# Adding Mortars to the game

**URL:** <https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/adding-mortars-to-the-game/25520>\
**Category:** The Drawing Board\
**Created:** [December 17, 2020, 10:52am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/adding-mortars-to-the-game/25520 "2020-12-17T10:52:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 11\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Havis](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/havis/32/10601_2.png) [@Havis](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Havis)\
**Post date:** [December 17, 2020, 10:52am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/adding-mortars-to-the-game/25520/1 "2020-12-17T10:52:58Z")

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Currently, the only viable way of destroying a small city without putting yourself in danger is by the use of a missile silo, which is hard to find, and sometimes unusable without enough computer knowledge. That or you can use a lot of explosives and/or mini-nukes and possibly kill yourself in the process. Originally I thought of suggesting some sort of stationary field-artillery that you can possibly find in a Military base, but Mortars are easier to implement.

The way you would use a Mortar is by setting it up in place first, then activating it while having a Mortar shell (found in military installments) on you or near you. By doing that the overmap would display showing the location where you would like the mortar to hit. Much like using a missile silo only much less destructive.

Since Mortars are not known to be accurate weapons, a nice feature that could be added is a percentage chance that the mortar wouldn’t land where you wanted it to, instead going a number of overmap tiles in a random direction. A new proficiency could then be added that helps the mortar land closer to the target in case of a miss (reduces spread), and increases the chance of a direct hit.

I don’t imagine Mortars being balance-breaking if the mortar shells have a rare drop rate, and only spawn in a few buildings. That and the accuracy of the Mortar itself should help in retaining the original purpose of the Mortar, which is an indirect fire weapon, not an accurate missile launcher, so you’ll probably need to shoot a few of those rare precious mortar shells to make sure at least one hit the small target you were aiming for, which I would think is less efficient than driving there and blowing it up with a mini-nuke.

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**Author:** ![Fris0uman](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/fris0uman/32/8607_2.png) [@Fris0uman](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Fris0uman)\
**Post date:** [December 17, 2020, 11:34am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/adding-mortars-to-the-game/25520/2 "2020-12-17T11:34:36Z")

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As far as I understand mortars are planned to be the thing that replaces missile silo and actually do the job of mass destruction that missile silo pretend to do ( they don’t really work currently). So if you’re interested in doing the work to put that in the game I think it would be well received.

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**Author:** ![We\_are\_Alpharius48](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/df705f/32.png) [@We\_are\_Alpharius48](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/We_are_Alpharius48)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2020, 2:25pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/adding-mortars-to-the-game/25520/3 "2020-12-21T14:25:12Z")

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I mean it’s not like getting a flamethrower or a box of matches and sneaking around while setting fire to everything would do the same thing.

not to mention they make coffee can mortars in the Middle East which I’m pretty sure any character making power armour and laser guns could put together, but that’s my opinion.

I could also see people making some kind of launcher similar to the French grenade crossbow from ww1 in the link which would be interesting.(safe use of mini nukes?)

> **[Sauterelle](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sauterelle)**
>
> The Arbalète sauterelle type A, or simply Sauterelle (French for grasshopper), was a bomb-throwing crossbow used by French and British forces on the Western Front during World War I. It was designed to throw a hand grenade in a high trajectory into enemy trenches. It was initially dismissed by the French Army but General Henri Berthelot thought it had practical value.
> It was lighter and more portable than the Leach Trench Catapult, but less powerful. It weighed 24 kg (53 lb) and could throw an F...

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**Author:** ![zantanzuken](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/zantanzuken/32/10325_2.png) [@zantanzuken](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/zantanzuken)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2020, 7:20pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/adding-mortars-to-the-game/25520/4 "2020-12-21T19:20:57Z")

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i dont think theres any way a crossbow would be able to propel a mininuke far enough for it to be considered ‘safe’, but we already have the makeshift mininuke launcher for that exact purpose. (… i still wouldnt call that safe.)

also coffee can mortars still use mortar shells, which would be the relatively difficult to come across part.

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**Author:** ![spicyshadow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5e9695/32.png) [@spicyshadow](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/spicyshadow)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2020, 10:01pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/adding-mortars-to-the-game/25520/5 "2020-12-21T22:01:37Z")

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> [@zantanzuken](#):
>
> also coffee can mortars still use mortar shells, which would be the relatively difficult to come across part.

Couldn’t you just make your own mortar shells from random scrap and homemade explosives for very inaccurate, less range and explosive shells?

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**Author:** ![zantanzuken](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/zantanzuken/32/10325_2.png) [@zantanzuken](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/zantanzuken)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2020, 10:05pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/adding-mortars-to-the-game/25520/6 "2020-12-21T22:05:37Z")

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… that sounds like a real good way to blow yourself up

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**Author:** ![We\_are\_Alpharius48](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/df705f/32.png) [@We\_are\_Alpharius48](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/We_are_Alpharius48)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2020, 11:04pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/adding-mortars-to-the-game/25520/7 "2020-12-21T23:04:18Z")

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And meanwhile making firearms/laser Weaponry that could melt down in one’s hands is so much easier in comparison and simply making a contact sensitive explosive ( which you can already do with the right book)

I’m sorry but in the wiki for example there were stronger grenade crossbows at the time and if the mini nuke needs more than 200 yards of clearance then I don’t know how people don’t kill themselves using it all the time.

I mean in concept you’re just making a Ballista to fling explosive grenades from a vehicle or other platform

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**Author:** ![zantanzuken](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/zantanzuken/32/10325_2.png) [@zantanzuken](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/zantanzuken)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2020, 11:10pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/adding-mortars-to-the-game/25520/8 "2020-12-21T23:10:56Z")

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a modern crossbow can shoot up to 500 yards unassisted, sure.

but a mininuke weighs 20 pounds. in experimental they weigh 50 pounds.

gonna be preeeeettty hard to attach that to a crossbow.

and again, there exists a mininuke launcher, which can be attached to cars.

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**Author:** ![We\_are\_Alpharius48](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/df705f/32.png) [@We\_are\_Alpharius48](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/We_are_Alpharius48)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2020, 11:13pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/adding-mortars-to-the-game/25520/9 "2020-12-21T23:13:47Z")

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Again, push comes to shove they could simply have some kind of trebuchet or other such launching device we could put on a vehicle to launch larger-than-average explosives if that’s the case.

But for the majority I could see simply using a grenade crossbow and having the effect of throwing grenades over buildings IE pools or Parks Etc, meanwhile I do admit ‘hacks’ exist which would do the same thing more accurately requiring line of sight.

And yes, I do think it would be cool if they added some kind of ballista (or scorpion) option that functioned similar to a heavy crossbow you had to mount to use properly

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**Author:** ![spicyshadow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5e9695/32.png) [@spicyshadow](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/spicyshadow)\
**Post date:** [December 22, 2020, 2:10am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/adding-mortars-to-the-game/25520/10 "2020-12-22T02:10:31Z")

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If a oversized crossbow isn’t enough than just go bigger and build a ballista. or if you are working on that scale anyway why not just make a actual full sized seige catapult.

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**Author:** ![We\_are\_Alpharius48](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/df705f/32.png) [@We\_are\_Alpharius48](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/We_are_Alpharius48)\
**Post date:** [December 22, 2020, 7:23am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/adding-mortars-to-the-game/25520/11 "2020-12-22T07:23:05Z")

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Only problem I could see with a ballista is you’d have to use Spears (wood Spears would be the most easily made) as ammunition and you’d be playing inaccurate battleship when needing to deal with larger threats to Warrant using such a weapon