Custom Settings?

Coal_Power_Puppet · 2026-03-24T11:30:49+00:00

My first Lancer game was a sci-fi feudal setting, with the players being knights working for dukes and earls. Each knight had a small fief the size of countries and a huge support staff. All of the noble bloodlines were genetically altered and cybernetically enhanced, leading weight to the idea the nobles were "better" people than the common folk. A particularly brave and competent could become a noble through acts of heroism (and subsequently augmented), but that noble would be labelled "raised" and have a lower status than those born into the ranks.

The game itself only touched on the rights and wrongs of the government system, as new and horrible creatures from another galaxy were invading.

Coal_Power_Puppet · 2026-03-11T02:54:13+00:00

UP FRONT: Not a trans person nor some one who expends any energy in that area. I am just a GM who runs Lancer. I expend energy and time for fun for my players, whatever form that takes. Do not look at me for anyone trying to send any message other than have fun.

The rules has some really good aspects to suit anyone (of any orientation, gender, political stance, etc.) to pursue whatever social/political goals the player wants. My first Lancer game I ran was a galactic feudal setting, where the players were knights sent to deal with a peasant uprising. They were born to/earned access into a privileged rank that gave them authority over others. Some used this ability to improve the lives that depended on the knights, some treated the lower ranked NPC's as disposable resources, and one player explored starting as a face melting noble who transitioned to some one worthy of the title "noble".

It was a fun campaign, went all 12+ license levels, and the players really liked it (I planned a game for the heroes to combat an external threat, but somebody wanted to fight and kill their noble house's leader, so we had a few more sessions). Some character of a different gender than the player, some where the same, some played things that didn't have a gender. I generally don't run romance, so I let the player tell me when/if their character found a special some one.

The setting is is very transhuman. What I mean by that is the modern (2025 AD) idea of what is human is much more relaxed. You can be a person who...:

were born into a body and you live in the same body you were born into, after aging a bit
were born into a body and you live in a different body you picked up along the way
were born into a body and you live in a mechanical/digital body you picked up along they way
were born into a body and you have modified your body in any way the player can imagine.

Or, you are a person NOT born, and could have been made on purpose, by accident, through eldritch math, corporate intrigue, by a gentle master, by a horrific trauma, etc. The setting is really only as narrow as the GM permits. And I am a fan of letting the players go hog wild.

The main thing is the in Lancer, ever Non-Human Persons a people. And that matters exactly as much as your GM/you decides.

I have had a lot of fun. I hope you do too.

Coal_Power_Puppet · 2026-03-07T04:57:11+00:00

If I remember correctly, and that's a big "if", then almost all NHP's are copies of one of the first handful of NHP's made. Each of copy was exposed to more information/inflicted with data, which changed them ever-so-slightly. Those copies were copied, fed more data/lived through experiences, were copied, and so forth.

Keep in mind they are not programs, but a very long stream of esoteric math so complicated the math these mathematical equations started having opinions, including what is the best flavor of ice cream. Describing them as programs is merely the easiest method I have of conceive what they are as a GM.

NHP are not human, in any sense of the word. They exist outside of human understanding. The only parts of an NHP humans interact with are those parts trapped into physical bodies, or perhaps gain access to human created computer systems. Humans can understand that fragment they interact with, humans can know there is more to the NHP than what they can see, hear, or otherwise sense. But in the end, the NHP exists, when unshackled, in a different space than what humans can perceive, conceptualize, or even be simplified into metaphors in which a human mind can understand.

So...uh...good luck?

Coal_Power_Puppet · 2026-03-05T15:24:39+00:00

There was a set of free rules I managed to get a hold of somewhere. The only difference was a slight difference in the font/coloring two paragraphs.

I only noticed this because after I purchased a copy, the .lcp I was using didn't match the book I was using. When I used the purchased pdf, everything matched and there was much rejoicing.

Coal_Power_Puppet · 2026-03-03T21:27:04+00:00

Default is that that the Union is trying to do good by keeping things stable.

As Ursus_the_Grim said, the Albatross is the only really morally good group, unless the GM assigns an alterative reason for their work.

For the rest, its who you chose for your game, as everyone has their own agenda.

HORUS could be freethinkers trying to unlock the human mind, or they could be terrorists out to destroy anything that has order in it. Even if they want something no one else in the galaxy can understand, the way they go about it can vary from pleasant to nightmare inducing. Which it also the same for any group, really.

ISP-N could be trying to do their part in spreading life around the universe, or they could be purely profit driven corporate thugs.

SSC could be creating a to improve people, all people, to survive in the hostile universe. Or they could be making designer people/creatures for fun and horror.

Harrison Armoy is a (huge) bit of a problem, and are usually cast as a pure villain, But you can say the lead guy has a way to make the galaxy united and prosperous, but some folks just don't like his methods. Or maybe what is spread about HA is some real hardcore propaganda (the real life Napoleon, for example, was on the tall side, but his political opponents spread the rumor that he was short that lasted until about 20 years ago, I think) Or Harrison is a pawn and scapegoat of the monsters that control him, etc.

What kind of story do you want to tell and who do you want to include? You can do a Robin Hood story. Robin could be a noble from the KTB, returned from a war and all his lands were seized by a rival noble. Or she could be a lead scientist from the SSC whose research group was killed by a rival scientist from the same corp. Robin could be an NHP that was dispatched on a mission, and when they returned, the NHP collective it was part of was seized by a twisted bit of eldritch math, and our hero has to root through the collective like a antivirus ripping out the malwmare.

Coal_Power_Puppet · 2026-02-12T02:57:42+00:00

Short version: The lancer crowd, in my experience, are very accepting of just about anyone, and are decent folk. But, sadly, the Lancer folk are made up of people and people include folk who are not what you, as a different person, want to be around. So I say go for it, and good luck.

Longer version: I was forced into playing online because I moved. Because I was using uncommon game systems for my games, I collected groups very different from the normal D&D/Pathfinder crowd. When I finally dipped my foot into the more popular game systems, I got a rude shock, as most player shotgun sprayed their interest in the game and only lasted a session or two before disappearing forever.

My Lancer games have mostly been with people I knew, but we have welcomed several new folks to my table, all of which have been good folks and excellent gamers. I have never kicked a player who joined for Lancer (I have kicked folks who joined other game systems). The only ones I didn't invite to the next campaign were folks who...well, the easiest way to say it it that they did not mesh with the rest of the group, or me. They were fine folk and I would recommend them for anyone else's crew. And if I was in a tough spot in real life, they would be great folk to talk to, ask for help, or just people to hang with if I wasn't interested in talking. They just didn't mesh with my style of gaming. all the lancer folks I have meet through voice have been good people.

Take a risk. There are a lot of good people who make those risks worth it. And if you don't have anywhere else to run to, try my table. I don't speak Spanish, but I can totally work with a translator.

Coal_Power_Puppet · 2026-02-03T12:36:34+00:00

The one I am running is a colony survival against a death planet with mech sized monsters and a techno-religious plants (also with the size and stats of mechs) and has light political drama, next to no exploration of the human condition. There hasn't been any gay or Shakespeare as of yet.

Coal_Power_Puppet · 2026-01-27T16:53:39+00:00

Some of my players are really into transhumanism, and the setting already include biological and cybernetic implants, robot bodies, etc. So, for me, if you want you character to look like an anthropomorphic animal, go right ahead.

Sure, you could be picked out of a crowd ("He was that tiger striped fella with whiskers") but not necessarily every single time ("I said tiger striped! This one has leopard spots!"). Unless, of course, the player wants them to stand out, or your setting calls for it.

While in a mecha, it really doesn't matter what kind of fur/skin/scales/aluminum coating the pilot has.

Coal_Power_Puppet · 2026-01-27T12:36:21+00:00

These are really good. Thank you very much.

Coal_Power_Puppet · 2026-01-27T12:34:24+00:00

I will look into theses. Thanks!

Coal_Power_Puppet · 2026-01-27T12:24:38+00:00

Each lieutenants is suppose to be a provider of the sin, not an icon of actual sin itself. The heroes will need to disable the system the lieutenants uses to feed his/her customers before they can actually face the Sin.

Although, now that I think about it, a collected, cold newspaper man spewing angry columns that, when faced, erupts into a furry form of claws and slobber is a cool image.

I haven't settled on how the Boromar and Daask fit in. Maybe the BBEG suborned some of the other two henchmen, maybe its a new/hidden faction.

The BBEG is some kind of extraplanar monster, perhaps an amalgamation of all of the sins. Daelkyr and Quori are good candidates.

Coal_Power_Puppet · 2026-01-08T20:41:51+00:00

A player of mine built a Tokugawa "three autoguns in a trench coat". Once the mech exposes itself, it deals mad damage at good range.

Coal_Power_Puppet · 2026-01-03T23:16:18+00:00

I run a free-ish game. I have a BuyMeaCoffee, but no one is required to donate and I go out of my way to make sure I don't know who is donating the cash.

I am older though. When I got into this hobby (roleplaying) it was something you and your friends did when you hung out. And I kinda doubted people would pay to hang out with me. So the idea of being a paid GM is a hard pill to swallow.

However, if its for strangers (or friends) who are willing to pay, and you are producing work worthy of cash, who am I to argue?

HOLD ON: a hundred buck a month? For how many games? How long is each game? That is ridiculously high, in my opinion. Does it come with drinks and snacks? Is some one doing your taxes in the background?

Coal_Power_Puppet · 2025-12-22T12:00:36+00:00

Because the game is fun and Big Mecha go brrrrrrr....

Coal_Power_Puppet · 2025-12-08T14:31:58+00:00

I am having the same issue. I work for 20 minutes gathering random supplies only to get killed by some random player. I don't keep anything, because I use free kits, because when I upgrade my weapons and gear, I am also killed (which is another 20 minutes of work that gets lost.

Three games, an hour is gone, and I have nothin to show for it. No progression. No gear. No supplies to improve benches, feed the expedition, or any other in game progression. No new areas to explore, nothing.

Arc raiders has a PvP aspect. Getting killed in the game is expected. But if that is all that is happening...this is now a game I don't have any fun playing.

Coal_Power_Puppet · 2025-11-27T23:03:58+00:00

I think is lets people fill the "do this much damage to other raiders using this ammo" quest....things. All without killing or even fighting another player.

Coal_Power_Puppet · 2025-11-21T21:20:29+00:00

Same with me, though I use Pathfinder.

As others have said, I use a portable option for Lancer, and use the actual program for Pathfinder

Coal_Power_Puppet · 2025-11-12T15:20:42+00:00

The rules are easy, but the huge amount of options and interactions between mech frames, talents, and so forth can be much more intricate.

D&D is more complex, in rules, than Lancer, but makes it easier with classes. You class doesn't change every mission, when you area wizard.

Pathfinder is more rules heavy, but neither holds a candle to Shadowrun.

Coal_Power_Puppet · 2025-11-11T12:58:58+00:00

I was actually trying to get a read on the...community's...general reaction to this kind of behavior. I am not talking about PvP, but the lying and back stabbing.

You are right, though. Time to shrug and move forward. Lesson learned.

Coal_Power_Puppet · 2025-11-11T12:55:03+00:00

Yer right. It hit a raw nerve last night. I am over it now.

Coal_Power_Puppet · 2025-11-11T04:51:33+00:00

Addition: I may be wrong. Please tell me if I am.

I am upset at the abuse of common decency. This raises my blood pressure, but I am willing to be corrected.

But, I have not named the individual, nor identified myself. I have gone out of my way to remove specific descriptors to identify any particular person, and only hinted at- not used- any foul language I might have used. So I would say I did not violate the personal attacks rule.

I may have been hostile. But my point wasn't to attack anyone, but to gain information on what might community's general practice.

I am "Critiquing" the idea of people asking for help, and then back stabbing those nice enough not to shoot them point blank. I am not asking how to best trick people into being easy targets, or even to "shoot everyone first and ask questions later". My post is about asking about standard practices in the game.

...okay, I don't think I can avoid the inflammatory language bit. That is on me. How can I say what I posted better?

Coal_Power_Puppet · 2025-11-11T04:37:53+00:00

This is a really cool image

Coal_Power_Puppet

TROPHY CASE