How is BA tube artillery?

[PuppyLikesLaserPointers]

As title. It is an odd weapon to see but is there anyone experienced for this? Is it useful that much? I don't see much value on standard ammunition of the artillery but are they can make up this?

[Hellraiser]

I've totally never used it, but, at a glance, I would say the benefits of it are IDF & AE Damage in that hex.

So kind of like Mortars IIRC?

Not great v/s full scale use of vehicle grade Artillery but some niche uses in infantry combat & for "fluff".

[AlphaMirage]

I see it as an anti-infantry weapon mostly, something to handle really dug in troops with heavy support weapons. You could crit vehicles but it won't have the same effect.

[Daryk]

As I recall it's 3/1 AOE damage... smallest thing with more than a one hex AOE.  That's HUGE.

[Minemech]

 The Centaur and Grenadier II D are nice if imperfect suits. The Centaur is likely to end up in League, Capellan, Davion (If reverse engineered) and ilClan hands. If I had to say which I liked more, it would be the Centaur--stealth armored units have no business exposing themselves to counterbattery fire.

[Gorgon]

Never used them, but I do like the idea of adding some reach to an infantry-heavy force. Two map sheets is not much, compared to other artillery, but it's something. And the Centaur also comes with magnetic clamps, good for quick (re)deployment and certainly faster and easier to transport than a mech-inf artillery piece.

Also, the 3/1 damage is per gun, so an IS-standard squad at full strength would dish out 12/4 damage... that's very respectable for a BA squad!

[PuppyLikesLaserPointers]

Thank you for the answers. Then while it's not an impressive one but kind of an interesting pick.

The initial issue I have thought were accuracy and durability, for it's the artillery with only allowed to use standard HE and smoke which is infamous for its inaccuracy, and the tube's sheer weight prevents the armor to plate it with enough point. When I try to make the custom one it wasn't possible to plate it the full point of armor on them depend on some armors(at least it wasn't possible for mimetic, when I want to put ten turns worth of ammunitions with it). But are those fine? Anyway it was no wonder that both grenadier II and Centaur have such a pathetic armor points.

At least for accuracy, it could be also used for the direct fire mode, though. 17 hexes is pathetic range for an artillery, but as the direct fire weapons it's a rare sight for a battle armor, at least, which only LRMs can compete. +4 to hit is annoying at the first glance but it doesn't consider TMM either, so it's same or even more accurate than the other weapon shots on the medium range.

An another issue would be transport. Only heavy or assault can take this, and for mediums it can carry it but cannot have any ammunitions(it carries the ammunition as if it's missiles and missiles of BA must be on the same part with the tube) even if you suffer considerable sacrifice to actually managed to put it on a medium BA. It's the matter of the criticals so squad support weapon is not an option either. Perhaps magnetic clamp is a thing for this, as Centaur does?

[DaevaHuG0]

Think of BA Tube Artillery more as a close mortar support team, you preferably want them to be used from cover to deal with static emplacements or areas that enemy infantry will have to move through.

You shouldn't need that much armour of tube artillery equiped battle armour, if they're taking fire then you've screwed up badly.
 
Since AoE weapons deal the damage to all infantry in a hex, they can be a good counter to slow moving enemy BA squads. A range of 17 hexes for direct fire may not be much, but most battle armour probably aren't packing weapons with that much reach, so with a bit of luck and skill you should be able to wipe out enemy BA squads.

Also since the tubes are mounted on battle armour, you can stuff them in existing buildings to get a bit of added protection.

[Gorgon]

I think of a squad of Centaurs more as an alternative to an artillery cannon, not an artillery piece. Even in direct fire mode you got nearly 50% greater reach than a Sniper cannon with similiar damage. With the option of doubling the range by firing it as a proper artillery. And if you're firing on enemy BA, even a near miss will hurt. 4 points of damage won't destroy anything but the lightest suits, but it softens most (IS) suits up enough that other units can take them out easily.

[MarauderD]

Can someone brief me on the rules for this?  So your squad has four of them.  How much damage is done if you hit?  Thinking about the idea of using them against enemy battle armor. 

[PuppyLikesLaserPointers]

Yeah as the artillery range 2 mapsheets is relatively poor and usually you need to put them on board and cannot use them as off board as well as using them as the artillery fire support they are also suffers grave penalty of +7 to hit, but if you are have to play them on board anyways then why not to direct fire and only got +4 instead? Range 17 seems not that short actually, consider what you need to suffer is a +4 to hit(unless making the indirect attack) which is usually easier to hit than targeting anything on medium range consider target movement modifier. And sure, the end result would be more like the artillery cannon, rather than the full artillery, but is also allowed to flak....

Can someone brief me on the rules for this?  So your squad has four of them.  How much damage is done if you hit?  Thinking about the idea of using them against enemy battle armor. 

Well it is no wonder that you have no idea for this, because this was included by an ERRATA, rather than the release of TO. The damage is 3/1(R1), which is simply multiply per each troopers rather than roll for a cluster hit, so a full six troopers of BA team with a BA tube artillery cause 18/6 damage. Its range is two mapsheets, and is requires ammunition as if it is a missile. And it costs 500kg and 4 slots, means you can only use it on heavy or assault armor - medium armor can only have 4 slots on the body. You can only put this on the body location.

[MarauderD]

Yeah as the artillery range 2 mapsheets is relatively poor and usually you need to put them on board and cannot use them as off board as well as using them as the artillery fire support they are also suffers grave penalty of +7 to hit, but if you are have to play them on board anyways then why not to direct fire and only got +4 instead? Range 17 seems not that short actually, consider what you need to suffer is a +4 to hit(unless making the indirect attack) which is usually easier to hit than targeting anything on medium range consider target movement modifier. And sure, the end result would be more like the artillery cannon, rather than the full artillery, but is also allowed to flak....


Well it is no wonder that you have no idea for this, because this was included by an ERRATA, rather than the release of TO. The damage is 3/1(R1), which is simply multiply per each troopers rather than roll for a cluster hit, so a full six troopers of BA team with a BA tube artillery cause 18/6 damage. Its range is two mapsheets, and is requires ammunition as if it is a missile. And it costs 500kg and 4 slots, means you can only use it on heavy or assault armor - medium armor can only have 4 slots on the body. You can only put this on the body location.

Wow--impressive damage if you hit.  That could take out a Zou squad or even a Kanazuchi squad.  I'm guessing hitting anything is another matter entirely.  :P

[PuppyLikesLaserPointers]

Well note that most BA have 4 troopers(IS) and 5 troopers(Clans). Usually only ComGuards/WoB uses 6 troopers so it's 12/4 or 15/5 on the most times. Still, it's similar to a thumper round so it's not something neglectable either.

[Charistoph]

It wouldn't take much more to cause a 'Mech directly hit by that to need a PSR.  And that's all you need sometimes, and not more with Reflective Armor.

And 12 is more than enough to wipe out most mobile Battle Armor units, and even a few that aren't.  It's a great way to ignore TMM and Mimetic bonuses.

[Hellraiser]

which is simply multiply per each troopers rather than roll for a cluster hit, so a full six troopers of BA team with a BA tube artillery cause 18/6 damage.

Wait, your saying the BA Tubes don't cluster roll like every other BA weapon?   You Max Hit the full Squad Size every time?

[PuppyLikesLaserPointers]

Wait, your saying the BA Tubes don't cluster roll like every other BA weapon?   You Max Hit the full Squad Size every time?

Exactly.

5) Under "Game Rules", at the end ofthe section insert the following:

Note that BA Tube artillery is fired in squads and damage is multiplied by remaining troopers: a roll on the Cluster Hit Table is not required. BA Tube artillery may be used against airborne aerospace targets using the flak rules for direct-fire artillery(see Flak, p. 185). Ammunition expenditure is tracked during game play.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Guess that makes since, given that it's an AoE attack that just has to hit the hex.  And also, missing some of the shots would require scatter.

[mbear]

Be a nice way to eliminate strong points too. Two mapsheets is more than enough to drop HE rounds on pillboxes without fear of reprisal.

[beachhead1985]

Are there any rules to use BA Tube artillery as a field-artillery-type weapon with infantry?

[PuppyLikesLaserPointers]

Are there any rules to use BA Tube artillery as a field-artillery-type weapon with infantry?

No. It's only available for the battle armor.

[Hellraiser]

Are there any rules to use BA Tube artillery as a field-artillery-type weapon with infantry?

No. It's only available for the battle armor.

You probably wouldn't want to anyway.

Remember, Field-ARTILLERY is limited to 1-Gun per Platoon, regardless of # of troopers.
There are no 2-Thumper or 2-Arrow field Artillery platoons w/ 30 men in them.

It's Field-GUNS where you get to multiple cannons. 

I wouldn't bother giving them a BA-Tube even if it was an option.
Slowing down my Mechanized Troops to 1MP is fine for a big gun but for 3 points damage, no thanks.