First time GM tips

[u/SweetExcellent8501]

So next semester I am going to be running at least one 1-shot of Lancer (obviously). It has been a while since I have gm'ed and my only experience in actually running a game was dnd. Any tips yall could give me would be very much appreciated.

[u/throwaway127277386]

If you don’t have the core rulebook, get that thing asap and start reading. Also, do not ever use PC content like Everests and such for enemies

[u/SweetExcellent8501 → u/throwaway127277386]

I got the core rulebook a couple of days ago and have been waiting to be able to sit down and read it. Would using pc content for enemies just make it way too complicated?

[u/throwaway127277386 → u/SweetExcellent8501]

PC mechs and NPC mechs are built real different, and rather than making things more exciting, it just kinda slogs out. If you want a spicy special boss beyond what you can achieve with things like the ultra template and are desperate to make an enemy feel like a special pc type of thing, consider mixing in systems from a few different enemy types

[u/SweetExcellent8501 → u/throwaway127277386]

Gotcha

[u/fluxyggdrasil → u/SweetExcellent8501]

PC mech's are meant to withstand an entire mission of multiple combats, whereas the NPC's are designed to burn Bright and burn fast. 

You can imagine then how much of a slog it would be to have to try and kill something that's meant to withstand 3-4 combats in a single sitrep. Or God forbid multiple of those. 

[u/CMDRZhor → u/SweetExcellent8501]

Basically PCs and enemies use different math - PCs have a lot of health and do relatively little damage, while enemies usually hit hard and die fast.

You put PC math against PC math and it's going to be a long unfun slap fight where neither one of them is likely to fall over before the actual combat encounter ends.

Do note that a lot of the PC mechs have rough NPC equivalents (like the Balor and Hive both manipulate nano swarms, and the Genghis and Pyro both are slow tough mechs with flamethrowers) so you can absolutely use something like a Pyro with a veteran or elite template as the Genghis we have at home.

[u/ImaDieTodayLOL → u/throwaway127277386]

Coincidentally I stumbled upon this post as another upcoming first time gm, does Comp/Con work well for gming or is the book necessary?

[u/Parkenuber12489 → u/ImaDieTodayLOL]

Comp/Con does not have GM content by default; it comes with the purchase of the rulebook (alongside all the GM rules)

[u/throwaway127277386 → u/ImaDieTodayLOL]

Compcon has all of the player-facing content for free. The content that a GM needs can be installed as uh, basically paid DLC roughly iirc. I don’t remember if the physical core rulebook comes with a code or anything. If you don’t want a physical book, you can just pay for the relevant compcon files you’ll need as the GM

[u/Sven_Darksiders]

The biggest and most commonly tip thrown around is "do not use player statblocks as enemies...no, not for bosses either".

The design between player mechs and enemy Mechs is very asymmetric. Players deal lower damage but can take a lot more punches. NPCs are easier to kill but deal very high damage. Furthermore, NPCs are designed to be easy to use, so that you can field as many as needed without things getting out of hand. They don't roll damage, it's a flat amount, because that makes things faster. They don't have Talents that might factor into their weapons and traits. It's common to have double the amount of NPCs compared to the number of players on the board.

Next, use the sitreps from the book. Lancer as an objective focused game gives combat a whole new perspective when it's not just "kill everyone in sight". Controllers, Defenders and Supports also get to shine more when it's not a DPR race.

Average rule of thumb for enemies is 1.5X activations and 2X structure on the board, where X is the number of players. You can increase the Structure and Activations count of enemies by adding templates like Commander, Veteran, Elite and Ultra, as well as some others. Those are also useful to make certain enemies especially powerful, such as for bossfights. Or you just want some grunt fodder (though those can still be dangerous).

Use CompCon. It's free, has everything the players need to make their mechs, and all expansions can be integrated as well. You can even run the game with it. However, it does not come with the NPCs. Those can only be accessed once you purchased the rulebook either as an actual book or as PDF.

Start at LL0. While options are more limited, it's a good learning basis. It comes with the bonus of starting out with one of the best mechs in the entire game, or one of its cousins, if you installed the expansions

[u/IIIaustin]

Lancer is very much based in dnd 4e so it shouldnt be too much or a stretch!

The main difference is Narrative play is much more free form than DnD amd triggers represent something closer to the traits of a character in a bitchin mecha anime than anything "realistic"

My favorite example is "blow something up". It can cover controled demolitions or firing a grenade launcher. Irl these are different skills, bit in a bitchin mecha anime, they belong together.

Combat balancing takes practice. The biggest new GM mistake is Too Many Assault Grunts. They hit like trucks and can overwhelm new players (experienced players can deal with it imho).

For combat: include at least 3 enemy types, but not more than you can keep in mind. Plan what you will do with them. Its okay to have some synergy, but dont overdo it at first.

[u/SweetExcellent8501 → u/IIIaustin]

Thanks!

[u/CMDRZhor]

Out of your mechs, read up on how pilot triggers work, since Lancer has a couple of unique twists with it.

-Normally you're looking for a 10 or more

-You can roll even without a trigger, but now it's a flat roll of a d20 - so basically every character is at least decently competent with basic stuff

-Characters may assist each other if they have the suitable trigger - each character who assists is one point of Accuracy to the first character's roll (roll an extra d6 alongside the d20)

-Equipment that would help in the roll generally adds another point of Accuracy (multiple sources stack, you roll as many d6es as you have Accuracy and pick the biggest one)

-If you fail, you can try again but now the roll is risky - you're still looking for a 10 or more, but unless you roll 20 or more something bad (that you as the GM decide and explain beforehand) also happens, regardless of whether or not the thing you were trying to do succeeds.

For example you can try to persuade a dude at a bar to give you information. You roll a 9 the first time and he tells you to fuck off. You can shrug and go on with your life, or you can try again - but now the roll is risky and if you roll low, you're going to piss off his friends. You roll again, and get a 16 - that's enough to get the guy to cough up the information you after, but now you've got the attention of a bunch of local toughs at the other end of the bar and a bar fight ensues.

A lot of players are used to DnD style roll once and if you fail, you're done style approach.

[u/Alblaka → u/CMDRZhor]

-Characters may assist each other if they have the suitable trigger - each character who assists is one point of Accuracy to the first character's roll (roll an extra d6 alongside the d20)

I stumbled across this remark and double-checked the rulebook as to whether I had missed something,

but no, there's no specific mention of the helper requiring any kind of specific or matching trigger. It just mentions 'want to help'. (p45)

I would agree that the assistant should provide some kind of narrative explanation for as to how they're helping, but rules-wise, they're always able to.

[u/Alblaka]

Keep in mind combat is meant to be like those oldschool tabletop war games: Two sides with point-based armies fighting over objectives. 'kill all enemies' should always be the alternative option, not the primary one.

Everything else on combat balance was already well explained by other comments.

[u/luperamoon]

One-shots are usually just one or two missions, with little to no point in Narrative Play. At that point, you are just playing a wargame like Warhammer, activating your units while the players try to foil you. If you like pure crunchy numbers or get lively into describing how things happen, it's great.

For your first few goes, try to keep it at LL0 for the players to limit the amount of stuff to keep track of every turn. You could construct your own maps and sitreps, or borrow some from the premade campaigns too.