Lancer vs Traveller
Compare Lancer and Traveller side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Lancer | Traveller | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Scifi | Scifi |
| Play Style | Tactical, Mecha, Character Building, Heroic, Crunchy | Sandbox, Simulation, Exploration, Deadly, Character Building, Faction Play |
| 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 2d6 + skill + modifier ≥ 8 to succeed. Character generation is a mini-game. |
| Dice | d20 + d6 | 2d6 |
| Complexity | High | Medium |
| Accessibility | High | High |
| Runnability | Very High | Very High |
| License | Lancer Third Party License | Traveller Fair Use Policy |
| Cost | Free (PDF) / $$ | $$ |
| Publisher | Massif Press | Mongoose Publishing |
| 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. | Hard sci-fi sandbox campaigns with trading, exploration, and realistic space travel. |
| Highlights | 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 | Comprehensive sci-fi toolkit, lifepath character creation, detailed trade/travel systems |
| 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 | Lifepath character creation rolls for aging and career mishaps, so a Traveller can leave chargen weakened or pushed onto an unwanted path. Subsystem rules are spread across multiple supplements, so the core book leaves several procedures without full depth. Characteristics are recorded as a hexadecimal Universal Personality Profile string, an unusual notation newcomers must learn before they can read a stat block. |