Topics primarily focusing upon Lancer, the mud-and-lasers mech role-playing game.
(Part of my Modular Objectives series. Prototype Pattern Groups includes the latest version of these rules.) The surface-to-orbit cannon is charging, but only if its batteries remain intact. Keep the enemy away! Fortify models situations when the PCs attempt to retain control of strategic objects or locations despite mounting hostile pressure. It can be used […]
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(Part of my Modular Objectives series. Prototype Pattern Groups includes the latest version of these rules.) Sending you the target coordinates; hit them fast and hard, and we’ll be home in time for dinner. Blitz models situations when the PCs attempt to quickly secure or destroy multiple targets. It is a flexible, low-complexity sitrep that
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Lancer’s sitreps make large strides towards objective-based gameplay in a TTRPG genre often geared towards “killing the other team more efficiently.” However, they often struggle to anchor themselves in the fiction: What do “control zones” and “victory points” mean in a diegetic sense, and how come a character can earn points just by standing in
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The Lancer RPG pulls substantial inspiration from its predecessor, the 4th Edition of Dungeons & Dragons (aka 4E). Like 4E, Lancer classifies its mechs using a “Role” system, which broadly indicates how the mech will behave in tactical combat. 4E originally had four roles for its character classes, exploring the dynamics of Damage (dealing and
The Six Combat Roles of Lancer Read More »
Lancer Objectives are weird. When the goal is to Escort or Extract an Objective from the battlefield, the Objective is neither a “Character” (like a piloted mech or bus) nor an “Object” (like a wagon full of rocks), but a “secret third thing” that is treated as neither. Nominally, this is because Lancer has a
Putting the “Object” Back into “Objective” Read More »
Earlier in the Solstice Rain Remix, I presented my own take on how to structure the module’s combat encounters. In this Remix Addendum, I am revisiting Solstice Rain’s fights through a different lens. While my initial lineup attempted to adhere to the module’s original goal of presenting all of Lancer’s standard NPC types, I now
Addendum: Revisiting Solstice Rain’s Fights Read More »
In this Remix Epilogue, I explore different narrative threads for PCs to pursue after the completion of Solstice Rain. Plenty of open questions remain regarding Cressidium’s factions: How Union & the LSA proceed with recovery, how the Vestans progress their agendas, and how the Republic of Okasnia could be related to the rest of Cressidium’s
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The PCs took their first steps towards accomplishing their mission in Nov Elysia. Now all that’s left is completing Operation Solstice Rain by finding the Union VIPs: Captain Farris and Ambassador Bannerjee. To do so, the PCs must overcome significant Vestan resistance, racing them to the VIPs and impeding their progress along the way. Disabling
Completing the Operation: Finding the VIPs Read More »
I started Solstice Rain with a boom to jumpstart my players into the Lancer system. Now that the dust is settled, the next step for the players is taking the reins and starting exploration of Nov Elysia. Three clear options present themselves: Meeting with Omari Garcia in Downtown, knocking out the anti-air forces at the
Taking the Reins in Nov Elysia Read More »
With clues and point crawl in hand, I am ready to introduce my players to my remixed Operation: Solstice Rain. To accomplish this, I use a Setup, a Buildup, and a Boom: First, I lay out a low-stakes Session Zero to introduce players to their characters and NPCs on the Rio Grande. Next, I build
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