StartPlaying logo
Elite Mecha Academy~ Make the Grades, Save the Day! | Learn2Play

Elite Mecha Academy~ Make the Grades, Save the Day! | Learn2Play

Lancer | Campaign

About the adventure

Few are so privileged as to attend the prestigious colleges that train future war heroes, noble leaders and staunch pillars of the empire. You are one of those few. Not everyone attending the college comes from the same circumstance, but luckily for you, your skills have earned you a prized sponsor. It is up to your skill to win the day, or so they claim. There are other students from all walks of life, ignoble as well as royalty, vying to show their worth. Although you can't help but feel as if some are less vying, and more flaunting a predetermined victory. However, when you and your friends from the academy are flung into a net of betrayal and deceit, will you have the courage and intelligence to best those who would cast your down? Heed the lessons you are taught here, for they are the first steps on the path towards true greatness. Lancer is a mech combat game set in a far future where humanity has spread across the stars. Often described as a "Mud & Lasers" game, Lancer evokes the style of media such as the Front Mission and Armored Core series of games, Foundation by Issac Asimov, as well as animes like Gundamn, Gurren Lagann, and Macross.

Game style

Combat Heavy

“Combat Heavy” games emphasize the combat mechanics within their systems over roleplay or puzzle solving. There are frequent and longer battles with enemies and a greater emphasis on tactical game play.

Roleplay Heavy

“Roleplay Heavy” games place the focus on the story, the characters, and the world they live within, and tend to lean hard into the various roleplaying elements of the game. These games will frequently find the party talking with NPCs, exploring the personal elements of their backstories, or even having emotional moments around the camp fire.

Rule of Cool (RoC)

“Rule of Cool” emphasizes creative story beats over sticking to a system’s rules as written. Players have the ability to push the limits of the rules or even break core rule mechanics at times if the Game Master thinks it is interesting, fun, or cool enough.

Theater of the Mind

“Theater of the Mind” uses little to no visuals for scene settings and combat. Instead, the narrative imagery comes from the Game Master’s descriptions and character action and movement comes from Players’ descriptions.

Recruiting notes

Join the latest module for LANCER, and make your way in the most prestigious academy known to humanity. ~ New players welcome! ~ Current Roster: Your idea for a pilot here!

5.0

(32)

Artist
Game Designer

1 year on StartPlaying

446 games hosted

Highly rated for: Creativity, Knows the Rules, Teacher

Average response time: 1 hour

Response rate: 100%

Game Master Reviews (32)

Proficiencies

Players say this GM is great at:

Creativity

Knows the Rules

Teacher

Kvothe avatar

Kvothe

New review

Played 1 sessions

That was a lot of fun :)

Rob avatar

Rob

Travis is a great GM, with a fun sense of character, a great handle on the setting and rules, and is open to player input. I've really enjoyed my game with him so far, and look forward to playing more!

Micah Gearhart avatar

Micah Gearhart

Played 3 sessions

Didn't have the fortune to play with Travis long as members of my party had issues and had to bail. Travis did a great job of setting the scene and getting me familiar with Lancer for the first time. His foundry setup is superb and makes playing your way through a turn intuitive and easy.

Andrew avatar

Andrew

Played 1 sessions

Super accomodating and rolls with anything you throw his way!

WOOD avatar

WOOD

Played 32 sessions

Travis has been great so far. The way he tells the story has been intriguing and has allowed us as the players to shape it has been amazing. I know when I get ready to play a session of the story I will always have a blast. He has also helped me so much on and off session responding to questions I might have and helping me understand everything so much more. I am so grateful to have him as my GM. I wish I could select more tags just to highlight how great he is.

ACE (Qgshooter) avatar

ACE (Qgshooter)

Played 4 sessions

Amazing GM! Really Made it easy for me someone who's never played Lancer to understand the rules And great visual aid !!!

Additional details

How to prepare

To participate in the chat on Discord, you'll need a mic. Webcams aren't necessary, but they can help improve communication. Discord accounts are free and you should install the software before the game. I'll provide a link to my personal Discord server for the game. Foundry will be hosted by me, and once you've joined the game we can set up a pre-session to iron out any potential technical set up such as connecting to Foundry. You don't need to know the rules beforehand. Lancer includes a complex system of statuses during combats and a narrative side that is easy to play with out any difficulty. I'll teach you the rules as we play, and I'll help you translate your intentions into the rules where necessary. Your only concern should be enjoying the game and bringing your character to life. You can use physical dice if you have a favorite set, and Foundry character sheets will include steps to help automated dice rolling.

What I provide

I'll provide the voice server via Discord and the Foundry VTT campaign link. Foundry has full pilot and mech character sheets, tokens, and maps to set the stage for the game. While most of the game between combats will be Theater of the Mind, we'll use Foundry to set the ambiance and for interactive and complex battles. I have a great command of the system and love helping players get into a new game. I also enjoy helping people find their voice or style or roleplaying, and creating a comfortable environment we can explore together. Open-ended games like this require adaptability and on-the-fly adjustments, and together with the players I look forward to exploring the collaborative world we create. Expect cinematic styling, off screen reveals and an immersive story built around the PCs.

Gameplay details

Paraphrased from the Lancer website: "Lancer believes in a future where a better world is possible, has been achieved, and is expanding. Our house style is: earnest, smart, aware of power and the dynamics between the oppressed and their oppressors, and with an aim towards clarity. Lancer is soft science fantasy that wears hard science fiction's suits. Lancer thinks things can and should be better, and isn't afraid to write stories exploring what that looks like. Cruel and evil events can happen, but they shouldn't be celebrated — they should be stopped. You're playing as Lancers — the cavalry. Tell stories in settings and situations that call for some big damn heroes to get in there and help the right people; even if they don't save the galaxy, liberating a city is good work enough." This game will deal with issues of war, classism and PTSD. While the history of the world may have tragic moments, throughout the game, the PCs, as Lancers, stand for a future which is brighter and rejects such evils. Lines & Veils will help us handle sensitive content and agree upon which subjects are off limits. The comfort of the table is a key priority in any game, and while this game will likely deal with topics not noted in the content warning section, every effort will be made to ensure player safety. This game will feature a heavy amount of Roleplay; That doesn't mean you must do character voices, or even speak in character if you find that difficult, but it does mean being invested in your character and their experience. Who are they? What would they do in this situation, might it be a bad choice, but the choice they'd make? How does whats unfolding around them shape their life, and where will they end up by trying to react to these happenings? It doesn't mean we need to know in advance these answers, rather much we'll be Playing to Find Out, and along the way guiding the story of these young heroes. Sharing the Spotlight and juggling the action, as well as the beats of the story, primarily fall in my responsibilities, but feel free to suggest alterations to scenes or exciting ideas. As long as we share the table respectfully and don't talk other each other, we're all taking on all the roles of director, actor and audience collectively in this game. And who knows what is fun to watch better than an audience themselves? Game will be held on Discord (Mic required, webcam optional but encouraged), with player aids, handouts and characters sheets on Foundry. The game will feature a mix of Theater of the Mind and Battle map scenarios. Lines & Veils handled with handout on Discord & Foundry, and Breaks will be 5-10 minutes at the top of the hour unless everyone is too caught up in the game (or we prefer a single break in the middle). Stepping away for any reason is also completely fine, but if able please check in if it's a slight pause the table can wait for or if you prefer not to interrupt the flow of the game. Post game debrief will occur wrapping up the session, but feel free to use StartPlaying to message any additional thoughts that occur later before the next game. Stars and Wishes can be discussed before stepping away as well, but will also have a Discord channel for the game so there is no stress to think of all the cool things you'd like to see immediately.

Content warnings

• Character Death

• Violence

• Classism

• Drugs (addiction, use, withdrawal)

• Terrorism

• PTSD

Safety tools used

Lines and Veils

Open Door

Session 0

Stars and Wishes

X, N, and O Cards

How will character creation work

This game of Lancer will be short campaign set up to continue into further story lines if the players are interested. Characters will be created at LL0, and can be made independently or with my help. Pre-made pilots will also be available for those new to the game. Mecha in Lancer are a huge part of the customization for players, especially in regards to combat styles. For anyone new, pre-made options will be available to experience the game without need to dive into the wealth of options available. For more inspired players, I will be open to review any mech options and discussion of builds once you join the game's discord.

Players can expect

Combat / Tactics

High

Roleplay

High

Puzzles

Low

Experience level

Open to all

Platforms used

Discord

Foundry VTT

1 SEAT LEFT
$25.00

/ Session

Each player will be charged when a session starts.

Details

Weekly / Monday - 2:00 PM UTC

3-3.5 Hour duration

4 / 5 Seats filled

Schedule

Requirements

Experience required: Open to all

Age: 18+