Light mortars

[Nosher]

Will these feature in BKC under Pendraken?

Never really got them being factored into infantry stats??

[Ithoriel]

We play that a stand represents a platoon. Certainly at that scale it makes sense to me that LMGs and light mortars are rolled up into the factors for an infantry stand. BKC is supposed to be "top down" after all.

[Chris Pringle]

A veteran told me the 2" mortar was always the first thing to be dumped in a ditch before an attack.

[Orcs]

I think there is some need for smoke other than from off table artillery.

Possibly allocating light mortrs in the same way as A/T Rifles and allow that stand to fire smoke instead of normal weapons .  perhaps with a limited width of smoke screen say 2".  This would be enough to shield infantry crossing open ground from some of the defending infantry.

[Nosher]

I think there is some need for smoke other than from off table artillery.

Possibly allocating light mortrs in the same way as A/T Rifles and allow that stand to fire smoke instead of normal weapons .  perhaps with a limited width of smoke screen say 2".  This would be enough to shield infantry crossing open ground from some of the defending infantry.

Like your thinking.

I think BKC plays best when it's infantry heavy and personally I want to aim to play at section level with fixed formations and proper orbats. Omitting the role of the 2" mortar and it's effectiveness particularly in delivering pinpoint smoke cover is frustrating.

[petercooman]

Really like that smoke idea too!

[Kiwidave]

There is an optional rule at the back for defensive smoke, which would probably cover the use of the 2". Don't have the book to hand, so can't give a page reference.

[toxicpixie]

Given their utility and everyone dropping them for bigger tubes or relegating them to smoke duties I think KiwiDave has the right idea

[Orcs]

Defensive smoke is for vehicles with smoke dischargers.

The idea being when the said tank is fired at it fires off its smoke dischargers. to stop further shooting at it.

Its not for infantry unfortunately

[toxicpixie]

Yes, but the idea is easily transposed. Although if you play BKC a scale down where a stand is a squad not a platoon then light mortars probably are worth including... At platoon scale as written they're just an extra bit of nothing much. Giving British infantry the option to fire a smoke marker if about to assault/under fire might be a very easy and satisfying abstraction!

[Ithoriel]

Defensive smoke is for vehicles with smoke dischargers.

The idea being when the said tank is fired at it fires off its smoke dischargers. to stop further shooting at it.

Its not for infantry unfortunately

No reason you couldn't use the same mechanism for infantry.

[Kiwidave]

I thought there were two separate optional rules; one for vehicle-mounted smoke dischargers (puts smoke around vehicle)  and another for defensive smoke (puts line of smoke immediately in front of an enemy stand that fired). I am going on memory here, so excuse me if I have this incorrect.....

[Orcs]

It might be me, I am at work and going from memory

[Womble67]

Anyone got any more thoughts on this

Take care

Andy

[Ithoriel]

My thoughts remain that it's probably more detail than I want for the scale we play at. If my Germans fire at a stand of Brits and score no hits then maybe the Brits got off a few rounds of smoke from a 2". It's lost in the random factors.

For those playing at a lower scale the Defensive Smoke rules could be adapted.

We are in any case beyond the point at which rules changes are going to be incorporated in the next printing from what Leon has written.