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Tactica: Gothica Imperialis - Battleships and Battlecruisers | |
The Imperial fleet resembles a World War 1 fleet much more than a modern fleet, as their ship design shows. While there are vessels which are carriers, in most cases this is almost a secondary function, as they are generally equipped with long-ranegd guns as well. Add to this the fact that any vessels with launch bays are more expensive than their bay-less counter-parts, and a modern carrier group is tricky to assemble. However, if you want a fleet that can survive long-range damage before launching a devastating counter-punch, the Imperial fleet is that fleet.BattleshipsThe Imperial battleships have a few major similarites, but are designed for distinctly different roles. Both ships come with 12 hits and 4 shields, making them quite resilient to incoming fire. Neither is particularly quick, with the Emperor moving at 15cm and the Retribution at 20cm. They both only turn 45 degrees, and are such massive vessels that neither of them are able to use the Come to New Heading special order due to their sheer mass. It also requires three cruisers or battlecruisers for each battleship in your fleet.Emperor class Battleship - The Emperor is the closest the Imperial fleet gets to a dedicated carrier vessel, able to pump out up to eight squadrons of fighters, bomber or, if you pay the 5 point premium, assault boats. I would recommend spending the extra 5 points, unless you are really stuck for points, as it gives you added flexibility. The Emperor is also well equipped with gun batteries, able to fire a Firepower 11 salvo to each side with a 60cm range, or a massive Firepower 16 broadside should it need to. This makes it dangerous for vessels to try and close with it, especially Eldar, as that weight of firepower is going to do a lot of damage to their fragile wraithbone constructs. As a carrier should be, the Emperor is well able to defend itself from incoming ordinance, with its five turrets. In fact, most bombers need not apply, as the most damage they can do (if not in a wave) is a measly 1 hit.Bombers in waves beceome more of a problem, but that's what your batteries are for. The Emperor does have lower armour than most Imperial vessels, with only 5+ all round, as it lacks the armoured prow so typical of Imperial designs. On the other hand, this does allow it to mount superior sensors, granting it +1 Leadership - often meaning your Emperor does not require an Admiral to babysit it. The Emperor is, unusually for an Imperial carrier, cheaper than its counter-part the Retribution, and is my prefered Battleship, should I take one. However, its still a lot of points to invest in one ship, and you'd be wise to leave a squadron of Swords behind to guard it, as it isn't fast enough or manoeuverable enough to escpe, should it have to. Retribtion class Battleship - The Retribution is a dedicated gunboat, designed to blow apart any vessels that come near it as quickly as possible. Firepwoer 12 batteries each side, 3 dorsal lances and a strength 9 prow torpedo salvo combine for a lot of pain in a very short space of time. Not many ships will be wanting to get within range of your Retribution, which can be tricky, as all its guns (bar the Ordinance) have a 60cm range. The Retribution is quicker than the Empror, and has a better prow, with thr traditional Imperial ramming prow giving it 6+ armour for the prow, making it difficult for your enemy to blow through it to cause damage. While it has one less turret than the Emperor, it is still well protected against enemy Ordinance attacks. Ramming with the Retribution is another way of causing damage - 12 dice against your enemy, probably needing 5's, whereas he will be having to roll 6's to even scratch your armour. If you can hit a Chaos Battleship from the side, there tends not to be much left afterwards. While it requires a 3d6 Leadership check if you want to ram a cruiser, you are likely to cripple it when you hit, if not destroy it. Ramming a vessel is also likely to leave you in the middle of the enemy, where your guns can go to work. The Retribution is the most expensive ship in the Imperial fleet, and has the destructive capability to match its cost. It works best when sent hunting with a couple of cruisers (Gothics or Tyrants being my preferred ships for this role), but can do reasonably well on its own. A nice all-round ship, that tends to feel (to me, at least) like a scaled up cruiser. BattlecruisersBattlecruisers are basically souped-up cruisers, with longer ranged weapons batteries and the addition of a pair of dorsal lances. In all other respects they blend it to the mass of cruisers that will make up the core of your fleet, which can be a shock for your opponent if he hasn't being paying attention. The only restriction on battlecruisers is that you must have two cruisers for each battlecruiser in the fleet.Mars class Battlecruiser - The Mars is another carrier type vessel, designed to hang around at the rear of your fleet churning out fighters and bombers. It's capable of producing four markers of these a turn, which is not iconsiderable. It is also equipped with a Nova Cannon, making it able to bombard the enemy from turn one. It does carry longer ranged weapons batteries than normal, along with a pair of long range lances for self-defense. I wouldn't bother trying to use it as a ship of the line - it is much better off being used at the rear, sat on Reload Ordinance special orders and making things blow up a long way away with its Nova Cannon. The rest of its stats are the same as a normal cruiser, with regard to hits, speed, shields and turrets, meaning that though it is expensive, it is only as survivable as your average Lunar class cruiser. It is possible to upgrade a Mars class Battlecruiser to the Imperious variant, which has a superior targetting matrix to your standard Mars Battlecruiser, giving them a left column shift every time they fire. While it is a useful upgrade, the strength of the Mars is not its batteries; instead, it is its launch bays and Nova Cannon. If you have the points spare, then it could be worth taking, but it isn't an upgrade I'd make a high priority. In gerneral terms, the Mars is already expensive for something with cruiser statistics, but used correctly I think it is worth it. Overlord class Battlecruiser - The Overlord is to the Mars as the Retribution is to the Emperor - a gunboat compared to a carrier. I have a problem with the Overlord, in that it feels under-gunned for its cost. While both its weapons batteries and its lances are effective out to 60cm, its weapons batteries are a mere Firepower 6 - and at oer 30cm you're looking at somewhere between 1 and 3 shots, depending on the facing of your enemy. The lances are as effective no matter the range, but the batteries do let the ship down somewhat. If you're lucky they'll knock a shield down, so your lances might be able to damage the hull of the vessel, but it is definately not somethingto rely on. In the middle of a battlegroup, with a Lunar either side, the Overlord is effective - the extra bit of range on its batteries allows it to hit the same vessels as the ships either side of it, and the dorsal mount for its lances means it can hit targets that are already close to being crippled, tipping the balance in such encounters. It is also armed with the obligatory torpedoes, which it can use to either hurt its enemy or merely to break up their formation as they try to avoid the incoming fire. Either result is useful, as you will have either injured your enemy or forced them into splinter fleets, making it easier to pick each ship off. Next: Cruisers |
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