Between Missions
The campaign does not happen in the fights. It happens here.
The shape of a mission
Brief — you are told the goal, and the GM says the stakes out loud as questions. Will you get the convoy through? Will you find out who is paying them?
Preparation — you choose the mech and gear you are taking. One mech, one hardsuit, two weapons, three pieces of gear.
Reserves — you declare what else you have: ammunition, a favour, an evac window, a contact's name, an hour of somebody's attention. Anything the GM agrees you can bring. Settle it now, so nobody goes shopping mid-firefight.
Boots on the ground — the game cuts straight to you arriving. No planning montage unless you want one.
Debrief — win or lose, every pilot gains a License Level.
Downtime
Between missions, moment-to-moment action stops mattering and you start. Days, months or years can pass.
Each pilot usually takes one or two downtime actions:
GET A NEW MECH — print a different chassis you are licensed for. BUY SOMETHING — chase gear, access or a favour that is not simply licensed. GET CONNECTED — spend real time with somebody who matters. This is how most reserves are earned. SCUTTLEBUTT — listen. Rumour, news, what is coming. GET FOCUSED — prepare for something specific, and gain a reserve that applies to it. GET ORGANIZED — requisition and plan. A tactical or gear reserve. TRAIN — work on something you are bad at. REST — actually rest.
Levelling
Each License Level gives you:
- +2 to an existing trigger, or a new trigger at +2
- +1 to a mech skill
- +1 talent rank — deepen one you have, or start a new one at rank I
- +1 licence rank to spend on a manufacturer
And at LL3, 6, 9 and 12, a core bonus — a permanent improvement that applies to every mech you ever build. Record its numeric effect in the adjustments block on your chassis tab, because the sheet cannot see it from there.
You may also reallocate once per level: move all ranks from one talent to another, or from one licence to another, or swap a core bonus.
Spend your reserves
Mark a reserve spent the moment you use it. An unmarked reserve gets spent twice, and the second time is always the one that mattered.
One last thing
A group that treats downtime as a shopping trip is leaving half of Lancer on the table. It is the only part of the game where anyone finds out who these people actually are.