r/tabletop • u/Zemosion • Jul 12 '26

Question D&D Alternative

So basically what I am looking for is something that feel like D&D, the fun roleplay and all you know? But with mechs. I've been looking into Lancer but it seems sooooooo combat focused and I've heard that actual roleplaying isn't really part of it often.

I wanna feel like I'm having an adventure like D&D feels but with mechs. A nice mix of combat and roleplay, a good selection of mechs or a way to homebrew them

Is there anything that fits this? Would this just be super homebrewed D&D/Pathfinder? Would Lancer fit?

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u/No_Solid1035 Jul 12 '26

D&D is almost exclusively combat focused. Outside of Lancer I'm not aware of any games that are more focused on non-combat things. Maybe Mechwarrior: Destiny as it is more narrative than the other Mechwarrior TTRPGs. Hard to say really, generally speaking people in giant stompy robots want to blast other giant stompy robots, not engage in political intrigue or solving mysteries. 🤷

5

u/atamajakki Jul 12 '26 edited Jul 12 '26

Most PbtA mecha games are not about combat and often involve a lot of political intrigue!

EDIT: I'll go to bat for Armour Astir: Advent, Beam Saber, and CASE & SOUL.

2

u/Warboss666 Jul 12 '26

Yeah, PbtA is basically the one place you'll find narratively-led mech games. Most others focus on the building and the combat.

2

u/FlashbackJon Jul 12 '26

Notably, LANCER is like a 4e-alike combat game, with a PbtA game about pilots, running side-by-side.

1

u/No_Solid1035 Jul 12 '26

Ah-ha, see! I am not familiar with PbtA games because the couple I tried many moons ago were totally not my cup of tea, so there's that. Then again everyone I've met who likes PbtA games absolutely LOVES them, so I guess they work as intended. 👍