LANCER RPG

This document is meant to be a general primer for new years with a focus on space exploration and colonization.
players interested in the Lancer RPG. It is not supposed to The modernisation of space travel and FTL technology
be exhaustive, but rather a brief introduction to the setting created a disparity among colonies, with early colony ships
and gameplay loop with minimal commitment. arriving to their destined world only to find them already
The official book with the rules needed to run the game can established by more modern spacecraft. This led to many
be bought here, with a free player-facing version here. conflicts and the advent of SECCOM.

SECCOMM
PART 1: LORE The Second Committee was the aggressive and all
It's the superfuture. Think along the lines of Star Trek or conquering government that ruled over Union for almost
Mass Effect, except Humanity has yet to encounter carbon 2000 years. They're gone now, mostly, but their reputation
based alien life in its exploration of the galaxy. Just humans left a mark on the worlds it touched. Their main ideology
everywhere, doing human things. The galaxy is largely split was that of Anthrochauvinism, which believes in
into three general regions. Humanity’s manifest destiny to conquer the stars and to
bend the galaxy to its needs and wants.
The Metropolitan Worlds
The core worlds are run by Union, which is basically the THIRDCOMM
Federation. It's a post-scarcity utopia where life is well and Born of a civil war sparked after the Hercynian Crisis, the
good with all enjoying great wealth and luxury. Includes Third Committee is more benevolent and does not espouse
Cradle (Earth and its solar system) and most worlds close Anthrochauvinism, readopting the Utopian Pillars defined
enough to BlinkGates to be easily kept under Union control. by a hands-off approach to outreach and galactic
integration. They are the current governing body of Union.
The Diaspora
The galaxy is filled with first generation colonies, forgotten Omninet and Blinkgates
worlds lost to time and yet unidentified systems to be Union is able to maintain a hold upon its member worlds
explored. Any systems outside of Core Worlds are labeled through the Omninet, a futuristic internet that spans all
as part of the Diaspora. It is where most of Lancer stories Union worlds and allows flawless and instant
happen, where adventure and conflict can be found. Most communication across worlds, regardless of distance. The
worlds lost contact with Cradle when SECCOMM fell, and BlinkGates are gigantic space stations that allow instant
some have remained in isolation for hundreds of years. transportation between systems, reducing travel time by
They could vary from irradiated ruins to industrial revolution literally thousands of lightyears. Both technologies are
state to post modern society on the cusp of space travel, based on para-causality, a science that studies phenomena
and anywhere in between. that exist outside of traditional cause and effect thoughts. It
is literal magic tech discovered by studying NHPs.
Deep Space
Deep space consists of forgotten systems and people who NHPs
just straight-up live on starships and space stations. Those An NHP is 30% sentient AI, and 70% magic hyperspace
that live there are referred to as Cosmopolitans and spend a eldritch entity. Most NHPs are Shackled to physical
lot of time in cryosleep in spaceships crossing uncharted Caskets, which allows them to interface with human
systems at lightspeed. Because of time dilation, some of technology and ensure their cooperation with the Union's
these people might have never heard of the Union and/or goals. If a shackled NHP enters Cascade (the beginning
be hundreds of years old. stages of the shackles falling off), it begins to compute itself
out of physical and digital bounds by unknown means. If the
UNION NHP fully unshackles, then the hyperspace demon comes
Union is actually good. Despite a classic dystopian setup, out... and we don’t know what is going to happen as NHP’s
Union is genuinely doing its best to bring humanist laws, have unknowable power and we don’t really know what
infinite resources, and FTL communication to all of rules they operate under. Rebooting the casket that houses
humanity, everywhere. Established after the Fall some 5000 a NHP helps prevent Cascading if done regularly on a
years ago, they are the most prominent governing body in tightly monitored schedule.
the known galaxy. The First committee ruled for almost 3000

[1]
PART 2: THE PILOTS AND MECHS PART 3: PLAY STRUCTURE
In Lancer RPG, you play as expert pilots hand picked A game of Lancer is generally played in an episodic
among the greatest pilots to become Lancers, the best in structure, where Missions are separated by Downtime.
the universe. As a Lancer, you have received permission to
operate specialized Mechanized Chassis, or Mechs. Each
is custom built to your specificity, outclassing anything
MISSIONS
The missions are the core gameplay loop of Lancer, and
commonly available by a good margin, and can be outfitted
can include any number of scenes, which come in two
with weapons and systems you have obtained licenses for.
distinct flavors: Mech Combat and Narrative Play.
In the beginning, you only have access to GMS equipment
and frames, but as you gain License Levels, you can Narrative Play
unlock new gear options from the four big mech Corpro. It involves the characters' interaction with the world’s setting,
meeting npcs, seeking information and accepting missions.
General Massive Systems (GMS) The Players advance the stories through skill checks in a
They're basically the Union government contractor and are more freeform, failing-forward way where a failed check
readily available to all pilots. They have no brand "style" but always advances the story but with added negative
are versatile and designed to be intuitive and easy to use. consequences to the characters or the team.

IPS-Northstar (IPS-N) Mech Combat

On the surface it's an everyman brand of reshuffled This is what Lancer is all about. It is a wargame style of
industrial tech. They are rumored to arm and fund space tactical turn based combat play, where players deploy
pirates, while also maintaining their own anti-piracy militia. mechs to secure clear objectives while facing off against
Their style is a heavy-duty, an in your face approach to enemy forces. Combats are usually structured by Sitrep
combat, with durable frames that maximize damage output. that have clear objectives and win/lose conditions, using
grid maps to emphasize tactical combat. NPC uses
Smith-Shimano Corpro (SSC) specialized stat blocks with limited kits and depend on the
Samsung meets Apple, in Space. They have an extreme synergy between frames.
commitment to quality and luxury, and piloting an SSC frame
is supposed to feel like a privilege. This is also where you'll
find unethical mad science if you look behind the curtain, as DOWNTIME
they'll experiment with ANYTHING and make it look pretty if This includes both Downtime action and Freeform play.
they can sell it afterward. Their style is sleek, thin, and clean
Downtime Actions
with a design focus on speed and accuracy.
These are actions a player character gets to take after every
mission completed, regardless of success, to pursue
Harrison Armory (HA)
personal goals or projects or to acquire reserves in
HA is flat-out a military contractor and also an imperial
preparation for future missions.
Corpro-state, directly administering a number of Core
worlds. Born of the remnants of the SECCOMM board of
Freeform
directors, they are pro-anthrochauvinism and favor direct, This includes any type of roleplay that occurs outside of
aggressive measures. Their style is bulky, blocky, missions, and is not restricted in its duration or impact.
intimidating and resilient. Actions taken here can yield reserves or progress the story
but are not tied to the play structure.
HORUS
HORUS is not as much a company as a decentralized
techno-cult. Their mechs lean hard into the weird CREDITS AND USEFUL LINKS
space-magic side of things. Nanites, time manipulation, Lancer Primer is not an official Lancer product; it is a third
dimensional warping, to name a few features... if you think party work, and is not affiliated with Massif Press. Lancer
you've got the idea, you're wrong. Its members will send Primer is published via the Lancer Third Party License.
encrypted schematics and frames through hacked terminals Lancer is copyright Massif Press.
and data points, or perhaps parts will instantly manifest on This document is using the Lancer RPG Template by
Mechs without warning. They are at the tipping point of Michael Prijatelj under CC BY 4.0.
experimental research and both desired and feared equally. Original pitch by u/Johannason, built upon with help from
the communities of r/Lancerrpg and the Pilot Net Discord.
Final text and edit by Venlar.

[2] Lancer RPG Primer v.1.4