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.

Build Challenge: "Triple T"

So I've started a build challenge over on the forums. It's called the "Triple T Challenge," and you must build a frame using no Travis bricks, Taps, or T-pieces. These three parts are extremely common in frame building and I thought it would be fun to see what everyone could come up with when they're forced to use other more interesting parts. Here's my build for the challenge: The RT-06 Bullfrog.

 Let's see what you can come up with! Start building and post your creation over on the challenge thread on the forums!

Happy building!

Builds and Tactics

ST-07SLCb Assault Chub

After playing numerous games of MFZ at the Denver Comiccon last weekend, I got a first hand look at how certain builds and tactics play out on the table.

The three companies I brought to the Con were as follows

Rattler Division (Starting Initiative: 24)
Fat Snake Grunts x2 (2d6Rd, 2d6Rh, 1d6B, 1d6G, 1xSSR)
Fat Snake Snipers x2 (2d6+d8Ra, 1d6B, 1d6G)
Fat Snake Scout x1 (2d6Rh, 1d6B, 2d6Y, 1d8G)
Fat Snake Knight x1 (2d6+d8Rh, 2d6B, 1d8G)

Pit Vipers (Starting Initiative: 28)
Iguana Grunts x2 (2d6+d8Rd, 1d6B, 1d6G)
Iguana Longbow x1 (2d6Ra, 2d6Rd, 2d6Y)
Heavy Assault Chub x1 (2d6+d8Rd, 2d6B)
Fat Snake Blitzer x1 (2d6+d8Rh, 2d6Y, 1d8G, 2xSSR)

31st OMU (Starting Initiative: 49)
Salvaged Chubs x2 (2d6Rd, 2d6Rh, 1d6B, 1d6Y)
Meerkat Grunts x2 (2d6Rd, 1d6G, 1d6Y, 1xSSR)
Sentinel x1 (2d6B, 2d6Y, 1d8G)

Out of all the games played, the OMU won all but 4 with the Pit Vipers winning 3 and the Rattlers winning only 1. Part of this I attribute to the fact that nearly everyone who played a game at the table had never played MFZ before and both the vipers and rattlers require certain tactics and playstyles to win while the OMU just has to not lose anything. The games where the Vipers and Rattlers won were because they effectively used coordinated and deadly attacks, making good use of spots and focused fire.

At first glace, the lack of yellow dice on the Rattlers seems like a huge hindrance, in practice it isn't as debilitating. The amount of firepower they bring to the table tends to eat through cover quickly and paired with increased mobility (every frame has a green die) they are able to maneuver around cover to line up a good shot, which means they are often able to use their white dice to lay down spots for their allies. The snipers hung back and layed down some hurt across the table. There was only one game where they ever got touched (granted that one instance it got one shotted by a salvaged chub's hatchet with 11 damage dice) and they were rarely anywhere near close enough to the thick of things to be a serious target.

The Vipers had the advantage of versatility. They had solid firepower all around (only one frame didn't have a d8 for attack) as well as two frames with double yellows. This meant they had some heavy attacks that could be very effective if focused correctly. The Iguana Grunts were awesome assault frames, swooping in quickly and dishing out the hurt while the Longbow peppered them from afar, assisting with spots wherever needed. The Blitzer hung back by the stations and used it's SSRs to pepper any incoming frames before they got in range of his huge melee damage, all the while supporting the reast of his team with his yellows.

What did I (and should you) take from this?

• One defense system can make a huge difference in how long your frame stays on the table and contributing to the fight. It may not seem like a sound investment on paper, but trust me, it is.
• Yellow dice are useful, but not always necessary. If you have the firepower to chew through cover or the mobility to get around it, your white dice will do just fine.
• Make sure you activate your frames with yellow dice before your last frame. Those spots wont do any good if you don't have anyone left to use them.
• Be aggressive and coordinated. This doesn't mean be reckless, the team who attacks relentlessly and effectively will almost always win.

Pit Viper Assault Chubs shake down an OMU soldier.

After Con Report

The first Denver Comic Con was a HUGE success. As a first year con, it pulled in over 20,000 con goers (not including kids under 10, and there were a bunch of those there too) over the weekend, which is over double the projected attendance. Every exhibitor, celebrity guest, and professional that attended was gushing over how well the event was run, and how much fun it was and that they would love to come back next year. On top of that, already on the guest list for next year's con is Stan Lee and Mr. Wheaton (he had to cancel this year due to a huge movie gig that he can't currently discuss due to NDAs). Based off of people's reactions this year I wouldn't be surprised if the con is twice as big next year. But enough about the con itself, and on to MFZ!

I was set up in the gaming area in the Hyatt across the street from the convention center all weekend. I had a sweet spot right next to the entrance of the gaming area which meant everyone that came in saw the table. I was actually really surprised how many people that stopped by had asked "Hey, is this Mobile Frame Zero?" Nearly every person that walked by was floored by the concept, and every person that sat down and learned how to play was impressed and had tons of fun. I even had a handful of people come back the next day for another game!

I had an absolute blast showing people how to play and loving how quickly they grasped the rules. I had a group of three guys sit down on Saturday night (two of them came back for a rematch the next morning, pictured above) and I walked them through the first half of turn 1. After that, they finished the whole game by themselves! They only had to ask a couple of random situational questions as they came up. I definitely want to set something up for next year. Maybe Josh and or Vincent would be able to swing by to the second year of the best new con in the country? (nudge)

You can find lots of pictures of all the MFZ that went down on my flickr stream or Ben Kim's (Thanks for swinging by each day and taking lots of pictures Ben!).

The Con Beigns!

Denver Comic Con starts today! Keep an eye on my Twitter and Flickr Stream for pictures from the chaos that will ensue all weekend long! And if you're in the Denver area come on down!

Down Periscope

In the next week and a half or so I'm going to be incredibly busy. I'm moving into a new house, getting things finalized for Denver Comic Con, and working 10+ hour shifts for the next nine days. So don't expect to see much of me in that time period. However, immediately after the nine day stretch I'll be running MFZ demos over at the Con, so expect to see plenty of stuff that weekend! I put up a poll to ask what you want to see out of my coverage of the con, so please let me know! In the mean time I'll leave you with the progress so far on the newest frame I've been working on, the Kimodo.

Builder Spotlight: A-Yates Industrials

A-Yates Industrials. If you haven't been over to his Flickr stream you need to go have a look. I've had a few of his builds on the blog in the past, but man, he has a lot more to offer.

His APF-90 frames (pictured left) are simple yet incredibly detailed. I absolutely love the feel these guys have. His MINX frames give off a burly vibe with their squat silhouettes. The Growlers ooze style, and builds like the Jak Ra33bit and the Goat have tons of personality. Keep up the good work man!

Frame Merchants?

After discussing the idea with a local lego vendor, I wondered what the viability of selling pre-built frames to MFZ-ers would be. So, with that I have set up a new poll. Would you be willing to purchase pre-built frames instead of ordering the parts yourself and building them yourself? If so, what kind of price range would you be willing to pay? I only ask this because If there is enough interest I would be completely willing to start up such an operation. Let me know what you think!

MFZ Dives to New Depths

There's just something about Chubs with flippers...

Onosendai2600 has done something absolutely incredible. He has built three MFZ companies all with an underwater theme. Above, you can see his "Aqua Chubs" hanging out around their underwater base. I absolutely love the look of these, as well as the idea behind them.

It's not hard to imagine frames taking positions on an aquatic world, fighting off aliens and monstrous sea creatures alike, but after seeing what he has put together, I can't wait to see what else he has in store for us.

If you check out his Flickr steam, you can see the other two companies, Team Crustacean, and Team Mollusk.

Mobile Frame Zero Wallpapers

Over at the Mobile Frame Hanger Dukayn has been putting together some really badass wallpapers of some of the frames people have been putting together, including the ST-09 Iguana! He's also taking requests so if there's something you'd like to see rendered in 3d and made into a killer desktop wallpaper head on over and let him know! Thanks Dukayn!

The Waiting Game

Things have been rocking over on the Forums over the past week, but otherwise there hasn't been a whole lot of activity as Josh and Vincent are finishing up the rulebook.

I've been a little lax on keeping up with all the stuff going down now that I'm searching around for a house to buy as well. So things may be a little slow for the next week or two on my front as well. That won't stop me from continuing to build though!

The Hellraisers dont have any qualms about making modifications to their frames that might be considered dangerous. Above you can see an "Inferno Wasp" one of their makeshift jump pack equipped raiding frames. I pity the convoy that is surrounded by a swarm of these.

Weekly Rundown 4/23/12

thomastamblyn has put together some frankly stellar little designs. The Hobbes and the Habermas bring back memories of playing Mechwarrior 2 in my dad's basement, and he's got breakdowns of them both on his flickr stream. I know I'm going to be using some of his designs.

Take a look at some awesome Hi-Leg variants with corresponding support drones by Mance Haines here, here, and here. The drone idea is something I've been working on as well and it's awesome to see someone else doing it too!

Round, bubbly, slick looking tachikoma inspired quadrupeds. That's what MFZeroRA has been cooking up.

I avsolutely love the reactor station that c0dmonk33 built. The sniper rifle on his chub is pretty slick too!

Pasukaru76 knows how to put together some friggin awesome looking legs. Look at those ankle joints! Genius!

A YATES threw together a Zizy inspired frame called the MINX. The posture on the thing is sick.

The news front is rather slow since Soren and Josh are either moving and/or getting married (congrats!) and they are in the process of getting things together to publish. That means all the discussion is going on over at the forums. There's some great rules previews, discussions, background and setting info, and last but not least a very active "forge" for new custom frames. GO LOOK!

New Poll up later today!

Weekly Rundown 4/16/12

And here's your weekly rundown!

The MFZ Flickr group has been blowing up with builds lately! Here's a few that in my opinion stand above the rest.

Golden Meanie has put together some really cool terrain Here and Here. I'm definitely going to be taking some inspiration from those, especially how they nest with each other for easy storage!

BobMFZ is putting together some really slick variants on the Chub and High-Leg. I really dig the gun on that chub.

Check out this awesome looking station by c0d3monk33! (who has a blog on tabletop terrain at the aptly named http://www.tabletop-terrain.com/)

Remember those racecar inspired mechs from sagethe13th? He's posted some breakdowns of them here and here.

tiboblok put together this really badass comm tower for use as a station.

triple_ought's Ogre frame is not something I'd like to run into in a dark alleyway.

and A Yates has a couple of really slick looking stations too.

The poll is done! The Serpent Legion thanks you for your support and cooperation. And the new poll is up!

And we will leave you with one of the newest prototypes from the Serpent Legion Skunkworks!

Keep those muscle cylinders warmed up!

MFZ has been officially kickstarted!

The Kickstarter has finished with a final count of $82,499! First off, congrats to Josh, Soren, and Vincent for putting together such a wonderful game that has gathered so much support from this exploding community that is developing! I'm happy to be a part of it. Secondly, There has been a recent avalanche of cool stuff being put together as backers are now getting those pick-a-brick and bricklink orders in. Let me take a moment to give you a quick mid-week rundown of some of the cool stuff that's been popping up.

Sagethe13th has put together a pair of really badass frames with racecar inspirations.

Micah Bauer is still at it with his brilliant C6 system. His latest creation being a bit larger and more detailed.

MacLane's tiny little missile bot is one hell of an artillery frame.

A Yates's Badger has a really badass torso, and LOOK AT THAT GUN.

And Malcom Craig yet again puts together a phenomenal frame.

Joshua also spilled the beans on the Serpent Legion's Special Custom Chub in his last update. The ST-07SLC "Fat Snake" designed by Soren. Soren is designing a few more of the Serpent Legion's frames and I'm excited to see what he comes up with. I'll be sure to post them here when they're finished!

Weekly Rundown 4/9/12

Another week and another poll down! It looks like you guys want to see more frames and I am going to deliver! As you've probably noticed, I've been putting together a number of frames over the past week. I'm going to try and keep up a similar pace for a while as well as pointing out some of the exceptional builds popping up throughout the MFZ community. Speaking of...

Micah Bauer has thrown together a few more awesome C6 frames, the Heavy Ordnance Tactical (HOT) Frame, the Combat Armored Biped (CAB), and the Quad Legged Armored Walker (QLAW). He has also been kind enough to put together a very cool looking list of all the C6 pieces.

Zeekhotep has a bunch of really cool builds going for his Crimson Commandos on his blog.

Ironsniper has put together what I think is a stunning little frame with a frog on it's head.

Tetrajak has put together a stellar frame with some really cool joint work.

And DrWatsman is up to his old tricks again.

MFZ was at PAX East over the holiday weekend. MantisKing has a brief rundown of the MFZ related events that transpired on his blog.

Also, the Kickstarter project is about to hit $70k!! Congrats to the entire MFZ team!

New poll is up!

This Just In!

Just recently, Mr. Newman was able to score more Garage Kits for the Mobile Frame Zero Kickstarter. There has been a large amount of demand for them, so if you wanted one go and get it now before they run out again!

UPDATE: Garage kits are already sold out! That was ridiculously fast.


UPDATE AGAIN: Garage kits are once again available! Although they are $175 now instead of $150.

Stickers, Landmarks, and Fancy Frames

Today, Joshua unveiled the decals that will be included with a number of backer levels and as you can see below, they look sweet.

He also started taking suggestions for additional decals to include. Lots of great suggestions, including battle damage and faction icons But if you want to see something, make sure your voice is heard over there.

But the bigger news at hand, is that the project has reached $50,000. What does that mean? It means that Joshua is going to also write up and release MFZ roleplaying game rules. I love that Josh and the gang are continuing to pull more awesomeness out of their bag of tricks as they continue to exceed their new goals. 

In other Kickstarter related news, one of the $400 level backers backed out yesterday, which means there is a Joshua AC Newman custom company still up for grabs. After seeing some of the ideas that have been tossed around for these custom groups, I highly suggest doing it if you're able to afford it. UPDATE: that backer reward has now been claimed.

Speaking of custom builds, I recently pulled together a prototype of something I plan on using.

A nice little scout to cruise through the badlands with don't you think?

Weekly Rundown 4/2/12

Every week I'll be giving a quick rundown of some of the MFZ related items of interest from the past week.

- Roger over at the Mobile Frame Hanger forums put together a wonderful review of one of the $5 lego creator sets that has some pretty good use as either a budget option for building an army or just a quick way to get some useful parts.

- The Mobile Frame Garage has a nice list of interviews with Joshua AC Newman about MFZ. You should go listen!

- The Wiki is growing! Don't hesitate to head over and contribute!

- New Poll will be up tomorrow! Long live the Free Colonies!

And with that, I leave you to enjoy the rest of your weekend with a nice little mini version of Metal Gear Rex by Mark D. Stroyer.