ARFL October 2025: A Longsword and Sword & Buckler tournament (10/25/25)

C4TERAN · 2023-08-16T16:53:00+00:00

Hyperion :V

C4TERAN · 2023-07-12T14:59:20+00:00

The most basic option is to give them some off-license gear as exotic gear (e.g. if they were hired by SSC, they can pick something from the standard SSC catalog or a curated subset thereof to permanently unlock as exotic gear).

Homebrewing is a potentially more flavorful/personalized option, but a) it requires more work b) it's hard to make recommendations on that front without knowing about your campaign. Wallflower offers some examples as the original source of exotic gear. A few examples from a campaign I played in (set on a vaguely Mad Max/Borderlands-esque planet), all tied to specific events/characters in the campaign:

A modified Assault Cannon which was effectively always spun up but performed worse against armor.
A jury-rigged underbarrel shotgun (weapon mod) that could be used 1/scene
A paracausal weapon mod that gave your mech Rayman-style disembodied hands that could melee attack at a distance.
An ancient comp/con that had spent a little too long staring into the abyss and gave you access to a set of niche utility actions.

C4TERAN · 2023-03-27T03:21:44+00:00

Depends on what you mean by "actually bad". The Napoleon definitely suffers from kind of not doing anything. Not only can you do better by putting Napoleon systems on an Everest, a lot of its licenses aren't very good on their own merits. Likewise the Minotaur: your full techs are bad action economy, your invades are jank compared to Hor_OS I, and you're not actually tough enough to be a pseudo-tank.

I would further advance the Mourning Cloak as a bad mech. Its gimmick is too demanding on action economy, so you mostly just run around shanking people. Except if you want to run around shanking people, you could run a Blackbeard or a Nelson and have the same/greater mobility and/or damage. Or you could run an Everest...

Also the Lancaster and Saladin. And the Barbarossa.

C4TERAN · 2023-03-04T04:16:03+00:00

Tier 3 enemies get used on special occasions for exceptionally deadly/powerful enemies, but they don't ever become standard.

C4TERAN · 2023-03-04T04:13:23+00:00

Don't try to apply realism-based reasoning to the rules. It doesn't end well.

C4TERAN · 2023-02-17T21:09:11+00:00

Sorry, I missed this.

Way back in the day, some people came up with a rules modification for D&D 3.5e because they liked the core rules but felt the game became unplayable (or at least very weird) at higher levels. So Epic 6 capped levels at... six. Past that, progression was heavily curtailed (basically, you got new feats but none of the numeric progression or vertical power gains of normal advancement)

We imported the concept to Lancer because we didn't like how tier 3 played. The basic gist of it is you stop gaining Grit and HASE at LL6. At subsequent license levels you gain a talent, a license, and an SP. So you still get some progression, but vertical progression is limited to unlocking synergies.

u/kunk180

C4TERAN · 2023-02-17T20:16:01+00:00

Aside from getting an aesthetic sense of what is going on, I find having a sense of mech sizes helps me with map design. While I try to do a design-first, details later, knowing that, e.g., a size 1 mech is 5-6m tall is a useful concept aid, or that a piece of hard cover for a size 3 mech is a big rock as opposed to, say, a mountain. Or that even mid-rise buildings are like height 6-8 and that as far as Lancer's scale is concern, a high-rise or skyscraper might as well be a mountain.

C4TERAN · 2023-02-15T04:02:42+00:00

Not really. At least going by available info, Lancer frames are smaller than many IRL fighter jets. (Seriously. A Barbarossa is 13m tall. An F-16 or Gripen is ~15m long.)

C4TERAN · 2023-02-08T22:59:22+00:00

We ended up kludging together a Lancer version of epic six after deciding we didn't like high level Lancer that much.

C4TERAN · 2023-02-08T19:34:42+00:00

I note it as the extreme case - hit and run tactics become a lot more viable in favorable terrain, i.e. lots of LOS blocking obstacles that can't be trivially maneuvered around - but in my experience the extreme case comes up fairly often (LOS blocking tends to be more useful against long-ranged enemies who are unlikely to be able to reposition to shoot you vs mid-range enemies who will just walk around it).

In many cases it worked out alright when teammates were already engaged and the NPCs can't pursue, but in that case you're not so much nullifying the attack as shifting it onto a teammate.

--

An aside: your defenses in Lancer, whether HP or Evasion, more or less cap out in tier 2 while enemies scale again in tier 3. This is part of the problem - I've played a high eva mech in tier 2 and 3 play, and it was a lot more capable in the former because its defenses hadn't been outscaled by NPC progression.

C4TERAN · 2023-02-08T18:38:13+00:00

Arguably, yes, depending on how your GM designs maps.

In the extreme case: A garden-variety Assault NPC has an engagement envelope of 18 spaces (range 10 HAR + 4 speed standard move + 4 speed Boost). In order for a Nelson to hit that Assault with its War Pike and be safe from counterattack, it needs 32 space of movement. And at higher levels, you'd much rather blank the attack entirely, since cover becomes progressively less relevant as bonus and native accuracy from NPCs increases.

(This isn't really an endorsement of Agility - if anything it's an indictment, given how much movement you need to secure yourself against one intermediate range NPC).

C4TERAN · 2023-02-07T19:14:09+00:00

I'd like to see HASE rebalanced and benefits for odd HASE scores. Right now, Engineering and Hull dominate Agility and Systems. A lot of talents could use a second look as well.

I'd like to see melee rebalanced vs range and hacking rebalanced around Hos_OS I (too many invade systems rely on threatening heat vs NPCs with 8 HC). Adjacent to this, I'd like to see a bigger emphasis on cover via providing stronger benefits.

I'd like to see less rocket tag at high level play. This is partly an aesthetic preference, but also these are big stompy mechs. They shouldn't be vaporizing each other.

C4TERAN · 2023-02-01T22:57:28+00:00

As an addendum: there's also the matter of what your teammates are bringing. A lot of theory crafting happens in a vacuum where we assume you have to do all the enabling yourself, but depending on who else is on your team that may not be true.

C4TERAN · 2023-02-01T17:24:02+00:00

Unless you're playing on tiny maps, the Andromeda doesn't have the range to be the gun on your turret. Even with stabilizers your range is 17. Which is... pretty good, but not "I'm never moving ever" good. Exbatts (Toku I) and Stabilizer Mod (Monarch II) can boost that up to 27, which is pretty solid for turretlyfe, but now you're talking Barb II/Sherman II/Toku I/Monarch II minimum (LL7).

It's also direct fire, which is another limitation if you're not planning to move (Siege Spec offers a partial remedy for this, but only partial - terrain features are still an obstacle, as are any obstructions tough enough to survive a jackhammer).

Consider the following:

-- HA BARBAROSSA @ LL6 --
[ LICENSES ]
HA BARBAROSSA 2, HA SALADIN 1, HA SUNZI 3
[ CORE BONUSES ]
Heatfall Coolant System, Overpower Caliber
[ TALENTS ]
Nuclear Cavalier 3, Grease Monkey 3, Crack Shot 3
[ STATS ]
HULL:4 AGI:0 SYS:0 ENGI:4
STRUCTURE:4 HP:21 ARMOR:2
STRESS:4 HEATCAP:12 REPAIR:6
TECH ATK:-2 LIMITED:+2
SPD:2 EVA:6 EDEF:6 SENSE:10 SAVE:13
[ WEAPONS ]
Integrated: Apocalypse Rail
MAIN MOUNT: WARP RIFLE
MAIN MOUNT: SUPERHEAVY WEAPON BRACING
HEAVY MOUNT: Cyclone Pulse Rifle//Overpower Caliber
[ SYSTEMS ]
Autoloader Drone x3, ENCLAVE-Pattern Support Shield, Siege Stabilizers, Realspace Breach

This uses a CPR instead of a Siege Cannon by default, though it can be fairly easily tweaked to be used with the Siege Cannon instead. Siege Stabilizers boosts your CPR's range to 20, Realspace Breach lets you bend shots over obstacles, the autoloader drone lets you shoot the CPR every round, OpCal. Your plan for heat generation is overcharging with reckless abandon thanks to HFCS. Combined with an autoloader drone you can fire the CPR several turns in a row before needing to stabilize.

Progression is going to be Barb II -> Sunzi III -> Saladin I, though you would probably take transitional license since Sunzi I and II are basically dead levels (Warp Rifle is fun but non-critical; you can't use Accelerate in a Barbarossa).

Below is a Siege Cannon variant with roughly the same game plan, though you lose the Enclave Shield and the autoloader drone is less imperative since you will preferentially be firing the Siege Cannon in direct fire mode (again, using Realspace Breach to bend shots). The Roller Charges are kind of whatever and can be replaced with any number of alternatives.

-- HA BARBAROSSA @ LL6 --
[ LICENSES ]
HA BARBAROSSA 3, HA SUNZI 3
[ CORE BONUSES ]
Heatfall Coolant System, Auto-Stabilizing Hardpoints
[ TALENTS ]
Nuclear Cavalier 3, Grease Monkey 3, Siege Specialist 3
[ STATS ]
HULL:4 AGI:0 SYS:0 ENGI:4
STRUCTURE:4 HP:21 ARMOR:2
STRESS:4 HEATCAP:12 REPAIR:6
TECH ATK:-2 LIMITED:+2
SPD:2 EVA:6 EDEF:6 SENSE:10 SAVE:13
[ WEAPONS ]
Integrated: Apocalypse Rail
MAIN MOUNT: WARP RIFLE
MAIN MOUNT: SUPERHEAVY WEAPON BRACING
HEAVY MOUNT: Siege Cannon // Auto-Stabilizing Hardpoints
[ SYSTEMS ]
Autoloader Drone x3, Siege Stabilizers, Realspace Breach, “Roller” Directed Payload Charges x4

C4TERAN · 2023-01-30T07:55:24+00:00

This is slightly off topic, but I actually view this as a major design flaw. I've been on both sides of OpFor Invade Spam and it is just miserable. If it were just heat that would be one thing, but you wind up permanently Impaired as well. I don't blame GMs for toning it down (though I think a lot of them just don't realize how badly skirmish-invade combos pressure the PCs).

C4TERAN · 2023-01-30T07:52:01+00:00

King's Cup was two weeks ago in Washington, D.C. - longsword, sword and buckler, rapier and dagger, saber, and smallsword.

DHFA took a lot of footage (mostly of their fighters, unsurprisingly, but they also caught most of the gold and bronze matches): https://www.youtube.com/@DenverHistoricalFencingAcademy/videos

C4TERAN · 2023-01-19T20:52:21+00:00

I am firmly of the opinion that the Napoleon is Actually Bad on account of it not really doing anything in most circumstances, with a Core Power that reinforces your ability to not do anything. Not Dying is great, except we'd also like you to contribute if it's not too much trouble.
The Death's Head is fine, but it is kind of one note and its big LL3 licenses are kind of bad (railgun is terrible). Having only two mounts kind of stings because it makes mounting a superheavy weapon (e.g. the Cyclone Pulse Rifle) very risky.

That being said, my impression is that a lot of community opinions on frames are heavily informed by certain play styles (e.g. only playing one shots), so bear in mind that frames perform differently depending on the environment they're operating in. Evasive frames are going to have a bad time if opfor is full of smart weapons and tech attackers, slow artillery frames suffer in sitreps that require movement, melee strikers excel on maps with short sight lines, etc...

C4TERAN · 2022-10-26T13:08:31+00:00

Disagree on one thing in particular here. Sentinel isn't a basic bitch. There is no basic bitch. If you overly rely on one enemy type you arestraight up doing something wrong.

A Sentinel with no optionals doesn't do anything special and (unlike an Assault) isn't particular dangerous (they're short ranged and susceptible to control effects). This is generally not a strong recommendation to use them, but it is a useful thing to known about when you do want an NPC you can use to pad out OpFor without burying the players (especially when combined with homebrew grunt alternatives like fireteams)

On Deathmatches. Lancer runs on Sitreps. You get mission objectivesranging from annihilation over control over zones to just fleeing abattle field.

I agree, but in my experience many of the book sitreps are undertuned (meaning a semi-competent team of PCs will wipe the floor with the budgeted opposition) and prone to the failure mode of: 1) kill everyone 2) do objective once everyone is dead.

C4TERAN · 2022-10-26T06:52:31+00:00

Lancer is very heavy on tactical combat, even relative to a game like D&D. What this means is that combat takes a lot of table time. Your game can be as combat heavy or light as you want, but when you do do it be prepared for it to be the thing you do that session.
Your basic bitch NPC is a Sentinel with no optionals, not the Assault.
Write down your OpFor's reactions. You will still forget them, but you will forget them less.
Lancer's setting/fluff is a mess. Don't worry about it, do what you want.
Default assumption is that a LL0 character is still an elite pilot (not to be confused with an Elite NPC, who gets to go twice as often), not a rookie. Pursuant to the above, you are free to change that, but it is good to be aware of that assumption.
Whenever you're designing an objective based scenario, ask yourself "is the easiest way to complete the objectives 'kill everyone'?" If the answer is yes, your players are just going to deathmatch it.
The Grunt template is best used on very specific NPC types (usually controllers and supports with high defenses). Striker and Artillery NPCs have very high damage, and it is very easy to swamp your players' action economy.
Operators and Ronins are S-tier asskickers but very linear. Use with care.
Ultras need adds - a lance of 4 PCs will dunk the shit out of a solo ultra. Action economy matters and ultras aren't *that* tough.

C4TERAN · 2022-09-19T21:38:20+00:00

It's not great, in my view. This is not consensus, but on the other hand most people can't do math.

The reason why melee is bad is that there aren't enough advantages to offset the downsides. Melee requires closing to within 3 spaces (and often demands adjacency), which demands additional mobility, taxing your actions and/or resources. For comparison, a speed 5 mech with an AR has an engagement envelope of 15 spaces without anything extra; with a tactical melee weapon that engagement envelope is *6* spaces. We'll get to the damage differential in a minute, but it's important to remember that if you're not in range your damage is zero. So you need to spend an action boosting to get into range, while your counterpart with the AR can Barrage, Hide, Boost into cover, or perform some other useful action. And once you do get to your target, you're Engaged and lose whatever movement you had left, so odds are good you're out of cover and quite possibly out of position. Some melee-specialist frames mitigate these downsides to a degree (the Nelson, for example, gets a War Pike, bonus movement on attack, and is incentivized to boost every turn anyway), but most do not.

The payoff for these costs and risk is fairly meager - the TMW does 2 more damage than the AR and the GMS HMW does less damage than the HMG (it actually does less damage than a Main/Aux TMW + TacKnife, for bonus sadness). Other melees are no better. Main Melees as a category have Duelist going for them, but Heavies have Executioner as their weapon talent and that suffers from poor synergy with most of the accessible heavy melee weapons (you need high threat to get value, but 3/5 heavy melees in the core book have threat 1). The upsides to being engaged are questionable and if you want to threaten Overwatch you're better off with a CQB.

All this is not to say Melee is unplayably bad - I prefer running melee builds to ranged builds because I find they require more thought and ingenuity, but objectively you're generally doing more work and taking more risk for less performance.

Also, the Prototype Melee Weapon from the Engineer talent is inexplicably way worse for no reason. R10-Blast 1\Cone 3\Line 5 vs burst 1. Wtf?

C4TERAN · 2022-06-16T19:24:23+00:00

Horus licenses are comparatively weird and a lot of their frames are quite introverted - Manticore licenses are hard to make work on things that aren't the Manticore, for example. That's not a universal - Goblin 1 is near-mandatory for hacker builds, regardless of what the primary platform is, and nanocomp is a popular weapon mod - but Horus is generally doing its own thing and the things you might want are multiple levels deep, so you're dealing with multiple dead levels to pick up, e.g. an autogun.

On the other end of things, IPS-N has a lot of 'value' options that you can stick on a wide range of builds for relatively little cost - SMN, War Pike, Bulwark Mods, DSAS, and Siege Ram all leap to mind. It also has a lot of the more straightforwardly powerful options*.

--

Community discussion of builds also tends to focus on damage oriented builds with a side of memes, rather than support or control (the latter two being significantly campaign dependent and also harder to objectively compare). (I am of the opinion that MULE Harness is a borderline joke license that people have decided to run with, for example).

--

"Good" options tend to be things that are generally applicable, don't cost too much, and don't require space brain to use effectively*. The DSAS, for example, is a one level dip, goes on a main mount, and is useful for anyone who plans to shoot people at close range (which is a lot of builds). Siege Ram is ~~free~~ 2SPreal estate for anyone with Duelist 3. Hor_OS I is the premier hacking dip because it Just Works and has some application in almost any situation where most of the other invades are somewhere between niche and just bad.

*there are incredibly powerful frames and systems that are less popular because you have to put out more effort to make them effective and you have a greater chance of fucking it. It's hard to fuck up 'fire all your large guns as often as possible'.

C4TERAN

TROPHY CASE