'Mech Mortors? How's that Get Fun?

[Scotty]

Mech Mortars really suffer in the rack size department.  The tonnage mirrors LRMs (including Clan, so those might be more reasonable to acquire and keep supplied than Clan LRMs at least), but the damage starts sharply worse and then closes the distance as the difference between linear and expinential growth.

If Mech Mortars had either been SRM rack sizes and x2 tonnage, or had started with the MM-2 as equivalent to LRM-5 and then gotten larger at the same rate (2/4/6/8), then they would have reasonable performance and see good use.

Instead, the MM-4 is equivalent in all ways except damage to an LRM-15 and that's just a losing comparison, and somehow still manages to come off looking better than the MM-2 against the worst LRM launcher.

[Colt Ward]

Not as familiar with them . . . is the MM Flatbed a better platform for smoke than the LRM Flatbed- BV vs performance?

[GreekFire]

Not as familiar with them . . . is the MM Flatbed a better platform for smoke than the LRM Flatbed- BV vs performance?

'Mech Mortars are 100% better here. LRMs don't even compare.

Each MM-1 can put up a plume of heavy smoke that lasts two turns, each LRM-5 puts up a plume of light smoke that lasts three turns.
The MM-1s can be fired indirectly without a spotter. An LRM Flatbed needs a spotter or direct line of sight to the target hex, forcing it to be more mobile - potentially endangering it - or demanding a constant spotter.
The MM-1 Flatbed costs 65 BV. The equivalent dual LRM-5 Flatbed would cost 157 BV (although the canon unit is an LRM-10 Flatbed costing 172 BV).

[Retry]

Not as familiar with them . . . is the MM Flatbed a better platform for smoke than the LRM Flatbed- BV vs performance?

If all you want is smoke, I would say yes.  Only ~60 BV for a Mortar Flatbed, vs ~170 BV for a LRM Flatbed.  The LRM flatbed's higher BV is based on its firepower and drastic accuracy advantage vs the Mortar, neither of which are particularly relevant for lobbing smoke at immobile hexes. (MM BV is calculated using the direct to-hit penalty +3, so it's highly discounted in those terms).

[Colt Ward]

Smoke- I figure all they get is 1t ammo?

[GreekFire]

Smoke- I figure all they get is 1t ammo?

Flatbed MM-1 carrier gets two tons of ammo.

[Colt Ward]

Sounds better and better . . . the mini set from IWM is pretty neat too, clicked that earlier.

[Col Toda]

Mech Mortars  are worth fielding a single unit with them . I have an artillery lance 4 O- Bakimonos :one of which I replaced the 2 Arrow IV launchers with Mech Mortar 8s . I used airburst and Semi  Guided rounds mostly  .  They are great against infantry  , good against   protomechs ,  battle  armor and combat vehicles  ., ok against light mechs , lackluster against most medium  mechs and sad against heavy and assault mechs  . Worth having one unit  with 2 mech mortar 8s onboard as it has the reach to cherry pick the optimum- best targets.  It is not great when you invest in more than 1 unit with it as most fights will not provide much more  than 2 best targets for it on any given turn .  More worthwhile now that we are seeing  infantry field guns .

[BATTLEMASTER]

I'm having a hard time justifying MM racks compared to LRMs and artillery weapons, especially when Thumper field gun infantry exists or other cheap, armored SPGs.  I feel like MMs are a weapon that can use a retcon, or fluffed as retrotech or a dead end technology.

[Empyrus]

'Mech Mortars suffer from lacking units using them. EDIT Also they could use additional ammo types.
Infantry might not always be an option (they have low mobility usually), and fitting artillery cannons to units isn't that easy and they lack ammo options. Full sized artillery has likewise its limits.
Suppose you need light and highly mobile force, meaning probably light 'Mechs, but also need area effect weapons. What options do you have?

'Mech Mortars are already fluffed as a dead-end technology. They are in many ways. But unlike other dead-end tech, like self-deleting HVACs, they still have niche uses (we'll ignore that folks recently figured HVACs make for great field guns).

[mbear]

The Society's Osteon-A config uses three MM8s, and the AFFS has the Antlion in the Dark Age. The Antlion has two Clan-spec MM4s; Both designs carry six tons of ammunition.

[Sartris]

the much more humble Crossbow D (included in RS: Clan Invasion) also runs MM8s

[GreekFire]

If playing a non-Zell game the Crossbow-D is a true Elemental murdering machine. Absolutely brutal.

[Weirdo]

Given that the Falcons tend to fight factions that also like nasty suits (Horses, Republic, Lyrans), I suspect they use the Gurzil for the same role.

[Col Toda]

Could not disagree more . Field guns I expect  to see are HVAC /2s  , 5s and 10s . As they are immune  to blowing  up the have no special ammo options . They are just shooting at you from ER PPC range or better . May even fire the whole ton of amno it comes with before you start shootimg back . An O-Bakemono with 2 mech mortar 8s might have range on such a thing after 2 turns of running. 

[Weirdo]

Could not disagree more. The field guns I expect to see are HVAC/2s, 5s, and 10s, as they are immune to blowing up.

They have no special ammo options, they are just shooting at you from ER PPC range or better. They may even fire the whole ton of ammo they come with before you start shooting back.

A custom mech with 2 Mech Mortar/8s might have range on such a thing after 2 turns of running.

The whole point of Mortars is to fire indirectly. The range of the HVAC isn't that big of an advantage if the mortar unit has a single brain cell available to it and uses said cell to find a hill to hide behind.

[Col Toda]

True about trying for cover when possible  . This post got the yes , no,, and only for smoke . LRM 20 VS mech mortar 8s  with air burst rounds on Protomechs  . LRM does  a number on 2-4 of the units  mech mortar hits all . Since. I use homing arrow IV and semi guided LRMs in larger numbers than my single unit  with mech Mortars I can normally reserve it's  semi guided or air burst shot on the best Enemy  Target .

The biggest problem is rounds per ton that is the biggest turn off for this weapon . Hell I do not field LRM 20s as I have more edurance and average more damage with LRM 15s  .  I have run out ammo w LRM 20s alot with the normal  long range misses while that same 2 tons per launcher nearly always lasts the battle with LRM 15s . Still  mech Mortars have a niche and are cheap in BV so I truly think a single unit is not a horrible investment for the smoke and anti infantry  capabilities even smacking combat vehicles   proto mech, and light mechs it is worth the investment  . I do not it is worth a bigger investment.