Since I can't find a Lancer thread at the moment, I'll start one I guess.I've recently gotten very into mecha, but the exact flavor I'm looking for seems to be somewhat limited. I'm looking for a good system to play with some friends, and so far, Lancer and Beam Saber see to be the only two that standout to me. Lancer seems pretty cut-and-dry simple to get into without being too crunchy, but I've heard it lacks on the roleplaying aspect, which confuses me, and is typically my favorite part of TTRPGs. I suppose I'd just like to know the following: - How does Lancer's system negatively impact the RP portion of the game? Isn't that more or less completely affected by the players themselves and/or myself as the GM? - For those with experience with both systems, would you recommend Lancer or Beam Saber? Or are there any other mech-based systems you'd recommend?For context, my players and I have mainly only played 5e (I've been a forever DM for about 5 years). I personally love complex mechanics, but my players not so much.
>>97845366Have you tried reading the rules, playing and perhaps forming your own opinion?
>>97845389I sure have, but I have incredibly limited time these days to both learn and play a system, not to mention syncing with my players. I’ve read through the Lancer rules but wanted to get some perspective on the RP aspect. Beam Saber I’m less familiar with but if other’s opinions point to it being more in line with what I’m looking for, I may check it out.
>>97845366Be warned, lancer was some outraged autist's pet hate a few months ago. They're probably still around, so you're going to get a lot of /pol/itics if you try to discuss it here
afaik Lancer's role playing is pretty thin and borderline non existent, but got much more expanded upon in the KTB field guide so you could check that out tooIt basically adds a more Dune esque faction too
I'd recommend you check out Armor Astir: Advent.
>>97845459Thanks for the rec. Never heard of this before, seems really cool and like what I’m looking for at a glance. I’ll check it out.
>>97845366I wouldn't exactly call Lancer simple. Speaking as somebody who ran a 4e campaign all the way to level 30, it basically is 4e. And that's all well and good if you like crunchy tactical combat, but that's pretty much all Lancer has going for it mechanically.To put that into 5e terms, you've basically got everyone playing a spellcaster, so if any of your players are the type who want to just be a Fighter and hit things, they're gonna struggle.Beam Saber is PbtA adjacent, though it seems to be pulling more from Blades in the Dark. I'm familiar with the latter if not Beam Saber itself, so I can say it has some interesting ideas and some more non-combat mechanics. My major qualm with the system is that sometimes things felt almost too abstracted, though that might just be me.When it comes to simplicity, I'd personally suggest MechaHack. You get a chassis with a couple features, a pilot ability, and then you add a few modules as you gain levels. Still not much in terms of any RP mechanics, but dead simple to pick up.
>>97845366Lancer by default doesn't really have roleplay resolution mechanics. Karrakin Trade Baronies supplement begins adding them in and they're pretty sparse even with further additions in other supplements both official and third party. Lancer's gameplay is really for players who want to do really cool shit while also not being locked into a specific build since you can remake your entire kit relatively easily. The roleplay is a clear non-priority by the devs so if you do want to run it, you're better off grabbing rules from another game entirely and using those.
>>97845366Let me guess, you've watched Char's Counter Attacke and Getter Robo and now you think you're "very into mecha?"lmao
