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Mortars are not terrible, for a few key reasons. First, IG dont have missile launchers in most lists, they instead take las cannons and auto cannons. The missile launchers dual profile is very handy, moreso for an army like IG without assault elements. 120 points for 6 small blasts is not a terrible investment to help wound those pesky MEQ that fall out of wrecked transports.

Second, mortar squads are long range troops that can camp your backfield objectives behind cover while still being throw away units. 60 points for a useful troop squad that does not need a transport is quite handy to have. Sure 75 point autocannon squads can do the same, but they need LOS to fire which exposes them to much greater incoming fire.

Selafyne wrote: you have to be able to guess range effectively.

Dice_Junkie wrote: Most armies will get within your minimum range quickly.

Holy crap. We all have 5th edition rulebooks, here, right?

DevianID wrote:120 points for 6 small blasts is not a terrible investment to help wound those pesky MEQ that fall out of wrecked transports.

It's one of the things I noticed when I used to mortar spam. There weren't all that many opportunities to use mortars that made them really worth taking (why I dropped them), but the opportunities were often not what I expected.

Small blast weapons are pretty awful, but, especially with multiple barrage, the sheer quantity of little pie you could put down made them more effective than other guns at strange times, like this one.

for 150 points, two plasma cannon sentinels shooting at marines crawling out of a ruined rhino kills about 3, while for 120 points, the 6 small blasts are likely to kill the same amount and throw down a 1/8 chance of pinning... on a scoring unit... out of LOS...

Also, I can't imagine how often this would come up, but mortar squads can take orders.

It's amazing how many people are sort of 'stuck' on 4th edition. Mind you, that's not necessarily a bad thing...

But on Mortars. In todays environment of 4+ cover saves, I honestly don't see how a cheap unit of backfield campers with non LoS template, cover ignoring weapons wouldn't be useful.

And the Orders are for when the enemy is at your gates, and you need to hold the line at all costs, of course.

MrWhippy wrote:

murdog wrote:I'm fairly certain there is no minimum range for a mortar.

Check your rules they do and its the same as most heavy weapons for the IG.

Where exactly are the rules for this?

tuebor wrote:

MrWhippy wrote:

murdog wrote:I'm fairly certain there is no minimum range for a mortar.

Check your rules they do and its the same as most heavy weapons for the IG.

Where exactly are the rules for this?

pg. 17

The range of an imperial guard mortar is 48", so as long as there is a model 48" away or closer, the mortar can shoot at them.

Ailaros wrote:

tuebor wrote:

MrWhippy wrote:

murdog wrote:I'm fairly certain there is no minimum range for a mortar.

Check your rules they do and its the same as most heavy weapons for the IG.

Where exactly are the rules for this?

pg. 17

The range of an imperial guard mortar is 48", so as long as there is a model 48" away or closer, the mortar can shoot at them.

He was talking about mortars having a minimum range, their having a maximum range was never in dispute.

So...

Who wants to volunteer and proxy 6 Mortar Squads for us? Can 18 shots do anything worthwhile?

I would, 'cept I don't play guard.

It'd probably be a fun game, though, and an interesting batrep. I'd play against that list (with my as-close-to-MEq-as-possible Orks, of course)

MrWhippy wrote:MORTARS OWN!!!!! for less points than an armour sentinel, you get some template pinning hell

You'd be surprised how many armies arent too bothered by frag missiles that pin

This thread makes me happy that I still have my Squat Grand Battery of Mole Mortars. In 5th edition they are just mortars but I've got 15 of them.