@Admiral & Plaxor
If we were talking modern day, you'd be right about the AC vs gunnery. But this is the dark future where everything is bigger and technology is about superstition and forgotten lore.
Batteries on ships are macro-cannons, massive volcano cannons and giant lasers. Running each one of these is like operating a partical accelerator or a tokamak. Its like what they put on titans, only bigger. Which forgeworld is providing the ammunition, refit materials and technical expertise to keep them running?
AC are actually the low-tech option. The fluff has army mechanics maintaining their aircraft, not techpriests,and the ammunition they use is the same stuff they issue to the IG & PDF. Theyre cheap, easy to maintain and arm and made on every civilized or better planet in the Imperium. Heck, they could probably build them at a large enough pirate base.
When the batteries break down, you gut the gun-bays, sell off the components and make launch bays.
@Admiral
The Styx has 2 more bays, makes the WBs 60cm, trades in 4 lances for 2 FLR and makes them 60cm. 70pts? Really?
Compare the Dictator to the Mars.. A Nova Cannon, 2 completely new 60cm FLR lances and 12WBs upgraded by 15cm, all for 50pts.
The Warden fleet can fill its slots all with carriers too and still pack more of a punch even with the Hellbringer. I just want more balance.
But youre right, it would be better balance to introduce a 6 bay carrier for around 220. That would have to be done in the Black Crusade list by HA. Its off limits, and in the list we can change needs a light carrier to avoid forcing players to fill their cruiser slots with devestations.
By eliminating light carriers and chaos light cruisers, youre advocating burning the whole tartanus sector project and starting over.
@Horizon
Youre right, light cruisers are not old. But you say that any IN fleet can go renegade. What if all the renegade light cruisers were relatively new? Pirates would love them and theyre easier to capture/mutiny on than a full size cruiser. Can we just change some of the fluff, or are we stuck because of that RPG?