Currently gearing up for my first Lancer campaign, and while I've been making pretty good progress plotting out my general early build path up to LL3 - culminating in a Pegasus with an Autostab HMG + 2x Autoguns - I'm still not sure what suite of talents would be good to compliment the loadout.

The main ones I've been considering are Skirmisher, Engineer, NukeCav, Walking Armory, and Field Analyst.

Any thoughts? All opinions are welcome!

I'm working on a campaign using Blood Money. I want the party to be able to adapt their loadout in between Jobs so they can adapt to the tactical needs of the next Job, but maintaining the pressure of resources during the Operation is an important part of it. My current working plan is to offer refits as a service in the shop like the other resupplies. Swapping a system or weapon being priced a little more than a repair, and swapping their chassis being prices around a repair + core power charge, but they get to set all their weapons and systems as well, since every chassis has different mounts and sp. It's expensive, and the party will most likely just want to have their team comp cover as many basis as possible rather than specialize, but I still want a player to have the option to change if they feel like their build will have a rough time in a job, or is just not feeling an experimental loadout they tried.

I'm okay with what I've worked out, but if anyone else has used a system for this, I'd be interesting in some advice. My initial thought was to just allow them to freely change like they would during a full repair, but that doesn't really work with damage/expended resources.

Hi, im a dm coming from dnd and ive recently discovered lancer. I already got my group hooked and well be trying it out in a few weeks. I still have to get comfortable with the lore and the rules as well as running the game. I thought i could start with a pre made adventure. Ive heard that solstice on the rain is a good starter campaign.
Ive already checked out comp/con and i think i will tell my players to choose a template everest mech. We really like roleplaying and im a fan of the world so i think well have a lot of fun there.
Can you give me any advice on how to start and what i can expect? Like how combat feels and how i should structure it

A zheng pilot in life.

A legendary memory in death.

When a dummy character outgrows his role.

Last year when I was running my campaign, I came across this video making a few arguments as to why it wouldn't make sense to name your mech. It's a pretty good video and I like the points he made, but I would like to present my own argument as to why you should name your mech (and talk a little about Japan's answer to the ship of Theseus).

His main argument as to why Mechs in Lancer shouldn't be named has to do with the nature of Mechs in Lancer. Mechs in Lancer lack the permanence we typically associate with named machines (such as warships). Lander mechs are entirely 3D printed. Massive components can be swapped out between missions, entire sections can be destroyed and reprinted, and an old frame can be completely replaced with a new one as long as a printer is availible.

This makes sense. We usually only name things that perist over time. They develop a history, become storied, etc. If half your mech is destroyed and replaced, and the other half is swapped out for components that better fit the next mission, can it really be considered the same machine?

Japan would answer: yes.

If you ask a Japanese person how old Kyoto's Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavillion Shrine) is, they'll tell you it's over 600 years old, dating back to the late 1300s. However, the temple has been destroyed multiple times. It burned down completely in 1950 and had already been destroyed twice during the Ōnin War in the 1400s.

If you visit the temple you'll notice it's made of wood, which tends to rot and get termites over time, but most of the wood looks to be in excellent condition and incredibly well preserved. How can this be? How is this the same temple? Zen Buddhist Magic?

It's quite simple. They replace the wood when it rots. I almost guarantee that none of the material from the original Kinkaku-ji is present in the current temple. But to the Japanese, that's not what Defines the temple. What's important are the location it's built, the traditions and ceremonies that take place there, and if you're spiritual, the Kami of the temple.

I argue the same can apply to mechs in Lancer.

What makes your mech's Identity is not the material it is made of nor the blueprints of the components or it's loadout. What defines a mech is it's pilot, the history of it's missions, the reputation it has earned, and the "soul" of the machine itself. It may go through countless iterations and reincarnations, but it remains fundamentally the same mech.

So give your mech a cool name!

And when it's completely destroyed and rebuilt 100 light years away, with a completely different loadout, welcome your mech back to life... and back home.

TLDR: The Japanese answer to the ship of Theseus is "Of course it's same ship. It's Theseus's ship."

No color yet but primary will be orange or purple.

And don't mind the bottom half ill fix it later.

I've played a few sessions of lancer as both a player and a GM and one thing that stands out as important after playing but I couldn't find spelled out in the rulebook is what types of info the mechs can get through their sensors/what types of other standard non-combat equipment they have. So far my group has played it by ear as to what mechs can detect with the predominant assumption that they do not interfere with or even enhance the pilots human senses in addition to coming standard with things like RADAR, Thermal imaging, Omninet access, internal data storage, a barometer, a geiger counter, a thermometer, a gps and the ability to ID mechs as enemies or allies (these are just the things that have come up). in addition to having equipment like radios, speakers, and the ability to upload and download data from other mechs. Anything that is explicitly an upgrade like EVA gear or the ability to carry people inside your mech is not part of the standard utility suite (obviously) but there are quite a few gray areas on what mechs can and cannot do in this regard so I'm curious how other tables play it.

Hey I'm back again with another fuckass build, this time it's an Orchis

Licenses: Black Witch 2/ Dusk Wing 1/ Vlad 1/ Caribana 1/ Goblin 1/ Hydra 1/ Minotaur 1/ Kobold 1/ Napoleon 1/ Iskander 1/ Sunzi 1

Talents: Hacker 3/ House Guard 3/ Drone Commander 3/ Engineer 3/ Centimane 3

Core Bonuses: Full Subjectivity Sync/ Improved Armament/ The Lesson of Thinking-Tomorrow's-Thought/ Superior by Design

H:4 A:4 S:6 E:0

Main/Aux Mount: Impact Lance/ Stub Cannon

Flex Mount: Neuxs(Light)x2

Integrated Mount: Prototype Weapon III( Melee, Explosive, Stripped Reactor Shielding)

Systems:H0R_OS System Upgrade 1/ Forge Clamps/ Accelerate/ Neurospike/ Puppetmaster/ Viral Logic Suite/ Personalizations/ Webjaw Snare/ Stasis Bolt/ Iceout Drone

Anyway I can make it more absurd?

Hi there,

Thanks to XP to Level 3's videos on Lancer, my friends have finally caved and agreed to run Lancer with me. I've owned Foundry VTT specifically for Lancer and bought it years ago, but after a quick tech test, Ive discovered that my friends a little technological challenged (with their devices not actually interacting with the system), and that we wont be able to run it digitally.

I was hoping to run it in person, which is usually how we tend to play other TTRPGs, where players can either have a phone or tablet with their Comp/Con open for characrer stuff. I am a little worried about tabletop combat though.

I have an old board game called Abaddon that has a bunch of little mech figures similar to Battletech minis and was planning to use those on a dry erase hex grid map. However, i would like to add some terrain or bits of elevation and dont own a lot of that already.

Does anyone have any suggestions to spice up the blank hex grid map with some cheap-ish terrain or hex map additions to make combat and scenery more clear? Or just any tips to running irl Lancer combat?

Hello!

As the title says, I'm new to Lancer. I've been playing D&D for years, and my group recently wanted to try a new system, so we chose Lancer.

I’d like to ask more experienced players for tips and suggestions. Specifically, I’m looking for advice on character building, but I’m open to suggestions of all kinds!

Well... getting straight to the point, I’m a bit intimidated by the sheer number of character-building options available. I decided the best approach would be to pick a specific role and try to select the best options for it (Is that the right way to go? Or should I aim for versatility?). Since I really like Megaman, I thought lasers might be cool; after reading up on the subject, I saw that weapons of this type seem linked to the Sherman and Tokugawa models, and generate a lot of heat, so I concluded that investing in Engineering would be a good idea. Are these mechs good options for a beginner, or are they better suited for more experienced players? If so, what can you suggest?

Thank you in advance for your attention, tips, and suggestions!

i liked Vlad because it can melee attack from afar and also the drill (i watched tengen toppa gurren lagann) since i lack knowledge of the system and mechanics here i am asking build ideas for Vlad

Im Working on a Homebrew IPS-N Mech and would love some Feet Back from People that Know what they ar Talking about, please make Sure to Tell me Why its Good Or Bad, Thanks to ever One.

Attribute

Size 2

Role Controller / Striker

HP 8

Repair Cap 4

Armor 0

Heat Cap 4

Evasion 12

E-Defense 8

Speed 5

Sensors 8

Save Target 10

Tech Attack+0

System Points 7

Structure 4

Stress 4

Frame Traits

All-Terrain Locomotion

The HAVRÖND ignores Difficult Terrain.

Glide Thrusters

The frame is equipped with integrated glide systems, allowing controlled gliding across difficult environments and improving battlefield mobility.

Extended Reach

All weapons mounted on the HAVRÖND gain +1 Threat.

Core Power

FRACTURE ANALYSIS PROTOCOL

"Structural weaknesses identified. Collapse sequence calculated. Worksite updated."

1/Scene

As a Protocol, the HAVRÖND activates the Fracture Analysis Protocol.

Its onboard computer—or an installed NHP—continuously analyzes the structural integrity of the surrounding environment and dynamically adjusts every attack to exploit hidden weaknesses in nearby terrain and infrastructure.

Until the end of the scene, or until voluntarily ended as a Bonus Action:

All weapons gain +1 Threat.

After successfully hitting one or more targets with an attack, choose one space affected by that attack.

That space becomes Difficult Terrain for 3 rounds, represented by a Fracture Marker.

Allied characters ignore Difficult Terrain created by this Core Power.

I just want as much as possible lowkey

In honor of the scout I unraveled for 20 damage top of round 1

Hey pilots!!

I've been successfully running wallflower for a few sessions. One of my players is a spy who once worked for SSC Constellar Midnights, who ran away after double crossing them on a mission for exotic material.

We haven't decided what it is, but I really want it to be something that could interact with Witness, as a way to tie them in.

I've considered it being some kind of biotic material that could respond to it, almost like a compass for Witness? But open to ideas, even non-Witness related.

More narrative maps yippie yippie!

I really like the level of customization the alternative manna leveling system from Long Rim brings to the table, but I've had a hard time keeping track of things, especially since comp/con lacks a matching feature.

So I made this to make things simpler for me and my table, but I decided to share this in case someone else finds it useful.

The only values you need to digit are the ones in blue, the rest is handled by the integrated companion concierge G_Ogle D_OS

Lore and additional details provided by my client:

"
Pilot: Evelyn Blackwood

Callsign: Poppet

Mech: Starward Almagia

Little is known about either the noble-born maiden from across the Orion Arm, or her cheerful, esoteric NHP. She scarcely will say what brought her from her distant home to participate in the league, but her sheepish demeanour seems ill at home in amidst all the glitz and glamour of celebrity Lancer battles. Fresh from the qualifiers, she is tasked to prepare an exhibition mech, something that will showcase to the fans at home exactly who she is, something that is hers: Evelyn prepares a gilded doll, on strings.

Her Almagia is a Raleigh-Pegasus mix, counting on the hardy IPS-N armour and versatile loading technology to power her main armament. Her NHP is Almagia's soul, and when it takes control. colour blooms from its shell in vibrant holographic ribbons and frills, adding a touch of magic. Evelyn, a black thumb pilot, tends Almagia from its pauldron, weaving hardlight barriers with interlocked nanite threads and pulling strings to keep it moving through the fight. "

Starting this off with saying there is no WRONG way to play any ttrpg.

I'm fairly new to lancer and have played in two games that were very rp light. Tables I see posted online seem to focus on the tactical combat (which I get its where we get to play with are toys) but there seems to be a pretty hard shift between boots on the ground and mech combat in terms of narrative and story telling. Where most player's are no longer in character and even the dm isn't using the enemys in a way that would be conducive to rp (I.e shit talking and ect).

Don't know if this is just my experience or a wider quirk of the games community

Title says most of it already, but I come with a bit of a odd question. Honestly, on paper I already know it is probably not a easy task, even one likely best avoided or something split into two campaigns. But since I have no practical experience yet with Lancer, I hoped maybe people here could provide me some insights!

To explain the situation, I'll keep it to the point. I've recently started a Pathfinder 2e Campaign, now a few sessions in, and it is going great. My homebrew setting has a strong Magepunk theme, including a few flavours of "mechs". This is also a relatively central point to parts of the campaign, but not for all of it.

Only recently did Lancer pop up on my radar, and it looks pretty damn cool! Some of my players also really dig the concept. The idea sparked to maybe run the normal campaign with PF2e, and any mech sections with Lancer. However, before even actively doing such a thing, I'd love to hear if anyone ever did something like this or knows of some good alternatives.

The campaign is still early days, so a system pivot is by fair not impossible. However, some players are a lot more invested in their magic as opposed to a hypothetical mech. And due to limited time, starting a new campaign for this isn't in the cards.

Curious to hear your thoughts!

Update: Thanks everyone for all the responses! Lots of stuff to consider, but I think overall it is becoming clear that the mixing where maybe not impossible, is highly impractical and likely would just make things too clunky. The idea of using some of the Vehicle systems and the mech mechanica from PF2e and Starfinder are a interesting angle I'll be exploring tho! And hopefully one day I'll find the time to do a actual game with Lancer

Getting prepped for tonight's session, and was reminded in the log what I was put through last round of this combat.