The Defiant is an Escort Carrier, not a Fleet Carrier. Its pitifully sized bomber waves are overwhelmed by even modest turret defense, so unlike the other CVs it cannot operate from long range - it MUST stick with the fleet and pick on crippled vessels that the gunline leaves behind, regardless of what speed it may have - this is what makes it a Cruiser of the Line. It's much more useful in a defensive role, using its Fighters and manoeuvrability to put its AC where they're most needed within the battle line.
Of course not. If the role is just to pick off crippled vessels, it can just stay off and then use the legs of its bomber wings and escorts to assist in killing the cripples. That's how Escort carriers operated in real life. in Hunter Killer groups. They do well vs escorts (u-boats or destroyers in real life). They may even do well vs light cruisers and cruisers. But no one expects to take them into a line of battle.
Note that in Leyte Gulf, the one major fleet battle where escort carriers went up against gunships, the American Escort Carrier group mostly ran in the opposite direction of the approaching Japanese fleet. They did do well in that engagement, sinking a couple of cruisers with the help of the escorting Destroyer Escorts and throwing their aircraft (in fairness of 3 Escort Carrier Groups) and torpedoes into the mix but the point is they never should have even gotten within gun range of the enemy battlewagons. Only the inexperience of the Japanese prevented what should have outrightly been a massacre of the 3 Escort Carrier groups.
If there were gunships about, they would do their best to be undetected. Of course hard to do that in this game but if you want to refer to how an escort carrier operates in real life, that's how they do it.
Unfortunately, its low Ordnance count makes it a low priority for RO checks, and it's even more outgunned by its gunship couterparts (6WBe to 17) than the other CVs are (21 to 33 for Dictator), even before accounting for the fact it has half the Ordnance it's supposed to have on board.
Who cares about low ordnance? You have a ship like that, if you do not use RO, then you're doing the opponent a favor by eliminating half the weapons on board. RO all you want.
So what's to be done? It can't really fit any more weaponry onto the prow, S2 Lances is already stronger than FP2 WBs and S2 Torps of other Voss.
So what? This is a different type of animal from the other Voss ships.
Option 1: Massive price break. It's a support ship, and it still wouldn't be undercosted at 90pts. This still wouldn't really help it much, as it's a badly broken ship.
Option2: Give it some more AC. This would breaks its ECV role, and will never be accepted officially.
Option3: Give it some Torps. This would help it gain more of a priority in the RO stakes, but the prow is already at max capacity, so this would necessitate a weapons change.
Option4: Give it some more Broadside weaponry. Not reflected by the model.
Option5: Give it some dorsal weaponry. The Zeus-class models can certainly take a dorsal hardpoint, and the argument is that the room not taken up by the undersized launch bays creates enough space to install a modest dorsal armament.
Option6:] More prow weaponry. But the Defiant already has more than standard Voss armament on the prow, there isn't really any capacity left for more.
Of these options, Option 1 is viable, but not attractive, as it doesn't really fix the ship. Options 2, 4 and 6 are not viable. This leaves swapping torps onto the prow and adding and dorsal weaponry.
And yet there's my proposal which isn't included. Str 3 forward firing lances and option to change to Str 6 torps. And I don't understand why the Defiant can't have it.
What Zeus model? Is it an official BFG model?
Horizon actually took a conservative approach with his profile because the Dorsal mount is a bit controversial, but the Defiant would still be underpowered even with the more powerful upgrade, but as a support ship it may just find enough of a nich supporting an otherwise all-gun fleet line.
Yes, definitely controversial and I don't like dorsals on non-Battlecruiser ships other than AM and even they don't have it on LCs if I am not mistaken which is why I don't understand why not just have one weapon on the prow for this particular Voss. They do not all have to have the same 2 prow weapon.
You worry about it being underpowered but worry at the same time about it being overpowered compared to the Endeavor and Endurance by presenting WBes. Well, really, pick one because it can't be both.
