Mecha are large robot suits that fight in space and in atmosphere, typically they have a pilot but can be autonomous AI.
Mecha automatically have five turns of endurance (which cannot be upgraded). They move at a speed of 8 MU per turn. Mecha roll as interceptors when dogfighting fighters other than interceptors. When dogfighting interceptors or other mecha, both sides roll ordinarily as their advantages cancel each other out. When not dogfighting, but merely firing on enemy mecha or fighters within 6 MU and within the forward arc, they kill one enemy mecha or fighter on a roll of 5, two kills on a 6. Mecha may attack ships as do ordinary fighters.
Mecha are not as swift as fighters. P/ADAF roll at +1 when engaging mecha.
Mecha may land on the outer hull of friendly craft. This is accomplished as a carrier landing. While on the surface of a friendly ship, they are automatically moved with the ship and may intercept and dogfight any attacking enemy mecha or fighters on a roll of 4-6.
On a roll of 3, they dogfight the enemy mecha or fighter group after the attackers have made their attack on the ship. The dogfight proceeds normally even though the attackers have already attacked. On any turn that the landed mecha do not move to intercept, they may roll their attack against incoming fighters, mecha or ASM salvos as if they had a 360 degree arc (all they have to do is turn around.)
Mecha are designed for close combat, which is their deadliest attack: the Close Assault. In the Close Assault, mecha attempt to land on the outer hull of an enemy vessel and attack its weapon installations, scanner gear, fighter bays, etc. on the surface and attempt to gain entry into the ship and attack it from within. Close Assault may be initiated if the mecha squadron is within 6" of an enemy target. While attempting a Close Assault, mecha suffer 2x casualties from PDAF fire (this is in addition to the +1 roll PDAF make against mecha already).
Once down on top of/inside the enemy ship, the attacking mecha are immune to all PDAF and ADAF fire from ANY source. The only way to repulse them is to dogfight them on/in the ship with friendly mecha or attack them with the ship's own powered armor marine teams. Combat is as a dogfight. The defending ship may divide its 4-man powered armor teams as it wishes among the attacking mecha groups. Each 4-man powered armor team rolls a single die and eliminates one mecha on a roll of 5 or 6. Mecha eliminate marine powered armor teams on a roll of 3 or 4 and two such teams on a roll of 5 or 6. If friendly mecha dogfight enemy mecha on/inside a ship, every mecha kill by either side inflicts one damage point on the ship.
So long as an attacking group is being "dog-fought" by either friendly mecha or marine powered armor teams, it may not roll to attack the ship. When attacking the ship itself, one damage point per attacking mecha is inflicted on the ship automatically. In addition, EACH attacking mecha may attack an individual ship system, eliminating it on a roll of 6. Aces conducting Close Assault on a ship eliminate a system on a roll of 5 or 6. Attacking a ship's systems in Close Assault expends one turn of endurance. Dogfighting enemy powered armor marines likewise expends a turn's endurance.
Mini-missiles: (+6 to the group's cost) The fighter or mecha group gets a one-shot mini-missile attack which may be used against enemy ships, mecha, fighters or ASM salvos within 6 MU and within the forward arc. Each fighter or mecha rolls a die and inflicts one point of damage on a 4 or 5 and two points on a 6. Screens are ignored. The group must fire all its mini-missiles at the same time. The mini-missile attack does not count against fighter or mecha endurance and the fighters or mecha may fire normally on the same turn without penalty. This may even be done in a dogfight, the dogfighting fighters or mecha roll for their mini-missile strikes simultaneously and then proceed to dogfight ordinarily.
Armored Mecha: (+12 to the group's cost) Some mecha are equipped with an extra external break-away set of armor plates, others are equipped with shields, others are simply larger and heavier and harder to kill--the additional protection these mecha have cancels out the +1 that PDAF and ADAF systems ordinarily gain against mecha.
Veteran Pilots: (+6 to the group's cost) Roll first for Aces and Turkeys. Turkey groups cannot be upgraded to Veterans. Veteran mecha and fighter squadrons subtract one from all morale rolls. If Veterans are led by an Ace, they subtract two from all morale rolls.
Varimecha (+12 to the group's cost) Variable configuration mecha. Can switch back and forth from mecha to fighters. A Varimecha squadron moves at 12" in fighter mode. Varimecha may upgrade to fast speed, but may only move at 18 MU in fighter mode. Varimecha must choose their form at the beginning of the turn. All of the varimecha in a squadron must have the same form (either fighter or mecha), except for Aces which may have a different form from the rest of the squadron. If so, the group's movement (even in fighter mode) is kept at the mecha speed of 8 MU.
Fighters refusing to dogfight mecha: When withdrawing from mecha attempting to dogfight, fighters suffer 1/2 casualties from the mecha's free attack, rounded down. This should also apply to fast fighters refusing to dogfight normal or slow fighters (older-model speed 8 fighters, -1 per fighter) and normal fighters refusing to dogfight slow fighters.
Fighter/Mecha Close Assault survival: If a mecha Close Assault should cause a ship to explode or the ship is destroyed while a Close Assault is in progress, roll a die for each fighter or mecha to see if they survive:
Aces survive automatically.
Each Veteran mecha or fighter survives on a 4-6.
Ordinary mecha or fighters survive on a 5-6.
Turkeys are killed automatically.