Lancer vs Star Wars Roleplaying Game
Compare Lancer and Star Wars Roleplaying Game side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Lancer | Star Wars Roleplaying Game | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Scifi | Scifi |
| Play Style | Tactical, Mecha, Grid-Based, Character Building, Combat-Heavy, Heroic, Crunchy | Career-Based, Character Building, Character-Driven, Cinematic, Combat-Heavy, Faction Play, Heroic, Licensed IP, Narrative, Skill-Based, Space Opera, Theater of the Mind |
| 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. | Assemble a pool of custom narrative dice: positive (Boost, Ability, Proficiency) from skills and equipment, negative (Setback, Difficulty, Challenge) from task difficulty. Roll and cancel opposing symbols on three independent axes — Success vs. Failure, Advantage vs. Threat, Triumph vs. Despair — so every check produces both an outcome and narrative texture. Each corebook adds its own character-pressure layer: Edge of the Empire tracks Obligation (debts and burdens that randomly trigger at session start), Age of Rebellion tracks Duty (Rebel mission focus that earns Contribution Rank toward Alliance promotions), and Force and Destiny tracks Morality (a 0–100 light-vs-dark scale that fuels a dedicated Force die powering abilities like Move, Sense, and Influence). |
| Dice | d20 + d6 | Custom dice |
| Complexity | High | Medium |
| Accessibility | High | Low |
| Community | Medium | High |
| License | Lancer Third Party License | All Rights Reserved |
| Cost | Free (PDF) / $$ | $$$ |
| Publisher | Massif Press | Fantasy Flight Games |
| 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. | Groups who want a narrative-rich Star Wars campaign where every roll generates story texture beyond pass/fail — and who can pick the corebook (or mix multiple) matching their preferred campaign focus: outer-rim scoundrels, Rebel operatives, or hunted Force users. |
| 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 | Three corebooks fully cross-compatible — Edge of the Empire (fringe criminals and scoundrels), Age of Rebellion (Rebel Alliance soldiers and pilots), and Force and Destiny (Force-sensitive characters) play at the same table with characters from any book, six careers per book each with three specialization talent trees, narrative dice produce three independent axes of result on every roll so success-with-complications and failure-with-silver-lining are common outcomes, detailed starship combat and ship-modification rules throughout all three books with Force and Destiny extending the system with lightsaber construction and Force power talent trees |
| 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 | Requires proprietary narrative dice or the Star Wars Dice app — standard polyhedral dice need conversion charts and slow play significantly, no free core rules available — Beginner Games exist for each corebook but require purchase, interpreting multi-symbol dice results adds a learning curve compared to standard d20-style resolution, most groups buy only the corebook matching their campaign focus rather than all three |