For people who are not in the know Lancer is a mecha tabletop rpg, set in a universe vaguely similar to that of Ian Banks' Culture novels. Basically after a global warming induced collapse and a millennia long dark age people of Earth got their shit together, achieved fully automated gay space luxury communism and forcefully brought a bunch of worlds colonized by people (there no aliens) that escaped Earth before shit hit the fan into the fold. Then after this lead to a whole bunch of war crimes there was a bit of a coup and now the Union exercies a gentler touch. Oh, and everyone uses 10 meter tall humanoid robots in combat for some reason.
The system is supposedly really cool and a bunch of guys in my group are excited about the whole thing. The problem is that I'm not much of a mecha guy (I love NGE and Gurren Lagann like everyone else), so I was kinda drawing a blank trying to come up with a plot.
Then, it hit me. If it's a game about communist warriors, why not mine communist military history for ideas? Focus the on a communist revolution against feudalism on the periphery (there are Dune-style noble houses in the setting), player characters sent clandestinely to help with the civil war by the Union, which doesn't want to engage in open intervention. Sorta like a Spanish Civil War thing with International Brigades. Mix in Russian Civil War with Intervention, Kronstadt, handwringing about what to do with the nobles.
Also annoy the players by referencing Soviet movies and songs about civil war and revolution people here in Russia know since childhood.
What do you guys think? I need ideas! Any interesting historical combat situations to recreate? Tricky conundrums to throw at the heroes? Books and movies to use as inspiration?
Sounds kindof similar to the backstory for my Lancer for the No Room for a Wallflower campaign.
Basically, small rimworld colony, living in a lil communal colony eking out a living, somewhat Fremen inspired. Then megacorp comes by, scans planet and realizes its rich in Lithium, and trying to secure mining rights by claiming the planet is uninhabited, then tries to 'uninhabit' it before the Union gets there to check. Colony uses some of its basic mining supplies to delay the corp, steal some mechs, and basically delay the genocide long enough to the corp's plan to fall apart, as people notice "hey, this planet is totally inhabited, WTF guys???"
So the Union totally saves the day!!!
Except the corp gets off with a fine and a warning, and the home planet is now not safe to habitation, and his people need to leave. Barber (my lancer) uses the skills he got to earn a living and send money back to the now spacer colony.
Did some art for him, pictured here