Part 1: Distress Signal | LANCER Actual Play: The Lost Colony

On this episode we start playing a whole new TTRPG! Join us as we embark on our first mission in LANCER and follow the daring exploits of Hunter Squadron on the mysterious planet of Ceriphia.
Come try out the TTRPG that Alex V is developing! • I’m developing a TTRPG...
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Shameless plugs
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Music Credits
Fat Brass Intro by Horst Hoffmann
Free download: filmmusic.io/s...
License (CC BY 4.0): filmmusic.io/s...
Pick A Side by Phat Sounds
Free download: filmmusic.io/s...
License (CC BY 4.0): filmmusic.io/s...
Project Luna by Tim Kulig
Free download: filmmusic.io/s...
License (CC BY 4.0): filmmusic.io/s...
Opening Battle by Tim Kulig
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License (CC BY 4.0): filmmusic.io/s...
Whatever It Takes by Phat Sounds
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License (CC BY 4.0): filmmusic.io/s...
Interstellar Space by John Bartmann from the Free Music Archive
The Ceriphia Suite is an original piece by Brian Graff.

[@spellbookgaming]

Come try out the TTRPG that Alex V is developing! kzbin.info/www/bejne/fGi8hKWAgJWjgqM Check out our most recent season, a game of Mothership! kzbin.info/www/bejne/m6GcipqvYpuLmdU

[@JustinBania]

I'm a new fan who came in for this Lancer action. Can I just say, the UI/Overlay you all are running is absolutely beautiful. Excellent video editing and cool backstories. Shocked this channel isn't more popular than it is.

[@spellbookgaming]

Thank you very much! -Alex V

[@fellsoull]

Bro basically went “fuck you Im making my own lore” and goddamnit I’m all for it!

[@spellbookgaming]

What can I say, we like writing more than we like reading 😅 -Alex V

[@fellsoull]

@@spellbookgaming w opinion right there

[@dallasdenton4235]

Best way to DM. Plus its not a room that is uber serous anyways. Jokes constantly.

[@Vee_Sheep]

just searched for "Lancer actual play" to see how other people do it bc I plan on doing my own campaign of this game, and "New Texas" is slaying me

[@sonicx059]

I'm prepping to run my first campaign in Lancer. Mind if I ask how is/was your campaign going?

[@TheCharlemang]

As a fellow Old Texan, I already love the beaver and this big slow walking Texas joke.

[@mrssirens]

I appreciate alex's character being named ripley and having a mech named xeno.

[@spellbookgaming]

Have to pay tribute to the queen Alien herself! - Alex H.

[@ViscountGaming-oe2df]

That's gold

[@LordRavenscore]

"Newt" Ripley no less.

[@Razor773_YT]

Oh man, I love the Aliens reference by Alex, I saw that and immediately recognized that. Glad to see the old ways are still alive.

[@spellbookgaming]

Thank you! Big Alien fan here! - Alex H

[@Matthias129]

Just started this video, and new to this channel, but I'm already giving a thumbs up and all that just for giving the players the EQ bars or whatever. Really helps distinguish who's talking (at least, when not everyone is talking at once 😉), as most vids/channels you get like 20 seconds of introduction and that's it. They never speak about their character in third person, so when you have 5 nerds that all sound very similar it gets super confusing to know who's who. I know any quality of life for that is only quality for the listener as it adds much more work for whoever is editing, but thank you.

[@catasphere7270]

No clue how this landed in my feed, but man this TTRPG looks amazing. Waiting for a physical book so i can deep dive into the lore (never had a chance to actualy play a TTRPG, but like reading the books). Massif looks to have a reprint possibly scheduled for later this year based on their tweet from July 6. You are a fun group, I went back and listened to your other podcasts. Keep up the good work. As far as a new season goes after number 4, I would throw the Witcher in there. I have not seen many people stream that game.

[@hockeygrrlmuse]

Just bought a physical copy of the book on ebay, they're doing a second printing as well

[@tylerreed610]

Interesting choice that the guy named Tex, from New Texas, with his mech ranger, doesnt use the Raleigh frame. The one with a meter long revolver. And a chest revolver lol

[@spellbookgaming]

Ah, but you see, everything is biggest on New Texas.

[@SPooksFble]

i love how John is a little more serious, while the rest are just straight up "fuck it we Ball"

[@uriahstone8256]

I'm digging the new series and all the new silliness that will begin

[@doomedcolonist]

This was VERY slick! Awesome presentation, guys! And kudos on your choice of game. Lancer doesn't get nearly enough love.

[@petervilla5221]

I just got into Lancer and this is my first Roleplay for the game. You all are pretty fun to listen to! Yal earned a sub, stay classy San Diego.

[@hockeygrrlmuse]

I've been playing Lancer for about 6 months now and I've only recently really started to click with it. Figured I should look up some playthroughs to get a sense of other groups' approaches and how it flows. I'm definitely going to have this series on while working tomorrow. Cheers, and thanks for all the effort that went into the design and editing here, it really adds to the ambience!

[@MrCutthroatish]

Lol i was worried this would just be banter but the gm does a great job allowing for shenanigans but keeping the story tight and interesting well done! Gonna binge these!

[@dnd_jamaica5542]

Been learning about different TTRPG's and have heard great things about Lancer. Very glad to see theres an actual play series out here, with a vibrant cast that can help me get familiar. I'm 4 episodes in.

[@olivergre1054]

New to lancer and podcasts. Big thanks for the visuals, it makes it so much nicer to differentiate between the players!

[@JumpingJelly_9th]

I just discovered Lancer three days ago. Now I'm watching you guys to learn more hahaha

[@spellbookgaming]

I question the wisdom of learning from US but happy to have you lol -Alex V

[@asaxander740]

Hot damn I can hear the Austin talking in Dallas. As a former Texan I love the fact that there is now a Space Texas!

[@nickford1286]

I hope it fares better than the other Space Texas.

[@ohthreefiftyone]

It seems like there’s usually a Space Texas even if it’s not called that.

[@TheAfroMenace]

Yoo, this is looking really good!! Love the production, and it's got a really good pace. Definitely gonna give the whole thing a watch!

[@digitalbear1217]

I was just looking for some quick gameplay examples, but yall are delightful! Subscribed!

[@ConsciouslyEating]

Love the synergy of you all! U got urself a new sub and fan. And discord member :D

[@prime8pimpin592]

Just ran into this today looking for lancer content. This is quality work! Keep going

[@charliedulol]

first dialoge i'm already loosing it... "Jax, we're in space" bloody hell...

[@Orcitect]

The humour is great! xD Seems like the GM is used to the shenanigans

[@ResearcherAlexander]

I am new to this series and I haven't technically played lancer yet but I made an OC for this series Tyson Nexus A.K.A Horizon. He pilots an emperor class mech named Avalon. He was from one of the colonies around Jupiter and always dreamed of exploring the universe in a mech. So when he got the chance to be a lancer he took it. He would be one of the youngest characters only being 18-21 years old.

[@zacherybelcher8429]

A friend of mine showed me lancer and got me hooked on the idea of playing a campaign, DM ain't even finished and i'm here trying to shoehorn the 90s game Marathon into a homebrew game but i've never DMed one before let alone played it. thank you all for the wonderful campaign such a good example of how one should be, its a huge help for getting a handle on it and entertaining to boot

[@Hobomice]

This Is Amazing, Keep Up The Awesome Work!

[@loonylenny]

I just found out about Lancer 2 days ago then I get this game recommended to me and it's great so far

[@xJAWAx]

I wanted to see how a lancer game worked since ive only recently gotten into it. I like the story. Cool ambience music and visuals. I'll definitely have to finish the rest of yhe episodes.

[@Pokytik]

Walker Texas Ranger should have been a Raleigh

[@Blake.Bilderback]

You guys have great energy, can’t wait to start listening to your other stuff.

[@TheProphetMusico]

May not have a group to play, but I'm loving these vibes and can't wait for my book! ❤

[@freddymedina-ui7mm]

I just love the changes you made of the setting. Makes more sense when explained that way imo

[@adude235]

Subbed, excited to binge this to get up to date.

[@Tortle-Man]

While I wish this used Lancer canon (I really like it) your fiction isn’t bad. Fun game

[@Attaxalotl]

_New_ Texas? As if one of them isn't six too many!

[@ThisPossumKnits]

Great show! Thanks! :D

[@dragor4225]

PRAISE BE TO THE EDITOR! LESS HIS WRATH BE PITTED AGAINST US!!! [Edit] cant wait for this to get animated by someone on the internet

[@jony12bhm]

so you guys are not using the 5016U timeline for this campaign? is all homebrew? or is this based on some of the books? it looks awesome 🤩

[@spellbookgaming]

It's all homebrew! John wrote the basics of the lore and then we all made up planets, etc. as part of our backstories to fill in the blanks. -Alex V

[@Sorain1]

One thing I'll say about it, the mechanics are solid enough you can easily decouple them from the setting without much issue. (The license system is the only sticking point, potentially.)

[@xedrickOG]

Bruh lancer takes place tents of thousands of years in the future

[@sageofpixelz]

How do people get these cool side bars and stuff when they do campaigns this looks badass

[@SolidFoxHoundSF]

I have no idea what the game is, just saw some art for it. This sounds sick.

[@kingmasterlord]

cool, new to the game and torn between black witch and duskwing. seeing one of them played helps

[@michaelmcclelland2208]

John, you're a good GM.

[@chartographer217]

Hell yeah, Lancer! Give me more.

[@AustinKazda]

Phenomenal listen! How did you guys get the visualizer for the individual voices? Was thinking about trying something similar on our stream/recording.

[@pragalu]

anyone know where i can find a group for Lancer? never played it but it looks so fun

[@spellbookgaming]

The Pilot Net discord server is usually the best place to look, and we have our own small community discord (link in description) as well. -Alex V

[@Rattleboneses]

This looks so good, and it is a blast to listen to! Can I ask what y'all are using to make that audio visualizer? It looks slick as hell.

[@turoskensei13]

What program do you use for video editing? I’m shopping around.

[@gunslinger1369]

@spellbookgaming I know it's been awhile since you posted the video, but how did you make hex tokens and have them placed on the hex grid effectively? I'm using Roll 20 and it's very difficult to do for hex

[@LordRavenscore]

No shade and no offense meant by my question, "Do they players stay silly?"

[@spellbookgaming]

Don’t think we could stop if we tried.

[@galaxic2332]

​@@spellbookgamingThis is the right attitude to have :)

[@z0ro_62]

A new class of war machines . Ahcuu

[@Beelistic-r6p]

What do you use for the map?

[@joshuaseitler6003]

My video started buffering after Dallas said his best friend was a beaver named Buc-ee. I thought everyone had just gone silent, it was so ominous, 😭

[@timothymcdaniel7811]

What license level are these folks starting at?

[@FromBeyondTheGrave1]

No Horus frames my disappointment is immeasurable

[@yeetyiu4505]

What is the tool used for the maps?

[@malachius_the_ii85]

I’m just getting into this game and trying to learn to gm for my friends to also play with me. The map that y’all are using is that essential or is there another way to do it. I would appreciate any tips thank you all

[@heliosgames6665]

what is the tool you are using for the battle map?

[@chaotixspark7934]

Spark: What are you using for the grid combat?

[@willtobey4849]

Rip union. Rip cradle.

[@LackingClover]

I know I'm late but is Gerard doing a Max Steel reference?

[@z0ro_62]

She got a very op mech

[@dkbros1592]

God Emperor of mankind is litsning this and is interested

[@D.C._Nowak]

Is this a prebuilt campaign? Or a custom built campaign.

[@hockeygrrlmuse]

I think someone from the group commented above that John wrote most of the lore and they all contributed facts about their backstories to the canon

[@bryanadam4578]

So, I just bought the core book from massif. What other things am I going to need to play this game?

[@Illitha]

I just use the core rules and an app called COMP//CON

[@chesteratienza5175]

im new to ttrpg, what is that game board? a simulator??

[@Washeek]

There are several web-based platforms to play TTRPGs without the actual TT :-). Most popular is roll20 but there are a ton of others, some web-apps, some actually thick clients.

[@__shifty]

GOD BLESS TEXAS AND GOD SAVE THE UNIVERSE.

[@Gladstruk]

Why didn't you start at LL0?

[@hockeygrrlmuse]

I suspect that they did, but didn't record or release it.

[@Michael-yy2vl]

neat

[@conflicthorizon]

I'm the real Dallas "tex" Walker. ;)

[@norwardradtke1361]

When you guys all shot down the Napoleon pilot for asking if he could read the slabs as an AI, because he went to sleep before they were discovered (“they’re alien, not old earth languages”) I had the distinct thought that hey, wait a minute, AI or computers are way better at extrapolation and pattern recognition/cryptography than humans. So it was ill advised to not at least let him roll for that to see if he could at least decide the structure of the language, or even just pictographically! I got kind of sad when you guys just flat out said “no” ie shot him down when he asked and he possible just went oh….ok…

[@joshuaseitler6003]

I mean, counterpoint, these slabs are no small thing. They certainly have had their top human and ai cryptologists working on this for years if not decades now. While they did kinda shut him down, I don't think it would make sense narratively for an antiquated navigational ai to crack the code on his first try, y'know?

[@gamrr_NERD]

I’m disappointed that he didn’t name his Beaver friend Justin.

[@TTRPG_Quebec]

Top cool

[@sagewooten7831]

The amount of interrupting and cross talk makes this such a difficult watch, hope it gets better

[@lowfpsman]

Lancer need "better" name. Its pretty hard to find stuff on Lancer. Exept few popular videos.

[@MulderStarling]

Who designed the extremely suspect NNF flag? Atrocious

[@rcautela7405]

why can't the players take the game seriously? A lot of awesomess wasted.

[@Maximilian_Romus]

Maybe dont interrupt the GM while he narrates the intro? Fucking disrespectful.

[@zekeescra5791]

I wanna play so bad. How do I get ahold of people that wanna play this game.

[@hockeygrrlmuse]

There's a site I have been meaning to check out called StartPlaying. You can look up games by schedule, price, and experience level. The GMs get paid for running the game and they have ratings as well. Looks like the average Lancer game is like $20 per session, but some of the beginner games are cheaper. Let me know if you end up going this route, I'm pretty curious! Otherwise, the crew recommended somewhere in a comment above the game's Discord server, Pilot Net. I think they have their own server as well. Good luck!!