[Endoperez]

From mechanical standpoint, what about making MA Ulm, in space!, that actually works?

Very cheap basic units and ships with high resource cost. Low base stats. Very good special abilities (protection, magic resistance, magitech can help in important resistance and encumberance problems). Elite units are very expensive but have good stats/weapons in addition to sharing the abilities of base units.

Could be base human race, or telekinetic space pineapples in mechanical bodies, or something else.