Mech Mortars

[Louie N]

Hello,

I am having a hard time understanding mech mortars.  I hope by gathering a summary here it will help me learn them and see if I am missing something in their employment.

Mech mortar has the same Range bands as an IS LRM. 

They have an additional to hit mod of +3.  This make them a pretty inaccurate weapon. But I believe that mod only applies to direct fire. Is that correct?

They have the ability to fire indirect even when they have LOS and even without a spotter. But firing indirect without a spotter adds another +2 to fire.

If I target a unit I roll on cluster table for number of shells that hit.  If I target a hex all shells hit.   

They do have lots of different kinds of ammo.  Some of these target units and some target hexes.  I am guessing that each type of round targets one or the other and it is not a choice by the player.  Is that correct. 

Air Burst, Target Hex
Armor piecing, Target unit
Anti-Personal, Target Hex
Flare, Target Hex
Semi Guided, Target Unit
Smoke, Target Hex

Let us take the example of the lonely Antlion mech trying to lob mortar rounds onto some bad guys while hiding behind buildings.  This mech is working without a spotter and is using Amor piecing ammunition targeting an enemy mech. 
 
The to-hit number will be:

[Skill] + 1 [Indirect Fire] + 2 [No Spotter] + [Range] + [Target Move mod] + [Attacker Move]

Does the terrain the Mech is occupying apply any target numbers?  This would be the case for a spotter acting for indirect fire, but I am not sure in this case. 

If I hit, I would roll on the cluster table and each shell does 2 points of damage to the enemy mech. 

Now we will fire Air burst ammunition and target a hex. I am struggling to find the rules for targeting a hex.  Where would I find those?  If I target a hex does the immobile modifier apply? Let’s us assume it does in our next example.

The to-hit number will be:

[Skill] + 1 [Indirect Fire] + 2 [No Spotter] + [Range] + [Attacker Move]

If I hit the full barrage inflicts damage so a Mech Mortar 4 would hit with 4 shells.  Each shell does 1 point of damage.  It does hit everything in a hex. 

So did I get those example right?

At the final conclusion what are Mortars good for?  They seem very inaccurate when targeting and they are no better when firing direct vs. Indirect the +3 mod vs. the +1 indirect and +2 if not using a spotter. 

I guess a spotter would help the situation, but then you trade a fixed +2 with a possible movement mod for the spotter and the LOS terrain mods.  The +2 may be better in many cases.

Do you guys have any thoughts on this unique weapon?    I want to like the mortar but I am wondering at its usefulness.

Thanks

one follow up

Under no circumstances do Airburst Mortars apply the –4 immobile target to-hit modifier, regardless of whether the target of the attack is a hex, is shut down or immobile, and so on.

[Church14]

The explanation I have seen is that you do what is essentially double damage with air burst.

Targeting hex, so AOE weapons do full cluster
Target a level, full damage to level.
Each separate clusters applies half damage  (rounded up) to level above and below.
Since damage is applied in single points, that is 1 point for each point above and below.

Meaning a mech mortar 8 drops 16 single points of damage onto a mech (two levels tall) and 8 onto any vehicle. I think BA would take 8 points each, but I'm not sure.

The attack mods mean you are essentially firing a regular weapon with a TC (-1).
+1 indirect, +2 no spotter, -4 immobile
OR
+3 direct, -4 immobile

Then deal with range and your movement.

[mbear]

One advantage of the Mortar is that it is totally immune to AMS. You can fire as long as the ammo holds out and rest assured that it won't be intercepted.

[stoicfaux]

http://bg.battletech.com/forums/tactical-operations/(answered)-what-is-the-point-of-anti-personnel-mortar-ammo/

Read reply #8.  I have no idea if it made it into the TacOps published errata since the errata links on the home page aren't working.

But in general, if you think you found a way to make Mech Mortars useful, then you'll be shot down (otherwise why would LRMs replace MechMortars historically?)  "Under no circumstances do Airburst Mortars apply the –4 immobile target to-hit modifier, regardless of whether the target of the attack is a hex, is shut down or immobile, and so on.”

[Church14]

Well, that shot down the explanation I got. Thanks for the clarification.

Though it is still an okay harassment weapon (through indirect without spotter) with some absurd crit seeking and anti BA/Infantry uses.

So, niche weapon, but fun.

[Scotty]

Mortars are fun for lobbing shells without spotters, mostly.  I like using them to put down smoke without exposing anything to any fire whatsoever, and it can be nice to tell infantry to go away without even having to expose a spotter for the briefest instant.  They get significantly (and I mean significantly) more efficient the larger the launcher, and Clan launchers are so much better it's not funny.  I wouldn't ever call them a main weapon, or even a primary fire support weapon, but they can be a lot of fun if you've got a platoon of mortar carriers hidden behind a ridge lobbing eight or ten or twelve hexes full of high explosives every turn.

[Nahuris]

I love the flatbed with mortars ---- they are useful for clearing infantry, and for making shots against fast hovers.... as AOE does interesting things on the motive crit table.
I was also recently schooled by my fiance' with the Antlion....LOL

They make great defensive support, and can help deal with Battle Armor, and other units, and working in conjunction with small squads of infantry, as spotters, can be every bit as good as an LRM battery.... you just have to think of them a bit differently.

Nahuris

[Weirdo]

I forget, do Mortars have any good weedwhacker rounds? Could be useful for denying a TurretTecher his cover without having to expose anything to his massed [insert superweapon to suit taste here]s before you can charge and catch him in the open.

[Louie N]

For those who have used it.  They seems very inaccurate. 

How many launchers to have to point at a hex with having a reasonable chance of hitting it?

What type of ammo is your prefernece

Thanks
 

[mbear]

I forget, do Mortars have any good weedwhacker rounds? Could be useful for denying a TurretTecher his cover without having to expose anything to his massed [insert superweapon to suit taste here]s before you can charge and catch him in the open.

TacOps doesn't have anything listed. The closest thing I can find is Flare ammunition, which could maybe ignite woods hexes. Maybe you can house rule an Inferno type?

Edit: Now that I"m thinking about it, didn't Incendiary LRMs get removed from TechManual to make room for Mech Mortar ammo?

[Col Toda]

Mech Mortars are the to go weapon VS Battle Armor and Infantry almost as good for combat vehicles and somewhat lacking against mechs . The big problems with this weapon is WEIGHT and shots per ton . The Clan version is so much lighter it has a huge BV difference. I made an upgraded Omni Version of the  O-BAKEMONO with one configuration with 2 Mech Mortar 8's . It is a big ammo hog . I normally like just one in my OB if I have very little intel going in on an objective raid. After the Jihad semi-guided mech mortar rounds eliminates the indirect penalty and the movement modifier of the target for the TAGed unit . So at that point it become a very nice weapon indeed . I tend to use air bust and semi- guided ammo any other kind just is too cumbersome . The errata has air burst rounds do 1/2 launcher size in D6s for infantry damage so a unit with 2 mech mortar 8s that airburst rounds hit the hex would do 4D6 infantry damage 2 of them 8 D6 which averages 28  IE  a whole  standard platoon in one round . That same 28 points would kill  any Battle Armor ;  Proto mech ; and  have a good shot of doing a number on vehicles and light mechs . It somewhat lackluster against mechs as those 2 mech mortar 8 shots represents a 1/2 ton of ammo and 5 rounds of LB-X 10 shots average 30 points for cluster and 50 for slug . With TAG the semi guided would average 5  ; 2 point hits per launcher so that half ton does the damage of  10 SRM rounds ie 1/5 of a ton . It has throw weight but not efficiency . I value throw weight more than both economy and flexibility which is why I like the Draconis Combine refusal to go the MML route over MRM and the old LRM 15s and 20s because it reflects the tactical doctrine and design philosophy of the  post Jihad Dragon . This served the Dragon very well during the Republic and Early Dark Age while the opposition was learning to use the new tech and developing tactics to use it . Not as well after that but by that time HUGE  territorial gains were made . Throw weight is morale destroying on the enemy .  The big problem it has is staying power ammo runs dry quickly sometimes very quickly and requires a very specific and expensive logical train for just ammo .

[FedComGirl]

Would the Mortars low damage, low ammo count per ton be an artifact of it pre-spaceflight age? :-\ Kind of making it the Rifle Cannon of Missile Launchers?

[Col Toda]

It is a tool just like any weapon . It is the best tool for the elimination of infantry , battle armor and proto mechs , it a good one against combat vehicles and light mechs it just not ideal against heavier mechs . 2 mech mortar 8s is more valuable post Jihad ERA just because combined arms is the norm . Before the Jihad it was not a weapon system worth carrying without very hard and specific intelligence concerning your target , which almost never happens .