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Author Topic: Novamarines Venerable Battle Barge - History, Stats & Pic  (Read 2373 times)

Offline horizon

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Novamarines Venerable Battle Barge - History, Stats & Pic
« on: October 20, 2010, 08:09:20 PM »
Novamarines Venerable Battle Barge

Horizon's Edge


History
After the heresy the Legions where split up in chapters, according to the newly made Codex by Guilliman and the other Primarchs. As well as splitting the troops this led to re-allocating the mighty fleets as well. Following the Codex it was the Imperial Navy, the space faring follow up to the former Imperial Army, who got assigned the biggest and most strongest part of the fleet. However some important key vessels where kept in possession by the Chapters themselves, these are now known as the Venerable Battle Barges.

One of these Venerable Battle Barges is the Horizon's Egde. Before and at the time of the Heresy the vessel has seen many battles under the banner of the Ultramarines. After the heresy during the re-allocation the Ultramarines handed it over to their successor chapter the Novamarines in M33. Since then it has remained a key vessel in the operations of the Novamarines spacefleet.

Shortly after the heresy the vessel participated in several cleansing missions to assault some planets still under control of Chaos. Its main contribution being in the Anargo Sector as the Ultramarine Legions cleansed the sector from the Alpha Legion forces. During one of such attacks an escort vessel, aligned to the Alpha Legion, made a suicidal ramming attack on the Horizon's Edge. In the disastrous event the dorsal batteries where stripped of completely. In the subsequent, longish, repair phase, taken care of by the Adeptus Mechanicus Forgeworld within Anargo, it was decided to upgrade the vessel with the Space Marine specialised Bombardment Cannon. It took nearly seven decades before the Horizon's Edge participated in a new fleet routine.

In the following decades the Horizon's Edge has often returned to the Anargo Sector to undergo maintenance routines at the Adeptus Mechanicus Dockyards.

In 240.M36 the ship assisted the Adeptus Mechanicus forces as they battled the pro-Vandire government in the Anargo Sector. Later it moved to the Massilian subsector as part of the Ordo Xenos Crusade reclaiming this sector. Around the time of 512.M36 the Horizon's Edge had increased its tally of Ork kills by a large margin.

In recent years, with the dawn and ending of the 41st millennia happening the ship participated in an ever increasing number of engagements against various enemies.

In 742.M41 it took part in the Damoclus Gulf Campaign, leading the Novamarine fleet into Tau space. It accounted for five capital ships and several smaller ships. Just before the ship itself could aid the final offensive against Dal?yth it and the whole Imperial fleet where called back to face the Tyranid Hive Fleet Behemoth at the time of 745.M41. This war stretched the Novamarines fleet assets to the limits as they operated under the banner of Ultramar. The Horizon's Edge supported on various occassions the illustrous Seditio Opprimere, the Grand Barge of the Ultramarines Chapter.

In 908.M41, during the Badab War. The Novamarines where assigned to patrol shipping lanes during this conflict. This led to a string of running engagements against the Executioners Chapter. The Horizon's Edge accounted for the destruction of several vessels, among them the infamous  Apocalypticus Battle Barge.

In 999m41 when the 13th Black Crusade occurred the Horizon's Edge, among many other vessels, was dispatched to stem the tide of Chaos. In several running engagements the Horizon's Edge, by now under command of Brother-Captain Lonan Dunhir, emerged victorious in the end but suffered heavy damage to its thrusters. Only after three years of repairs they where back at a hundred percent operational status.

In the opening years over M42 the Horizon's Edge particpated in a special task force making a deep strike into Tau held territory. The information regarding this task force is dubbed Highly Classified and under scrutiny of Lord Inquisitor Horatio Luvern.

Currently the Horizon's Edge is assigned to one of the various, Ultramar founded, battlegroups with the task to monitor, patrol and engage the increasing number of enemy activities be it Necrons or Tyranids.

Horizon's Edge - Novamarines Venerable Battle Barge

The vessel was first laid down in 879.M30. Constructed as a gunship with little ordnance support. It broadside batteries, assisted by its dorsal batteries where brutally powerful, laying down a barrage of fire not many ships where able to withstand. All this supported by a fearsome torpedo salvo.
After the Heresy, at the time it was handed down to the Novamarines its launch bays where reconfigured to carry the special designed Thunderhawks. After the ramming attack at M33 the dorsal batteries where replaced by the Space Marine specific Bombardment Cannons.


Point Cost: 390

Hits:12 / Battleship
Armour: 5+
Speed: 25cm
Turns: 45
Shields: 4
Turrets: 4

Port Weapon Batteries: strenght 12 @ 60cm L
S'board Weapon Batteries: strenght 12 @ 60cm R
Port Launch Bay: 1 Thunder Hawk
S'Board Launch Bay: 1 Thunder Hawk
Dorsal Bombardment: strenght 6 @ 30cm LFR
Prow Torpedoes: str.8 @ 30cm speed

All Space Marine rules apply to the Horizon's Edge. It can only be taken once in a fleet.

« Last Edit: November 10, 2011, 06:45:50 AM by horizon »

Offline Sigoroth

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Re: Novamarines Venerable Battle Barge - History, Stats & Pic
« Reply #1 on: October 21, 2010, 09:43:30 AM »
Ok, so sort of like a true Despoiler broadside armament, with a Desolator chasis. So, let's say 300 base (Desolator), +35 (CSM) = 335. Now, it has a couple of TH, but loses a torp. Add a bit for that, like 20 pts, 25 tops. So 360 tops.

It has the same broadside firepower as the Desolator, but less valuable at 60cm range, so knock a bit off for that. The dorsal BC are probably a bit better than the original batteries, even with the loss of range, so add a bit for that. These last 2 are probably a wash. At least, if there's a discrepancy it's in the negative points band, so no chance of this inflating the cost.

It adds a ship to the base SM fleet, so perhaps a premium is warranted there, but since there are no terrible rule breaks (doesn't have 5 shields or 6 turrets or lances or 6+ armour on a fast Chaos hull, etc) then I can't see that being too problematic. Particularly as there are semi-official SM fleet lists getting about with a much wider range of VBBs to choose from. Not to mention it gives something for the WBs in a non-tailored fleet to shoot at.

So at 30 pts over the extremely conservative cost I came to above I'd say this ship certainly isn't overpowered.

P.S. - I take it that the Seditio Opprimere that the Horizon's Edge supported had no lances on board?  ::)

Offline horizon

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Re: Novamarines Venerable Battle Barge - History, Stats & Pic
« Reply #2 on: October 21, 2010, 09:53:52 AM »
Hey,
yeah, iirc Admiral d'Artagnan would've costed it around 370-380 back in 2008.

I added more for launch bays.

But cost can go down. I would've have it at 370 then.

You are correct on the Seditio, if it had lances the 'Edge' would've rammed it. :)