War College: Rook Maneuver Revisit

Let's take another look at setting up the Rook Maneuver.  In the last game my group played there was another attempt at it.  I'm going to use a picture from that outing to illustrate how it could work.

In this picture you see the majority of Tom's squad arrayed in a stack (green outline).  They're all configured for Melee combat and ready to drive through the perimeter (blue line) and into my area of control.  His station, which I captured during the Set-Up Phase, is outlined in red.

As you can see Occam's Spork's, PJ Nicht's, and Narbey's squads are arrayed below and somewhat behind Tom's squad due to the Perimeter defined by my Squad.  This gives Tom a fairly unimpeded line of attack from his squad to my Frame which is currently controlling his station.  After that he has a direct line to my station which is unguarded.

Now I would have placed the Station further away from Occam's Spork's forces (pink dot).  This would give a cleaner line of attack into my squad and a lessened chance of interference from Occam's Spork's Frames.  This choice would free up my Green Soldier frame for placement somewhere else though and that wouldn't be optimal in setting up a clean a decisive attack run.  But, the actual placement increases the chance of combat breaking out between myself and Occam's Spork which is always good for the third player.  Let you and him fight and wear each other down is always a good mantra for Mobile Frame Zero.

The Initiative Stack at the start of the game was this: myself, PJ Nicht, Tom, Occam's Spork, then Narbey.  Hypothetically it goes I pass, PJ Nicht passes, Tom's lead Frame activates targeting my Green Soldier frame with a SSR.  As a first attack it will likely be unsuccessful, undamaged Frames generally end up having a 6 for Defense and the median attack roll for a SSR can't beat that without a good Spot.  After the unsuccessful attack Tom moves that Frame towards my Blue Delegator frame and places a median 3.5 Spot on my Green Soldier.  Assume I make an unsuccessful retaliation for my attack -- which is statistically likely -- my Frame doesn't move and places a 3.5 Spot.  The Initiative stack goes back to the top, I pass, PJ Nicht passes, Tom's second Frame activates targeting my Green Soldier frame with a SSR.  With the prior 6 Defense, 3.5 spot, and a median 4.5 Attack the damage roll will be two dice -- although it will probably be higher due to the early game having full dice compliments.  Let's be generous and assume both dice come up as Hits.  I eat one Hit -- probably dropping my Direct Fire system -- and Station Dance to avoid the other.  Tom's second Frame moves directly towards his Station and re-Spots my Green soldier. We return to the top of the Initiative Stack.  Wash, Rinse, Repeat.

If you read the battle report you'll know the game didn't play out that way.  I'm just showing how I would have potentially played that set up.  I'm also hoping this helps people think about how to implement the Rook Maneuver.

War College: The Rook Maneuver

Since a number of people have asked about this, I figured I should explain the term "The Rook Maneuver".

The Rook Maneuver is when a Primary or Secondary Attacker places one or more of their Stations inside the Defender's Perimeter at the start of the game.  See The DMZ and Airfield Ambush 5 for recent examples.

The reasoning behind this is that while you may sacrifice the points for those Stations at the start of the game -- when the Defender captures your Station by placing their last Frame(s) -- you will reclaim them as part of your ongoing attack.  It also forces you to follow through and be diligent about your attacks as you're lower in points even more than usual.

I named it after the first person I ever saw use it, so you may know it by a different title.

Battle Report: Asian Antenna Farm 2

After a four year break we made it back to the Connector Cafe.  (We keep this up and the next visit will be in either six or eight years.)  This is also our first full game in two months.  We had a couple of new players join us which turned this into a six player battle.

Me (4 Frames & 14 Systems) = (6 Points per Asset) * (5 assets) = 30 points. (Sprockets!)

   Red Soldier -- 2Rd/1B/1G/1Y/2W.

   Yellow Soldier -- 2Rd/1B/1G/1Y/2W.

   Blue Soldier -- 2Rd/1B/1G/1Y/2W.

   White Spotter -- 1Gd8/2Y/2W + SSR (x3).

Phungkyjams (4 Frames & 16 Systems) = (4 Points per Asset) * (5 assets) = 20 points.
   ?? Hammer -- 2Rd+d8/1B/1Y/2W.

   ?? Anvil -- 2Rd/2B/1Y/2W + SSR.

   ?? Recon by Fire -- 2Ra+d8/2Y/2W.
   Shovelman Closer -- 2Rd/2Rh+d82W + SSR (x3).

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

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

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

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

Stevenik (4 Frames & 16 Systems) = (4 Points per Asset) * (5 assets) = 20 points.
   Green Armored Spotter -- 2B/1Gd8/2Y/2W + SSR (x2).
   Orange Artillerist -- 2Ra+d8/2B/2W.
   Blue -- 2Rd+d8/2Ra+d8/2W.
   Beige Tank -- 2Rd+d8/2B/2W + SSR.

Greko (4 Frames & 16 Systems) = (4 Points per Asset) * (5 assets) = 20 points.
   Drone Armored Fast Spotter -- 1B/1G+d8/2Y/2W.

   Black Bodyguard -- 2Rd/2Rh/2B/2W + SSR.

   Grey2 Tank -- 2Rd+d8/2B/2W + SSR.

   Grey1 Artillerist -- 2Ra+d8/2B/2W + SSR.

Rook (4 Frames & 16 Systems) = (4 Points per Asset) * (5 assets) = 20 points.  (Antaeus)
   Pink Delegator -- 2Ra/1B/2Y/2W.
   Purple Soldier -- 2Rd/1B/1G/1Y/2W + SSR.
   Yellow Soldier -- 2Rd/1B/1G/1Y/2W + SSR.
   Blue Soldier -- 2Rd/1B/1G/1Y/2W + SSR.

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

Events of Round 1 (DDC @ 11): My Yellow frame captures Occam's Spork's Station and my White frame captures Rook's Station before the game starts. In the first action of the game Stevenik's Blue Frame steps forward and captures Greko's Station.  My White frame lays down a Spot then retreats into the antenna farm.  Rook's Blue frame moves towards the center of the battlefield and hits my Yellow frame for 1 which then retreats into the antenna farm after doing the Station Dance.  My Yellow frame hits Stevenik's Blue frame for 2, Station Dance.  Stevenik's Orange frame hits my White frame for 1.  Phungkyjams' RbF hits a Red antenna for 5, destroying it.  Greko's Grey1 frame hits the antenna in front of my White frame for 1 and my White frame for 1, then moves from a bamboo stand into the antenna farm.  Occam's Spork's Red frame hits the antenna in front of my Yellow frame for 1 and my Yellow frame for 1.  Rook's Yellow frame charges out of the antenna farm and captures Occam's Spork's Station then hits my Yellow frame for 2.  Rook's Purple frame hits Phungkyjams' Black frame for 3 then sidesteps towards Stevenik's Station.  Occam's Spork's White frame hits my Yellow frame for 2 and moves forward onto the road.  Stevenik's Green frame hits Phungkyjams' Grey frame for 2 with a SSR.  Occam's Spork's Orange frame moves forward onto the road and hits my Yellow frame for 4, destroying it.  My Red frame hits Rook's Yellow frame for 1, Station Dance, and moves forward to capture Greko's Station that was under Stevenik's control.

Me: 36 Points.

Phungkyjams: 20 points.

Stevenik: 20 points.

Rook: 20 points.

Occam's Spork: 16 points.
Greko: 16 points.

Events of Round 2 (DDC @ 8): Occam's Spork's Red frame moves towards the center of the battlefield and hits Rook's Yellow frame for 1.  Greko's Black frame hits Phungkyjams' Grey frame for 1.  Occam's Spork's Green frame moves closer to Phungkyjams' Station then hits Rook's Yellow frame for 4, Station Dance.  Phungkyjams' Shovelman frame chases after Occam's Spork's Red frame and hits it for 2 with a SSR.  Occam's Spork's Orange frame hits Rook's Blue frame for 2 then moves into the scrum in the center of the battlefield.  Rook's Blue frame steps, pivots, and hits Occam's Spork's White frame for 1 in retaliation.  Greko's Grey2 frame hits Rook's Blue frame for 1 and moves from the bamboo stand to the shrubbery.  Rook's Pink frame hits Occam's Spork's White frame for 1.  Stevenik's Beige frame moves out of the corner and captures Rook's Station that was under my control then hits my White frame for 3, destroying it.  Stevenik's Green frame hits Phungkyjams' Grey frame for 3 with a SSR, destroying it.  Phungkyjams' RbF hits Stevenik's Green frame for 1.  Stevenik's Orange frame hits Rook's Yellow frame for 1.  Greko's Grey1 frame hits Rook's Yellow frame for 2, destroying it, then moves laterally beside the remaining Red antenna.

Me: 24 Points.

Stevenik: 24 points.

Occam's Spork: 20 points.

Phungkyjams: 16 points.

Greko: 16 points.

Rook: 16 points.

Events of Round 3 (DDC @ 3): Occam's Spork's Red frame stomps over and kicks Phungkyjams' RbF frame for 1. Occam's Spork's Green frame hits Phungkyjams' RbF frame for 3 with a SSR, Station Dance. Occam's Spork's Green frame captures Phungkyjams' Station. Occam's Spork's Orange frame hits Rook's Blue frame for 1 with a SSR. Stevenik's Orange frame hits Occam's Spork's Orange frame for 2, Station Dance. My Red frame hits Stevenik's Blue frame for 1. Stevenik's Beige frame hits Occam's Spork's White frame for 1. Rook's Purple frame hits Stevenik's Green for 5, destroying it, then rushes over and captures Stevenik's Station. Greko's Black frame moves closer to the road and hits my Red frame for 2. Phungkyjams' Shovelman frame hits Occam's Spork's Green frame for 2 with a barrage of SSRs. The Doomsday Clock is ticked to zero.

Me: 24 Points.

Occam's Spork: 24 points.

Rook: 20 points.

Stevenik: 16 points.

Greko: 16 points.

Phungkyjams: 12 points.

Here are several aftermath pictures.

Thoughts & Observations:

• This was a Battle.
• We had one player show up at the last minute so we went from a five player game to a six.
• This was the first game for Greko, and the first multiplayer game for Phungkyjams.
• Greko used minifigs for Frames which is something Stevenik and I have been talking about for years.
• Greko also managed to avoid taking any damage for the entire game.
• We also had a successful implementation of the Rook Maneuver.
• I had originally planned to field five Frames and eighteen Systems in the hopes of claiming an Attacker position.
• With the addition of the sixth player I just dropped a Frame and hoped for the same thing.  Didn't happen.
• I finished my squad a few days before the game.  They're pretty posable but also kinda fiddly at the same time.
• They weren't that stable on the baseplates and I'm not sure if I'm going to modify them or just retire the squad.
• It's been about a year since we used this table-setting.
• It's also been about a year since Stevenik has played.

War College: Station Placement

More accurately, the title should be "War College: Station Placement for Attackers".  Beyond the normal "Keep My Stations Away from My Opponents" methodology, Station placement can be a tactical tool.  We've already discussed this a few times in talking about the Rook Maneuver but it can be more than just that.

Let's take a look at our last game to illustrate what I'm talking about.  Phungkyjams was Defender, Occam's Spork was Primary Attacker, and I was an Attacker.

Occam's Spork placed his Stations (black oval) fairly close to Phungkyjams' Perimeter but clustered the majority of his squad around his Stations.  This is good for maintaining control but isn't going to draw the Defender out of their position.

I tried two different tactics with my Station placement.  I used the Rook Maneuver for my Orange station (orange square).  I was running a majority melee-based squad so I needed most of the Defender's squad in front of me so I could execute a wave attack against it.  Phungkyjams took the bait on that one and captured it when placing one of his final two Frames.

My second gambit was to place my Blue station (blue pentagon) in an undefended position at the far end of the battlefield from my squad.  The rational behind this was to draw one of Phungkyjams' Frames out and away from the scrum that was sure to happen in the middle of the battlefield.  This would be one less Frame for me to deal with once my forces crossed the Perimeter and it would also possibly delay that Frame's engagement with any other forces on the table.  Yes, I would lose points if it was captured but that was a risk I was willing to take.  Phungkyjams didn't bite on this lure at the start but he did make a late game play for the Station.  This just shifted the timing of the force reduction from early to late game.

So, the next time you're playing and you're an Attacker, think of what benefits your Station placement can give you.

Design Challenge: Support Frames

We're going to be running a Design Challenge on the Hangar for the month of August.  Rook, creator of the Rook Maneuver, came up with the idea.

The Design Challenge is as follows: create a Frame that provides a support role to another Frame, e.g.; co-gunner for a squad support weapon; spotter for a sniper; loader for an artillery frame, etc.  The reasoning behind this is -- if you think about the 1:6 rule of Frames*, any role that typically has support can only work as 1:3 by providing its own.  Or less if it's also doing other jobs.

How it works: you build a Frame -- either physically or digitally -- that fits the parameters of the Challenge and post it to the Hangar in a special topic that will be created for the Challenge.

Duration: This Challenge opens Saturday, August 1st and ends Monday, August 31st.

Entry Criteria: 1) All submissions should fit inside "The Box".  ("The Box" is an area 10 Studs long by 10 Studs wide by 10 Bricks tall.)  2) The design must cover a non-combat role of your choosing.  It can have weapons, but combat MUST NOT be its primary function. We're looking for spotters, ammo carriers, fuel tankers, medical units, etc.  3) Your design can either be completely new and original or it can be based on an existing template. The choice is entirely yours.

Judges: The judges will be myself, Rook, and a third judge yet to be named.

Judging Criteria: 1) Checking to see if the creation fits Entry Criteria One and Two.  2) We're looking for creations that wouldn't be out of place in a game of Mobile Frame Zero: Rapid Attack.

Prize: Bragging rights to say you've won a Design Challenge in the MFZ community.

* The in-universe fiction for having Frames, instead of any other mechanical construct, is that they can do the work of six humans.  Which is expressed as the shorthand ratio 1:6.

War College: Accidental Defender

We've all had it happen, we underestimate what our opponents are bringing to the table or end up on the bad side of a die roll and get stuck playing Defender when we didn't plan for it.

So what do you do now?  I'll look at a couple of battle reports from games I've played in where it happened.

The first game is the one we played at Greenfield Games back in 2018.  We had five players and elected to play a Skirmish.  Which means we were allowed three or four Frames each.  Everyone came to the table with 4 Frames and 16 systems.  I ended up on the bad end of a die roll and had to drop a Frame from my squad -- which was configured to come in "heavy" and my strategy was built around being Primary Attacker.

After some quick thinking, and some deep breathing exercises,  I set my Station (red star) in the center of the battlefield and placed my two initial Frames (red rectangles) at the farthest points possible from  the Station.  This carved a rough oval (red oval) of empty space my opponents couldn't enter -- leaving them two roughly triangular sections on either side, and at either end, within which they could place their Frames.  Tom placed his Station inside my Perimeter during set-up -- the Rook Maneuver -- and I captured it with the placement of my final Frame (red pentagon).  The wide perimeter and extra points gave me a little breathing room at the start.

My plan was to fade inwards from the perimeter, run, and just survive as long as possible.  That didn't happen.  The balloon goes up and I get hit by three of the other players without provocation -- yes, I know I was in 1st place -- and lose two Frames.  After that it's just a scramble to keep my single Frame alive and grab whatever open Stations I can to maintain my point total.  I manage to keep my Frame alive -- even through a stupid slap fight with Joshua -- to the end of the game but I lose all the Stations I had once controlled.

What could I have done different?  I should have activated my Frames first and retreated into the two empty areas at the corner of the battlefield and then kept running away as much as possible.  I would have lost the Stations but possibly kept more Frames.

The next game is a little more recent.  This was our last game of 2021, held at the Paper Asylum.  I think Tom was hoping for someone to come in "light" and configured his squad to fall in to the middle by dropping one System.  Instead this led to him being Defender with every other squad coming in maxed out -- which is what I mean by the term "heavy" I used earlier.

So, what does he do?  He places his Station (black star) towards the center of the battlefield to establish his Perimeter (black oval) then sets his Frames (black rectangles) towards the back end of that oval to keep them away from his opponents.  While this doesn't create as large a Perimeter, this does leave a lot of space to traverse if you don't have Artillery.  Over the course of the game Tom moves his forces out of the corner to reinforce his Station when it appears most of the conflict is going to be between Nikko, Pete, and PJ Nicht.  In the process he loses a Frame and the Station but keeps his other Frames, this gives him a third place finish.

When I asked Tom about the game, this is what he wrote.  "Being accidental defender probably means you don't have the optimal squad for the job. This puts you at a disadvantage at the start of the game, not unlike getting a poor position during setup. So you'll need to take risky moves to win. But as defender, risky moves aren't the same as when playing from behind. Losing a frame is a huge loss of points, so you need to protect them. For example, instead of over extending to grab a base and hope you hold it, you'll move your frames out of range and hope your opponents don't roll enough movement to get the base. It can be agonizing, as you probably have a squad built for attacking, but a lot of times you need to sit back and do nothing."

Hopefully this helps if you get stuck in the same position.

Battle Report: Airfield Ambush 5

For our second meeting of the year, I dug the Airfield table-setting out of storage.  I had to rescue a few baseplates from the Roadway Rumble table-setting but that only slowed me down for a moment.  Once again we had five players in a Skirmish situation.

Me (3 Frames & 12 Systems) = (7 Points per Asset) * (4 assets) = 28 points. (Challengers)

   Yellow Brawler -- 2Rh+d8/2B/1Gd8//2W + SSR (x3).

   Orange Delegator -- 2Ra/1B/2Y/2W.

   Green Delegator -- 2Ra/1B/2Y/2W.

PJ_Nichts (4 Frames & 15 Systems) = (4 Points per Asset) * (5 assets) = 20 points.  (mecha)
   Grey Soldier -- 2Rd/1B/1G/1Y/2W.
   Blue Fast Brawler -- 2Rh+d8/1B/1G+d8/2W.
   Navy Hammer -- 2Rd/2B/1Y/2W.
   Orange Armored Spotter -- 1B/2Y/1Gd8/2W + SSR (x3).

Chuck (4 Frames & 16 Systems) = (3 Points per Asset) * (5 assets) = 15 points.  (Old School)
   White Recon by Fire -- 2Ra+d8/2Y/2W.

   Orange Fast Brawler -- 2Rh+d8/1B/1G+d8/2W + SSR (x2).

   Brown Squad Leader -- 2Rd/1B/2Y/2W + SSR.
   Purple Anvil -- 2Rd+d8/1B/1Y/2W.

Stevenik (4 Frames & 16 Systems) = (3 Points per Asset) * (5 assets) = 15 points.
   Gold Tank -- 2Rd+d8/2B/2W.
   Blue Artillerist -- 2Ra+d8/2B/2W.
   Orange Artillerist -- 2Ra+d8/2B/2W.
   Green Watchtower -- 2B/1Gd8/2Y/2W + SSR (x3).

Narbey (4 Frames & 16 Systems) = (3 Points per Asset) * (5 assets) = 15 points.  (Skitterers)
   Yellow Recon by Fire -- 2Ra+d8/2Y/2W.

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

   White Soldier -- 2Rh/1B/1G/1Y/2W +SSR.

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

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

Events of Turn 1 (DDC @ 11): I capture Stevenik's station before the game starts with placement of my Yellow frame.  My Yellow frame retreats from an attack by Stevenik's Green frame -- and a failed counterattack -- and captures Chuck's Station.  Stevenik's Gold frame hits my Yellow frame for 2, and the building it was using for Cover for 2, then captures his Station back.  Narbey's Yellow frame hits my Green frame for 1.  Narbey's Orange frame captures PJ Nicht's Station.  My Orange frame hits Stevenik's Gold frame for 1, the antenna on top of the building for 1 -- destroying it -- and the corner of the building for 1, then moves closer to my Station.  PJ Nicht's Orange frame hits Narbey's Orange frame for 1.  PJ Nicht's Blue frame hits Narbey's Orange frame for 1.  Narbey's Red frame blasts PJ Nicht's Orange frame for 4.  Chuck's White frame hits Narbey's Yellow frame for 2.  Stevenik's Orange frame hits Narbey's Orange frame for 2, Station Dance.  PJ Nicht's Orange frame recaptures their Station.

Me: 35 points.

PJ Nicht: 20 points.

Narbey: 15 points.
Stevenik: 15 points.
Chuck: 12 points.

Events of Turn 2 (DDC @ 8): Narbey's Orange frame hits PJ Nicht's Orange frame for 1, Station Dance.  PJ Nicht's Orange frame retaliates with a 2 Hit SSR attack.  PJ Nicht's Grey frame hits Narbey's Yellow frame for 1.  Chuck's Orange frame charges out from behind the fuel tank and clubs my Green frame for 5.  My Green frame retreats to Chuck's Station which I control.  Chuck's White frame hits Narbey's White frame for 1.  Stevenik's Orange frame hits Narbey's Yellow frame for 2.  Stevenik's Blue frame hits PJ Nicht's Orange frame for 2, destroying it, then moves towards the cargo plane.  My Orange frame moves closer to my Station then hits Chuck's Brown frame for 2 and the fighter plane it was using for cover for 2.  PJ Nicht's Blue frame runs over from behind the antenna and chops Narbey's Orange frame for 1, destroying it.

Me: 35 points.

PJ Nicht: 16 points.

Stevenik: 15 points.
Narbey: 12 points.
Chuck: 12 points.

Events of Turn 3 (DDC @ 3): PJ Nicht's Blue frame runs over and chops Narbey's Yellow for 1, Station Dance.  PJ Nicht's Blue frame then captures Narbey's station.  Narbey's Yellow frame then crawls behind the undamaged fighter plane in an attempt at safety.  Chuck's Brown frame closes to melee range  with my Green frame and gets kicked for 1 for its trouble.  Chuck's Orange frame moves from the pile of damaged Systems left behind by my Green frame and captures my Station.  Chuck's White frame hits PJ Nicht's Blue frame for 1, Station Dance.  Chuck's Purple frame continues marching across the airfield and hits PJ Nicht's Blue frame for 1.  Stevenik's Green frame hits Chuck's Orange frame for 1 with a SSR.  My Orange frame moves off of the runway and behind the remains of the building, then hits Chuck's Brown frame for 1.  Stevenik's Orange frame hits Chuck's Brown frame for 2.  Stevenik's Gold frame blasts my Green frame for 5, destroying it, then scrambles around the building to my former Station.  Stevenik's Blue frame blasts Chuck's Orange frame for 6, destroying it, allowing his Gold frame to capture my former Station.  In revenge for past slights, PJ Nicht's Navy frame blasts the cargo plane for 4.  The Doomsday Clock is ticked to zero.

Me: 21 points.

PJ Nicht: 20 points.

Stevenik: 18 points.
Chuck 9 points.

Narbey: 9 points.

Here are several aftermath pictures.

Turn 1

Turn 1

Thoughts & Observations:

• This is our second game this year.
• This is the first time we used this table-setting in two years.
• Point Attacker was decided by die roll.
• This was a Skirmish.
• I'm still holding to my resolution to use squads that haven't seen prior table time.
• I even managed to get two on to the table in this game as Chuck borrowed my Old School squad.
• Two people pulled the "Rook Maneuver" to make it the second game in a row with multiple attempts at the maneuver.
• I made the mistake during the first turn of discharging all of my SSRs in one salvo in an attempt to destroy a target "with authority".
• It didn't work because the target wasn't Spotted and my Attack roll was mediocre.
• I will admit, this is a hard battlefield to play on as there's not much cover the way it's set up.  Probably not a great choice considering we had three semi-rusty players.
• This was a tense game that came down to the last activations.
• Here are more pictures from the game.

Battle Report: Asian Antenna Farm

For our third meeting of the year, I created a new battlefield.  I had been inspired by some artwork, and doing research into distributed radio telescope arrays, to build a radio telescope from Lego as Cover for MFZ.  This table-setting is the result.  Once again we had five players in a Skirmish situation.

PJ_Nicht (3 Frames & 12 Systems) = (7 Points per Asset) * (4 assets) = 28 points. (mecha)

   Grey Instigator -- 2Ra/1G/2Y/2W

   Olive Green Soldier -- 2Rd/1B/1G/1Y/2W + SSR (x2).

   Tan Tank -- 2Rd+d8/2B/2W + SSR.

Tom (4 Frames & 15 Systems) = (4 Points per Asset) * (5 assets) = 20 points.
   Brown Brawler -- 2Rh+d8/2B/1Gd8/2W + SSR.
   Green Brawler -- 2Rh+d8/2B/1Gd8/2W + SSR.
   Orange Light RbF -- 2Ra/2Y/2W + SSR.
   White Recon by Fire -- 2Ra+d8/2Y/2W.

Me (4 Frames & 14 Systems) = (4 Points per Asset) * (5 assets) = 20 points  (Justifiers 2)
   Pink Delegator -- 2Ra/1B/2Y/2W + SSR.

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

   Green Brawler -- 2Rh+d8/2B/1Gd8/2W.
   White Spotter -- 1Gd8/2Y/2W + SSR.

Meara (4 Frames & 16 Systems) = (3 Points per Asset) * (5 assets) = 15 points.  (Slytherin Scramblers)
   Red Brawler -- 2Rh+d8/2B/1Gd8/2W.
   Yellow Brawler -- 2Rh+d8/2B/1Gd8/2W + SSR.
   Blue Brawler -- 2Rh+d8/2B/1Gd8/2W + SSR.
   Grey Brawler -- 2Rh+d8/2B/1Gd8/2W + SSR.

Occam's Spork (4 Frames & 16 Systems) = (3 Points per Asset) * (5 assets) = 15 points.
   Orange Recon by Fire -- 2Ra+d8/2Y/2W.

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

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

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

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

Events of Turn 1 (DDC @ 11): PJ Nicht's Grey frame capture's Meara's Station before the game starts.  Occam's Spork's Orange frame hits PJ Nicht's Grey frame for 2, which then moves behind a different antenna.  PJ Nicht's Tan frame hits Occam's Spork's White frame for 2 then retreats deeper into the antenna farm.  Occam's Spork's Red frame hits Meara's Yellow frame for 3.  Meara's Red frame skitters over and slashes my Green frame for 1.  Tom's Orange hits PJ Nicht's Tan frame for 1.  My Pink frame hits PJ Nicht's Olive Green frame for 3.  Tom's Brown frame moves into the middle of the road and fires a SSR, hitting an antenna for 2 -- destroying it -- and hitting PJ Nicht's Tan frame for 1.  Tom's Green frame moves out from behind the stand of bamboo, to the edge of the road, and jackhammers Occam's Spork's Blue frame for 5.

PJ Nicht: 35 Points.

Tom: 20 points.

Me: 20 points.
Occam's Spork: 15 points.
Meara: 12 points.

Events of Turn 2 (DDC @ 8): PJ Nicht's Grey frame hits Occam's Spork's Blue frame for 1, destroying it, then moves from behind the antenna to the bush.  Occam's Spork's White frame moves from the road to the dirt of the antenna farm and claws PJ Nicht's Tan frame -- in retaliation -- for 1.  PJ Nicht's Tan frame then moves to their Station.  Tom's White frame hits the bamboo in front of PJ Nicht's Tan frame for 2, destroying it.  My Pink frame hits PJ Nicht's Tan frame for 1, Station Dance.  Tom's Orange frame hits PJ Nicht's Tan frame for 1.

PJ Nicht: 35 Points.

Tom: 20 points.

Me: 20 points.
Occam's Spork: 12 points.
Meara: 12 points.

Events of Turn 3 (DDC @ 6): PJ Nicht's Grey frame moves out of cover and captures Occam's Spork's Station.  Occam's Spork's Orange frame keeps moving forward and attacks, destroying the bamboo in front of PJ Nicht's Olive Green frame with 2 damage.    Occam's Spork's White frame moves through the antenna farm and claws PJ Nicht's Tan frame for 1, Station Dance, and Occam's Spork captures PJ Nicht's Station.  Meara's Red frame skitters over and slashes my Green frame for 2.  My Green frame then moves towards PJ Nicht's Station.  Tom's Brown frame moves deeper into the antenna farm and jackhammers Occam's Spork's White frame for 4, it does the Station Dance, and Tom captures PJ Nicht's Station.  Tom's White frame destroys the bamboo in front of PJ Nicht's Grey frame with 3 damage and hits the Grey frame for 3, which does the Station Dance.  Tom's Orange frame hits PJ Nicht's Grey frame for 2, destroying it.  My Brown frame hits Tom's White frame for 1 with a SSR, Station Dance, and my Brown frame moves up beside Tom's station.  My Pink Frame takes a few steps away from my Station and hits Tom's Orange frame for 4 with a SSR.

PJ Nicht: 28 Points.

Tom: 24 points.

Me: 20 points.
Meara: 12 points.

Occam's Spork: 9 points.

Events of Turn 4 (DDC @ 3): Tom's Brown frame jackhammers my Green frame for 1.  My Green frame retreats, chasing after PJ Nicht's Olive Green frame to cut it for 2.  Tom's Green frame moves over -- not wanting to be left out -- and jackhammers PJ Nicht's Olive Green frame for 4, destroying it.  Occam's Spork's Orange frame moves into the road and hits the antenna in front of PJ Nicht's Tan frame for 2.  Meara's Grey frame skitters out of the antenna farm and slashes Tom's Orange frame for 2, destroying it.  Occam's Spork's Red frame changes direction, moving over to claw Tom's White frame for 5, Station Dance.  I capture Tom's Station.  My Brown frame punches Tom's White frame for 2, destroying it.  The Doomsday Clock is ticked to zero.

Me: 24 Points.

PJ Nicht: 21 Points.

Tom: 12 points.

Meara: 12 points.

Occam's Spork: 9 points.

Here are several aftermath pictures.

Turn 1

Turn 1

Thoughts & Observations:

• This is our third game this year.
• This is the first time we used this table-setting.
• Point Attacker was decided by die roll.
• As was Attacker position.
• This was a Skirmish.
• I'm still holding to my resolution to use squads that haven't seen prior table time.
• Two people pulled the "Rook Maneuver" to make it the third game in a row with multiple attempts at the maneuver.
• Neither one was successful.
• This was another tense game that came down to the last activations.
• For the second game in a row, I didn't field any Soldier load-outs.
• I feel like I made a couple of tactical errors late in the game.
• Here are more pictures from the game.