"How do you work out patterns of mortar rounds?" Topic

Any crafty ideas for working out random patterns of mortar round hits within the beaten ground area?

1/ Throw two D6 per round. The red die tells you where it falls along the x axis, the blue die where it falls along the y axis.

2/ Throw 2 D6 per potential target. If the blue exceeds the red it is destroyed, if it equals it, it's damaged and if it's less the mortar missed.

On a hex system, it doesn't matter, the hex as a whole takes the damage and generates, 2 pins or 3 hits or whatever.

On an open table, I think the pattern per mortar is just a straight line. I have just been watching war footage and the firer drops a bomb down the tube, turns away and then turns the knob at the top of the tube (changing elevation I assume) then drops another bomb, then turns the knob, then drops another bomb etc. perhaps this is dropping bombs 30 – 50 feet apart (who knows) in a straight line, either backwards or forwards.

I wonder whether each bomb also has unique characteristics that might affect fall?

Here is the method I use that seems to fit any type of artillery, mortar or indirect fire at any scale.

Template:
link

The top template is used for firing at point targets with the intended target in the #1 square. The squares can equal any area you need, 1 yard, 5 yards, etc. Depending on the dispersion and area roll a D100, D50, D20, D10, or whatever. The round lands where the number of the die roll is. The lower the die used the more accurate. You could even use the area as a 10x10 foot square to designate where grenades will land too.

The bottom template is used for artillery barrages targeting an area for the round to land randomly using a D100. The targets are assumed to be in certain numbered boxes. When a round lands see if they are under the template. You simulate a 10 round barrage with 10 die rolls.

We use it as a "virtual" type template off the board to address any type of indirect fire. By defining the area the square covers and which type of dice you roll you can account for any type of targeting area or accuracy using just one die roll for each round. Successive rounds can become more "accurate" by using dice with a smaller number range.

Want to now how mortars are fired? Read the manual:
link

Wolfhag

Along with rotation of the earth, humidity, charge, temperature, winds, change in settling of baseplate with each shot, on, and on, and on.

For gaming purposes either have a hit or miss, then determine where it goes. Or hit and miss. If miss then the rounds impacted where they did no damage.

I've always used the beaten zone method. Either a circl or square that covers the zone the rounds are falling in. Attack each target in the zone, apply effects.

Fast and direct

Mein Panzer has a very quick and easy approach to artillery beaten zones.

They provide a template with numbered squares in a rectangular shape. Those numbered 1-10 are in an inner square area, with 11-20 around them forming a larger rectangular area.

You throw as many dice as you have rounds impacting on the turn. For a particularly tight pattern, like small to medium mortars (or a tight concentration fired by well trained arty crews) you use D10s. For more open patterns you use D20s. If a unit is partially under one of the squares that is rolled you adjudicate a near-miss. If it is wholly under a square you adjudicate a direct hit.

It's quick and effective.

-Mark
(aka: Mk 1)

If it's a skirmish game where you are firing individual rounds, a simple scatter roll is fine. I'd be curious if there's actually any logic to whether rounds are more likely to fall in a certain direction but I wouldn't worry about it.

In large scale games, I wouldn't roll deviation but units near the bombardment area might take some morale effect due to strays

I'd be curious if there's actually any logic to whether rounds are more likely to fall in a certain direction but I wouldn't worry about it.

There isn't any logic to it, even with a completely immobile barrel and picked ammo that is all the exact same weight with propelling charges all from the same batch and all the exact same weight, the ammo will fall into a roughly-circular pattern** with a more or less random distribution inside the circle.

** more precisely, the pattern is a circle that's perpendicular to the flightpath of the shell, so there might be some changes to the shape of the beaten zone as it intersects the ground.

For any game above a platoon per side, I prefer to just deal with an artillery template like how Flames of War does it. For small games, the impact of individual shells can be rolled, but I don't know what a reasonable deviation distance would be for subsonic mortars. For direct fire, the rule of thumb I use for ALL guns is 1.5 minutes of angle dispersion, which is 1.5 inches group diameter per hundred yards range. At a thousand yards, somewhere within 15" of point of aim, it's a linear relationship. The problem is that when you get to indirect fire, the shells flight path is significantly greater than the straight-line range, which increases your group size, and the relationship between linear range and flight-path distance is no longer close-enough to linear.

Mechanically, it should probably be a single die deviation distance. You could get more complex, like having a margin-of-success roll, but who wants to do that for more than one shot during a game?

Thanks wolf hag and mk1
Sounds like the method for me!

Jon

An easy but crude method I often use is to roll 1d6: 1 = long, left; 2 = long, right; 3 and 4 = on target; 5 = short left; and 6 = short right. (Picture a grid like the pips on the "5" side of the d6.) Or for more variability and less accuracy: roll 1d10, with a 3x3 grid and rolls of 5 and 6 = on target. The distance the rounds are off-target depends on your ground scale and the distance from the mortar to the target (increases with range), and should decrease with subsequent shots as the mortar crew zeroes in.

Lion – appreciate the clarification.

An easy but crude method I often use is to roll 1d6: 1 = long, left; 2 = long, right; 3 and 4 = on target; 5 = short left; and 6 = short right.

Is this done on a per round basis? I would imagine that could become quite tedious when you have a battery of 4 tubes each firing 2 or 3 rounds. And … there is no short but in line? Or long but in line? Or left but correct range? Or right be correct range?

With Mein Panzer* you manage drift of the point of aim (over which the centerpoint of the template is placed) with a D6. But you get both the direction and the distance of the drift in one throw. And your point of aim can be off in ANY direction.

This is done by making a customized D6 for artillery drift. You simply draw an arrow in each face of the die. If your arty is very high troop quality you are on target with a 5 or 6. Otherwise you are on target with a 6. You role your 1 die on the table near the point of impact. The number tells you how far you drift. The arrow shows you which direction.

If you are small or medium mortars your point of aim drifts a small multiple of the die number (I don't remember exactly, but say 50yd per number). If you are long range arty you drift a larger multiple of the die number (say 100yds per number).

So you fire your battery of 4 mortars. If you throw a 3 your point of aim is 150yards off, in the direction the arrow on the die points. Center your template over the adjusted point of aim and trow your 8 D10s.

In two simple steps you know where every round in your barrage has fallen. I even place explosion markers under the squares where the rounds strike. Now you adjudicate the damage.

I've played with a lot of different rulesets over the years. WRG (in two very different versions) for WW2 and moderns, Combat Commander, Battlefield Commander, Corps Commander, JagdPanzer (in 2 very different versions), Firefly, Challenger (in 4 different versions)… the list goes on and on. The Mein Panzer approach is the fastest and most enjoyable I have seen yet.

I say enjoyable because for me there is a very interesting moment when you check where each round has fallen. The process is quick and easy, but I like the look of a pattern of splash markers in the beaten zone when I'm done with the arty! I don't know why, but this is far more interesting to me than just throwing a die for every tank in a beaten zone and scoring a hit on 5 or 6 (the old WRG method). It's kind of like why I prefer miniatures over board games. I LIKE to see it all on the battleboard. It is more engaging to my imagination.

Your mileage may vary.

-Mark
(aka: Mk 1)

*p.s.: I'm not in any way associated with ODGW (publishers of Mein Panzer). It's just my favorite ruleset. d.s.

Is this done on a per round basis? I would imagine that could become quite tedious when you have a battery of 4 tubes each firing 2 or 3 rounds. And … there is no short but in line? Or long but in line? Or left but correct range? Or right be correct range?

Yes, per round. But I don't use many guns/mortars in my games.

There is short or long in-line with the 3x3 version, where 2 is just long and 9 is just short. I'll see if I can draw it here (as seen from overhead):

1 2 3 long

4 5-6 7

8 9 10 short