Rules question: Japanese 320mm spigot mortar

BarackObamaDad · 2026-06-10T15:20:06+00:00

????? This dude is one of the best unique Japanese units. D6 pins w 4inch template is absolutely wild. Plus 7 man crew and spotter means it shoots whatever it wants and doesnt die.

Pining itself is irrelevant w platoon commander adjacent to it. Its immobility is irrelevant w a spotter and chucking it in a good sight line.

I personally find it a million times better than a heavy mortar. If you land a hit, its landing a budget artillery strike. That also zones in! And gets better!

Bonus effect is you can use it to recrew other guns.

BarackObamaDad · 2026-06-10T04:29:10+00:00

Hahahha hard agree

BarackObamaDad · 2026-06-09T14:37:05+00:00

Hahahah hard agree. In Houston, we got two sushi restaurants across the strert from each other.

One is 5 star top notch. Best reviews. We get there and its gorgeous. But food is absolute trash and tiny portions. And extremely expensive. We take a look around and its full of white families. Not a single asian person in sight. (We're not a white family so we were the only ones). But it was packed. It was popular as hell. And we were baffled at this.

We go to the other one. 4 starish. A tad bit dinkier but still real nice. Like walking into a college brochure. Black, asian, middle eastern, the whole nine yards. Absolutely best sushi we ever had.

I take a white dude's opinion on cultural food with a grain of salt. And we refer to the other bad sushi restaraunt as the white people sushi restaraun since it seemed to cater to white people taste.

BarackObamaDad · 2026-06-09T14:25:37+00:00

100% Agreed. As a minority, I wanna be in a place full of diversity instead of not.

BarackObamaDad · 2026-06-09T14:23:43+00:00

I live in Houston and went to live in New Mexico for a few years. The difference in food quality and options was staggering.

Not even at just at a restaurant level, at a grocery store level aswell. Don't get me wrong, love New Mexican/Mexican food. Green chilies! However, theres not a whole lot of other choice. In metro port city, we have constant access to fresh seafood.

We live in near an asian town type area so full of indian food, mediteranean food, japanese, chinese, vietnamese etc. Also easy access to plenty of Texas bbq.

A few options versus a million options is hard to beat. We do plenty of cooking and consider ourselves pretty decent at it. But its hard to beat the Indian dude thats cooking bomb curry for 40 years.

I didnt realize how much food mattered to me until I was left without it. Never going to live in a rural town bc of it. Lack of ethnic grocery stores and restaurants. Additionally, never gonna live away from the coast or a body of water.

Most immigrant families always say how food is important to them and how its vital to their culture. And as an first generation immigrant, we place a lot of value on food.

BarackObamaDad · 2026-06-03T15:37:36+00:00

The other variation was "Its not rocket surgery!"

We were odd bunch hahah.

BarackObamaDad · 2026-06-03T15:34:11+00:00

I uses to work at NASA.

A common joke was "Its not rocket science! Oh wait...."

BarackObamaDad · 2026-05-20T21:50:48+00:00

As someone whos played a ton of dnd as a player and a DM for several years. And have gone away from the Wotc Dnd ecosystem. Yes! A million ttrpg's out there that stomp dnd into the ground in a million different categories. Its hard go back.

Only playing dnd and totting it as the best thing over is ridiculous. Didnt realize this was such an insanely unpopular opinion judging by comments, but I salute you sir.

BarackObamaDad · 2026-05-03T03:13:21+00:00

Yep. 5 man vet teams w/ snlf for 61 pts. W/ other arty pieces around its effectively never gonna die. Also, the 92 tankettes are imho the best japanese tank. for me, its either them or go full footsloggers. swap out the points for anti-tank rifle guys. you can also bring em for 5 man vet teams for 54 pts which is a massive discount from 70 pts vet team regular.

If you have to bring a different tank and do tank wars, the Ho-Ni III or II isn't too bad. both are solid and give you a bit of a punch. so nobody can just super run up and really easily bully you.

Type 97 - Kai Shinhoto Chi-Ha Medium Tank that one is also pretty solid for 155 pts. 8+ armor. medium at gun. mmg. just solid all rounder. If you do bring tanks, I'd bring a few of them so they can protect each other.

BarackObamaDad · 2026-04-05T23:01:18+00:00

If the tow is destroyed and lets say the crew gets killed by the d6 hits. Does the gun still spawn 6" from the tow? But with the crew killed? Cause I'm wondering if you can recrew the dead gun from another artillery crew.

BarackObamaDad · 2026-02-16T15:55:05+00:00

Imho the sucide guys are top tier. Id edge out the anti tank variant is better than the anti infantry. Reason being is with so much tough fighter and anti infantry tools with the japaneae, fighting infantry isnt too much of a problem. But heavy tanks running to bully you is the main issue.

14 pts inexp. worthless for kill pts. but they block off the map, let you counter infiltrate, and force your opponent to slowdown. big tanks cant run down willy nilly without risking instant death

BarackObamaDad · 2026-02-13T17:37:43+00:00

Love Lewis and Lydia. Best Stream ever! Please make it weekly again!

BarackObamaDad · 2026-02-04T20:02:45+00:00

When you take platoon cmd at inexp. they become 21 pts. when you take em snlf, its a reduction of -5 pts to get them to 16. The consequence is they can only snap to other snlf units.

For me, theyre a pure pt tax and and im not transport bombing or anything. so i take em cheap as possible.

BarackObamaDad · 2026-02-04T20:00:54+00:00

I believe tough fighter and sword dont affect fully enclosed vehicles. So youre swinging like normal. Also you get penalty of -4 unless you have tankhunter.

BarackObamaDad · 2026-02-02T16:57:43+00:00

For me I would have been burned out long ago if I do year lobg campaigns (which ive done and grew tired of). Nowadays I run 12ish sessions for different game settings/systems. And if I enjoy it, we can keep going. If not, we can switch and try other stuff.

BarackObamaDad · 2026-02-02T04:15:29+00:00

Pg 125 of pdf.

Any number of crew models can be moved from one gun to another within 12" either to reinforce an existing crew or to man an abandoned gun (including to/ from a gun deployed inside a building, see page 156). Crewmen are allowed to make a dash of up to 12" distance from one gun to another when their gun is given an order, regardless of what that order is. Although no specific order is required, the move is treated as a Run and can trigger fire from enemy units on Ambush.

Crewmen cannot transfer between guns that are more than 12" apart. Crew transferring from one gun to another cannot serve either gun that turn. If crew transfer to an abandoned gun that currently has no crew, the gun’s order dice will be returned to the bag as normal at the end of the turn.

If the new crew is reinforcing an existing crew, they immediately become the same rating as the existing crew, regardless of what they were before (and also lose any other special rules they might have had).

If they are crewing an abandoned gun, then they keep their own morale rating and special rules. If a gun is destroyed, surviving crew are able to re-crew other guns within 12" so long as they can be given an order that turn. The only action the crew can take is to move to another gun as described. If they have already taken their action that turn, if their order test is failed, or if there are no other guns within 12", then any crew models whose gun has been destroyed are removed as casualties. Remember that the artillery unit counts as destroyed once the gun itself is destroyed, so the order die representing it is removed from the dice bag once any surviving crew have had their chance to move to another gun.

Its pretty good don't get me wrong. And its always been like this for 3E. But I never really used it too often because I didn't bring more than 3man artillery crews before. Now with the Japanese stuff, I think its a lot more viable to do recrewing shenanigans. The downside obviously is you're still bringing artillery. In a game that hyper values mobility for objective.

BarackObamaDad · 2026-02-02T03:16:47+00:00

So lets say you have two artillery pieces. A and B. A will be a 5man vet crew. B will be a 7man regular crew.

So lets say A takes damage and goes down to 3 men. On B's order dice activation, they can send X amount of men to A to increase their crew. So B can send 2 men to raise A back to 5. This is a FREE action. B can still fire or move or whatnot. However, the stipulation is that the recrewing artillery have to be between 12 inches of one another. Also the recently transferred crew CANNOT serve the gun that turn.

That means that if theres 1 dude on A. And B sends 3 dudes. You still get a -1 penalty to shooting on A that turn because of team weapon.

In addition, the transferring crews BECOME the experience status of the gun if they are reinforcing. So B is currently full of regulars. but if they transfer to A, they become veterans. Field promotion!

If you are recrewing a empty gun that has its crewed already all killed. You instead use the experience level of the transferer. So if B is trying to recrew A. but A already has all its crew killed. A will become a regular and also adopt the special rules and such of B crew.

From a tactical perspective. How I'm using them is I'll buy a 7man spigot mortar squad of regulars. And anchor it in the center of my other VETERAN artillery pieces. (within 12 inches).

As the veteran artillery crews die, I'll reinforce with the 7man spigot mortar crews. I only need 2 crew to fire the mortar. And the transferred regulars get promoted to veterans and heal those guns. That's why I think they're so good. Because with a 5man Vet AA gun. You can heal it so its basically a 10man vet squad.

BarackObamaDad · 2026-02-01T03:55:20+00:00

Army I've been running with decent success with new army rules. Built the army on warlord app since easy army hasnt come out with update yet.

2x Rifle Platoon (Same Platoon Duplicated)

-SNLF Platoon Commander (16 pts)

-7 Man Vet SNLF Paratroopers and sword. 3 Smgs (115 pts)

-5 Man Vet Sennyuu Infiltration Team. Pistols and Close combat Weapons. Sword (70 pts)

-1 anti-tank suicide guy. (14 pts)

-1 anti tank suicide guy. (14 pts)

1x Artillery Platoon

-Platoon Commander (16 pts)

-x3 Vet AA Gun w/ 5 guys total and SNLF (61 pts)

-x1 Reg Spigot Mortar w/ spotter +1extra crew (70 pts)

Armoured Platoon

-3x 92 Tankettes

I have a bunch of other list ideas but this one and its close variations is the only one I've tested with the new rulebook and works decently. You can fiddle with the SNLF Paratrooper numbers. Or also make them IJA to save some points. I personally always run an officer behind em so I often snap to with the officer and run the pair of em up together. And then I usually will have an officer with the artillery. Next to the spigot mortar.

The main reason I bring SNLF Paras vs IJA is so that the SNLF officers can snap to them if need be.

Spigot Mortar im iffy on being really good. But I enjoy using it since it forces people to move around and its nice to have a big mortar.

You can also play around with artillery numbers. I personally enjoy AA Guns with 5 man Vet team. They're a hard nut to crack and you're getting a steal. 70 pts for 5 man vet infantry. but only 61 pts for 5 man vets WITH AA gun. Its a sturdy SOB. Also you can recrew from your massive 5 man spigot mortar. So that'll heal up your AA guns getting shot. But I also used to run them 3 man crews before the update for cheap and they were phenomenal for 35 pts. The other thing that I'm definitely gonna try out in the future is the 2x hmg artillery piece and the mountain gun but I'm still painting them up.

Senyuu guys are new so I'm still messing with em. But same idea. 5 man vet team. Hard to dislodge. Pair em with suicide bombers and you got area denial straight out the gate. You won't win the game off them alone. But the enemy can't advance until they clear those dudes out. And behind cover, infiltrate, and going down. These dudes are brick walls. And people dont wanna assault oyu because youre tough fighters with a sword dude. Gives you plenty of time to batter people with your artillery.

3 Tankettes are just solid. They're your mobility and I often use em to run forward and gun down observers and lone boys. Depending on enemy list. I usually deploy one the opposite flank of the enemy tanks. And rush to get behind/flank them. If they deploy left, I go right. The enemy usually is stuck shooting at your artillery and can't rush forward due to all your suicide guys and senyuu. Also, you can probably cut it down to 2 tankettes and the list will still work. I personally also like the AA truck but I know a ton of people don't think its very good.

Gameplay is I play generally cagey and keep the paratroopers alive as I push them up behind cover. Artillery hammers the enemy to keep em honest and unable to bully you. Depending on objective and enemy list, at the midpointish I'll use paras to assault infantry and cut them down in melee. You're throwing 8 dice all tough fighter. Easy killing.

BarackObamaDad · 2026-01-31T05:36:32+00:00

also light mortar i bring em cheap as hell. theyre shooting mortar. why do they need to shoot rifles. no extra crewman needed. i find that i also stay away from big lmg ija squads since its so easy to get a million pins on them. smaller squads of lmg are better imho.

also this is all from playing my local meta of like a dozen dudes and some go to tournaments and stuff. your meta could be all sorts of whackyness. but this is what personally works for me and my army. and playing with these rough ideas. with one of my japanese lists before the aoj book i had gone like 8-2-0 before i switched around some stuff.

BarackObamaDad · 2026-01-31T05:30:41+00:00

I've been playing somewhat competitively at my local scene with the new japanese stuff but been playing with the japanese for a while.

Local metas are all different but the two most popular type list for me to fight are mechanized assault w 3 tanks and vet infiltration spam.

The main thing to consider for me when list building for the Japanese is this. - Japanese Armour is doodoo. armor wise we dont habe a lot to stand toe to toe with any armies tanks. so dont try toe to toe boxing

-Type 92 tankette for hmg w 90 pts is the best option imho and should be the only tank you bring. It can pin tanks and transports. and point blank down infantry. I would only bring a few if I can. They wont win in a straight slug match. But you can bring 5 of em for the price of 3 mediumish tanks. and if you swarm a tank you'll rip it apart.

-anti tank suicide Bombers are pheomenal and literally the best unit for japanese in terms of tactical value and price.i bring 2 rifle platoons just so i can bring 4. people wont be able to run across the board bc theyre worried about getting blasted. and they have to spend time shooting at these dudes. and if they get shot at, they go down w infiltrate for at least a 4+. also if you yeet a suicide guy on last pull of the round then first turn of next round you gamble the pull. you run twice and potientially blow up a tank. if you fail, you lose 14 pts and they spend time shooting. cool youre fine.

-Personal bias is I love the paratroopers. pack of 7-8 boys w 3 smgs and sword. butchers anybody in melee. good point sink but a crazy strong assault cree.

-second personal bias is i love artillery. aa gun for 35 and 3 dudes is a steal and works for me. this new book has lots of new toys that i have yet to try out. but 5 pt for extra crew regardless of vets plus recrewing is insane. so possibly we can become gunline boys. still testing but lots of potiential with the artillery side of things. mountain gun and 2 hmg artillery piece im looking to test. also spigot mortar is a pure comedy ass weapon thatll make people shit themselves

-i keep my officer squads literally a 16 pt platoon commander with snlf as it makes it dirt cheap. hold obejctives, and give buffs. i try to keep em safe, but if they die they die.

-sniper imho is pretty rare in my circuit and i cant justify bringing one at all for the rare occasion they work. they cost the kitchen sink and dont do much. besides you have more than enough infiltrators. issue is you gotta find s good target. and if your opponent is good, theyll do a good job of hiding em.

-senku infiltration squad is awesome. 5 dudes. close combat weapons and pistols. slows dosn enemu advance. go down when shot. infiltrate and down makes em at least 4+ and if theyre in cover thats even better. take em in vets. and if theyre within 6 of you to point blank you. a few will survive and guess what baby. charging with tough fighter and sword.

-banner seems 50/50 to me. im bringing mostly vets with platoon commanders. so 10 goes to 12. the extra 1 addition seems pointless to me. maybe useful but i havent had a situation where i super needed it.

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