Out-of-Mech Combat

While the world of Mechtronica is mostly designed to accomodate mechs, there are some places where your mech may be too large and impractical. Or perhaps you just want to maintain a low profile while sneaking into an enemy base. Whatever the case, sometimes you may have to fight without your mech.

Gaining the Advantage

Hand-to-hand combat centers on the concept of "Advantage". All non-mech combatants start the fight with 12 Advantage points. Your goal as a player is to reduce your opponent's Advantage to zero while maintaining your own Advantage. Once your opponent's Advantage is at zero, you'll have an opportunity to strike.

1. At the start of each turn, gain 1 Advantage point.
   • If you started your turn with 0 Advantage, then gain 6 Advantage points instead.
2. Take an action.
   • Describe what you're trying to do to the GM and other players.
   • Then, make a stat roll.

Actions give you a chance to reduce your opponent's Advantage. An action consists of a description of what you want to do (for example "attempt to flank my opponent") and an accompanying stat roll (in this example, probably Agility or Perception). If your roll is successful, the GM decides how many Advantage points the opponent loses.

Once a combatant's Advantage is reduced to 0 points, the attacker(s) may make an attack consistent with their efforts up to that point. That might mean dealing a serious injury or disarming the opponent, for example. It could even mean incapacitating the opponent.

Dealing with Mechs while on Foot

While you never want to be in this situation, there may come a time where you're being attacked by an opponent in a mech while you're on foot. Usually your best option in this case will be to make a hasty escape.

Mechs can target non-mech combatants on a successful Targeting roll of 1-25. If a mechaneer is hit by a mech's attack while not in their mech, they die.

If you find yourself being hunted by an enemy mech while you don't have access to your own mech, you should take cover immediately and quickly find a means of escape. Only large numbers of heavily armed combatants have any chance of taking down an enemy mech on foot.