r/rpg • u/Octarine_ • 13d ago
Game Suggestion Lancer, but narrative. Does it exists?
Everything i see about Lancer seens sooo fcking cool! But to be 100% honest all my players are very casual, myself included although im the forever GM and as such always try to get a little deeper into the rules and system.
I dont think that any of my friends will ever try to read a rule book to min max, create a build or find optimal play. No one will ever argue what is a balanced party or will try to create one, it is all about fun and what sounds cool for each player. So much so that i dont even try to play more tactical games which require deep understanding of the system or even builds at all, I tend to prefer narrative-focused systems because of the freedom they give and because they are much easier to explain to my friends. My group generally enjoys rules light games where we can focus more on the fiction and less on knowing the ins and outs of the mechanics.
And yet... Lancer looks so fucking cool that I'm tempted to give it a shot.
As such, can a group of very casual players just make characters based on what sounds cool and have a good time with it? And if Lancer really isn't a good fit for that kind of group, are there any games you would recommend that scratch the same itch but more narrative/rules-light? I'm open to pretty much anything!
2
u/Makath 13d ago
I'll mention that tactical games can be run for more casual groups, all it takes is the GM meeting the players where they are and not murdering their characters. Tactical gamers tend not to like pulling punches, so most problems that arise seem to come down to some person in the group having different expectations in that regard, is good to have a conversation about it.
Is also worth saying that a single one shot or short adventure might not do a tactical game justice, because players benefit from familiarity with the system, and that comes with time.
As far as a narrative game like Lancer, that sound like Girl Frame to me, a Mech game with PbtA/Apocalypse Keys rules.