Lancer vs Lasers & Feelings
Compare Lancer and Lasers & Feelings side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Lancer | Lasers & Feelings | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Scifi | Scifi |
| Play Style | Tactical, Mecha, Grid-Based, Character Building, Combat-Heavy, Heroic, Crunchy | Rules-Light, One-Shot Friendly, Beginner-Friendly, Low-Prep, Comedy, Collaborative, Fiction-First, Open Source, Tag-Based |
| Core Mechanic | 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. | Pick a number from 2–5. Roll 1–3d6 depending on preparation and expertise. Rolls under your number succeed at Lasers (science, tech, reason); rolls over succeed at Feelings (intuition, diplomacy, passion). Rolling exactly your number triggers Laser Feelings — a special insight where you can ask the GM one question. |
| Dice | d20 + d6 | d6 dice pool |
| Complexity | High | Very Low |
| Accessibility | High | Very High |
| Community | Medium | Low |
| License | Lancer Third Party License | CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 |
| Cost | Free (PDF) / $$ | Free |
| Publisher | Massif Press | One Seven Design (John Harper) |
| Year | 2019 | 2013 |
| Best For | 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. | Quick one-shots with zero prep — the crew of the interstellar scout ship Raptor must save the day while the captain is out of commission. |
| Highlights | Free core PDF, extensive mech customization with 30+ frames, clean split between rules-light narrative and crunchy tactical combat, Comp/Con companion app is well-integrated, active community | Entire game fits on one page, zero prep needed, character creation takes seconds, hundreds of community hacks adapt the framework to other genres, free and Creative Commons licensed |
| Considerations | 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 | GM carries most of the creative and structural load, single stat means characters can feel mechanically identical, no structured scenario framework beyond the initial hook, limited replay variety without community hacks |