This post will be a dictionary of terms and an outline concepts as I use them in my releases. This post will also be a philosophy doc. If you’re going to use my material, it makes sense to create a database of my approaches to game concepts and how I see things in and around the game of Lancer. All the better for you to understand where I’m coming from.
Ecosystem — Inside and Out
I really like Lancer’s growth system. Using the license level system is pretty rad as a way to allow an immense amount of customizability. So we’re on the same page (the whole point of this post), I see the mech and its six weapons/mods/systems/etc. as being one grand package. Six “elements” in one mech-based box. That “grand package” of six elements is what I refer to as an “ecosystem”.
For example, the ecosystem for the SSC Monarch is: Rank I — Javelin Rockets, Sharanga Missles; Rank II — Gandiva Missiles, Stabilizer Mod; Rank III — Pinaka Missiles, TLALOC-class NHP. It is, simply put, the six elements, two of each rank, that go with the base frame. In this case, since its a variant frame, the Viceroy uses the Monarch ecosystem.
This is telling writers several things. One, there should be six elements that players can choose to add when picking up all LLs for a mech. The mech is always at Rank II, as are variant frames. Variants use the same ecosystem and do not have space to add any elements on their own.
That’s the inside portion of this discussion.
The outside portion is this: there is room within the corporate licensure structure (supported by COMP/CON) to add elements that are general offerings. A megacorp like SSC can choose to offer, as an example, a nanofilament axe as a weapon that you, the lancer, can get just by having one rank in any SSC license. I call these elements “bonuses” or “bonus elements”.
These bonus elements exist outside of a mech ecosystem, but can be picked up simply by having the appropriate number of LLs across any mechs that company offers. By way of example, let’s chat about Pioneer Technologies a little.
As of this writing, Pioneer offers three bonus elements, one each at ranks I, II, and III.
Click/Tap on or hover over to more easily view the images. The short version is that each of these is available to someone who, say, has two LLs in the Sumotori and a single LL in the FAFF. They’re similarly all available to a lancer that has three LLs invested into the Pistolero.
I think this provides A) more design space, B) designer flexibility (Like an idea for multiple mechs? Just release the element outside of an ecosystem!), and C) more customization options for players.
The TL;DR is this: An “ecosystem” is the assortment of six elements (weapons, mods, systems, etc.) that come with licensing a mech. Bonus material is tied to the megacorp that produces it but not to a specific mech, so any licenses count so long as you have the right number of them.
In-Universe Versus Out-of-Character Writing
I use both kinds to write up my materials, as you might have noticed. I use a good bit of in-universe writing, both obvious and not. The little vignettes between characters after mech, weapon, system, etc. descriptions are clearly in-universe. I also write my mech descriptions in-universe, which strays a lot less from the voice used in the description blocks for Big Four mechs.
It should be no secret that I enjoy comedy. I like injecting a little comedy into my Lancer HB. Hopefully you’re enjoying it, too. I see the stuff in the COMP/CON app as an in-universe catalogie/database/wiki for mech pilots and others. Plenty of this already feels like people uncovering details and sharing intel regarding what they’ve learned.
Conversely, the bits that are core game mechanics, the “crunch”, that’s all out-of-character and intended to be such — despite the idea that characters in-universe can see information there, too. They need to be able to see something, after all; it’s just written for them in a way that they would normally see it, whereas we get a denser and much more concise version instead of looking over catalogues from IPS-N and SSC, etc.
NHPs as Rank II Systems
I see that every NHP heretofore released is a Rank III addition to the game. Each of those is also very good and does some fantastic shit. Solstice Rain also opens with an NHP serving as a, well, Cortana on the cruiser the story starts on. There’s clearly some room for less powerful NHPs as ecosystem additions.
The example I’m going to use to broaden the category is the Falkenhausen-class NHP. It is a PIO II system that I originally designed for the FAFF before spinning it off onto its lonesome. I think it fits thematically better as something that any of the Pioneer mechs can pick up.
It also provides a much less potent effect than the NHPs that I’ve seen in official material. Refer to the middle image in the gallery above for full details, but the gist is this: It gives your mech the AI tag (an important detail) and provides a Quick Tech. The new move requires your mech to be Locked Onto. Given that, you break the Lock On, place your own onto them, and get a few small benefits in the process. It’s useful, but niche and minor, which is partly why it’s initial capitalized and not all caps.
I think this is fine. It’s also not something I plan on flooding my shelves with. Like anything else, it has a place when used in moderation.