Lancer vs Porkin' the Void
Compare Lancer and Porkin' the Void side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Lancer | Porkin' the Void | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Scifi | Scifi, Horror |
| Play Style | Tactical, Mecha, Grid-Based, Character Building, Combat-Heavy, Heroic, Crunchy | Gonzo, Comedy, Grimdark, Deadly, Random Character Creation, Random Tables, Ship-Based, Combat-Heavy, Space Opera, Lore-Heavy, Hackable, Horror, Exploration, Faction Play, Survival |
| 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. | Roll d20 +/- ability score against a Difficulty Rating (DR 6–18). Equal to or greater than the DR succeeds. Five abilities — Agility, Strength, Toughness, Presence, and Technology — each range from -3 to +3. Players roll all dice: attacks (Strength for melee, Presence for ranged) and defense (Agility), all against DR 12 by default. Enemies never roll. Natural 20 is a crit; natural 1 is a fumble. Omens (luck points) can deal max damage, reroll dice, reduce incoming damage, or neutralize crits and fumbles. |
| Dice | d20 + d6 | d20 |
| Complexity | High | Medium |
| Accessibility | High | Low |
| Runnability | High | Low |
| License | Lancer Third Party License | MÖRK BORG Third Party License |
| Cost | Free (PDF) / $$ | $$ |
| Publisher | Massif Press | Yog'du Games |
| Year | 2019 | 2022 |
| 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. | Groups who want a gonzo, darkly comedic sci-fi game where anthropomorphic pig-scum explore a doomed universe in styships, with Mork Borg's lethal simplicity expanded by cybernetics, psionics, and full spaceship creation and combat rules. |
| 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 | Full spaceship creation and combat system spanning 50+ pages, from hull design and modules to weapons and salvage. Ten optional character classes with randomized specialties, plus a classless option. Three subsystems layered onto the Mork Borg chassis: pigskins (techno-scrolls), hackable cybernetic implants, and six psionic disciplines. Extensive setting with multiple galactic empires, rival megacorporations, heretical cults, and an apocalyptic countdown. |
| 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 | 278-page rulebook is dense for a Mork Borg derivative, requiring substantially more reading than the base system. Content warning for pervasive profanity, crude humor, and deliberately vulgar themes that may not suit all groups. No free rules or quickstart — $15 PDF is the minimum entry point, though a free character generator (SwineBerther) exists online. Spaceship rules add significant complexity beyond what Mork Borg players may expect. |