A Digital Frontier

With Mobile Frame Zero in it's infancy, it can be hard to find other people to gather around the table and roll dice amongst a selection of Lego mecha. This has been an issue with players of other games as well, including the ever popular Dungeons and Dragons, and tools have been created to facilitate playing them over the internet.

MapTool from RPtools.net is a great piece of software for accomplishing this task. And thanks to Sagethe13th and FeralFerret over on the hanger, it is now an option for MFZ as well. I've been involved with a game or two using this setup and I can honestly say it's really smooth. There is a bit of fumbling about at first but the learning curve is shallow.

You can download the "MoFo" campaign file which has all of the macros and such here. I will be putting together a tutorial on how to setup and play a game using this system in the near future.

Tactics, Company Composition, and Rules

Cpt. Angelo is the commanding officer of the 31st OMU. He likes guns and peaches.
In that order.

Over the past week or so, there has been some serious discussion over on the forums.

Thanks to Vincent (aka Lumpley) we have damn near all of the rules for MFZ. This post contains the rules for setting up the battlefield and getting things started, as well as links to all of the other discussions about the rules on the forums.

So what's left after knowing how to play? Building and setting up your company! There's a discussion on Company Builds, different Weapon Loadout Theories, and Battle Simulations. I highly suggest getting in there and reading up, not only can you jump in the discussion, but the guys who made the game are putting in their two cents too. Plus, they'll be using this feedback to help finish editing the rulebook.

Oh and NEW POLL.

Fleshing Out the Setting

A Spitting Dragon uses the high
ground to find his target.

I've been thinking that I need a place to store all of the information for this setting that's a bit more organized than a blog form. Thus, I've started a thread over at the Mobile Frame Hanger to serve as a reference for Orion 6 and all of the fun info that is associated with it. I will still continue to flesh things out here, as well as post builds and news. But if you want a overview of what the setting is all about, head over to the forums and have a look!

Raising Hell

On Orion 6 it's not just the colonists and the Solar Union at odds. There are many other, smaller groups who have vested interest in the ores underneath the crust of the planet. One of these such groups is the Hellraisers. By the common man's standards they are insane, bloodthirsty, and vicious. But if you were to ask one of them (not that anyone has) they'd tell you that the rules of society that are thrust upon the people are unjust, even oppressive.

The Hellraisers started out as miners, just like everyone else on Orion 6. After a few months of heavy mining there was a cave in, trapping multiple miners deep underneath the ground. A majority of the colonists (including the foreman of the operation) decided that a rescue was a lost cause and they would not waste the resources trying to save dead men. The handful that disagreed were not the type to sit idly by and let their friends suffocate in a dark hole. The foreman tried to prevent them from going, with force, and they returned in kind. The resulting conflict was bloody, but the miners got to their trapped comrades in time to save them.

In the aftermath, the colonists put out a warning against these murderers, they were to be brought in dead or alive. Instead of trying to hide within the cities on the planet, they ventured into the badlands and forged their own society.

Today, they are a group of bloodthirsty bandits and scavengers, according to colonists. Of course, that's not how they see it...

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Completely unrelated to the Hellraisers, some Military Police hardsuits based off of Tiboblok's design.

The Hunchback

Since the arrival of the Serpent Legion on Orion 6, the usual converted labor frames and makeshift weapons were not enough for the resistance militia to hold their own. A group of engineers came together to create Orion Heavy Industries in the hopes of building mobile frames for the militia to push the Solar Union's forces out of the Orion system. After reworking the Meerkat that had been used by the Trident in the initial battles with the UMFL, they began working on a completely original design, the Hunchback.

The militia had a dire need for a front line combat frame with solid firepower, durability, and the ability to coordinate attacks with it's squad. Orion Heavy Industries delivered. The OHI-04 Hunchback is an extremely durable and reliable frame that uses parts from mining labor frames at it's core. On the outside however, is a plethora of composite armor plates, two high velocity, high rate-of-fire sub-machine guns, and a communications uplink to give other militia members a bird's eye view of the surrounding battlefield. 

Stats:

Akimbo Spectre SMGs: 2d6+d8Rd

Composite Armor Plating: 1d6B

Communications Uplink: 1d6Y

Getting to Know Orion 6

Serpent Legion Intelligence Report

Classification: SI1

Planet: Orion 6
Length of day: 37 hours
Length of solar orbit: 462 days

Climate: Arid with temperatures ranging from 125 degrees Fahrenheit during the peak hours of sunlight during the summer and dropping to roughly 70 degrees Fahrenheit during the night in colder months.

Terrain: Large deserts and badlands. Very small amounts of vegetation and water volume.

Settlements: There are four major port cities on Orion 6, each is a mecca for trade, legitimate and illegitimate alike.

Current UMFL Presence: At this time, the UMFL has 2 major firebases and multiple outposts scattered throughout the planet's cities. The only major city with no UMFL presence is Niflhel, which is the headquarters of the Orion Milita and home to many of the Resistance Cells that operate across the planet.

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The Orion Militia has begun production of dedicated combat frames in the past year. The most common of these frames is the mkII Meerkat. While similar in loadout and combat capability to the UMFL's ST-07 Chubs, the Meerkat ditches extra armor for additional speed making them ideal for hit and run tactics. 

These are extremely versatile frames pilot, do not underestimate their capabilities.

Stats:

Spectre SMG: 3d6Rd

Heavy Knuckle: 1d6Rh

1500hp Twin-Turbocharged Engine: 2d6G

1x SSR

Structure of the Serpent

The XF-13b Grand Naga is a deadly foe in close-
quarters and urban environments.

The Hierarchy of the Serpent Legion
The Legion is not your typical UMFL division for a number of reasons. The largest reason being that it technically has no ties to the UMFL whatsoever. As it is privately funded, the Serpent Legion is the known galaxy's largest PMC. Who funds such a high-tech, elite army? No one knows his real name, but he is known as the King Cobra.

The King controls the Legion from the shadows, issuing orders to his three Division Generals who are in command of Python, Viper, and Rattler Divisions. Each division is in command of roughly 750 mobile frames, 6,000 infantry troops, and 150 armored vehicles, although generally most of those forces are stationed within the Sol system. Much smaller numbers have been deployed to the colonies. In fact, there are only about 500 known Serpent Legion frames outside of Sol.

Most needs of the Union are met in the colonies by the UMFL. In the rarer cases when the UMFL is not suited to deal with the task at hand, an appropriate number of Serpent Legion personnel and assets are requisitioned to achieve results. As one would imagine, forces like these do not come cheap. It is commonplace for the Serpent Legion to set up a forward production facility on planets where lengthy operations are to take place. The Legion prefers to construct a majority of their assets onsite to avoid the costs of transport. Experimental and Prototype frames (like the Grand Naga, pictured above) are psychically sent through the gates to avoid the potential threat of their schematics being stolen by resistance members.

Even if someone other than the UMFL could afford their prices, it's very unlikely an agreement would be made. The King Cobra keeps himself and his organization closely allied with the UMFL as much politically as militarily. The Serpent is devout in it's desire to eliminate the terrorist threat of the Federation and the similar minded Free Colony Resistance Cells. Very little else is known about the going-ons within the organization and it is widely suspected that there are a number of shady deals being done by the King Cobra behind closed doors. But since no one knows who he is, it makes it hard to do anything about it.

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With all-terrain wheels and a light composite construction,
The XF-13b Grand Naga is much more agile that it's
size would suggest.

During initial operations on Orion 6, the Legion suffered higher than expected losses within the urban city centers where the colonists had not only better knowledge of the area, but were able to blend into the civilian population as well. Serpent pilots were being lost in quick, close-quarters engagements which needed to be addressed due to the expense (in time and money) of training each cadet. No expense was spared to create a mobile frame that would bring survival rates back into acceptable levels. The result was the XF-13b Grand Naga.

A handful of these advanced frames are currently being used by the Black Adders, a company within Viper Division led by Sgt. Uri Reed, a three year veteran with the Serpent Legion.

Stats:

High Capacity Tactical Shotgun: 2d6Rd

Molecular Blade: 2d6Rh

Composite Armor Plating: 1d6B

All-Terrain Wheeled Drive System (ATWD): 1d6G

Secret Weapons of the Serpent Legion

"You know what the best part of being part of the Serpent Legion is? You get to use all the cool new toys." - Specialist Jacob Hines, Diamondback Platoon


Aside from modifying existing mobile frames in production, the Legion also has it's own mobile frame R&D division with a state of the art research facility on the Jovian moon of Poseidon. These "skunk works" produce and develop new weapons, defensive technologies, mobile frames, and pretty much anything else that can help the Serpent Legion get the edge.

Pictured right is one of their most recent prototypes, the XF-13 Sand Naga. The Legion had found a need for a highly mobile artillery platform since their arrival on Orion 6. Equipped with a HE railgun and a superior drive system, the Sand Naga can get into advantageous positions quickly and dish out the punishment once it gets there.

Resistance reports also indicate there is a stealth frame in use by the Legion. No photos of the frame have been captured and the engagements with the frame have been at extreme range with no visual contact. Is it thought that these frames may be equipped with some form of optical camouflage. Luckily, there have only been a small handful of encounters with this frame, which means it is likely present in very small numbers.

MFZ Stats as pictured: 2d6+d8Ra, 1d6B, 1d6G, 2x SSR

The Trident: Resisting the Reach of the Union

A Trident Resistance Hit Squad

"This is our home and we've had enough of you Union scum pillaging through it!" -Leon Decker, Trident Resistance Leader

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When the colonists on Quall rioted against the Union, it sent ripples through the rest of the Union colonies across the galaxy. It was the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back and let to mass aggression against the Solar Union and UMFL. Resistance cells began popping up across the colonies, much to Union military superior's dismay, and they showed no signs of giving up or giving in.

Shortly before the riots on Quall, the colony on Orion 6 was founded. Orion 6 is a world rich in valuable ores, so rich in fact, that the resources on the sixth planet could build an entire fleet of ships with full brigades of mobile frames held within. This is why the Union founded the colony on desert planet, and began strip mining it. Cities began springing up on the planet, with spaceports being the main hub for each region on the planet. The ore was flowing back to the Union in droves and everyone was happy, until Quall...

News of the riots reached the Orion system and the colonists knew what would be next. Martial law, oppression, the constant eye of "big brother" over their shoulder, all from a government that was ripping out the resources that their land had, and taking them without any compensation. This, they wouldn't stand for.

Leon Decker, a strip miner from the southern hemisphere, organized a group of resistance fighters from among the miners and port workers around him. They took their labor frames and with the element of surprise, managed to wipe out the group of UMFL soldiers who were in charge of guarding the mine. The attack plan involved three strike teams all hitting at once, which Leon called a Trident attack. Word quickly spread across the barren planet of Leon's "Trident" and it didn't take long for the small group to gain near full support from the colonists. Mechanics and engineers used a combination of labor frames and salvaged or stolen Union parts to create forces more suited for fighting a war. Before long, the Trident had become a force that numbered in the hundreds and from them, the Orion Militia was formed. Leon and his close companions officially remained independent from the militia, however they are given weight in the ranks as if they were top brass.

As the years rolled by, the fighting continued. The Union sent more UMFL representatives to recruit and establish firebases on the planet's surface. They even called in the Serpent Legion, the most feared and elite division of the UMFL, to eliminate the Free Colony resistance on Orion 6. It looks like the Trident has their work cut out for them...

A look into the Serpent Legion

"Rattler One this is C&C, we've got reports of a resistance cell relocating a protein silo over on the west side of the canyon. King Cobra wants you to check it out."


"Affirmative C&C, Rattler One on the move."


The Serpent Legion:

The UMFL, unlike other union forces, does not consist of citizens of the Sol system. Among their ranks are those who settled the colonies and instead of living a life of starvation and poverty, signed on the dotted line to become military. Companies of "space farmers" turned frame jockeys are the hand of the Union among the colonies.

The Serpent is different.

"We're hardened. We aren't soft like those recruits trying to escape their impoverished shacks. Our hands are forged through battle, hardship, and experience. Every man who wears a serpent on his shoulder earned it in one way or another." - 2nd Lt. Donovan Sykes, Sidewinder Platoon


The Serpent Legion is the chosen elite of the UMFL, hand picked by the ranking members of the Legion. Every member of the steadily growing force has done something to distinguish themselves from the rest of the peasants populating the ranks of the UMFL. Some overcame incredible odds in battle. Others were ruthless in the pursuit of their mission objectives, sacrificing anything that wasn't mission critical to get the job done. Some were outright insane, charging headlong into battle with reckless abandon. Incredible technical aptitude, a mind for tactics, a keen and suspicious eye,  every one of these people has a place with the Serpent, it's just a matter of where.

Every candidate is tested rigorously and placed into a role where his or her particular talents will be put to the best use. It takes on average about 4 months for a potential candidate to go from the first rounds of testing to the first day in their new position. During this process they are given the best training money can buy, and access to some of the most advanced gear available.

The Serpent has their own "skunk works" division as well, continuously working on improving and developing weapon and frame designs. Their most recognizable contribution to the Legion is the ST-07X Stealth Chub. The Stealth Chub is completely covered in a rubberized radar absorbent material and has especially designed systems that generate next to no noise (as far as an 18ft tall walking tank is concerned anyways). They are primarily used in small squads which support the main bulk of a company from superior positioning with either long range support fire, targeting information, or hit and run harassment.

Any Orion Militia will tell you when the Serpent's head comes over the horizon, you best find somewhere safe.

Starting Out Strong

Welcome to Orion 6!

Over the past few weeks, Kickstarter has been fundamental in getting things moving for an indie game called Mobile Frame Zero: Rapid Attack. With the help of a small but strong community and a little help from Penny Arcade, Kotaku, and a certain ensign of Star Trek fame, things rapidly got out of control. It didn't take long for the backers to come pouring in, quickly bringing funding beyond 400% of the goal.

Needless to say, a game involving legos, mechs, and classic tabletop minis gameplay has my interest. But this is looking absolutely phenomenal. There is a large group on flickr showcasing some of the amazing lego mechs (or frames) being designed and used for the game. I highly encourage you to check it out if you haven't already.

Enough history! On to the blog!

I'm going to be blogging about the game (strategy, builds, etc.) as well as creating a setting of sorts to fit within the universe Josh and company have created for MFZ. There will hopefully be some short fiction involved at some point as well. This campaign of sorts takes place on the planet Orion 6 (hence the name of the blog) and will showcase the conflict between the UMFL and the Free Colonies. I'm really excited to get things moving, and I hope you join me for the ride!

Greg a.k.a. MittenNinja