Mobile Frame Zero: RA Battle Report 1 and Demo (10-26-13)

A little (freaking a lot) late but at least it is done!

So back in Oct '13 I had a demo night at the gaming store that I have claimed as MY gaming store (Atomic Comics Emporium II). The owner and I thought it be best if done during one of the card nights on a weekend to make sure people actually saw the game. We posted a flyer at his store and the sister store along with making a Facebook Event.

I came in early and got all the stuff set up and proceeded to wait for people to come to me, letting the scene sell it self.

The Battlefield Set Up

I set up the battlefield as I figure it would catch people's eyes and we could change it up before the actual start of a game. After that night I very much realized I need more trees and other kinds of terrain if nothing yes as options. If the multi piece LEGO tries catch your attention, check out my review on them here. The new Merida's Highland Games set has a similar Tree and the set in general is catching me eye but I am getting side tracked.

Stations and Squads

Here we have the squads I brought, should have gotten a closer individual group pictures. On the left are the displaced Terran Transit Marines The Purple Wyrms with there Wind Generator, Comms Station and Armory. On the right we have the Scrappers which are part of the Freelance United Miners with there Beacon, Mining Robot and Peach Transport with a flat tire.

The Purple Wyrms are basically two Soldiers, a melee specialist and a sniper while Scrappers are a Spotting Sniper, Spotting Heavy Guns with two Fast Attack Melee. Our chub squad was design with one or two systems less then the Scrappers do make sure their was no confusion.

My set up certainly did its job getting people's attention and striking up conversation about both rules and settings. It was fun and got me pumped but no one had time to try a game from these first inquiries.

A bit later after I had come back from grabbing dinner the owner of the store brought one of his regulars over who was looking for something different to do. He was glad to try out the game and chose the Purple Wyrms to play which would make him the Initial Defender. I was very excited as this was going to be my first real game!

We went through set up, deciding to keep the field as is and got everything placed. I got so excited I didn't take enough pictures of our play.

The Start

He decided the best defense was going on the offensive which prove to be a mistake as he pretty much walked into easy striking range of Teeth and Fangs.

Regrets

When the Teeth cleaned up one Solider from the round before, he backed up the other one as Fangs took cover to get ready for another run. Teeth charged at the Purple Wyrm's brave 'knight' while Rainmaker (heavy gunner) soften up the target for Teeth's death-stroke. The snipers traded shots at each other.

Run!

Teeth charged forward to claim a station as the team's sniper took out the Purple Wyrm sniper. The surviving Solider ran from Fangs to try and shoot Teeth while escaping the lead shower from Rainmaker.

Pack of Wolves...

With all other frames destroyed from the enemy squad, the Scrappers turned their complete focus to the last soldier and frankly it wasn't pretty.

It was fun to get my first game under my belt and once I got into it we were both getting the rules without having to double check most of the time. I felt a bit bad though because the dice were not with him at all but very much with me but he also might have had a better chance if he went more on the defensive.

So it seem like a partial success; I got my first game and had about ten people interested but so far I am still the only player. I have plans to do another official demo along with just taking the stuff up their randomly given the store is so close to me now. Also thinking about shooting some MFZ movies for Youtube.

"I am still picking two green dice..."

LEGO Christmas Train Review for MFZ: RA

Christmas Train

So I was at Target looking through the Christmas Section when I came across what I call the 'stocking section' Well I found this polybag hanging around and decided to pick it up to do a review on it so let's get this started.

Well first I am going to state that this really just seems like a modified version of the Mini Hogwarts Express and this will be a terrain and normal review just like that one was. Also for simplicity I use terrain, scenery interchangeably for anything not a frame.

Can you build a frame, or frames, right away?

Off the bat I am going to say no but I also want to try and be a bit more creative. I think I might be able to make a tank but little to busy for that right now. Might be a revisit in the future! No -5

Can you build a terrain, or trains (terrain I mean), right away?

Going to go with yes! It can be stripped down for raw parts to be used to make terrain or it can be used mostly as is to put a in scale train on your field. I think it is a better size then the Mini Hogwarts is but it needs the back that it has plus I think that car in the back could be useful! +5

Is it below, at, or above the golden ratio?

Picked this up for $4.99 at Target with 82 pieces. Calculate and we have $0.06 so below! +5

That's a lot for a polybag!

If you can't build a frame right away, does it have parts you should be able to put into use right away?

Yes but limited so +5

If you can't build a terrain right away, does it have parts you should be able to put into use right away?

If you want the train it is a yes but for raw other kind of scenery I think it would be a no. Going stick to giving it a yes though for the purpose of points at the moment. +5

Does it have more than a handful of immediately useful parts (frames)?

Nope -5

Does it have more than a handful of immediately useful parts (scenery)?

Yes +5

These looking interesting and useful. Only two in the bag.

So now our totals!

Frame: 0 = B
Terrain: 20 = A+

Next to a Chub for scale comparison.

Need to move a frame fast?

So I basically just repeated the Hogwarts Express review but...they are almost the same collection just more pieces.  If you are going to just use it for parts not for the train but something else it is most likely going to drop to an A or B+. Of course all these trains could be used to make a home brew scenario as well! Then again there is that tank idea...

Though now that I think about it there might be parts in here for Alpha Bandit...

Having some fun...

Of course review system credit to Mantis King.

About MFZ: RA Reviews

First I like to say thank you for those that have checked out my reviews, thank you. Currently I have a rough average 130 views per review post and I think that is awesome! I am also glad to see that some people are finding them useful! If you have checked out my other posts because of my reviews, then you get 10 extra points of gratitude.

Next I like to thank Mantis King and our 'rivalry' about reviews. I use the system he established (thank you) and I find it very exciting we have 'sister' reviews. I think it good for the community as I am sure we look at things in different ways and I will take more about this later. Once there are a few more I will most likely make a post having side by side hyperlinks of the reviews.

3rd I am sorry I have not done a review in awhile. I have been busy getting ready to move and nothing has really jumped at me lately but I have two reviews coming around the corner!

So now how I do my reviews.

I am going to start by coping a question and answer that came up in the Hanger.

Xero010

When you calculate price per part, do you include the minifigure as well? I realized I had a lot of fig bits leftover from random polys, and it made me wonder.

Shades_Corvid (This is Me)

I go by the number on the bag which I am sure includes the minifigure but I don't think it includes the 'random' extras.

The reason I go by the bag is 1) I don't think the 'random' bits are included and 2) their is a few builds that use either legs or hands of minifigures but I don't include that fact for the 'useful bits' section of the questions.

Next when I do a review I think I have one big difference from Mantis King and that is I am not one of these 'master builders'. I don't look at the parts and go "I can use this to make this or do this." I think the best example of this is in our reviews for The Galaxy Squad Mini Mech; His, Mine.

I am the guy looking through the models and deciding what frames I want to use and looking for instructions or using sets as is (like in the terrain review).
So I hope that helps people understand my process a bit in the future.

Will of course answer more questions in the comments!

Additionally I will write about my demo soon also!!

LEGO Mini Hogwarts Express Review for MFZ: RA

So when I was in 5 Below I picked up another set besides the Warrior Pack. This time we have the 'out of print' Mini Hogwarts Express. Thanks to Mantis King for our review system. Though this time around I think I will be rating on two fronts

Can you build a frame, or frames, right away?
I believe this is a no but I think we have a great piece that can be used to set up one's battlefield. To me the train is in scale to the rest of our game we love and play. It might be a bit too long BUT after building it I think it be an easy adjustment to make it shorter.
Frame: No -5
Scenery: Yes +5

Is it below, at, or above the golden ratio?
Well given this set is out of print it is seen by some as a collector's item. The cheapest I can find it is in the $7 range BUT if you have a 5 Below in your area that has this in stock you should be able to pick it up for $3.99. So we have 64 pieces at a price of $3.99 gives as a ratio around $0.06 a piece!
5 Below: Below +5

If you can't build a frame right away, does it have parts you should be able to put into use right away? 
I am going to go with a yes on this one but it is scrapping by. There is only one key part in hear but still ones I have seen use in several frame builds and it also be a good base for a wheeled frame or scenery piece.
Frame: Yes +5
Scenery: Yes +5

Does it have more than a handful of immediately useful parts? 
So here we have my great divide get large enough for another split in decision.
Frame:  No -5
Scenery: Yes +5

The Mummy is here to show scale.

So Now the results.
Frame: B
Scenery: A+

Well that is a first for me, getting an A+ but it is on the scenery side of things. Of course that is at the 5 Below price and I am looking forward to putting it on a table sometime though it would suggest that I need to build some tracks and cars for it...

Warrior Pack Review

So I was browsing through 5 Below when I came across this little pack of third party LEGO accessories. They are called Warrior Packs (made by Brick Warrior) and this is currently Wave 1 with 10 varieties but these are not random packs. In fact the back of each pack is clear so you can see the item inside.

I was curious about them thinking about their use in the game Mobile Frame Zero: Rapid Attack. Given that I picked one that looked spacey and brought it home for this review. First I want to say the quality of the plastic is great, about equal to LEGO products.

So my little pack came with three guns, a shield, a body cover piece and a helmet. The pack cost me $2.99 so that was about $0.50 per piece, very roughly. They fit well with my model LEGO minifigure (a knight from my random pack collection) which means they should fit well with a Mobile Frame as well. Just because I was curious again I went ahead and tossed that shield onto a Chub just to see how it look.

Over all I am a bit on the fence about the packs. If you are a fan of customizing minifigures then these are most likely great as they seem cheaper then buying the parts individually from Brick Warrior's website but as far as Mobile Frame Zero, maybe. I suggest if you find a set of Warrior Packs just look through them and see if anything in their windows catches your attention.

LEGO Lawn Mower Review for Mobile Frame Zero: Rapid Attack

This set just made it into the prestige Mantis King's Good Sets for Parts list (6 if we are counting) so I figure I get this review done. Again here are our requirements and moving on!

Can you build a frame, or frames, right away?
I don't think you can so No; -5

Is it below, at, or above the golden ratio?
Alright we have 42 pieces with our bag costing $3.99 giving us a $0.10 (The math is $0.095 but you know, round up because I am sure that is what those machines do.) meeting our golden ratio for 0 points.

If you can't build a frame right away, does it have parts you should be able to put into use right away? 
This is very much a yes and why I bought it. I picked it up during a BOGO 50% off at Toys 'R' Us when I also bought more of these. I was planning to take the 'lawn mower blades' and mounting them on the sacred Umbarran MHC but so far I have failed to get something I like. Anyone have any ideas? Anyways, +5 to the Parts House.

Does it have more than a handful of immediately useful parts?

Yes, +5 points.

So here comes our total: 5 which gives us a B+ which is a fair rating for a bag of pretty much raw parts.

LEGO Iron Man Drone Review for Mobile Frame Zero: Rapid Attack

Sitting on this one a bit because I picked it up at a Flea Market but I have not seen it in any stores. So why now? What has change in the world to make me do this review? Well Toys R Us is having another one of their LEGO build events and during that weekend the Iron Man Drone will be a free poly bag with purchase that weekend. So, let's get started.

As usual we are  using the review system established by Mantis King (insert fanfare).

Can you build a frame, or frames, right away? 
When I first got this set I would have said yes but now that I think about it and seen other sets I am more leaning toward no now. The drone would make a great drone for melee dice for a frame but it is not frame material on it own BUT I have half the mind to slap a pair of legs from a Hi-Leg onto that drone and use it!

So in short: No, -5.

Is it below, at, or above the golden ration?
Well as I said earlier I got this from a flee market for only $3.50 while the LEGO store has it for $4.99.
Bag contains 24 pieces so we do a little math and...
Flea Market price gets us $0.14 per piece so that is a clear above for a -10.
Store price gets us $0.20 per piece getting us even more above for another -10.
Mind you I love the buzz saw cutter pieces in this set and this is why I got them. They seem rare piece and so if your after them the hit might be worth it or you can try Bricklink. Oh wait, there it is right here. Looks like you can get them for 2 pennies each...oh this is awkward.

If you can't build a frame right away, does it have parts you should be able to put into use right away? 
This is a clear yes but just very few pieces in the bag. So +5 points for House Stark.

Does it have more than a handful of immediately useful parts?
This is borderline  specially with Stark/Iron Man being in the bag but I am going to say yes. Let's be honest though, if the previous question is a yes, it is hard for this one not to be one as well. +5 points!

So now for our results, drum roll please!
We have a -5 which grades this set at a B- and given the ratio if bought in store I be willing to call it a B. Though if you can get it for free, go for it.