Delta Green vs Lancer
Compare Delta Green and Lancer side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.
| Delta Green | Lancer | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Horror, Modern | Scifi |
| Tags | Investigation, Mission-Based, Character-Driven, Deadly, Fear & Stress Mechanics, Skill-Based, Espionage, Gritty, Weird, Strong GM Support | Tactical, Mecha, Character Building, Heroic, Crunchy |
| Core Mechanic | Roll d100 at or below a skill percentage or a statistic multiplied by five. Successful doubles and 01 are critical successes; failed doubles and 100 are fumbles. In opposed tests, a critical beats an ordinary success, then the higher successful roll wins. | Narrative scenes use d20 roll-over (10+ succeeds), with backgrounds granting advantage and triggers adding flat bonuses. Mech combat is grid-based and tactical: no initiative, players and NPCs alternate turns. Pilots progress through License Levels (LL0–LL12), unlocking new chassis, weapons, and systems across five manufacturers with 30+ mech frames. |
| Dice | d100 | d20 + d6 |
| Complexity | Medium | 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 — Publisher fan-content guidelines | Not yet researched |
| Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing. | ||
| Publisher | Arc Dream Publishing | Massif Press |
| Year | 2016 | 2019 |
| Languages | English, French, German, Polish, Spanish | English |
| Best For | Groups who want modern investigative horror built around dangerous assignments and the relationships agents sacrifice to keep their work secret. | Groups who want deep tactical mech combat with meaningful customization layered on top of accessible narrative play: giant robot enthusiasts seeking a modern alternative to BattleTech. |
| Highlights | Expertise can reveal clues without a roll when agents have time to investigate. Bonds let agents reduce sanity loss by damaging relationships they depend on. The core pair provides threat-building procedures and a complete operation with pacing tools and several possible outcomes. | Free core PDF, extensive mech customization with 30+ frames, clean split between rules-light narrative and crunchy tactical combat, alternating activations remove initiative so both sides stay engaged |
| Considerations | Combat can kill an agent abruptly or leave permanent injuries. Sanity loss can force behavior outside the player’s control. Handlers must prepare the mystery and judge what evidence the agents can uncover. | Mech combat dominates: narrative half feels thin by comparison, steep learning curve from sheer volume of mech options, genre-locked to sci-fi mech fiction, requires grid/VTT for combat |