u/AcanthisittaNew5112

This is my second GM guide to Lancer. My previous guide aimed to help new GMs with prepping a game one session at a time. This one is aimed at GMs who are looking for a free VTT with a really simple learning curve.

The link to the full guide can be found here.

For a tl;dr though, here's the important bits:
• When choosing a VTT, FoundryVTT is good but requires a 50$ one-time purchase. Otherwise use Owlbear Rodeo.

• The important extensions are below:

Extension	Rating	Description
Changr	★☆☆	Quick swap tokens for wrecks.
Dice or Dice +	★★★	Dice roller.
Journal	★★☆	Private or Public notes.
Marked	★★★	Condition Tracker.
Owl Trackers	★★★	Stat tracker for hp, heat, evasion, e-def, etc.
Painting Tool	★☆☆	Makes drawing hexes easier.
Rumble	★★☆	Gives owlbear a chat function.
Witch Dice	★★★	COMP/CON pilot and NPC sheet integration, dice roller.

★★★ - These extensions significantly improve ease of play and session management.
★★☆ - The game is still fully playable without them, but they help streamline the experience.
★☆☆ - Not necessary, but useful quality-of-life additions over time.

Edit 1: Added a section for maps specifically and changed witch dice to ★★★.
Edit 2: Added a section for importing sprites from retrograde minis and how to use them in game.

Made a lancer guide for a friend and thought I should share it here in case anyone wanted to GM Lancer but didn't know where to start. Here's the link to the guide. This will only help with session planning however. Running the game would require an entirely separate guide.

For those who want it, the tl;dr follows these steps:

1. Find a battlemap to use.
2. Choose a sitrep from the core book or enhanced combat.
3. Create a narrative revolving around the sitrep and map
4. Make a unit composition that synergizes well into the sitrep and map you chose.

The guide also includes all the resources you would need including the maps and enemy sprites gathered from different sources. As well as additional reading if you want more tips.