I'm not sure if this belongs more in the ask the writers section or not, but has any consideration been given to significantly revising the rules (at least the range) for infantry mortars? It's a change I'd really love to see happen.
I'm not talking about mech mortars, battle armour mortars or the battle armour tube artillery system.
I mean the mortars we can equip an infantry unit with as support weapons.
A lot of the way infantry weapons are statted and handled is inconsistent or just plain strange, but mortar ranges have to be the worst of the lot.
Now I know that weapons ranges in BT have always been a little...let's say, "game-y"? Because it is a game. I get that.
But considering that 60mm mortars since the second world war have ranges in excess of 1000-meters (and today, well-over 2000) and heavy mortars can exceed 15km, I really think these need another look. And here is my argument why:
Mortars are a very important staple of infantry weaponry and have been for over a century, bullseyed more or less on the era of the future BT has always advanced. With the rules as they are, there is no practical reason to equip them in your platoons, or as a form of "pocket artillery" and it's very strange in a setting with an effective niche (speaking generously) for virtually every other weapons in our infantry arsenals to include swords and high-tech harpoons.
When I am building an infantry unit, I hit that point where I know a mortar platoon or company should go in the order of battle. But if none of my options can exceed a few hundred meters range, there is no need to. I'd even feel awkward writing these very basic support weapons into fan-fiction. No guerrillas setting up their tubes to harass a mech unit in their base when they are trying to rest and repair, no infantry platoon calling in mortar fire from a nearby supporting unit.
As far as damage...I'll only point out that a Thumper shell compares decently to 130-155mm modern artillery (it's a little lighter) and a 120mm heavy mortar blast is generally considered equivalent in effectiveness to a 155mm howitzer, and an 81mm medium mortar is generally as powerful as a 105mm artillery shell.
Thanks for your time and patience and I hope these suggestions will be considered if these rules are ever re-visited.
