Topics primarily focusing upon Lancer, the mud-and-lasers mech role-playing game.
The contents in this category are not official Lancer products; they are third party works, and not affiliated with Massif Press. The contents of this category are published via the Lancer Third Party License. Lancer is copyright Massif Press.
(Part of my Relativistic Paladins series.) (The following system is strongly inspired by the Bonds system from His Majesty the Worm. I reuse and adapt it in this post under the permission of the His Majesty the Worm Open License.) To serve in an Albatross wing is to be a part of a family. Like […]
Camaraderie Among the Albatross Read More »
(Part of my Relativistic Paladins series.) Albatross wings quickly travel from one flashpoint to another, providing rapid triage with surgical precision. As such, wings do not often engage in prolonged missions with clear endings. They have ample opportunity to avail the makteba’s printers for repairs, so License Level advancement instead becomes a matter of renown:
Renown, Repairs, & Advancement Read More »
In a galaxy as vast as this one, a distress call is a message in a bottle: sent with hope, and in the grim knowledge that, more likely than not, no one will respond in time. No one but the Albatross. “The Albatross”, Lancer, p. 409, emphasis added One of the fantasies Lancer is sold
Relativistic Paladins Read More »
A common joke in the Lancer community is that new GMs like to outright ban a manufacturer from their games (usually HORUS, the esoteric hacker collective) without fully understanding the implications. The reasoning is that the developers designed Lancer’s “Big Four” mech manufacturers to coexist in the same game. Therefore, removing a manufacturer from the
How to Ban a Lancer Manufacturer Read More »
(Part of my Modular Objectives series. Prototype Pattern Groups includes the latest version of these rules.) As mentioned, modular sitreps may be combined into a single, multi-stage sitrep. Budget both total Duration and Enemy Forces for the combined sitrep as follows: By default, follow initial Deployment for the first of the two composing sitreps (if
Combining Modular Objectives Read More »
(Part of my Modular Objectives series. Prototype Pattern Groups includes the latest version of these rules.) Negotiations have broken down. Subdue the opposing force before they cause irreparable damage. Quell models situations when the PCs attempt to outright subdue an opposing force through a combination of violence and coercion. It may be used in place
Modular Objectives – Quell Read More »
Or: “How to play a Demolisher on Holdout.” From my post on the Six Combat Roles of Lancer, it may be tempting to think Rearguards simply plant their butts on a defensive point and never move. However, such a strategy proves toothless when a Rearguard is on offense, such as attacking players in Holdout sitrep.
Rearguards on Offense Read More »
I dislike Lancer’s Overcharge mechanic. This post may prove controversial, but I have struggled with Overcharge for a while. For those unfamiliar, Overcharge allows players to take an additional quick action on their turn by increasing their mech’s Heat. Other tactical TTRPG systems like D&D 4e and 5e offer extra actions, but only once every
Overcharge Overhaul Read More »
Lancer implements “wound”-like rules for when a mech suffers damage or strains their reactor. However, if a mech is unlucky, these “wounds” can cause them to lose a turn, take double damage, or destroy them outright. While many players in the Lancer community find these consequences acceptable, this system has prompted others to develop more
Lancer House Rules: Structure & Overheating Read More »
(Part of my Modular Objectives series. Prototype Pattern Groups includes the latest version of these rules.) Command can’t get a visual on the objective — you’re going in blind. You know what to do once you find it. Triangulate models situations where the PCs Search for an objective purposefully hidden from them. It is a
Modular Objectives – Triangulate Read More »
