Frame it will need that survivability.

You may want to arm this Frame with a Single Shot Rocket.  Using it on the opening salvo with the Direct Fire weapon would give a 2Rd+d8 attack identical to the dice rolled for the Melee attack.  You may not get to use a Melee attack on the first activation, depending on how close other players beside the Defender -- assuming it's not a two player game -- set up to this Frame.  This allows for a continuity of damage potential through multiple Rounds.

As to how to use this Archetype, point it at the Defender's Station(s) and charge.  (Although the Charger is a different Archetype altogether.)  The Closer is meant to draw fire and cause chaos in the Defender's front ranks so pick a direction and let slip the dogs of war!

Let's look at a couple of hypothetical initial activations just to see how the dice might be assigned.  First, everyone passes and you're rolling a Direct Fire attack on a potential target with no defense.

Die roll

Converted

So that's a 6 Attack, 6 Defense, 4 Move and a 1 Spot.  I converted the White Dice to Movement and Spotting.

Second, you've been targeted and you're generating a Defense and making a Direct Fire attack in return -- this time you have a SSR.

Converted, including opponent's attack

Die roll, including opponent's attack

So that's a 5 Attack, 6 Defense, 5 Move versus a 3 Attack.  I upgraded the Defense with a White die and converted the second White Die to Movement.

Hopefully this gives you some insight into the Closer archetype and its potential use on the table.

Review: 30643 Easter Chickens Polybag

This is a new for 2023 polybag that I found in the Seasonal section at Target.

Bag.  MSRP is $4.99, for a $0.08 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

Parts.  Round Plate, Plates, Oval Tiles ("Cartouche"), Brackets, Printed 

Round Tiles, Inverted Domes, Domes, Rounded Bricks, Bricks, Inverted 

Slopes, Brick w/Studs on Sides, Wedge Plates, Round Plates w/3

Leaves, Bricks w/Studs on Side, Jumpers, Large Cheese Slopes,

Double Cheese Slopes, Flower Plates, Double Curved Slopes, Cheese

Slopes, Stadium Tiles, Inverted Arches, and  Bricks w/Studs on Corners.

Build.  IO Frigate, "The Whale", and an RA 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+).  Maybe I wasn't feeling creative during the build process but, I think this set is better as a parts pack than a core for a build.

Review: Turbo Wheels Car Wash

For a long time I've been looking at using things other than Lego to use as Frames in Mobile Frame Zero: Rapid Attack. This time around let's look at using non-Lego pieces for Cover/terrain.

Box.  MSRP is $1.25, for a $0.10 Price per Piece.

Instructions & Stickers.

Parts 1.  Roof, Back Wall, Base and Front Wall.

Parts 2.  Gate, Roof Sign, Sign, and Rollers.
 

Build.  A 2 Hit piece of Cover.

Size Comparison 1.

Size Comparison 2.  Again, I'd say that's roughly nine square units in size.

The Questions:

Can you build something -- a frame, station, or starship -- right away?  Cover/terrain.  (0)
Is it below, at, or above the golden ratio?  At.  (0)  (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?  No.  (-5)
Does it have more than a handful of immediately useful parts?  No.  (-5)
Score: -10 (C+).  Not a great score.  Again though, that doesn't matter as we're looking for a piece of Cover rather than a Frame.