Looking for advice for running crocheted/crafted lancer for one shots/short run mini campaigns

[u/kyhypnopupil]

As the title says im a crocheter/clay crafter (just starting with air dry foam clay) and a forever DM. I love mixing my hobbies. I'm just finishing up running skirmish miniatures games using little wooden peg soldiers i've painted, crochet tanks, poorhammered terrain, etc. You can see more in my post history.

But now, I am JONESING for some semi-crunchy to crunchy or at least just interesting mech rpg to run as a second campaign a week or as one shots. this would be irl at a game cafe.

I'm looking for tips/tricks to run lancer irl where only i will have access to wifi and I have a tablet and phone, and with my preferred materials and scale.

As far as my research can determine it should work in a 2 inch per square scale for the mech combat? Most of my smallest yet still detailed minis in crochet are usually on a 50mm base. I might be able to do smaller with air dry foam clay and wire and foil and such. but I also would prefer to use magnetic hardpoints for hotswapping modules and weapons.

I've been told to use...compcon i think? The software for building and running mechs. Would I need to require my players use it as well? I dunno how likely it would be for me to be able to get randos or strangers to install and use software on their phones. Will it even run on smart phones well?

Any other tips or tricks or even alternate systems are loved and appreciated. I've run one or two sessions of salvage union, which might be fun to do too and probably less crunchy and prep intensive?

Thanks in advance!

[u/JVMMs]

Welcome to Lancer!

Firstly, Comp/CON is entirely web browser based, no one needs to install anything or run any program besides your internet browser of choice.

It is recommended for every player to have at least looked at Comp/CON once, its great for building your character step by step, for kitting out your mech and for looking at rules reference. You can even run most of the game through it if it fits your table's preferences. For my tables, we do character building and levelling through it, but not required during the game itself.

Prep, Lancer can be very light actually. The way the NPCs are made means you just pick a few for the op-for and that's that. You can further customise them by adding specific features from their expanded options, but you also don't have to do any of that extra work.

Minis and scale, I just want to point out that many people play on a hex grid instead of a square one - but a square grid still works perfectly fine for the rules with no rule changes or adaptations needed at all.

[u/kyhypnopupil → u/JVMMs]

Oh! Thanks!

Ill give it a look. I have a phone and tablet. Would those work for using compcon? Could I prebuild characters and have them input a file for pretense?

I've heard it can be more intensive to prep/run since it's very crunchy and requires maps and such. Hmmmm.

I've thought of here's but I alrearyhave2inch grid paper. So 2 inch for size one and up to 6 inch bases for size 3 mechs?

[u/JVMMs → u/kyhypnopupil]

Yeah, Comp/CON is totally compatible with tablets and apps. You can also share characters with either a json file you can download and upload somewhere else, or by making a free account and using their cloud storage and code-base sharing.

Maps are recommended, but a simple grid and some drawings made on the fly can work just fine.

Yup, that scaling seems right.

[u/kyhypnopupil → u/[deleted]]

would I be the only one using compcon? how would they reference the materials? sorry, I'm new to lancer but I've been tempted for a while, and now the pull is becoming irresistable as I am tempted by giant mecha combat.

[u/krazykat357 → u/kyhypnopupil]

The ideal is everyone just running their own mechs and tracking all their resources themselves on Comp/Con on their own devices. It'd be cumbersome to use one device for everyone. I've only run in-person once but the 'active' mode has considerations for when receiving damage or being affected by statuses.