Lancer RPG: Why do -you- fight?

[Rakaydos]

Lancer's setting is, in many ways, a "points of darkness" setting, with heroic lancers being sent in to kick the latest space-hitler in the face. (it's a big galaxy, there's always a new space hitler somewhere) But overall, the setting is pretty light- anyone with the resources of a lancer could retire to a core world and live a peaceful 200 year life, instead of facing enemy war machines, collossal grumpy wildlife and unchained eldritch beings.

What motivates characters to go into the fire again and again?

[KorvinStarmast]

Lancer's setting is, in many ways, a "points of darkness" setting, with heroic lancers being sent in to kick the latest space-hitler in the face. (it's a big galaxy, there's always a new space hitler somewhere) But overall, the setting is pretty light- anyone with the resources of a lancer could retire to a core world and live a peaceful 200 year life, instead of facing enemy war machines, collossal grumpy wildlife and unchained eldritch beings.

What motivates characters to go into the fire again and again?

Ever heard of the adrenalin junkie?
Ever wondered at folks like the ones who climb Everest?
And from personal experience, some of us embraced the challenge of landing on a pitching rolling deck at night, and others did not.

Call it a gift of character, or even a curse of character, but the Seeker of the Next Great Challenge is a kind of person in both fact and fiction.

Here, hold my beer is semi humorous a short hand for just one element of that personality type.

[ShadowSandbag]

I've been running a campaign for a while set near the outer limits of Union's influence and the reasons for everyone are below:

One had been captured by space pirates and was acting as a Lancer in part to get revenge and mostly to make sure that sort of thing didn't happen to others.

One is working off a debt by working as a Lancer.

One was on a planet liberated by The Union who wants to give back to the universe.

One was an outlaw with incredible skill who was given an ultimatum to use her skill for union or face the consequences of her actions. Note that as soon as she had a good opportunity she left the team (mostly due to real life scheduling, but worked well in character) and is an outlaw again.

One just enjoys the thrill of it.


Just ignore anything that doesn't match with Canon Lore; I tried to cut to the 1-sentence reasons which makes some things seem a bit wonky without context.

[Easy e]

When you read a lot of military biography you find that most soldiers fight not for the high ideals of their nation, but for their comrades in arms. They do not want to let them down, so they willingly go back into the fray.

[Vhaidara]

I've had two lancer characters that were around long enough to warrant extended backstories.

Sophia Mercia, callsign Luna, was a eugenics project by SSC who eventually ran away after hacking through their firewall on a lark and finding a secret blueprint for a hybridized pegasus/death's head that was being developed by SSC usnig HORUS paracausal tech. So she grabbed it, bailed, and is on the run and slowly building the mech for herself.

Katherine, callsign Kelfi, is the daughter of a pair of professional Lancers who run the Mythos Company merc group, specializing in fighting megafauna in hyper advanced, highly customized frames. Part of their rules is that everyone has to earn their place, so Kelfi got shipped off to a larger, less specialized merc company to earn her own wings as a Lancer, but she was raised to pilot mechs since before she could walk.