GSN 1706080052:
Summary executions aside, my primary character is specced out to be a sentinel keeping watch over chokepoints and making sure no-one sneaks up on us, but his stats make him unlikely to survive very many missions. My comrade does one thing; put bolter rounds into the enemy. He's a decent spotter as well, but if Silver bites the dust House would do a fighting retreat (Bulging Biceps) and provide covering fire until the Bugs overrun him.
There will definitely be vehicles available for use as the missions go forward in the campaign against the bugs, but you should expect them to be one-shot items, not carried over from scene to scene. Having a displaced operator on the battlefield gives me the same mental image as a Dispossessed MechWarrior...which was always an awesome image. Poor desperate bastards!
Also, there's a new Battlemech turn-based game that looks awesome. Check it out!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opxoPpL0jVA
Crafting is something that can be done between missions, yes. You probably won't have time before the next one, though. Things move fast on a battlefield swarming with 'nids!