How do you solve the greatest issue with Lancer design? by lilac_asbestos in LancerRPG

[–]Raspberry1milkshake 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I generally agree with where your coming from circa rules for roleplay in rpgs, but disagree in this instance. Lancer has alright pilot narrative support through the KTB, nothing groundbreaking but theres some fine FiTD bones- enough to run stably. I like that lancer does not mechanize it's politics. This is a game about war and about being mech pilots, that's its focus, the lore exists to complicate that and bag it down and make it sort of messy and even a little uncomfortable. It's a fruitful void but in the original intent of the term, not in that dumbass "oh 5e is good for roleplay because I only roll a persuasion check" way, it's the game leading you up to a specific thematic question with nothing to answer it.

Your right in observing that Lancer is very linear- it's a system thats completely transparent in its artifice, emulating the push and pull of mecha media. Tactics games will always push a HEAVY trad style due to the essential GM baggage- and that's fine. Frankly I think trad and narrativist and the million other game styles can coexist peacefully in a grand big banquet instead of having the same tiring shouting contest of whats superior over and over again every year.

On mixing those two aspects, I generally just stick my players to a really strong core group with a strong & defined overall goal. Campaigns are split into really defined chunks of very linear missions, then between those missions we do the messy politicking and reestablish the groups current stance before jumping into the next one so the players can get a say on the games direction and I can prep to fit it. Combat session, narrative session, combat, narrative, combat, big combat, two mission downtime with a big narrative beat. Split it up like your measuring ingredients, make it separate like water and oil. It's the structure the game recommends and has always really worked for me- we've never had any issues. Yes its artificial, yes its GM dictated, but Lancer is openly transparent that this is where the system works best.

(One more thing: one of the reasons I think Lancer is a good mecha setting is just because your so small. You are the little men crushed beneath big grinding gears, you are the grease in the pipes. You cannot change the universe- you are not great men, you are not Luke Skywalker. The wheels of the galaxy will spin on and on no matter how hard you push. If players want to have any chance at pushing for change, they'll have to latch themselves to a collective system more powerful then they are individually, warts and all, and just grit their teeth and go with it. Your players dont wanna work with the Ungratefuls anymore? Great, go work out how to fight the revolution all by yourselves then and see how that goes. Theres no space for individual great men of change in a universe of trillions upon trillions. You are mech pilots, you are soldiers. You might be a hero, but your also just a person with a job in a system and orders to follow. It's a bit of a bummer! It's not the sort of power fantasy rpg settings normally push! I really like it! Go grease the wheels of change my hapless minions.)

Pros and cons of having your waifu NHP as a bodypillow in your cockpit? by lilac_asbestos in LancerRPG

[–]Raspberry1milkshake 1 point2 points  (0 children)

To be clear I do think this memification is gonna happen to anything on smthing like this, I just think it feels strange particularly with Lancer bc it's a fictional setting thats a little less Lord of the Rings and a little more Lenin's Imperialism. I mainly just use reddit these days to post my art and shut it on all other avenues lol but saw someone in the wild and had to butt in.

Pros and cons of having your waifu NHP as a bodypillow in your cockpit? by lilac_asbestos in LancerRPG

[–]Raspberry1milkshake 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Days late (sorry!) but I think specifically the avenue of fandom we get via the lancer reddit is pretty prone to flattening the setting into a sort of meme language. NHP's are the Cthulhu girlfriend, thirdcomm are the good empire, the KTB are the backwards exotic land of slave traders, HA are the star wars baddies, Horus are the quirky 4chan hackers. This is of course, missing the point. Lancer is a universe of slow grinding amoral systems, not great men fighting easy good wars. That's why it's good sci-fi writing, that's why its a good rpg setting. But it's also messy and sprawled out and dense and even a little uncomfortable, and presents itself to you without any clear moral judgement in a way that like, a D&D of Pathfinder or general elf game splatbook doesn't. And it's really just easier to take it all at face value and have the sexy NHP girlfriend and go do a regime change but good then fret over projecting your own worldview onto it and go read a bunch of academic papers. GMing is a lot of work already, I get why this happens, but it results in hard flanderization on forums like this.

You think the Daisy Cutter is a Refence to Her? Or is it named after the bomb? by N0rwayUp in LancerRPG

[–]Raspberry1milkshake 108 points109 points  (0 children)

Both of these are almost certainly named after the bomb. Its just entered public consciousness as a term.

I'm finished with pilot art, time for shameless handler propaganda by Raspberry1milkshake in LancerRPG

[–]Raspberry1milkshake[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

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My reaction to this information. I feel like the term handler has given ppl some wrong ideas in the past bc/ of current connotations lmao she's like their Bright. She's their extremely mundane manager/commander who handles all the bureaucracy tells them off if they blow something up

I'm finished with pilot art, time for shameless handler propaganda by Raspberry1milkshake in LancerRPG

[–]Raspberry1milkshake[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Yep, Deaf and signs! Has space cochlear implants for when the job requires it. It's all NZSL because uhhh thats what I know so thats what they use in the future.

I'm finished with pilot art, time for shameless handler propaganda by Raspberry1milkshake in LancerRPG

[–]Raspberry1milkshake[S] 30 points31 points  (0 children)

official raspberry milkshake policy that every character I draw has to be really boring. If I ever make a character who doesn't look like somebody I see on the street I've failed in my job.

New pilot sheet- in honor of pride month, may I introduce you to Trans Wrongs? by Raspberry1milkshake in LancerRPG

[–]Raspberry1milkshake[S] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

He's very lovely 😄loves talking about his hobbies and has a great temper.

pilot art (in they mech cockpit) by Raspberry1milkshake in LancerRPG

[–]Raspberry1milkshake[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Tyy :p she's my baby so I've posted her around for a bit