What's there to say about Lancer that hasn't already been said? A robust and comprehensive ruleset that promises and delivers on awesome tactical battles and mecha-fantasies come true. I'll let the solid 4-stars speak for themselves and instead focus on the couple of personal problem points that came up while playing. My personal experience, your mileage may vary, yada yada.

One minor gripe: I felt the LL0 one-shot I ran was insufficient to get my group truly engaged with the mechanics and the world. There simply wasn't enough time to do anything but the briefest bit of roleplaying here and there. While LL0 is a good intro to the mechanics, my players were much more excited by purveying the more exotic frames during our prep session. Like an energy-hungry mech, Lancer demands a hefty commitment before it really shows its full power.

My major gripe is with Lancer's hesitation to join the tactical and narrative sides of gameplay in more ways. The game holds the chocolate of "mech pilot drama" and the peanut butter of "explosive tactical engagements" and shyly asks me "Is it okay if I put these together a bit?". YES! If I just want pilot drama, I'll play a pure PBtA focused on that. If I just want tactics, I'll play a wargame. If I'm playing Lancer, it's because I am a huge fan of both of those things! I understand the desire to keep the halves mostly separate to broaden the game's appeal for those players who will only focus on one. And I'm sure the separation helps to keep the rules balanced and manageable. Still, I can't help but wonder if there's a richer and more intertwined game hiding in Lancer's genes.

Overall, a fantastic game that succeeds on multiple fronts: visual artistry, robust mechanics, and a tantalizing universe to explore. Oh, and COMP/CON rocks.