Why do we need Mechs?

[Kaodi]

The likely niche of mechs would be as super-combat engineer, I think. Designed to go and do what traditional construction equipment cannot, able to take small arms fire and deliver some hurt to smaller targets as well. They might also work as specialized raiders.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

That's a nifty idea, actually.

 

[Hand of Evil]

1 - Mechs are cool
2 - Cars, trains and other mobile devices are Mechs
3 - Men want to be super
4 - Mobility, even dinos got around on two legs
5 - They are cool
6 - the ability to copy actions performed by the human body

 

[GX.Sigma]

Apparently, Gundam has a pretty decent explanation for why hand-to-hand robot battles are more efficient than nuking everything from three galaxies away. From Wiki:

The main use of the Minovsky particle was in combat and communication. When the Minovsky particle is spread in large numbers in the open air or in open space, the particles disrupt low-frequency electromagnetic radiation, such as microwaves and radio waves. The Minovsky particle also interferes with the operations of electronic circuitry and destroys unprotected circuits due to the particles' high electrical charge which act like a continuous electromagnetic pulse on metal objects. Because of the way Minovsky particles react with other types of radiation, radar systems and long-range wireless communication systems become useless, infra-red signals are defracted and their accuracy decreases, and visible light is fogged. This became known as the "Minovsky Effect".

The only counter measure to the "M" particle in the series was to install bulky and expensive shielding on all electronic equipment, but only to counteract the effect it had on electronic circuitry. While this could be done for space ships and naval ships, this ruled out the use of precision guided weapons, such as guided missiles. Due to this, the military use of Minovsky particles ushered in a new era of close-range combat. This is the primary reason for the birth of the Zeon close-combat weapon: the mobile suit.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

The likely niche of mechs would be as super-combat engineer, I think. Designed to go and do what traditional construction equipment cannot, able to take small arms fire and deliver some hurt to smaller targets as well. They might also work as specialized raiders.

In the computer game series "Supreme Commander", isn't the command unit the player character sits in basically this? (I believe there are also a few mech type pure combat units, though.)

 

[CAFRedblade]

Also, instead of working with larger mechs of Mechwarrior(BattleTech) and Robotech, you could look into the smaller mechs of Dream Pod 9's Heavy Gear universe. Dream Pod 9

Patterned after the Anime series Armored Troopers Votoms (The Southern Faction looks alot like the Votoms), the Heavy Gear mechs are on average 4-5 meters in height.

There is a backstory that the Heavy Gears were developed out of Worker mechs, open cockpit ExoFrame like construction vehicles which work well in the mostly Desert environs of the world TerraNova.
The pilot sits in the main body, with their head sitting about eye level, or just below eye level of the "head" of the Gear.

They also put out a D20 Mech book with stats shortly after 3ed came out, although it includes multiple size category of Mechs. You can still find a copy on RPGNow in pdf format.

 

[Stormonu]

Steve Jackson's Ogre universe also has the man-sized armored suit that's pretty much a small mech. Man-portable nukes are the primary infantry weapon in that game, and the only way to survive a non-direct hit (i.e., radiation fallout) is with the armored suits.

 

[kigmatzomat]

John Ringo's "Aldenata" series gave a pretty good justification for using power armor: a reptilian centauroid alien species that has armies of millions of combatants that carry such powerful weapons (1-3mm railguns) that they can threaten heavy armored vehicles by sheer weight of firepower. Any vehicle more than human-high can be targeted by multiple ranks of the aliens. They have a small number of single-alien "flying saucers" equipped with very sensitive sensors that highlight targets using electronic devices.

The aliens don't just want the planet; they want to eat everything on it, humans included. They are hermaphroditic, lay eggs, and born with genetically-programmed skillsets, 99% of which are non-verbal idiot-savant warriors while 0.01% are human-intelligent "god-kings" that have a psychic control over those idiot savants. The remaining 0.99% are ~IQ 80 "sargeants".

There's actually a d20 setting that's OGL. (Legacy of the Aldenata RPG )

His armored combat suits (ACS) are anti-matter powered, able to survive near-miss nuclear hits, have railguns that fire projectiles at 0.1c at ~1,000 rounds/minute, and can run at more than 60mph.

However in truth you'd be better off using ATV-sized mini-tanks with a pair turrets equipped with multiple mid-range (1-2km) guns that are controlled by a person in a fox hole via fiber optic cable or short-range laser. They can have heavier armor, put out more fire, require less power, have more redundancy, are easier to build, require less training to operate and put their operators at less risk.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

There's also David Drake's Armor- again, more like Iron Man and less like Mecha- in the Northworld series.

Northworld - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Deset Gled]

Mechs also provide a very powerful psychological tool in warfare. Using mechs has the effect of humanizing the technology, which can have both defensive and offensive benefits. If you can accurately control the appearance of your weapons in relation to the Uncanny Valley, you can open up an entirely new world of mind games on your enemy.

On the defensive side, a humanoid mech is less likely to be shot at. Believe it or not, most people are actually quite averse to killing another person, and will avoid doing it even in war. In fact, one of the primary methods of training people to kill is to dehumanize their enemy. By giving your opponent a more human-like target, you minimize that dehumanization. A mech puts a face on the enemy, which makes it harder to pull the trigger. For more information on this effect, check out this Cracked article: The Biggest Star Wars Plot Hole, Explained By Science | Cracked.com , or read On Killing by Dave Grossman.

Having a humanoid mech can also be a powerful tool of inspiration. The powers-that-be in war often try and find important heroes to be the face of the war so that people can feel a more direct connection to the events, and to give them hope. Imagine if that heroic symbol could be the flagship itself. This was one of the over-arching points across the Macross series, where the SDF1 eventually became the center of city.

The same humanizing effect can also be used for intimidation. If you want to maintain a military presence, having the streets patrolled by a fierce and human-like mech may be able to instill fear better than a simple car or truck. And the effect of having a wave of giants swarm over a city would be immensely more fear inducing than a simple fly-by from military jets. IIRC, this technique was discussed in the second book in the Leviathan series.

The bottom line is that the same psychology that makes mechs "cool" can also be used as a tool of warfare. It's certainly an expensive tool to implement, but one that shouldn't be overlooked.