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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hi, does anyone wanna make the mega in the upcoming weeks? if so, reply to this post and i’ll add you to the list!
the list as it stands:
sodium_nitride (7/14 - 7/20) peanutbuttercupola* (7/21 - 7/27) BountifulEggnog* (7/28 - 8/3) oscardejarjayes* (8/4 - 8/10) Seryph (8/11 - 8/17) Shaleesh (8/18 - 8/24) GayTuckerCarlson* (8/25 - 8/31) Eco* (9/1 - 9/7) nemmybun (9/8 - 9/14) Disaster_of_Passion* (9/15 - 9/21)
* after name denotes someone who has posted before and will be skipped by first-time posters
Throw me in
yeah sure, sign me back up boss
done!
no
get the crumb off my dang post please
They’ve replied to your post, thus you have to add them to the list. Those are the rules, right?
Had a dream I could fly, felt amazing going around so uninhibited. I know those dreams mean freedom and stuff so I get it been feeling real restricted with my schedule and the limp I still got this dream is telling that. Part of the dream did involve also draining the energy out of an ancient evil too, I was fine afterward none of those bad vibes changed me.
I want feminine clothes… I need to move out ASAP. Don’t wanna come out to transphobes, but I need to feel like myself
f4f but it’s futch 4 futch
The guys in class started to ask me if their girl’s nails looked good and for the price they paid, honestly them gel nails with a cute design really worth it. 30 bucks I’d drop that money for them so I told them their girls got a real good price with that. Honestly feeling real cool being acknowledged for my talents
well i didn’t quite ask her out… (she was about to be out of town for over a week tomorrow morning, bad time)
but uh
i did manage to get out some more than platonic words to her… and uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh she didn’t push back, seemed kind of receptive actually
askdfnamasdfmasdfmmm… girls
I hope the best for you comrade <3
I’ve found the ost to the sonic X series, seems mostly japanese ost so I’m having a good time. The opening sonic drive has fully grown on me whatever the english one was at this point. Honestly I need to fully sit down and watch the series in japanese, I started it before and then got distracted doesn’t help that I have to go to some weird sites to see the japanese dub. Other than black knight it might be the last piece of sonic media that I’ll prob dive into as much, I could be wrong but I think the anime was developed with the help of the main writer at the time Maekawa so you know it’s good.
Hi transgenders what is everyone doing today? I’ve been spending time with my dog
Homemade pizza
Been playing tmodloader doing a master difficulty rogue playthrough on Calamity + Thorium (and other mods)
Really happy to have found some FF vanities so I can run around as Agrias. Now I just need a chocobo mount
learning about 3D graphics. I actually took a class on graphics a long time ago when I was in college, but it focused more on the math parts, and only got into coding/application in the last month, so I lost interest and didn’t go any further with it. the book I’m following this time is more like 80:20 with the programming:math ratio, so it’s been easier for me to follow.
Been studying my ass off for my comps on Friday
went out for errands in a new skirt which was very nice
i am the victim of transphobia today (forced to sell my labor to the capitalist class for less than its value)
pretending to work while watching GDQ
Taking a break at work atm to nap at my desk, probably going to spend tonight doing laundry which should be cozy today
Hell yeah, I’m also doing nothing in work rn. I managed to write about 400 words of my novel on my phone which is definitely not the ideal way but it’s the only way I can at work lol
heartbreak of potential friendship
Going through mourning the loss of potential friendships. I was in a class with a group of people who became friends and I hung out with them sometimes. I had a great time with them but couldn’t really connect with them on the same level as they did with each other. I think because I was still really shy, nervous and insecure, and closed myself off from them sometimes. I was a little earlier in my transition and wasn’t on hormones yet, and I feel like that was a reason why I was that way. I grew in social skills after that, but I think a part of it was experiences I learned in that class. It hurts knowing what could’ve been. If I transitioned earlier, I think I would’ve become friends with them
ya girl ain't legally male anymore
the law recently changed so that there’s no bottom surgery requirement! i’ve been hella overwhelmed lately but this was a nice thing to finally get done
spoiler
Congrats! Makes me so mad/emotional that’d ever be a requirement, especially if they don’t pay for it.
spoiler
thank you! and right?? it ends up indirectly costing tens of thousands of dollars just to get a silly field on your birth certificate changed. it’s wild that it took them until 2025 to change the law (they are the last state in
to do so) but i’m glad it’s finally done
Especially since not everyone is dysphoric over that. All trans people without bottom dysphoria would just never get to change it :/
Yay! That’s such a huge sigh of relief when it’s done
they also removed the “previously known as [deadname]” part too, massive relief indeed
am vegan now
Yay! That’s great
gender affirming cookie monster pajama pants
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My pain threshold remains high though I’m still walking with a limp rn, it does take a toll on me mentally through out the day and wanting to nap is so enticing but I got only a week left of training. I’ve maintained perfect attendance and I don’t wanna give that up yet, I feel my only redeeming quality is my stick to it-ness
wish I was smart or nimble inside I just wanna give up and if it wasn’t for my prep talks I give to myself and people counting on me I would have.