Lancer - new Mecha RPG in playtest

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TristramEvans

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I've always had a certain fondness for Mecha rpgs - Battletech, Palladium's Robotech, Heavy Gear, Mekton Zeta. Though I haven't played one since the mid-90s with my highschool RPG group, they still evoke a great fondness in me. Maybe it was being raised on Voltron, or my continued love of Evangelion.

Meanwhile, one of the few webcomics I follow, but greatly adore, is Kill Six Billion Demons, which is kinda like Planescape meets Miyazaki's Spirited Away.

Anyhow, the creator of K6BD has just released a playtest document for a mecha RPG called Lancer.

I haven't had a chance to peruse it yet, but figured I'd share:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-VjHwZgQPqVbUtDeThuNXJtSk0/view
 
At a glance it looks intriguing. I am in the market for a relatively modern, fast moving, Mecha game, so I'll be watching with interest.
 
I’ll check it out. I love me some Mecha but I’m super happy with Robotech from Palladium. Thanks for the link
 
I LOVE K6BD... so any game material coming from that source is of interest.
Thanks for pointing this out.
 
So is anyone backing the KS for this?

 
So is anyone backing the KS for this?


Thinking about it but the pdf tier is a bit high.
 
Last 48 hours, I'm still struggling on this one. I really like this artist; his webcomic is amazing, and from the previews I saw the whole graphic design of the game is gorgeous, but the price is just high enough to make me balk at it as a vanity purchase, because I'm certain I will never run or play this game :sad:
 
Last 48 hours, I'm still struggling on this one. I really like this artist; his webcomic is amazing, and from the previews I saw the whole graphic design of the game is gorgeous, but the price is just high enough to make me balk at it as a vanity purchase, because I'm certain I will never run or play this game :sad:
The pricing noped me out of it. I’ve got enough kickstarters suckling at my paycheck, and those prices suggest to me that I’ll be able to get it at retail for about the same price.
 
I really liked Battle Tech, we got into it right at the beginning when one of my friends bought Battledroids before the Lucas people came after them, leading to the name change.

I like mechas as a concept, but Battle Tech is the only mech game I've actually enjoyed playing. I like the Carwars like crunchiness of it although I was disappointed with the way they nerfed ground vehicles through separate but not equal rules to ensure mechs were always the best. Never really cared for Mechwarrior though, the game worked best as a table top war game or "rpg wargame" again like carwars.

Certainly room for improvement in BT, but most mech games seem to go the other direction (softer, less crunchy rules) from what I consider improvement. This looks nice, but definitely seems to fall into that lighter category. Looks like they have crushed their KS goals so don't think they will be lamenting my lack of support. :grin:
 
I like mecha as a genre a lot but honestly feel like it is one of those genres that there hasn't been the "perfect" rpg for me yet. I like Jovian Chronicles the most probably, though it isn't perfect.

What is it that Lancer is doing that is new?
 
I like mechas as a concept, but Battle Tech is the only mech game I've actually enjoyed playing. I like the Carwars like crunchiness of it although I was disappointed with the way they nerfed ground vehicles through separate but not equal rules to ensure mechs were always the best. Never really cared for Mechwarrior though, the game worked best as a table top war game or "rpg wargame" again like carwars.
I've mentioned this in older threads, but I've never gotten the handle on military based games. We've tried Mechwarrior a couple of times and we could not get past the first couple of games. My players would rather go with Battletech. I've not been able to make military campaigns more player focused and less NPC commander-based.

The closest military success was a Star Wars campaign focused on the rebel pilots of a Y-wing squadron (called Rust Squadron). Maybe because we had the added bonus of trying to compete with the hotshot X and A wing pilots.
 
I've mentioned this in older threads, but I've never gotten the handle on military based games. We've tried Mechwarrior a couple of times and we could not get past the first couple of games. My players would rather go with Battletech. I've not been able to make military campaigns more player focused and less NPC commander-based.

The closest military success was a Star Wars campaign focused on the rebel pilots of a Y-wing squadron (called Rust Squadron). Maybe because we had the added bonus of trying to compete with the hotshot X and A wing pilots.

They can be difficult, particularly since so many gamers tend to be rebellious by nature, in game anyway. maybe an outlet to having to follow the rules in real life.

My experience has been that small units with special missions work best. One nominal leader open to input from subordinates. Widely scattered para-troopers on D-Day, special ops soldiers, a small isolated unit holding a piece of high value ground, resistance fighters, anti-terrorist units etc. I think this is one of the reason Twilight 2000 was successful, you got the trappings of a military RPG without the command and control.

Small brushfire wars and counter insurgencies tend to use a lot of small irregular units so have been fairly steady subjects for military RPGs.

Something like Apocalypse now could easily lend itself to a group of military PCs. You've got a commander (Capt. Willard) but he isn't too interested in the day to day beyond his mission, the Chief Petty Officer (boat captain) who is nominally in charge of the boat, but subordinate to Willard. Willard himself is a relative peon, but he has orders that trump most any senior officers that they encounter.

The end of Full Metal Jacket is another good example. A small unit separated from the main body, leadership of the unit has fallen to a Jr grade of Sergeant so the unit is nominally under his command, but only just and their mission is rather vague.
 
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Toadmaster Toadmaster Great ideas and input. I've wanted to something with non-modern military (especially Napoleonic or Romans), and I think those ideas could work as well. Like a squad of Veteran Romans or specialists on an away mission or something like Sharpe's Rifles for the early 1800s.

This should probably be it's own thread. :smile:
 
I like mecha as a genre a lot but honestly feel like it is one of those genres that there hasn't been the "perfect" rpg for me yet. I like Jovian Chronicles the most probably, though it isn't perfect.

What is it that Lancer is doing that is new?

The "sell", besides the art, is that it uses a very simple, narrative system for everything outside of combat, and during mech battles it switches to a crunchy simulationist system.
 
I’m in the same boat: I want it but it is so pricey.

It also doesn’t help that I’ve already got a few other systems that can do mechs: Savage Worlds sci-fi companion, savage Rifts, Fate Core (I suppose) and Stars Without Number. I need to start tightening my budget...
 
Curious if anyone here has actually playe Lancer, and if so, what did you think?

How does it compare to other Mecha RPGs?
 
I've read it, but not managed to play it. The crunch was noped out by my game group for something else. (I'd really like to try it) I know Mekton's crunchiest at the construction level, but actual play isn't as much. Heavy Gear is less crunchy when I played it but not sure of any past 1E. All of them are crunchier than Tiny Mecha vs Kaiju (which is almost too light for my group.) I've been looking for an alternative (I'm not the GM, or I'd already have decided.)
 
Mutants & Masterminds might be up your jam, 2e for a more DnD type feel, and 3e which goes it's own way.
 
There is a real gap in mecha RPGs between heavy systems and light systems. So many seem to focus on construction and tactical combat, despite those elements not really being a focus of the majority of the genre.

My favourite balanced mecha RPG is Remnants but it’s tied to its setting quite a bit. I also like Cthulhutech with its focus on the characters piloting the mecha than the mecha themselves, but I also get why people may not want to use CTech.

I have been hoping for a mecha PbtA RPG for years, given its my favourite system, something like Masks or Hearts of Wulin. There have been a few usuable RPGs in this space, like Impulse Drive and Last Fleet, but nothing that quite hits the mark.
 
I have been hoping for a mecha PbtA RPG for years, given its my favourite system, something like Masks or Hearts of Wulin. There have been a few usuable RPGs in this space, like Impulse Drive and Last Fleet, but nothing that quite hits the mark.
I've felt the same way for years about mecha games. I've been prepping a combination of Mecha World and TGTBTv14 for a PbtA Mecha game. I'll see how it goes.
 
I have to say that even for me, the idea of a system that sells itself as having ultra crunchy tactical mech combat and detailed mech construction while going "narrative" on everything else, doesn't light my fire.
 
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