New Imperial Player

[Vaaish]

Well, RSV swords are still just swords. The only difference is you can't squadron them with IN ships (but hey, WHAT would you squadron them with anyway?) and they don't die as easily to assault boats... all for 5 points more. Call them veteran escort squadrons if you like but they are the least marine of any marine option and might just as well be IN.

[Trickstick]

Ok, so I have changed it around a bit.

Apocalypse,
2x Dictator,
2x Lunar w/ Nova,
3x Sword,
3x Cobra,

Fleet Admiral,
Reroll.

The Cobras can worry the enemy with some long range topedoes while the fleet closes, firing nova cannons to do some damage or disrupt the enemy. At close range to dictators will unload, along with the apocalypse's lances. I took the cobras so that I could squeeze a reroll in there. I played an intro game today and failed my first order in a turn, not fun.

[fracas]

looks good

[Sigoroth]

Yeah, looks good, reasonable choices. One note however is that the IN admiral comes with 1 re-roll for free, so if you buy one you've actually got 2. Just in case you didn't notice. Also, if you plan to close with the Apocalypse firing the NC on the way in instead of going abeam to fire the broadsides you might run into a couple of problems. Firstly, your opponent will be able slow your already slow BB by simply shooting at it, which might lead to a split fleet (allowing your opponent to deal with your escorts and cruisers before having to worry about the BB). Of course, you could keep your cruisers moving slowly to keep pace, firing your NCs, but you'll most likely need to release AC to cover your ships and so you won't be holding them to release up close, and the AAF shotgun torps/bombers tac is right out. Just some things to be aware of.

[Trickstick]

So I have been pondering on this list for a bit and have come to the conclusion that I am sacrificing too many torpedoes. I was also worried about having Lunars with NCs, as I felt that it split the roll of the ship too much. So I wrote this:

Apocalypse

Mars

Dictator

2x Lunar

3x Sword

3x Sword

Fleet Admiral
Extra Reroll

The Apocalypse and Mars can advance slowly behind the main line, supporting the fleet with their longer range. The other cruisers can form a line of advance, whilst the swords cover the gaps. Having the Dictator up front and the Mars behind will stop all of my carriers from being a huge target. The Mars also gives me a good flagship for small games.

My main concerns with this fleet are:

1. The Dictator's and Mars' batteries are pretty rubbish without partners.
2. The Apocalypse is hard to turn when under fire, and if it gets a thruster critical and a blast marker it counts as defences. I suppose AAF would help in this rare case.
3. The lunars would be pretty bad if one dies.

Edit: If I buy a Retribution does it come with three complete weapon sprues? I like the weird eagle on top and am not fond of the Apocalypse's prow. Is it an easy case of building what I want or will I need bits from some cruiser sets (other than the nova and some green stuff).

[afterimagedan]

It does have 3 full weapon sprues if I remember correctly. So does the apocalypse.

[Vaaish]

1. nothing prevents you from squadroning the mars and dictator, but you're probably not going to notice the batteries since both focus on different means of attack. The dictator tries to strike simultaneously with both torps and AC and the Mars likes to hang back with the NC and lances.

2. This is a problem with most IN battleships. If you plan your attack vector well you shouldn't even need to turn the ship in those situations.

3. You could say this of practically any combination in the IN. It's really not a fair comparison.

[fracas]

1. the batteries are defensive in nature for the dictator and the mars. in that regard the mars' range would be helpful against eldar.
2. look at the Victory BB?
3. as Vaaish said, if you squadron to increase effectiveness, you lose effectiveness when the squadron mate is lost.