Cyberpunk RED vs Lancer
Compare Cyberpunk RED and Lancer side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.
| Cyberpunk RED | Lancer | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Cyberpunk | Sci-Fi |
| Tags | Combat-Heavy, Skill-Based, Tactical, Gritty, Deadly, Corruption, Mission-Based, Heist, Crunchy, Lore-Heavy | Mecha, Tactical, Grid-Based, Combat-Heavy, Crunchy, Character Building, Mission-Based, Strong GM Support, Lore-Heavy, Heroic |
| Core Mechanic | Roll d10 + the relevant Stat + Skill and exceed a Difficulty Value or an opponent’s total. Ties favor the defender. | Skill checks, attacks, and saves roll a d20 plus at most one stat bonus, such as a pilot trigger, a mech skill, or GRIT. Skill checks normally succeed on 10 or more, while attacks must meet the target's defense and saves must meet the attacker's save target. Accuracy and Difficulty cancel one for one. Each remaining point rolls a d6, and only the highest die is added or subtracted. |
| Dice | d10 | d20 + d6 |
| Complexity | High | High |
| Availability | Free quickstart | Free quickstart |
| Runnability | 5 of 5 book tools | 5 of 5 book tools |
| License | All Rights Reserved | Lancer Third Party License |
| Third-Party Publishing | Noncommercial only — Official fan-content policy | Commercial publishing allowed — Publisher third-party license |
| Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing. | ||
| Publisher | R. Talsorian Games | Massif Press |
| Year | 2020 | 2019 |
| Languages | English, French, Italian, Spanish, Polish, German, Japanese, Portuguese | English, Italian, Portuguese |
| Best For | Groups who want mercenary capers in a troubled city, with tactical firefights and distinct professional specialties. Campaigns follow a crew balancing dangerous jobs against the cost of staying alive. | Groups who want deep tactical mech combat and build customization, with lighter narrative play and downtime between missions. |
| Highlights | Ten Roles provide specialized abilities that grow independently of ordinary skills. Netrunners hack nearby networks on the same initiative clock as the crew’s firefights. Lifepath tables supply personal connections that the GM can turn into job complications. | Licenses unlock gear from five manufacturers, and unlocked weapons and systems can be mixed onto any licensed frame within its mounts and system points. Combat during narrative play resolves through ordinary skill checks, so a fight without mechs can end in a few rolls without a battle map. Player mechs degrade in stages: each lost point of structure or stress triggers an increasingly dangerous structure or overheating check. |
| Considerations | Armor ablation and critical injuries require tracking throughout a firefight. Most cyberware reduces Humanity and can eventually put a character under GM control. Buying expensive equipment usually requires a Fixer or access to a Night Market. | Build choices are dense, since licenses, talents, and core bonuses interact across 29 frames. Narrative play outside combat is a lean layer of skill checks and downtime actions next to the mech combat rules. Mech combat is slow enough that the book expects one or two fights per session, usually just one. |