Field Guide to Mfecane (Part 1 and 2)

[teal halo]

hashtag slang gang

[minor fox]

SEE, I know what this MEANS, but now I have a mental image of a group of lancers called the #SlangGang who's entire ethos is to keep pre-fall cradle slang (I.E. our slang today) alive by any means necessary going all the way back to the 80s

[winged pendant]

updated amadolzi visuals, leaning more into its terraformer origins.

[silk rain]

Like it

[stark haven]

we love to build and destory

amaDlozi second best mech

[minor fox]

gasp shaka over here having a favorite child XD.

[stark haven]

he he, alwasy ||IBUTHO FOR LIFE!!!1||

[slim kiln]

Big and and massive

[spark pike]

Eternal Dozer

[ruby atlas]

oh i love that yellow so much

[dark hinge]

Praise Shaka!!

[stark haven]

Lol you should read the draft for part 2, Mokha

[dark hinge]

You know it

[ruby atlas]

Reading through this stuff again and it's all so cool

I currently find myself a little enamored with the saga and clock stuff
Its real simple but real cool

And looking at the cool art of the mech :0

[stark haven]

yeah, i'm workshoping it!

gald you think it's simple, cus i thought it was overly complex in terms of a GM preping for it

[ruby atlas]

I mean, it might have some more work in some ways, but in other ways i don't think it will be

Its v crunchy

But like, not

It balances out, i think?

I've been thinking about running a game that takes place at mecha and other galactic scale inventions Worlds Fair, sorta deal, and it would have mech tournaments and stuff

And i think this works real well for that?

[stark haven]

oh neat, yeah- i fyou end up running it i would be very intrested to see how it fares for you. i've run it 2 different times kinda half thought out and it worked well- but after running it as written i found it to be hefty and unfamilier.

this was the first time i ran it- and ran it one more time afterwards https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JH8E2_YMLZU&list=PLndJNgiIUqyL-alK98W2s2BPLPRPE86Rk&index=10 for the same campaign

[ruby atlas]

I wouldn't mind seeing a rewrite and rewording to it!! There are a few parts i had to read a few times over

I'm just very fond of the core concept of it itself

[stark haven]

bet, i should find the time to get back into it- in addtion to getting some playtesters to hop on it.

[rugged rune]

I'm a bit confused about the Shaka-Class NHP core power on the Ibutho (and by extension, the Grootslangs core power as well)

Since you activate it as a protocol, and it doesn't have a "For the rest of the scene" clause, wouldn't it only be something that works for exactly one round? If so it seems kind of underwhelming.

[agile sand]

sounds like an oversight in the wording if anything, because I've seen the Ibutho CP in action and it's intended to last the whole scene

[rugged rune]

That would make more sense

[stark haven]

Yep it last for the scene

Error in the wording

[silk rain]

Oh

Were the Walan’s changed? No more burn?

[stark haven]

Yeah on their melee but they deal burn when they exposed and adjacent to characters so that flavor still stands on deal brun to ppl they “touch”

[silk rain]

👌

[proven mortar]

hi, me and my players are interested, but since part 1 was released 2021 i'm worried if there's any unintended interaction with the stuff massif has released since

i mean, is there anything i should look out for?

i'm not very confident in my judgment of what is a combo that is too strong, and i understand that part 1 was made keeping in mind the official stuff released at the time

so i'm not confident in my ability to identify if there is anything that has been released since that could cause issue if combined with field guide to mfecane

[lavish moth]

You'll want to watch out for the Empakaai (this is a joke, Shaka made it as well).

[proven mortar]

well, the npcs are definitely watching out for the Termo-Unguis

[delicate gulch]

Part 1 mechs still play nice with released first party content including talents and mechs - if you're only running Mfecane as your third party selection you won't have issues

[stark haven]

Yeah I’d say the same- if ur just running Mfecane you’ll be fine. One unique thing is Cehtswayo’s l1 Bend the Knee tech invade may be powerful on a Chomolungma but not game braking. Other than that I can’t think of anything that would break the game.

[proven mortar]

maybe i should enforce something like "bend the knee's heat clearing only works once when you pop chomo's core power"?

though, to be honest, clearing heat doesn't seem like that big of a deal and might be good to just allow it

idk

thanks for the awnsers!

[stark haven]

Nah I don’t think that’s necessary just wanted to note that it’s the only tech invade that can clear heat in the game if included, and in the Chomolungma it could feel strong- but not something u couldn’t compensate for on the opfor side

[stark haven]

Buthaka update here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wSjwVF0r1clKSZXlQqlb-VFmLjswtj_LdwD_1iG2D2E/edit?usp=sharing

[stark haven]

@tawny wren to use and abuse at ur leisure. added in the Starcraft like loadout. Lmk how it goes if you test them.

[silk rain]

I’ll check this out

The NPC’s are usually solid choices and fun to use

[stark haven]

Oh bet yeah lmk how it goes

[sturdy topaz]

Good afternoon. I tried asking in mech hanger, but what is your opinion on CETSHWAYO and what talents & licenses work while with it.

[stark haven]

Yo, hmmm the Cet is good with Monarch, Sherman and Genghis. Sherman and Genghis for their L1 and L2 systems. Monarch just cus it has launchers.

for Talents you really wanna pick up Walking Armory- it's goat'ed with Hellfire rounds ont the Inkemba.

[sturdy topaz]

Thank you for the advice. I tried asking mech hanger and they said to ask in this forum

[stark haven]

Yeah that makes sense, I’ll answer any questions u have

Happy to

[dark hinge]

Cetshwayo likes Harrison armory mechs for their heat cap. It can combo with the displacer from Napoleon and inflict 10 heat on hit using its mod

[stark haven]

that's a cursed combo

[sturdy topaz]

👀

[meager comet]

Heywa i'm just droping to say that one of my player lovet the evershaka out of the grootslang .. that's for that !

[fast trench]

For ubuntu 3, specifically Leopard's attack, if it's done on an AoE, does it apply to all attack rolls in that AoE, or just the first attack roll?

[stark haven]

Yeah the whole attack, good question. To better clarify the text revision will be revised to attack action. Which will also include barrage.

[fast trench]

Thanks!

[hollow mist]

not sure if this has been noted already (or is a problem on my part?), but it looks like the MFC logo the LCP refers to for comp/con isn't working anymore

[stark haven]

Yeah I think something in comp/con must of updated- thanks for the reminder change

[spark pike]

What does the link reference? If its a discord link those have been rotting

[hollow mist]

I think it's a discord link, yea

[stark haven]

Yeah I need to make it a google photos link lol

[stark haven]

got some concept art cooking, Nagura got skills

[delicate gulch]

Part 2 keeps on winning

[stark haven]

More Mfecane part 2 art for that ass

[keen plank]

Reading through the Field Guide to Mfecane content, really liking it so far (esp the NPCs, my players are gonna hate the Nkala) but I'm slightly confused by the Isitwalanagcengce and specifically the Meta folded armor. Is there some kind of drawback to activating it that I'm missing if it gets exposed but also resistance to damage? Is it meant to incentivize players to inflict Impaired on it? Or am I misreading the activation conditions and it's intended to only be activated every other turn (I.e, the window to activate closes before the previous turn’s Exposed clears)? Or am I not missing anything and it is just like a straight up buff it gets each turn?

[warm ledge]

Anything that ignores resistance will hit twice as hard

So shred, paracausal, etc

Assuming I read this right

[keen plank]

Ok ok neat

[stark haven]

just saw this, yes. the incentive is the impair. very similar to Berzerker class.

the pair is done

[nova anvil]

Heya I'm kinda new to the Lancer homebrew scene and gotten the Field Guide and wanted to make a elephant snake build

And was told to go to a different forum from the main thing so I get a better idea of what to do

[stark haven]

yo @nova anvil yeah what Qs you got?

My fav Slang is one that has a fun Hweapon on the heavy mount. something your friends want to shoot alot- and that you can add Abolish the Colonisers on.

the GMS Morter is a good option.

Dkid also made a video way back when if ur curious. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqMeB7cy_FI&t=177s

[nova anvil]

Oh?

And ik

[stark haven]

yeah, Abolish is really fun on long range heavies. it cuts the dmg in half to the targets hit but deals auto 3dmg to 3 other characters in range.

it's a strong mod

A Slang i've been thinking of

[ LICENSES ]
  MFC GROOTSLANG 3, SSC Death’s Head 3
[ CORE BONUSES ]
  Auto-Stabilizing Hardpoints, Improved Armament
[ TALENTS ]
  Crack Shot 3, Grease Monkey 3, Heavy Gunner 3
[ STATS ]
  HULL:2 AGI:2 SYS:0 ENGI:4
  STRUCTURE:4 HP:15 ARMOR:3
  STRESS:4 HEATCAP:10 REPAIR:5
  TECH ATK:0 LIMITED:+2
  SPD:4 EVA:8 EDEF:8 SENSE:15 SAVE:13
[ WEAPONS ]
  FLEX MOUNT: Vulture DMR
  HEAVY MOUNT: Howitzer (MFECANE'S RETRIBUTION: ABOLISH THE COLONIZERS)
  FLEX MOUNT: Vulture DMR
[ SYSTEMS ]
  REACTIONARY REPOSTION THRUSTERS x5, GLITCH PULSE WAVE, Tracking Bug, SELF GUIDING COMBAT SHIELDING, Kinetic Compensator```

[nova anvil]

Tbh that looks kinda good

Here's what mine looks like

[ LICENSES ]
  MFC GROOTSLANG 3, IPS-N Drake 1, HA Genghis 2
[ CORE BONUSES ]
  Auto-Stabilizing Hardpoints, Improved Armament
[ TALENTS ]
  Siege Specialist 3, House Guard 2, Nuclear Cavalier 2, Skirmisher 2
[ STATS ]
  HULL:2 AGI:2 SYS:0 ENGI:4
  STRUCTURE:4 HP:17 ARMOR:3
  STRESS:4 HEATCAP:10 REPAIR:5
  TECH ATK:0 LIMITED:+2
  SPD:4 EVA:8 EDEF:8 SENSE:15 SAVE:13
[ WEAPONS ]
  FLEX MOUNT: Assault Cannon
  HEAVY MOUNT: MFECANE'S HAND: A WEAPON MADE TO CONQUER // Auto-Stabilizing Hardpoints
  FLEX MOUNT: Assault Cannon
[ SYSTEMS ]
  MFECANE'S STAMINA: CONTINUE TILL THEY BREAK x3, Armament Redundancy, Auto-Cooler, Personalizations, Explosive Vents```

[stark haven]

that's a dope one, i like the Assualt Cannons and high HC to boot. Stamina really benefits when you have others on ur team with loading weapons tho

[ruby atlas]

https://x.com/PirateGonzalez/status/1836042748572418197

Tim Gonzalez | BEACON RPG (@PirateGonzalez) on X

Realized that I just don't get around to reading pdfs anymore, so I printed out some lancer pdfs for personal use so I can actually finish them!

Twitter · Sep 17, 2024, 2:01 PM

[tropic token]

maybe i dont have the latest lcp but does the zulu shotgun exotic item have no cap for the heat you can put into into for the extra burn damage?

[dusk delta]

I had no idea Mfecane was getting a part two. I am over the moon.

[stark haven]

Oh yep, it’s only limited by the fact that u can’t take more heat than your heat cap. That’s how it’s supposed to work. Rn it’s written as u can stress yourself when using it.

[stark haven]

Yes, it’s taking a bit but it’s deff getting a part two.

[ruby atlas]

Take your time! I know you're also working on your card based game

[raw quail]

Sorry for the ping if you're busy, but could I get a link to the westmarch server you mentioned on byom if it still exists?

[stark haven]

Oh, Ukuwa? Yeah I don’t much run west march style games there anymore. I’m mostly doing playtesting my new game Mechanized Body.

[agile sand]

There’s a link on #1141883023399333908 iirc

[raw quail]

That sucks 😕

[raw quail]

Thanks!

[lavish moth]

I'm pretty sure someone has thought of this before, but

-- MFC CETSHWAYO @ LL6 --
[ LICENSES ]
  MFC CETSHWAYO 3, HA Napoleon 3
[ CORE BONUSES ]
  Integrated Weapon, Heatfall Coolant System
[ TALENTS ]
  Technophile 3, Nuclear Cavalier 2, Black Thumb 2, Tactician 2
[ STATS ]
  HULL:2 AGI:0 SYS:0 ENGI:6
  STRUCTURE:4 HP:15 ARMOR:0
  STRESS:4 HEATCAP:16 REPAIR:4
  TECH ATK:+1 LIMITED:+3
  SPD:6 EVA:12 EDEF:7 SENSE:15 SAVE:13
[ WEAPONS ]
  INTEGRATED WEAPON: Missile Rack
  FLEX MOUNT: Displacer (ASSAGAI OF THE KING)
  FLEX MOUNT: INKEMBA LAUNCHER
[ SYSTEMS ]
  Enlightenment-Class NHP, Personalizations, Armament Redundancy, Rapid Burst Jump Jet System

"Fuck you, take 10 heat."

[stark haven]

oh yes, the 10 Heat displacer is a vibe

[lavish moth]

Integrated Weapon instead of OpCal is for actually using the NucCav heat afterwards.

Techno Thumb is for dealing with incidental invades. If you take more serious heat, you can Overcharge and fire the Inkemba instead.

[lavish moth]

-- IPS-N Nelson @ LL6 --
[ LICENSES ]
  IPS-N Nelson 3, IPS-N Lancaster 2, HORUS Goblin 1
[ CORE BONUSES ]
  Fomorian Frame, Integrated Weapon
[ TALENTS ]
  Spotter 3, Hunter 3, House Guard 1, Lintonga 1, Duelist 1
[ STATS ]
  HULL:4 AGI:2 SYS:0 ENGI:2
  STRUCTURE:4 HP:21 ARMOR:0
  STRESS:4 HEATCAP:8 REPAIR:7
  TECH ATK:0 LIMITED:+1
  SPD:6 EVA:13 EDEF:7 SENSE:5 SAVE:13
[ WEAPONS ]
  INTEGRATED WEAPON: Power Knuckles
  FLEX MOUNT: Autopod
  MAIN/AUX MOUNT: War Pike (Thermal Charge) / Power Knuckles
[ SYSTEMS ]
  MULE Harness, Bulwark Mods, Cable Winch System, Personalizations, Armament Redundancy

You get to throw the Power Knuckles at your Autopod target, then get to throw the other one as well if you hit, for two chances to knock them prone after using BFE.

Each attack also scoots you along.

[tribal furnace]

Hello, I was pointed towards here by Zemyla. Copying this from the homebrew section.

So I know there're a couple of sources of getting multiple AI (I believe 4 is the max and you can get there at LL3 with Technophile 3, Iconoclast 1, a regular AI and Horus CB for a second Ai slot).
If something blocks you from having more than one AI installed and says something like the Ushtabi "No rule in this book or any other supersedes this." How much of a drawback is that and do you feel that gets you some extra budget?

[stark haven]

Oh NHPs yeah hmmm. Well that gets to ur purpose I guess. For me my homebrew stressed the importance of the SHAKA class NHP for story reasons recognizing it as a person and the sole patron of the ppl I write about in Mfecane. So for me no drawback would matter since narrative came first. But some mechanical drawbacks if u wanted to consider them would be locking players outta elements of the game, but more so as playstyles less so as flat upgrades. It’s not like not having a Hmount or more HP, not being able to work with another NHP in my opinion isn’t a critical/quantifiable detriment. You’d just have to have a good dang reason for it is what I’m saying, or it’ll feel obtuse. I wouldn’t look at it like it gives u budget to do extra cool stuff with ur mech/license just consider it flat detriment.

[tribal furnace]

Coolio. Thank you for the answer!

[lavish moth]

-- SSC Swallowtail @ LL6 --
[ LICENSES ]
  IPS-N Tortuga 1, IPS-N Blackbeard 1, IPS-N Nelson 2, SSC Swallowtail 2
[ CORE BONUSES ]
  Overpower Caliber, Integrated Weapon
[ TALENTS ]
  Duelist 3, Hunter 3, Skirmisher 2, Lintonga 1
[ STATS ]
  HULL:4 AGI:0 SYS:0 ENGI:4
  STRUCTURE:4 HP:19 ARMOR:0
  STRESS:4 HEATCAP:8 REPAIR:7
  TECH ATK:+1 LIMITED:+2
  SPD:6 EVA:10 EDEF:10 SENSE:20 SAVE:13
[ WEAPONS ]
  INTEGRATED WEAPON: Tactical Knife
  FLEX MOUNT: War Pike (Thermal Charge) // Overpower Caliber
  AUX/AUX MOUNT: Tactical Knife / Tactical Knife
[ SYSTEMS ]
  Siege Ram, Synthetic Muscle Netting, Bulwark Mods, Personalizations, Armament Redundancy

[tribal furnace]

???

[lavish moth]

Lintonga gets a free lockon when you boost. Swallowtail makes lockons shred. Then you just get as many attacks as possible.

You just lock on if you're already in melee.

[ionic trench]

@stark haven Do you happen to still have the SVG file for the Mfecane crest? I'm making some assets for a tabletop simulator thing I'm doing.

[stark haven]

I do! I think try messaging @winged pendant too!

[winged pendant]

lemme gaze into my orb (old files)

@ionic trench @stark haven behold

[ionic trench]

YAYYY THANK YOU

[primal reef]

Hey so is there any particular reason for why the MFECANE is allied with the Aun?

[haughty fox]

I imagine there's a bit of an element of them both being partially outsiders to Union.

[primal reef]

Aren't the Aun like, explicitly imperialists tho

[haughty fox]

That's a bit of a matter of perspective. The Boundary Garden situation is kinda complicated and 'who fired the first shot' is very much up for debate.

Yes, the Aun blew up a blink gate.

But Union built the blink gate, knowing it was right next to Aunic worlds.

A blink gate isn't exactly a purely civilian structure.

It's the entire Union navy a moment away.

And also notably...Union has also Committed Genocide on the Aunic people.

It's just taking a while to stick.

This isn't to say that Aun doesn't have imperialist aspects but until the current conflict, Union and the Aunic people's relationship was relatively cold but not hostile. They had diplomats and traders aplenty.

And the Aun have some pretty legitimate arguments that they're the defender in this war, if not arguments union would agree with.

[primal reef]

I'm sorry, how does that happen again?

[primal reef]

It's also the only means of ftl in this world

[haughty fox]

Piston 1. The executioner's blade of Seccom is falling at nearlight speed for Aun, it's just got to travel light years to get there.

[primal reef]

Sort of like blowing up a bridge unprovoked because ""soldiers could use it""

[primal reef]

This in the FG?

[haughty fox]

Piston 1 is corebook.

2880u: Diplomatic friction between the Aunic peoples and Union colonies in Boundary Garden leads to the First Distal War. Hardline Anthrochauvinist elements in Union launch PISTON-1 – a mass “shotgun”-style kinetic strike – toward Aunic space. The First Committee is dissolved, replaced by the Second Committee (SecComm)

[haughty fox]

I mean, I'm not sure that's really comparable unless a bridge can materialize an entire military at once without warning. It's more like 'We pointed a cannon at you but we promise we only plan to use it to deliver packages'.

[primal reef]

So blinkgates connect to every other blknkgate?

[haughty fox]

Blinkgates connect to all other blink gates on their line. Earth's navy could get to the Aunic blink gate real damn fast.

[primal reef]

Got it got it

Soz its just hard to find stuff abt the blink for some reason

Especially details

[haughty fox]

But yeah, to get a bit more on topic - I can't say myself why Mfecane and the Aun get along but if I had to guess it's due to both of them being around Union but not 100% of Union. Union is the big dog around and people need to work around that.

[hollow mist]

I might be misremembering, but isn't the piston 1 strike long overdue and basically thought of as having gone missing (possibly due to metat aun's intervention)?

(... sorry to get off topic again with that question)

[chrome siren]

they still Tried To Do It, though we don't know if the Aun ended up being aware of this

[haughty fox]

I imagine they did if for no other reason than they had diplomatic relations with union and piston 1 was the firstcomm to seccom flashpoint.

It's likely not history that's super hard to find out if you go looking.

[stark haven]

Mainly because I felt that the wrongs against them by Union weren’t - Mfecane’s to own, and another reason is their dominion over the Maluti(atlas) line.

Since it was Union who went all defcon on the Aun, not Mfecane- Mfecane has tried straddle a place of we can work with you as long as we can work with you sorta way. Also because Mfecane claims dominance over the Maluti line it’s bound to see an incursion from the Aun- and what they chose to do about it, was to see how well non-hostile action could carry them into good relations. Though this leads to situations like Kal Tur’s Golden Eye, where Mfecane’s neutrality is out to test both external (union) and internal (SHAKA)

[lavish moth]

Why does Assagai of the King not work on CQB weapons? I get why it wouldn't work with melee, but this seems random.

[stark haven]

oh I’m pretty sure i just didn’t want it to be applicable to situations I didn’t plan for- essentially it was a lot of work to cross check the cqb weapons too.

[signal garden]

hi, i do not know if its the right place to asks but i create 3d models for lancer and sometime people asks me for frame that i dont know .. so here i am; somone asks me if i can do a Grootslang. And ..well .. for 3rd party content i always asks the author first, will you agree for me to create a 3d model based on arts shown? (the thing is; i sell my models, so i understand when people are not ok or if there are intellectual properties issues)

[stoic wyvern]

I think you should @ the creator

[signal garden]

Thanks for the advice

I'll do that

[stark haven]

Yo, as long as you include a credits excerpt and a link to the itch.io page in a visible way in your listing, I’m cool with it.

[signal garden]

Cool, of course giving crédit sound like a baseline

[signal garden]

still lot of work to finish but it start to look like a serpentine mech

[stark haven]

That’s truly impressive

[signal garden]

More work than i expect in the end, lots off tiny process to make it "easy to print" but its finaly finished (well i think i'll enjoy the paint :))

@stark haven, i also published my file, https://www.myminifactory.com/object/3d-print-lancer-mfecane-grootslang-732543 and if you have something to add let me know.