Man, I love Lancer

• What's this about: A tabletop roleplaying game!
• Available at: Itch (You might own it if you bought the Racial Justice Bundle in 2020)
• Price: $25
• Style: Tactical game with highly recommended narrative supplements
• Genre: Mech based, Sci-fi mixed with fantasy
• tl;dr just take me to the apps

It has been a while since I updated this website and I had a lot going through my mind and a lot going through my life. While all of this was happening, however, there was one distraction that refused to die down inside my heart: Lancer (and hanging out with cool people).

I'm somewhat of a newbie when it comes to tabletop roleplaying games. Most folks that I talk with have been playing since their teen years and have gone through multiple editions of D&D, multiple genre and flavor changes, a gender transition or two, and by this point have settled on their favorites, personal rules and goals, adjusting to real life gaming or online gaming.

Having gotten into the hobby around 2021 (you can guess why) and playing online only, there's a light feeling of being overwhelmed as I navigated my choices and perusing the absurd amount of games available. I assume most people who come into this will have at least heard of D&D, the one game that escaped the bubble and became a cultural icon, and those who do a little research might find a few of the more common titles, such as Pathfinder, Vampire, Call of Cthulhu, as well as the FATE and PbtA engines. Still, the more you dig, the more games you'll find, and the more games you find, the harder it gets to organize a full table. Time zones and employment are the biggest enemies of a campaign.

I was lucky enough to find a welcoming and diverse group that had a healthy offering of tables available, most of them in the Powered By The Apocalypse system. After a couple of rough initial experiences with D&D 4E and 5, I decided that the game was just Not For Me™, and mostly gave up on tactical adventures. Games like Masks, Blades in the Dark, Monster of the Week, Avatar Legends, and the occasional GMless title such as Deviation or You Shall Shatter Temples were much more my vibe, forgoing extensive dice-rolling in favor of a more narrative, nuanced approach, betting on actual roleplaying instead of numbers.

Still, after all that time and experimentation, Lancer was the one title that grabbed me by the collar and refused to let me go. I casually joined a campaign that ended up lasting over a year (my longest so far), played multiple sessions on a West Marches server, am now running my own adventure - and still taking a dip here and there in the server for the occasional skirmish. When I'm not playing the game, I have several mechs rotating in my mind, ideas for future shenanigans and destruction growing.

But what is it about?

Lancer takes place in the far future, millennia after Earth was devastated by natural and man-made disasters. Ten Ark Ships were sent into space with desperate refugees, while the remaining civilization managed to find safe bunkers and survive the disaster. Those who came out and found the lost technology from that forgotten era created what would be called Union - the major governing body of this universe.

In the era that players will run a game, Union will be on its 3rd iteration, a post-scarcity utopia where people are free to live and to thrive, and the Sol system is now the Cradle, the peak of technology and welfare. Its not all peace and flowers, however; The 2nd Union was a fascist, dominating empire that spread terror across galaxies, and societies are still recovering.

Moreover, the major corporations that benefited from that regime, as well as the Karrakin Trade Baronies, are not that fond of an utopia when they could instead rule and let profits speak. Add all this to the fact that one of the old artifacts from before the disaster, The Five Voices, made contact with an extra-dimensional being dubbed MONIST-1/RA which manifested in our reality and altered it permanently (both creating electronic "Non Human Persons"/NHPs and taking over Deimos) and this universe is a powder keg, ready to blow. Political, economical and eldritch threats grow in the outer rims of civilization, culminating in Union resorting to Lancers, highly trained mech pilots, to maintain order and keep humanity safe.

And why is it special?

That's the tricky part, isn't it? There's a lot to dig in there. For most people, the fact that this is a game with mech combat will be enough. We dig giant robots, after all . The tactical aspects are well balanced, the game is relatively low stakes (no Gunbuster eliminating hundreds of enemies here or Macross Missile Massacres) and despite its tactical aspect, relatively easy to get into.

One of the first aspects of Lancer is how many tools - official or 3rd party - are available online to make the experience smoother. Creating a character is already fairly uncomplicated, but using Comp/Con you are able to effortlessly create a profile in a few clicks, selecting Talents, Stats and Backgrounds. Leveling up and changing your build is just as simple. The platform also allows you to check the Compendium, Licenses and other game data, making it quick and easy to theory craft in your free time.

Even without that, Lancer is far more streamlined than its other tactical counterparts: Pilots have 4 attributes, 3 initial Talents, 1 Background and a set of Pilot gear; With the base version, everyone will start with the initial Everest mech and the LL0 GMS parts (though with supplements you might also have the Sagamartha and Chomolungma frames). All you have to do is pick which gear you want for your pilot (1 suit, 2 weapons, 3 accessories) and which Systems and Weapons you want for your frame (Limited by System Points and Weapon Mounts). No need for a shopping trip or currency - its a post-scarcity universe after all. Any time you go up a License Level, all you have to do is distribute 1 more point on your HASE attributes, pick 1 Talent and add 1 new License, then play with whatever new toy you unlocked. Quick, easy, simple, but still satisfying. Every series of combat will increase your LL by 1, though the Long Rim supplement adds currency, if you're that kind of pervert.

That simplicity is reflected on the GM side; enemy NPCs have a series of archetypes to pick, like Bombard, Witch, Assault, and then a few optional Traits and Templates to add. You may create a Grunt, a glass cannon with 1 HP, or an Elite Commander, a fierce foe that acts twice in a single round and can buff its squad. Mix and match depending on what your players bring to the table, as well as based on which sitrep you'll choose, and you have the enemy forces ready to rumble.

And it feels so good to play. Combat in Lancer is very objective, but there's always something to be done. All mechs have several base Quick Actions and available weapons, meaning no one feels 'useless' or too hyperfocused. Everyone can do damage, everyone can heal themselves, everyone can make a push for objectives. Rarely do you ever feel like you're wasting a turn, especially considering Reliable weapons that always do damage, buffing your allies, scanning or locking on enemies, simple things that anyone can give a try and keep the combat flowing. And when you do hit, with a combo of your mounts and Talents, especially if its a crit? It feels really, really damn good.

Not that this game is super easy to pick, mind you. There's a fair amount of rules, checking for Cover, dice rolls, Structure and Stress for your mechs, basic actions like Ramming, Grappling, Boosting, and several types of weapons, all happening at the same time - and that's before any eldritch weirdness happens. But the game as a whole feels far, far more cohesive and straight to the point than your usual tactical endeavor.

But wait, there's more!

Most of what was said is about the base version of Lancer, but, ever since its conception, Massif Press and expert players have been steadily releasing new content. A lot of those tend to focus on new mechs, weapons, talents or systems, but one gem shines brighter than the others:The Field Guide to the Karrakin Trade Baronies .

This supplement completely revamps the in-game Pilot experience, transforming that section into a PbtA-inspired adventure. Pilots no longer have HP, instead relying on Stress and narrative abilities to make do. They also have "Bonds" now, powerful archetypes that can unlock innate abilities. Maybe your character is a visceral Wolf, someone that has so much pain inside them that the only way to get by is through hurting others. Or they might be an elusive Magus, someone that has a deep connection to the eldritch side of the universe, being literally possessed by an otherworldly presence and able to gaze into the abyss.

The KTB is a bless to an already fantastic experience. The Pilot side of the game can feel a little bit stiff, given the lack of progression and mechanical growth, as well as how divorced it is from the supernatural. With this supplement, not only do you have a tangible reward for accurate roleplaying, but you can drink deep and descend, becoming something greater - and maybe even better.

Tools!

I won't lie that a huge part of my enjoyment of Lancer is due to the vast amount of online tools available. I'm not sure if I'd be so deep into it if I had to play in real life with pen & paper and actual dice. But since that's not happening, I don't need to bother thinking about it! Instead I'll just share my favorites, and hope they also serve you well!

First of all, the bread and butter of the game Comp/Con, an online database, character creator, encounter creator, among other functions. As long as you supply it with the relevant .lcp files from each supplement, Comp/con will update and allow you to use the new functions. And considering how Massif sells its materials, all .lcp files are free to download, meaning you can browse and create as you wish: The only files you pay for are the enemy NPCs and the books themselves. The player side is completely free.

Currently, these are the .lcps I'm making use of:

• The Base Book, with the Base NPCs
• The KTB supplement with Bonds
• The Long Rim
• No Room for a Wallflower
• Operation Solstice Rain
• Operation Winter Scar
• Siren's Song: A Mountain's Remorse
• Dustgrave
• GMS Crisis Catalogue, a 3rd party supplement that adds more LL0 options and NPCs
• Lancer: Enhanced Combat, a massive addition to tactical options
• Legionnaire, a supplement to help create NHP focused pilots

There are also a number of other third-party tools that made my life much easier, such as:

• The Owlbear Rodeo VTT, a lightweight virtual host for your adventures and maps
• The WitchDice roller, especially made for Lancer and with easy installs of .lcps for quick use
• Retrograde minis, a website to create mech tokens
• Lancer Erratas! Pobody's nerfect, and this guide might help you clear any misunderstanding from the game's rules
• Sci-fi Character Potraits, to give some flavoring to your NPCs
• Lancer! 104 Assorted Hexagon maps!
• Lancer Map Generator, which creates random pixel style maps based on your available packs
• Lancer Map Creation Tool, which you can manually create maps hex by hex, based on your available packs

I also recently began using Foundry, and while I'm still quite green on that front, these are the modules I'm currently using (still on version 12):

• Advanced Drawing Tools
• Bar Brawl
• Carousel Combat Tracker
• Chat Potrait
• Combat Tracker Effect Tooltips
• FXMaster
• Global Progress Clocks
• JB2A - Jules&Ben's Animated Assets
• Lancer Weapon FX

What now?

I won't lie, at this point I kinda forgot why I began writing this post. Most of it was to have a place to catalog and share all the tools I use, and a little bit just to get some words out of my brain. In the future I might update this post with additional info and tips. For now, happy lancing!