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Tactica: Gothica Chaotica - Mordax Tenebrae | |
THE CRUISERSThese will obviously be the mainstay of any chaos fleet which is great as chaos cruisers are truly superb. There are no deadweights among the chaos cruiser class, each ship being good at its assigned role.CHAOS MURDER CLASS CRUISER The Murder has a pair of very long range prow lances which are decent when closing, and some respectable weapons batteries on its port and starboard sides. In many ways it can be thought of in similar terms to the Imperial Lunar class; in that to get the best out of them they should be used in pairs. At 170 pts it is an affordable workhorse which has the capabilities to tackle anything when paired with a second ship of the same type. CHAOS SLAUGHTER CLASS CRUISER This ship is very cheap, heavily armed and fast. On that note it is perhaps a little too fast. With a speed of 30cm this cruiser can outrun Imperial Sword class frigates, its just a shame it doesn’t have the maneuverability to match. This combined with its very short ranged weaponry can make it tricky to use effectively. Too many people send it straight down the throat of the enemy only to have it crippled and out-maneuvered. The Slaughter class is perhaps best placed at the rear of your fleet and use it in a counter-attacking role where its speed and firepower can be better used. Its fast pace can also allow it to pounce upon crippled enemy vessels in the closing stages of any engagement. CHAOS CARNAGE CLASS CRUISER This ship, in my mind, embodies the greatest strengths of the Chaos fleet. It has decent speed and lots of long range weapons batteries. When the ship is abeam to the enemy it can dole out a strength 10 broadside at 60cm by combining its side and dorsal weapons batteries. This rises to 16 at 45 cm or less. If you are going to be fighting Eldar or any other low armoured fleet then at least two of theses should be mandatory. They don’t do as well against fleets with 6+ armour but the sheer amount of dice you will be rolling can still take its toll and the psychological factor of receiving such a huge broadside can make inexperienced players want to ‘brace for impact’ where it might not be necessary. If you really want to exploit the benefits of this ship then take a squadron of 3, set them up abeam to the enemy and enjoy the fireworks. CHAOS DEVASTATION CLASS CRUISER A truly excellent carrier, a pair of devastations can provide plenty of fighter cover for even larger fleets. The ship is inexpensive for its power and has a pair of long range lances on wother side. Its modest, short ranged weapons batteties mean that like the styx, it cannot be relied upon in one on one gunnery duels. All in all, a great cruiser and if you actually have the balls to go for an all-carrier fleet, this is the place to start. THE ESCORTSNot an 'essential' component of a chaos fleet in the sense that they are not required legally, though at least one squadron should be taken to guard the rear/ flanks of your fleet. That said, the cruisers are the main strength of a Chaos fleet so don't go overboard on escorts.CHAOS INFIDEL CLASS RAIDER The standard torpedo armed escort in the chaos fleet. Although more expensive than the Imperial cobra it is better armoured and has twice as much Weapons batteries (2 instead of 1..). 40 pts and it's a good all rounder. Like most escorts it is best used to loiter behind your cruisers, protecting their flanks and rear. Useful also in that it is one of only a few escorts that can launch boarding torpedoes which aside from their obvious role can also be used to intercept other ordnance in an emergency. CHAOS IDOLATOR CLASS RAIDER An oddity this one, reasonably pricy at 45pts but makes up for it by having 45cm range weapons batteries with a L/F/R fire arc. In addition to this the Idolator is equipped with a special targetting system that means it does not suffer negative a column shift on the gunnery table when firing over 30cm. This combined with a single 30cm lance and a decent turret rating makes the Idolator a good choice for those leaving the torpedoes at home. CHAOS ICONOCLAST DESTROYER The poor mans chaos escort, with only 4+ armour and a single turret do not expect these to last long in any situation. They are redeemed somewhat by their low cost (only 30 pts) and decent amount of firepower (3 WB's with a L/F/R arfc of fire). Not a hugely popular choice among chaos players, though they can be useful for getting in the way of torpedoes/ bombers in an emergency. UNIQUE VESSELSUnique vessels you may ask? Yes of course, the Chaos fleet is home to 3 (well two ships and one space station) vessels that can be considered one-offs (though it is possible to take more than one Blackstone Fortress in a scenario). These are the 'Planet Killer', 'Terminus Est' and the Blackstone Fortresses.THE PLANET KILLER As it's name implies this ship is equipped with a weapon that can destroy planets, Death Star style. Aside from the fearsome armageddon gun, the PK is equipped with many long-range weapons batteries, lances and torpedoes. It is a very large ship with 14 hits and 5 turrets. It also has a resonable pace of 20cm, not too shabby for the size of the thing. In the running for the most powerful ship in the game,a title quite fitting seeing as it is the flagship of Abaddon the Despoiler. To be honest, the PK should really only be used in special scenarios as very often it will be the whole reason for a battle. Its expensive, but use with care, back it up with carriers and it is lethal. THE 'TERMINUS EST' This is the flagship of the Plague Fleet of Typhus and in my opinion is the most powerful attack carrier out there. The TE can launch an unrivalled 9 attack craft squadrons, making it all but invulnerable to ordnance attacks. This combined with its fearsome close-up armament (8 L/F/R lances, thats 8 count 'em) makes this ship a real bruiser when things get up close and personal. The ship should be thought of as a more powerful Despoiler class with shorter range weapons. This dictates that the TE 'get in there' as it were, but that is where the Mk Nurgle come in: an extra hull point and immunity to boarding. A real sledgehammer of a ship that is lots of fun to use (and horrible for the enemy). BLACKSTONE FORTRESSES The Blackstone Fortresses are ancient Eldar constructions that have been captured and perverted to that causes of Chaos. These are a defence and are bought as such in some scenarios. They are hugely expensive and very slow but are armed with 8 warp cannons. These are effectively lances with a 90cm range but they ingnore shields, holofields, shadowfields etc, etc, there is no real defence against them. Add to this a monstrous 16 hull points, 6+ armour and 6 shields and they are all but invulnerable to conventional gunnery. They have no turrets and so are vulnerbale to attack craft and torpedoes, though these can be countered by keeping a couple of Devastations nearby. A really interesting vessel with a great model, though like the PK it is really only appropriate to see them in special scenarios rather than ordinary fleet engagements. | |
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