2006-11-09 : Mechaton pdf for sale at last!
Go here to buy now.
Okay but before you do:
The book's at the printer. It'll be available through IPR or direct from me. Brennan at IPR doesn't know this yet - well, now he does, hi Brennan! I won't be offering any kind of pdf-to-print upgrade, so if you want the book and can stand to keep waiting, hold out for the book. I will be giving the pdf to anyone who buys the book and asks for the pdf too, though, same as for Dogs.
I'll be making the rules available here as a text file too. Anybody know a nonpainful way to export text from InDesign to HTML? I need to keep the boldface and the italics but convert all my in-joke-named and variously-justified header styles to <h3>.
Lordy, the games part of my site needs a rebuild. Yet another thing to do sometime.
1. On 2006-11-09, JamesNostack said:
Wow, this is a good 24 hours for me. Giant Lego Robot Death, hurrah!
2. On 2006-11-09, NinJ said:
"I can't play Sorcerer tonight. I've got a headache."
(To be fair, I couldn't play Sorcerer, either. I'm working hard on a project and I was all set to be irresponsible, but I'm getting a lot done here.)
V., send me the file. I'll figure it out.
3. On 2006-11-09, Uriel said:
Shiny! I just got it. After a quick read through I didn't find anything to object to. The field guide is wicked! Are those schematics drawn by hand? I like them a lot. Over all a very fine product.
Josh mentioned the other day that stations can't be closer than direct range from each other, is that rule canon? I can't find it.
The optional red d8 hurts! I assume that the other weapon must be worth the whole 2 red dice, seems wonky if it can be a splitted weapon using optional rule #1.
now lets see if I can resurrect the printer...
4. On 2006-11-09, Vincent said:
Your stations can be within direct fire range of each other. To answer your rule question from the other day, if I can tag two of your stations at the same time, a) I get to tag both of them, and b) you totally deserve it.
The schematics are traced by hand off of LeoCAD pictures. I like the liveliness that the pen lines contribute.
5. On 2006-11-09, NinJ said:
Oh, good point, Vincent: no rule required.
We had that rule at one point, Uriel. I promise.
6. On 2006-11-09, JamesNostack said:
I'm going to have to figure out how my girlfriend's digicam works and upload my designs to Brickshelf.
I agree that the field guide is cool, though my nation denounces certain military innovations, such as the "hinge brick" and the "tile 1x1 with clip". The Walker in particular is an abomination. These blaspheme against the Lego Piece Accords of 1987, which permanently fixed the typology of Lego Pieces to be found in my mom's attic. My ptimanya use antique technology but have excellent morale, with their random assortment of blue and grey colors for lunar camouflage.
7. On 2006-11-09, NinJ said:
Are you using little 1xn plates rotating on the dots? I've seen some nice mecha made like that.
8. On 2006-11-09, JamesNostack said:
I manage with wheels, and some pieces scavenged from old Castle Lego's. I've been trying to figure out how to use a set of ball & socket plates, but that's harder.
The "pivot on a stud" technique is considered vulgar among the Lego engineers of my nation, who draw their inspiration from the Holy Published Schematics, in which it is seldom seen.
It's tempting to snag some newer sets on eBay and diversify my stock of pieces, but a domestic constituency within my nation has vetoed the proposed war budget, and expressed concern over the increasing militarism of the top shelf of the bookcase. I have attempted to influence domestic opinion through a "Lego Star Wars II" propaganda campaign; we shall see if it takes.
9. On 2006-11-09, NinJ said:
You know, I had a Lego door that pivoted on a dot. This was before Minifigs had two legs. It was obviously OK then.
10. On 2006-11-10, DannyK said:
Hey, Vincent, when are you going to start pimping Mechaton to the world at large? You've got a link to buy it on lumpley games, but no actual information, as far as I can tell. I gather it involves Lego robots and lotsa combat, but I crave a bit more detail: is it purely a wargame, or does it have RPG elements? More to the point, are the rules simple enough to play with kids? 'Cause Lego robot combat is something my kid needs more of in his life, y'know?
Danny
11. On 2006-11-10, Vincent said:
As far as that goes, I'd say it's fine for ages 10+. My 10 year old can follow and play the game; my 6 year old has a lot of trouble with it.
I'm from the actual play sells school of pimping. Here's one actual play account. I expect we'll be playing at JiffyCon tomorrow so maybe I'll write up that game next.
I'll make a page of basic info and stuff ... soon. I intend to.
12. On 2006-11-10, Meguey said:
The "pivot on a stud" technique is considered vulgar among the Lego engineers of my nation, who draw their inspiration from the Holy Published Schematics, in which it is seldom seen.
It's tempting to snag some newer sets on eBay and diversify my stock of pieces, but a domestic constituency within my nation has vetoed the proposed war budget, and expressed concern over the increasing militarism of the top shelf of the bookcase. I have attempted to influence domestic opinion through a "Lego Star Wars II" propaganda campaign; we shall see if it takes.
Ah. See, our national policy regards Lego as a growth industry worth serious investment. There is, however, a fast-growing contingent that considers Lego worth serious ingestment, so the Secretary of Health & Safety is backing a pro-Duplo movement and a strict separation of military build-up and more peacable activity.
Also, the Holy Published Schematics are viewed as "more of a guideline" to Lego adherants in our nation.
13. On 2006-11-10, NinJ said:
The people of my nation stand outside government offices with signs that say, "If God didn't mean for them to pivot, It would have made dots square!"
They chant while the administrator inside peers nervously through the curtains while realizing that it's no coincidence that the 1x1 plate with a tube also works as a dot-inverter, even though it was never used as such in the days of the founding builders.
14. On 2006-11-10, NinJ said:
15. On 2006-11-10, Uriel said:
When I was a kid I used to take those 1x1 plates with a tube and carefully, with a razor, cut away the plate. Behold! An infinitly useful tube. I couldn't for the life of me understand why this bit wasn't invented without that annoying plate attached to it or why there was no bit that could invert in the opposite way. Twenty years later I still don't.
And today modifying my lego with a razor seems a bit like... cheating. Like I'm going against the natural order of things and might still get found out by the Lego Police (seriously, when I was young I never showed this neat bit to anyone. Of course I was a serious offender then. I even used glue.).
16. On 2006-11-10, Seth Ben-Ezra said:
Glue! Heretic! The Only True Way to Lego is to build and rebuild forever. "Proteus!" is our battle cry!
17. On 2006-11-10, NinJ said:
I have a hard time even using a broken piece if it's broken in such a way as to make something otherwise impossible happen.
For me, I think Legos represent repeatability, I think. I can make something here, you can make it there. We're all playing by the same rules.
I did stick a piece of Lego tubing into the inside of a block hinge and cut it off to make more friction. It's really on the edge for me; Lego has you cutting pneumatic tubes, for instance. But I don't know if that kind of tube is ever cut.
Makes for a nice hinge, though.
18. On 2006-11-10, JamesNostack said:
These barbaric admissions are why the mechs of my nation have been instructed to disregard all international human rights conventions on the battlefield. No mercy to the FrankenLEGO's!
19. On 2006-11-11, NinJ said:
You better bring it, infidel.
20. On 2006-11-13, JamesNostack said:
I'm bringin' it... Yo Mecha so fat, it has to punch holes in its ammo belt.
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=215015
21. On 2006-11-13, Vincent said:
22. On 2006-11-13, Uriel said:
That's some seriously innovative mechas James! I love the storkbot! And the Rabbot!
And for NinJ: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=2131619
23. On 2006-11-13, Vincent said:
24. On 2006-11-13, Seth Ben-Ezra said:
Just FYI, a brief actual playish report: http://sharppointythings.blogpeoria.com/2006/11/11/thats-why-i-say-thanks-everyday-2-gabrielle/
Honestly, it's mostly along the lines of "Mechaton was a great stress reliever in the middle of a really hard weekend", but that's still kudos to its creator.
25. On 2006-11-13, Vincent said:
26. On 2006-11-13, Vincent said:
That is a very sweet kudo. I'll take it!
27. On 2006-11-13, ffilz said:
I'm pretty sure I've seen the rigid tubing cut in official instructions. In any case, tons of people cut it (which just reminded me, I can go back and make one of my recent creations pure, I had cut a bent antenna to get a short piece of rod, but I could just as easily cut a piece of this rigid tubing [or straw as I call it]).
Frank
28. On 2006-11-13, Vincent said:
I praise the day that the Lego gods saw fit to create the pneumatic T.
29. On 2006-11-14, NinJ said:
I know. I'm trying to wean myself of them, but I keep coming back. The pneumatic T and the 5-dot 1x1:
30. On 2006-11-22, Darksyntax said:
Any update on the printed book? I'm holding off for the printed book, but man is it killing me...
31. On 2007-02-06, Mech Master said:
Oh wow. You guys are building some truly tiny mechs here-wish I had enough parts to do this sort of thing. I make my mechs out of Bionicle parts; and boy do they look cool.
32. On 2007-08-13, dmq said:
i have 16 little mechs (so cute) and they look awsum im in a campaign against my imaginary friend right now i dont have the full mechaton rules, so i fill in what i dont know with stuff from my fisrt 6 mecha games i made
so, yeah...
33. On 2011-04-28, Dan said:
I didn't see anything in the store about how the PDF is delivered. What kind of time frame am I looking at?
34. On 2011-04-28, Vincent said:
You should have the form letter now!
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