fast topaz
Have you wanted to play Lancer only to end up unable to find enough players or a GM to do so? Wouldn't be nice if there was a "singleplayer" mode for Lancer? Well, after discovering a lack of any offerings as of time of writing, I decided to try my hand at creating a system for running Lancer by yourself.
The Lone Lancer, now available on your own personal tabletop!
[Early Playtesting]: Solo Lancer System
Keep in mind as of now that this system is in very early development and may have some major flaws
Current item of playtesting: Combat Cards and Activation Order
`Combat Cards and Activation Order for NPCs
So, how do we implement NPC behavior that is random enough to prevent us from having to constantly self-assess if we are doing good fighting ourselves, but that also provides a general feeling of sensible behavior? There is already an example of this kind of automatic gameplay loop in the form of the SEKHMET-Class NHP, but we need to implement auto-behavior on more than just melee strikers.
To do this, we will adapt a standard 52 card deck and assign the different cards the following behavior types:
Hearts: Interfere
Spades: Attack
Diamonds: Assist
Clubs: Reorient
Red: Quick Action
Black: Full Action
At the start of the round, shuffle the 52 card deck then pull 1 card per NPC Activation on the OpFor side, making sure to keep these cards face down. When an NPC activates, draw one card face up. The NPC must take that behavior type during that activation. If they have additional actions (i.e., overcharges or pulling a quick action card), they can select from any behavior types they have not drawn. They can also choose whether to take this drawn behavior type before or after their open behavior type.`
`Behavior Types Breakdown:
If a quick/full action falls outside of these 4 behavior types, you may assign it one for the purposes of the roll table results. If an NPC does not have available or reasonable options for the resulting table roll or would not be able to take it (i.e., rolled Interfere but cannot take any actions for it), it may either:
NPCs can take their standard move, protocols, free actions, and reactions without needing to draw additional cards. At the end of the round, any unused cards are discarded.`
For determining hostile NPC activation order, first resolve any special initiative traits such as Viper’s Speed. After doing this, any remaining NPC activate in order from highest to lowest Speed. If a singular NPC has multiple activations, they must have one of their activations before or after a character adjacent to them in the turn order (depending on where they are in it) unless there are no other NPCs in the activation.
Any feedback or testing results would be greatly appreciated as I know some folks would enjoy being able to play Lancer solo
fast topaz
[Playtesting]: Solo Lancer System
fast topaz
Update: Some more playtesting later, and the following changes have been made
fast topaz
Work is currently starting on an Oracle system for general narrative play along with consequences and encounters
fast topaz
Update: While the Oracle system is still in the works, the system is (hopefully) complete enough to enable you to play pre-written campaign modules!
fast topaz
So... I ended up not being able to come up with a comprehensive resource for solo play.
That said I am working on a "recommended resources and inspiration" section to help provide help for freeform campaigns
If anyone has any good solo RPGs or resources for them, don't be afraid to share!
fast topaz
Alright, and with that... it should be mostly good to go 🤞
fast topaz
[Early Release]: Solo Lancer System
livid flame
Alright, and with that... it should be mostly good to go 🤞
Good morning, I'm interested in trying this, any recommendation you can make?
fast topaz
In terms of helping tools/notes, The Solo Tabletop Oracle and Solo RPG Game's Resource list (more specifically stuff in the Guides section)
Included a link to both in the Recommended Resources, Guides, and Inspiration section of the Solo Lancer doc
fast topaz
So, got a little demonstration narrative done to tryshowing what can be done with the Solo Guide
*The story begins with two members of IPS-N’s Trunk Security, Veliera Briggs and Herikov Sovac, being dispatched to investigate reports of a small-time pirate group raiding periphery settlements on Torus-3. A sparsely populated asteroid/station close to the Rào Cỏ Station - the blinkstation furthest from the Galactic Core and closest to the Long Rim - Torus-3 provides key refueling and repair services to those passing through the Long Rim. If captured or destroyed, it could delay or even prevent an upcoming IPS-N covert-operation to disrupt Harrison Armory’s war in the Dawnline Shore.
At this point, I decided to ask a few questions to try setting the stage.
Any other factions on the PC side besides Trunk Security?
(Used card pull on the General Narrative Table - Yes/No Question)
Result: Red Diamond Jack [No, but…]
Personal Interpretation: No other IPS-N combat assets are willing to provide assistance though the area does have local mercenaries and personnel that may be willing to help.
What is the name of the pirate group?
(Used the Pirate Band Name table from Lancer - The Long Rim)
Result: 13 and 7 [Red Solutions Unlimited]
Personal Interpretation: A professional “private security firm”, RSU offers stations protection from internal and external security threats. In reality, most people know they are pirates running a racketeering scheme though few say anything knowing the consequences of wronging them.
What are the pirate’s motives?
(Used a d100 dice roll on The Solo Tabletop Oracle - Intent columns)
Intent roll result: 46 [Fortify]
Personal Interpretation: By seizing the asteroid, RSU plans to secure their holdings within the Long Rim by having a forward base that can alert them to Trunk Security, Albatross, and other organizations who would seek to dismantle their operation. Of course for their “professional image”, they are framing the situation as the asteroid’s residents violently resistant an attempt at collecting collateral for several missed payments.*
The duo arrives at the asteroid base to find it in a tense state. Guards and automated defenses seem to be on edge while workers and residents appear to be waiting on something. Initial murmurs from some folk there have them thinking the two PCs are pirates though those rumors are quickly squashed upon seeing their IPS-N mechs. Herikov decided to try doing a narrative roll to Read the Situation at 1d20+2, with it being a (Card A) Risky roll with the consequence of Time. With a narrative roll of 14, he can tell the people on Torus-3 are afraid of an imminent attack from pirates whose strength matches or is greater than the asteroid’s security forces can handle. However, the time Herikov spent deducing this was around 5-10 minutes rather than a few seconds. During this time, Veliera decides to visit a small pub in order to do a Word on the Street roll to figure out what the pirates want, having to roll a 1d20+2+1d6 due to her Mercenary background against a (Card B) Difficult (cancels out background accuracy) roll with the consequence of Harm. An end result of 13 lets her overhear some gossip about “Red Solutions Unlimited pretending to collect debts”, though as she leaves, (Dice A) she sees the leader of the local defensive forces, Sgt. Toriska Nova urgently moving through town. She informs Herikov of this and the information she got, letting Herikov try a Get Somewhere Quickly roll at a flat 1d20, with it being a (Card C) Risky roll with the consequence of Harm. At an end result of 13, he ends up being so caught up in all the information his squadmate is sending him that he ends up running facefirst into a building side (-2 HP; would be 2 Stress if KTB Bonds), though he recovers from his blunder quickly enough quickly enough to let him catch up with Toriska. He quickly informs the Sgt. that he and Veliera are part of Trunk Security and were dispatched to deal with the pirates, the Sgt. being relieved to hear.
*Veliera catches up and together, the Sgt. briefs them on the situation. He informs the duo that the local pirate group, Red Solutions Unlimited, had been haggling the asteroid for protection fees despite his warnings and he has contacts telling him they plan to try seizing it to secure their own position, likely as a forward operating base to monitor any traffic through the Long Rim. In addition, while his security forces and the asteroid’s defenses can protect against most attacks, he cannot cover every angle of attack and in particular, *the starboard ship docking ports are currently vulnerable. Herikov and Veliera are given friendly IFF readings and are dispatched to the breach, though on the way back to their mechs, alarms ring and a broadcast informs the asteroid’s members that they are under attack by the RSU. The two encountering a group of panicked workers refusing to cooperate with the order to shelter in place, some mining drone pilots trying to hijack the duo’s mechs to try having some way to defend themselves. Velira uses a Threaten roll of 1d20+2+2d6kh1 due to both her Mercenary background and Herikov providing assistance to try scaring the mining drone pilots out of their mechs and the citizens to obey the order, ending up with a (Card D) Normal roll with the consequence of Effect. An astounding result of 26 gets the drones pilots to immediately stop along with getting everyone to quickly obey the order, giving the duo precious time to reach the vulnerable area before an RSU squad arrives.
Thoughts on this as a demonstration?
fast topaz
So I ended up running a combat and it... did not turn out how I expected. Caliban managed to kill a Scourer and Hornet, and the Kidd nearly destroyed a Pyro but was just 1 HP short of killing it while grappled
NPCs ended up winning via Sitrep which was admittedly my own fault for having 3 NPCs per round on the board vs 2 PCs for the majority of the fight on a Control sitrep
*Unable to secure the landing zone, the RSU are able to successfully land their forces in the vulnerable docking port area, with several additional squads joining to reinforce the area. The Caliban can only watch as her companion is dragged away by the pirates, forced to fall back to avoid being captured like him. The asteroid’s security team is able to repel the RSU invasion thanks to Trunk Security’s valiant efforts, but suffers heavy losses in the process. The battle is won, but there is no celebration.
//TRASCRIPT: TS.A2 [UIB:::BATTLE_TORUS_3]
//BEGIN:::
//OVERSEER: Fenrir, status report.
//FENRIR: Asteroid attacked by pirates called Red Solutions Unlimited, wanted the station to bolster their own holdings.
//FENRIR: We fought them off, but they were far tougher than expected.
//FENRIR: Lots of Torus-3 security are KIA, and Sunflower got captured.
//OVERSEER: Understood, sending reinforcement team ASAP.
//OVERSEER: Dig in and kill as many pirate bastards as you can until then.
//OVERSEER: One last thing, make sure Sunflower gets back home alive.
//FENRIR: Understood sir.
//TRANSCRIPT ENDS:::
< Example of play concluded >*
(Lesson of the day: Try to avoid having more than 2 NPC Activations per round when doing solo play with 2 PCs only and be sure to keep your Supports safe)
fast topaz
So, has anyone had any good experiences with the Solo Lancer System or noticed any issues with it?
fast topaz
Anything?
livid flame
Anything?
I haven't been able to try it yet, the final part of the university semester and prepare my own campaign It's taken me quite a while, but I'm almost out of all that, so maybe today or tomorrow I can try it.
fast topaz
Fair enough, only just got done with final exams myself
fast topaz
Working on some modifications to the sitreps to make them more solo-friendly
*Gauntlet and Holdout are relatively fine in their current state, but here are some potential modifications to the base game’s remaining sitreps:
The general idea with these is to try balancing out the overall reduced action economy by reducing the amount needed for objective play
Actually wait, I had an idea
*Gauntlet
Thoughts on these adjustments?
fast topaz
These are likely only to be used for 2 PC only combats since the game is balanced for 3-5 PCs (or equivalent to them)
fast topaz
Hoping it goes well for you
fast topaz
I’m wondering if, once I get some other things sorted out, I should make a .pdf of this instead of just a doc
That way I could publish it on itch.io
elfin briar
Definitely
fast topaz
I do want to wait until I get more feedback and changes on it first before doing so
fast topaz
Any feedback on this system from folks?
fast topaz
If none, it’s fine. I can start working on the .pdf for The Lone Lancer once I get back home from vacation
elfin briar
Just letting you know, I've just started a solo campaign of lancer solstice rain
elfin briar
If i draw an Even Card, meaning I get a Quick Action. The rules state that If the have additional actions (i.e., overcharges or pulling a quick action card), they can select from any behavior types they have not drawn. Does this mean I get to choose or do i draw another card and ensure that it is different
elfin briar
So Far I do like the system, its sort of vauge enough that I can do my own interpretations and the NPCs still behave relatively reasonable for something this random
fast topaz
If i draw an Even Card, meaning I get a Quick Action. The rules state that If th...
It means you get to choose rather than drawing another card
elfin briar
Yeah, ok i'm doing it right
fast topaz
I'll explicitly state that
The NPC must take that behavior type during that activation. If they have additional actions (i.e., overcharges or pulling a quick action card), they can select from any behavior types they have not drawn without having to draw additional cards.
Like so
elfin briar
Funny cuz Full turn Reorient usually means that the mech should stabilize when it has no reasons to do so
fast topaz
Well remember you can convert actions
With a full action Reorient, you can convert it into an full action Interfere or full action Assist
I did make it 1/round so Elites and Ultras don't get multiple conversions but 1-activation NPCs are unaffected
fast topaz
Oh, and Disengage is another Reorient option which could be more useful than Stabilize depending on the situation
fast topaz
Update: Haven't been able to get started on the official PDF, been busy with irl stuff and didn't have the energy or focus to work on this
fast topaz
Actually wait, I had an idea
For situations where solo GMs are overwhelmed with flip-flopping between 2 PCs (lot of moving parts), maybe just a PC and 1-2 NPCs?
*Alternatively, if you find 2 PCs is too difficult to manage effectively, you can use a PC and 1-2 NPCs with 2+ Structure and one activation each to support your PC. Similar to having 2 PCs, having a PC and 1-2 NPCs allows for overall better gameplay along with more interesting narrative story. You can choose whether these NPCs are Drones (RPV template) or piloted by people, though try to make these NPCs have some personality rather than simply having them be generic cannon fodder. Besides, you never know when the side character may take the spotlight, so why not give them a role in the story?
If you want to delve more into having long-term NPC team mates, check out the “NPCs as Pseudo-PCs” section.*
How is that for a start?
fast topaz
*NPCs as Pseudo-PCs [Draft 1]
(Introductory blurb here
Let’s start with creating our initial NPC…
After that, we can Bring Over PC elements [if not an RPV]
But how do we handle Level Ups?
Repair Cap
And there you go! Your own Pseudo-PC ready to join you on your adventures!*
fast topaz
How does that look?
fast topaz
My main concern is balancing with Veteran considering how strong it is compared to Commander and Wingman, along with balancing templates that don't provide a pool of options
fast topaz
Any ideas for how to balance it? Haven’t been able to come up with any myself
fast topaz
I may give a custom pool of traits that NPCs can pull from if they don't have any other options
fast topaz
Think that would work?
fast topaz
Actually I think it should be fine without
fast topaz
Update, I’ve finally started work on the .pdf for the Lone Lancer
So far I’ve gotten all the introductory stuff done but my laptop is low on power so I won’t be able to continue until I get back home
fast topaz
fast topaz
Still needs bookmarks and maybe a few other things, but here's the initial PDF draft of The Lone Lancer
Thoughts and feedback would be appreciated
celest bridge
Just downloaded it. Will see about giving it a try sometime.
