Battle Report: Road to Nowhere @ PAX Unplugged

Once again, a few people gathered at PAX Unplugged in Philadelphia to wage battle in miniature.  I wasn't sure it was going to happen so when Ed and Fuzzpacho showed up at the Glyphpress booth on Saturday I was happy and a little surprised.  This game was a Skirmish.

Fuzzpacho (4 Frames & 15 Systems) = (7 Points per Asset) * (6 assets) = 42 points.

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

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

   Blue Soldier -- 2B/1Gd8/2Y/2W + SSR.

   White Armored Spotter -- 1B/1d8/2Y/2W.

Ed (4 Frames & 16 Systems) = (6 Points per Asset) * (6 assets) = 36 points.
   Sniper (Red Anvil) -- 2Rd+d8/1B/1Y/2W.
   Thumper (White Artillerist) -- 2Ra+d8/2B/2W.
   Chopper (Blue Swarmer) -- 2Rh+d8/1B/1Gd8/1Y/2W +SSR(x2).
   Scope (Grey Squad Leader) -- 2Rd/1B/2Y/2W + SSR.

Me (5 Frames & 20 Systems) = (3 Points per Asset) * (7 assets) = 21 points.  (Invictus)
   Purple Soldier -- 2Rd/1B/1G/1Y/2W +SSR.

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

   Brown Soldier -- 2B/1Gd8/2Y/2W + SSR.
   Orange Delegator -- 2Ra/1B/2Y/2W.

   Blue Brawler -- 2Rh+d8/2B/1Gd8/2W.

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

Events of Round 1 (DDC@11):  Fuzzpacho's Tan frame captures Ed's Sand Green Station before the game starts.  Fuzzpacho's Blue frame hits the tree in front of my Purple frame for 1.  My Brown frame hits Fuzzpacho's Tan frame for 2.  (I got distracted and forgot to take pictures at the end of this round.)

Fuzzpacho: 49 Points.

Ed: 30 points.

Me: 21 points.

Events of Round 2 (DDC @ 8): Fuzzpacho's Tan frame hits my Blue frame for 2.  My Blue frame then captures one of Fuzzpacho's Stations.  Ed's Grey frame recaptures his Sand Green Station, then hits the tree in front of my Blue frame for 1, and my Blue frame for 1, Station Dance.  My Yellow frame hits the tree in front of Ed's Grey frame for 1.  Ed's White frame hits my Blue frame for 4, destroying it.  My Purple frame hits Fuzzpacho's Blue frame for 1.  Ed's Blue frame hits the tree in front of Fuzzpacho's Tan frame for 1 with a SSR.  Fuzzpacho's Grey frame hits Ed's Grey frame for 2, and Ed's Blue frame for 2 -- Ed's Grey frame was the Target.  Ed's Red frame hits Fuzzpacho's Grey frame for 1.  My Brown frame hits the tree in front of Ed's Grey frame for 1, destroying it, and Ed's Grey frame for 3.

Ed: 36 points.

Fuzzpacho: 35 Points.

Me: 21 points.

Events of Round 3 (DDC @ 4): My Yellow frame runs across the road and captures Ed's Sand Green Station.  Ed's White frame moves down the road and hits Fuzzpacho's Grey frame for 2.  Fuzzpacho's Tan frame hits Ed's Blue frame for 3.  My Purple frame moves across the road, next to Fuzzpacho's Station, and hits Ed's Blue frame for 2, destroying it.  My Orange frame moves next to my Station and hits Ed's White frame for 1.  Ed's Red frame moves into cover behind a medium size tree and hits Fuzzpacho's Grey frame for 3, destroying it.  My Brown frame moves off the road and towards Fuzzpacho's second Station then hits the tree Fuzzpacho's White frame is in for 1.  The Doomsday Clock is ticked to zero.

Fuzzpacho: 28 Points.

Me: 24 points.

Ed: 18 points.

Here are several aftermath pictures.

Thoughts & Observations:

• This was a Skirmish.
• This was Fuzzpacho's first game.
• We had another case of Accidental Defender.
• I think that's the quietest first round I can recall.
• Although the second round seems to make up for it.
• We had a fair amount of people asking questions about the game.
• If my math is right, this was my 81st game of MFZ: Rapid Attack.
• If you look at the last picture on the lower left and the picture I used for the Flickr page you can see how things moved from start to finish.
• Flickr page.

PAX Unplugged 2023 Report

Another year and another con in the books.

Day 0: I met Joshua in the mid-morning and we drove down together.  Arriving mid-afternoon, we ended up waiting in line with all the other vendors looking to get into the conference center and set up.  After getting through the line we set up, found out hotel rooms, then had dinner -- Megumi Ramen & Sushi.  Afterwards I did some exploring and bargain shopping.  A little later I met Dom, one of my booth-mates, and gave him his badge.  I then settled in for the night.

Day 1: I managed to get into the con sort of early, after a quick breakfast we reset the booth layout a bit.  After the con opened I ran multiple demos -- in the booth -- before lunch, which was a new experience for me.  I had lunch at Oishii Poke again, then did some shopping at Ebisu.  Came back and ran more demos until the Vendor Hall closed.  I sat outside the Vendor Hall for a while and decompressed, met Dom and Joshua for dinner at Ocean City, went to Target for a few things I forgot to pack, then called it a night.  I gave out 13 participation packs and ran seven or eight demos.

Hotel view.

Hotel view.

A different House of Dragons.

Day 2: I slept in by accident -- always check your alarm boys and girls -- had leftovers for breakfast, and still managed to make it in to the con early-ish.  I demoed for two hours which seemed to go by in an eyeblink.  Ed and his niece showed up so we went over to the Miniatures section in the main hall and started setting up for a full scale game.  I wasn't expecting anyone to show so this was a nice surprise.  We played until 4pm or so -- that's set-up to tear-down -- as there were a lot of people asking questions and we had a new player.  Then I went back to the booth for the final two vendor hours.  After hall close I tried to visit Fat Jack Comics but got blocked by a parade.  I managed to make it to Pho Mi Rittenhouse for dinner, then limped back to the hotel on tired, aching legs.  I only gave out 4 participation packs and I'm not sure how many demos I ran.

Day 3: Got up on time, packed up, then went to the con.  Found the "Fantastic Knickknackery" booth that I was looking for last year.  Con opened.  Had an excellent conversation with one of the creators of an "Infinity of Ships".  The rest of the day was kind of a blur.  I know I ran a few demos and talked about MFZ a fair amount.  Lunch was Crown Fried Chicken.  The con closed, we broke down the booth, loaded the car, had dinner at Terakawa Ramen -- which is always pretty busy -- then headed home.  I gave out 5 participation packs.

Con loot (pictures taken at home).

In Con purchases.

Snowy Owlbear from Metal Weave Games.

d20 from Fantastic Knickknackery.

Out of Con Purchases.

The Lazer Blocks and Mega Bloks sets are from

Burlington.  The others I bought at Ebisu.

Post Con Thoughts:

• The lead up to this con was stressful, and I know that I was not the only one that felt that way.
• It was nice to meet Dom from the Xenophilia discord for the first time.
• I sold 11 Rulers, 8 copies of Dinosaur Planet, 5 Starter Kits, and 4 Dice Kits.
• I gave out 22 participation packs.
• I quickly lost track of the number of demos I ran.
• I didn't see much of the con, I spent most of my time in the booth.

PAX Unplugged 2023

For the next three days I'll be helping demonstrate Mobile Frame Zero at PAX Unplugged.  I'll also be selling Rulers, Starter Kits, Dice Kits, and something else.  We'll be at booth # 4054 under the Glyphpress banner.  The booth is by the Northeast corner of the Vendor's Hall.

I'm trying to get a big game of Mobile Frame Zero: Rapid Attack scheduled for Saturday, starting some time between Noon and 1pm.  I'll try to get us a table in the Miniatures area or near it.  I brought two sets of terrain so if we get any more interest I'll be able to cover a second table.  I'll even have a spare squad!

If you're going to be at the con, please stop by. It's been too long since I've had the chance to meet MoF0s from outside my gaming group in person.  Let's talk Lego, mecha, and gaming!

The Road to PAX Unplugged 2023

We're a month out from PAX Unplugged!  I don't know about you but I'm getting pumped up for this year!  As I mentioned before, I'll have items for sale.  Here's a picture of the selection.

According to the PAXU website we'll be in Booth: 4054.  I'm not sure where in the building that will be located but, this year I should be running demonstrations in the booth.  I'll also organize a big game like I've done prior years.  I know we were super close to having enough people for two games at the same time last year, so let's see if we can make that happen this year!

The Road to PAX Unplugged 2023

Once again, I'll be attending PAX Unplugged to demo Mobile Frame Zero: Rapid Attack for Joshua and Glyphpress.  I'll be selling something new this year, Dice Kits.  I have four solid and four translucent assembled and ready to go.

I'll also have Starter Kits, Rulers, and maybe something special this time around.  I hope to see you there!

Battle Report: The Henge @ PAX Unplugged 2022

Once again a group of us came together to play a game of MFZ: Rapid Attack at PAX Unplugged.  This was the biggest game we've played, in terms of number of players, since I started organizing them for PAXU.  My notes appear to be a bit haphazard so I apologize in advance.

Micah (4 Frames & 12 Systems) = (6 Points per Asset) * (5 assets) = 30 points.
   Red Light Artillerist -- 2Ra+d8/1B/2W + SSR.
   Blue Static Soldier -- 2Rd/1B/1Y/2W.
   Yellow Static Soldier -- 2Rd/1B/1Y/2W.
   Pink -- 2Rh/1B/1Gd8/1Y/2W + SSR (x2).

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

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

   Blue Soldier -- 2Rd/1B/1G/1Y/2W.

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

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

Pete (4 Frames & 16 Systems) = (4 Points per Asset) * (5 assets) = 20 points.  (Fuzzy Pink Bunny Slippers)
   Green Recon by Fire -- 2Ra+d8/2Y/2W.

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

   Blue Anvil -- 2Rd+d8/1B/1Y/2W + SSR.

   Yellow Anvil -- 2Rd+d8/1B/1Y/2W + SSR.

Meara (4 Frames & 16 Systems) = (4 Points per Asset) * (5 assets) = 20 points.  (Canis Pack)
   Red Brawler -- 2Rh+d8/2B/1Gd8/2W + SSR.

   Blue Brawler -- 2Rh+d8/2B/1Gd8/2W.

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

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

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

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

   Brown Heavy Assault-- 2Rd+d8/1B/1G/2W + SSR.

   Pink Soldier -- 2Rd/1B/1G/1Y/2W.

Ed (4 Frames & 16 Systems) = (4 Points per Asset) * (5 assets) = 20 points.
   Sniper (Yellow Anvil) -- 2Rd+d8/1B/1Y/2W + SSR.

   Thumper (Blue Artillerist) -- 2Ra+d8/2B/2W.
   Chopper (Green Swarmer) -- 2Rh+d8/1B/1Gd8/1Y/2W.
   Scope (Red Squad Leader) -- 2Rd/1B/2Y/2W + SSR (x2).

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

Events of Round 1 (DDC@11): Micah's Blue frame captures Pete's Station before the game starts. Micah's Red frame hits Joe's Blue frame for 2. Micah's Blue frame hits Joe's Blue frame for 5, after it steps out of the corner of the battlefield, destroying it.  Meara's Red frame lopes forward and hits Ed's Chopper for for 3, with a SSR, and Ed's Chopper captures Meara's Station.  Meara's Yellow frame lopes forward and hits Ed's Chopper for 2, with a SSR, Station Dance.  Pete's Yellow frame glides forward and hits Micah's Pink frame for 1.  Micah's Pink Frame steps sideways and captures Ed's Station.  Joe's Pink frame scuttles out from behind a trilithon and hits my Green frame for 1.  My Green frame hits Meara's Blue frame for 1.  Ed's Sniper hits hits Meara's Blue frame for 3, then moves between a trilithon and a menhir.  Ed's Thumper hits Micah's Pink frame for 1, Station Dance.  Pete's Green frame hits my Blue frame for 2.  My Blue frame swims forward and hits Ed's Chopper for 1.  Pete's Red frame glides forward and hits Ed's Scope for 1.  Pete's Blue frame glides sideways and hits Ed's Thumper for 1.

Micah: 36 Points.

Me: 20 points.

Ed: 20 points.

Pete: 16 points.

Joe: 16 points.
Meara: 16 points

Events of Round 2 (DDC @ 7): Micah's Pink frame hits Ed's Chopper for 3, destroying it.  Meara's Red frame hits the lintel and post of the trilithon in front of Micah's Red frame for 2.  Micah's Yellow frame hits my Red frame for 1 and my Red frame swims forward in response.  Pete's Green frame hits my Red frame for 4.  Meara's Blue frame hits Micah's Pink frame for 2 with a SSR then recaptures her Station.  Meara's Green frame lopes forward and claws Micah's Pink frame for 1.  Joe's Purple frame hits Micah's Pink frame for 1, destroying it, and the menhir it was hiding behind for 2.  Joe's Pink frame hits my Green frame for 1 and my Green frame swims to my Station.  Joe's Brown frame moves out from behind a trilithon and hits my Green frame for 1.  Ed's Sniper hits my Blue frame for 3 and moves forward between two menhir.  Pete's Red frame glides at an angle forward and hits Micah's Red frame for 4 with a SSR, destroying it.  Pete's Blue frame glides forward to the small standing ring and hits Ed's Sniper for 2.

Micah: 36 Points.

Me: 20 points.

Meara: 20 points.

Pete: 16 points.

Joe: 16 points.
Ed: 12 points

Events of Round 3 (DDC @ 3): My Blue frame swims forward and captures Micah's Station.  Meara's Yellow frame lopes forward and captures Ed's Station.  Meara's Red frame hits my Blue frame for 1, destroying it, and captures my Station.  Joe's Pink frame hits Meara's Blue frame for 1, destroying it, then scuttles towards the large standing ring.  My Yellow frame hits Micah's Yellow frame for 6, destroying it, then swims forward and captures Pete's Station that was under Micah's control.  Pete's Yellow frame hits Ed's Scope for 2.  Pete's Blue frame glides sideways and hits Ed's Scope for 1.  The Doomsday Clock is ticked to 0.

Meara: 24 Points.

Pete: 20 points.

Joe: 20 points.

Ed: 12 points.

Me: 12 points.
Micah: 6 points

Here are several aftermath pictures.

Thoughts & Observations:

• This was a Battle.
• I thought we were going to have to roll off for everything but Micah came in light.
• So all we had to do was roll to determine primary attacker.
• Things got messy as everyone collapsed inward across Micah's perimeter.
• My dice mojo was horrible right up until that moment in the last turn.
• This game was pretty dynamic.
• There was also a lot of trash talk flying around.
• Despite having the smallest descriptive paragraph, the third round had the biggest point swings of the game.
• This was my 70th game.
• This game took roughly 3.5 hours from set-up to tear-down.
• Flickr page.