LANCER is a ttrpg system originally released in November 2019, with a second edition released in July 2024.
A self-described "mix of gritty, mud-and-lasers military science fiction and mythic science fantasy," players are the titular Lancers - skilled mech pilots navigating the aftermath of a 30 year long galactic civil war. Although the resultant Union Third Committee ostensibly keeps the peace, conflict still brews as the massively powerful Corpo-States attempt to expand their territory and influence.
There's a lot more lore than that, but frankly it's unimportant because the only part of LANCER that most people care about are, of course, THE MECHS.
Lancers gain access to their mechs via manufacturer licenses (represented with License Levels, or LL), which give them access to advanced software and design files to construct Mech Frames, equipment, and systems via hyper-advanced 3D printing terminals. Manufacturers differ greatly in both aesthetics and functionality, with each specializing in a particular battlefield role.
The five manufacturers are:
General Massive Systems (GMS)
GMS is a nationalized corporate manufacturer which produces a wide variety of universally accessible goods. Their Mech Frames and equipment are immediately available to all Lancers at LL0, and their versatillity is such that they can remain powerful even into the end-game. GMS Frames (the Everest, Sagarmatha, and Chomolungma) are all named after the highest peak on Earth. There is no official art of the GMS Frames, in order to represent their universality and high level of customizability.
Interplanetary Shipping Northstar (IPS-N)
As their name suggests, IPS-N specializes in interstellar shipping and transportation, producing spaceships, space suits, and related tools and weaponry systems. Mech Frames from IPS-N are designed to be tough and sturdy, often focusing on the close-quarters combat encountered when defending a ship from boarding parties. However, this design also makes them a favourite of space pirates. IPS-N frames have a gritty diesel-punk and military aesthetic, and are named after famous pirates and naval officers (e.g. the Drake, the Blackbeard, and the Raleigh)
Smith-Shimano Corp (SSC)
Smith-Shimano Core specializes in hi-tech body modifications, working with both gene-splicing and cybernetics. They often cultivate human colonies, which also leads them to produce consumer goods. SSC Mech frames are sleek and advanced, often being highly mobile and carrying powerful weapon systems and hacking software while sacrificing durability. SSC frames are named after various moths and butterflies, such as the Dusk Wing, the Death's Head, and the Viceroy (my personal favourite mech in LANCER).
Harrison Armory (HA)
Raytheon in space. Harrison Armory are a military weapons and materiel manufacturer and focus primarily on violently colonizing to expand their own territory. HA mech frames are giant metal boxes designed to carry maximum firepower, often reaching heat levels that threaten reactor meltdowns in order to generate more destructive force. They are named after famous warlords such as the Saladin, the Genghis, and the Barbarossa.
HORUS
Unlike the other manufacturers, HORUS is not a corporation but rather a loose collective of rebels, hacktivists, and iconoclasts ostensibly under the direction of the supernatural Unshackled AI God RA. HORUS does not have uniform mech frame designs, instead having informal "Pattern Groups" used to short-hand describe a HORUS mech's general capabilities. HORUS mechs make use of borderline supernatural technologies such as blinkspace, nano-machine swarms, quantum entanglement, and even time travel to hack and disrupt enemy mechs and control the battlefield. HORUS pattern groups are named after mythological creatures, such as the Kobold (my second fave LANCER mech), the Pegasus, and the Balor.
Me yapping about my favourite mech frames and builds
I mentioned above my favourite mech frame is the SSC Viceroy. In addition to just looking very cool, it has some really fun mechanics. The Viceroy is a variant frame for the SSC Monarch. While the Monarch is a long range artillery platform with access to some of the most powerful missile launchers and a missile barrage ability, the Viceroy turns this on its head and is a close-quarters mech. All missile launchers equipped to a Viceroy gain a CQB profile allowing them to be used effectively at short range, and the Viceroy's missile barrage targets all enemies in a circle around it. I like to equip a Viceroy with knockback weapons, whose forced movement can trigger Overwatch from your Launchers, allowing you to get essentially free attacks each turn with powerful weapons.
I also mentioned the HORUS Kobold, which has lore that I really enjoy. The original Kobolds were powersuits used for mining, that had HORUS tech uploaded to them to facilitate a worker's rebellion. The Kobold license has a large focus around environmental manipulation. Its weapons and systems allow you to create obstacles using slag cannons, destroy fortification with seismic demolition charges, and flashfry the hulls of enemy mechs causing them to spew molten metal around them. The slag cannons combo really well with the Siege Specialist pilot talent, which allows you to destroy terrain and deal damage in an area around it.
A third fave of mine is the HORUS Rat King. The Rat King is quantumly entangled with any drones it deploys, allowing it to shoot from their position and redirect damage to entangled drones. With the Rat King, you can sacrifice hit points to deploy a drone with a copy of your main weapon. I like to use the default GMS Assault Rifle here, which deals a small amount of guaranteed damage even on a miss, in order to fire massive barrages of consistent guaranteed damage.
So, uh, yeah, that's LANCER I guess. It's a ttrpg with very cool mechs that do fun and cool things and I recommend checking it out just for that! All of the artwork is also really amazing and I definitely encourage checking out more of it as well.
I'd love to hear about everyone's favourite mechs or robots from any media!
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