View source for Winter Guard Mortar Crew

{{Khadbox|{{Khador}} {{Winter Guard}} {{Weapon Crew}} {{Unit}} }} [[Category: Model]]
{{4P|'''5th Division'''}}

''Developed in an attempt to modernize the Khadoran military, the Mortar Crews add invaluable long-range firepower to advancing Winter Guard forces. The Mortars are ideally suited to soften enemy positions before Guardsmen reach the opposing line.''

=Basic Info=
{{Infobox-Model
| name  = {{PAGENAME}}
| image = WG Mortar.jpg
| base  = Small
| spd   = 2
| str   = 5
| mat   = 5
| rat   = 5{{/}}1{{Star}}
| def   = 12
| arm   = 13
| cmd   = 5
| hp    = 1
| size  = 2
| cost  = 3
| fa    = 2
| notes = {{Star}}''1 when you include the Inaccurate penalty
}}

=== Abilities===
: '''''Gunner
:* {{Officer}}
:* {{Man-Sized}}
:* {{Mobile Artillery}}
:* {{Take Up}}

: '''''Grunt
:* The Grunt has +2 SPD (SPD 4)

===Weapons=== 
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
! Gunner
|style="width:99%;"|
{| class="wikitable"
{{Ranged|Mortar|18|16|aoe=4|
* {{Arcing Fire}}
* {{High-Explosive}}
* {{Inaccurate}}
* {{Minimum Range|8}} }}
{{Melee|Axe|0.5|3|8| }}
|}
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
! Grunt
|
{| class="wikitable"
{{Ranged|Blunderbuss|8|12| }}
{{Melee|Axe|0.5|3|8| }}
|}
|}

===Theme Forces ===
'''''Khador
* {{Winter Guard Kommand}}

'''''Other Factions
* '''[[Infernal]]''' players can use this unit in the {{Hearts of Darkness|notbold=}} theme, but only if [[Malakov2]] is leading the army.


=Thoughts on {{PAGENAME}}= 
==={{PAGENAME}} in a nutshell=== 
The Mortar crew is an ideal artillery unit - cheap, extremely long ranged, and able to take chunks of light infantry out in a single blow. It also has the weaknesses associated with artillery - slow, unable to take close combat, and as likely to drift on your own lines as the enemies.

===Combos & Synergies===
* As a winter guard unit, Mortar Crews can benefit from [[Kovnik Jozef Grigorovich]]'s battle speeches. That can give a much needed boost to Attack rolls
* The [[Winter Guard Artillery Kapitan]] provides a huge benefit to Mortars, allowing a boost to it's terrible RAT and allowing the player to re-roll a dangerous deviation towards their own lines back towards the enemy
* The one thing a Mortar can reliably hit are knocked-down models. Consider including a [[Grolar]] or [[Marauder]] to knock down a large model that the Mortar can then drop shells down on
* Engaged troops? Send a [[Demolisher]] or a [[Battle_Mechaniks|BM Officer]] forward, B2B with your models, and shell the enemy with impunity. Thanks to Girded, your infantry don't give a damn about High Explosives.

===Drawbacks & Downsides=== 
* Man-sized can be a big problem. Arcing fire means that only the closest models can block Line of Sight, but terrain can prevent the Mortar from seeing it's target
* The minimum range means that a delicate balancing act needs to be maintained between being close enough for protection and support, but not so close you can't shoot at incoming models
* Inaccurate is probably the most-lamented drawback to using the Mortar crew. Even the usually easy to hit Heavy Warjacks can often dodge a Mortar round.

===Tricks & Tips===
* With an effective Rat of 1 on the Mortar, the dice fixing offered by Vlad's [[Signs & Portents]] can be of a huge benefit
* Man-sized means that enemy units can have their lines of sight blocked by cheap defensive units like the [[Winter Guard Infantry]]
* The attached grunt needs only to be Base to Base with the mortar when it needs to move. Once in position you can place him a couple inches in front of the mortar to do emergency blocking against potential attackers.
* Weapon Crews love [[Reposition]]. It lets the crew move a few inches after their activation ends, granting both a much needed speed boost on the first couple turns and then letting them continue to move while still gaining the aiming bonus by forfeiting their normal movement.


=Other=
===Trivia===
Released in [[Warmachine: Escalation]] (2004)

===Other Khador models===
{{Index Khador}}

===Rules Clarifications===
{{RC Arcing Fire}}
{{RC High-Explosive}}
{{RC Inaccurate}}
{{RC Minimum Range|8}}

{{RC Officer}}
{{RC Man-Sized}}
{{RC Mobile Artillery}}
{{RC Take Up}}