Teach Me Imperium

[ElectricPaladin]

So, as I mentioned some time ago, I accidentally won an Emperor-class battleship on eBay. I say accidentally because shortly after I bid for it and right before I won it, I learned that I can use Chaos battleships as Venerable Battle Barges, and how they are far superior in many ways.

That said, now that I've actually got the model in my hands, I find that my opinion is changing. Making Space Marine lists was so... confining. The Astartes fleet has so few models. And this Emperor battleship is a really beautiful model...

So I have two questions.

First of all, what kind of advice can you give me on building and buying an Imperial fleet - even though I'm still probably investing in Tau first.

Secondly, how the heck do I assemble this thing? There are no instructions in the box, and it's slowly driving me crazy...

[horizon]

Have you checked the online pictures of the Emperor for help?

A traditional Imperial Fleet:
Admiral Ld8 + re-roll
1x Emperor
2x Gothic
2x Dominator
6x Sword
3x Cobra

Or something like this, to be an abeam fleet:
1x Emperor
2x Vengeance (or 1 Excorcist/1 Vengeance if you are an ordnance nutter),
1x Lunar
2x Dauntless
5* Sword

[fracas]

Dictators, Armageddons, and Lunars

[ElectricPaladin]

Update - I think I've got the hand of putting this thing together. It's actually a very well-designed kit.

[fracas]

The kit is limiting only in that you cannot build two tyrants/doninators (less so for two gothics)

[ElectricPaladin]

Ok, here's a tentative 1500 point list to build towards - what do you think?

Emperor-Class Battleship w/Fleet Admiral +1 Reroll

Mars-Class Battlecruiser

Space Marine Strike Cruiser

Dictator-Class Cruiser
Dictator-Class Cruiser

Sword-Class Frigate x3
Firestorm-Class Frigate x3

I like the idea of adding a space marine strike cruiser ally because it lets me start building a space marine fleet, and also lets me enjoy some of that space marine hit-and-run attacks without having to reply on them. Anyway - what do you think?

[Jimmy Zimms]

Personally I find the firestorm under performing (we use house rules version) and would rather stick with swords.

[ElectricPaladin]

Personally I find the firestorm under performing (we use house rules version) and would rather stick with swords.

In general, I've learned from wargames that diversity is a good idea. What would you pair with swords of not firestorms?

Also, how's the falchion as a replacement for swords? I like the model significantly better...

[AndrewChristlieb]

Falchions are a little more versital, they bring a good amount of weapons to bear still and they can be used to clear torps/fighters in large numbers they can put up some hard hitting torp salvos of their own.

Your a bit heavy on the attack craft which IN doesnt really do very well to begin with :/. I like your basis but id drop some of the carriers, ill post some ideas after i mull a bit.

[AndrewChristlieb]

Ok so your basis here as i understand it: Emperor, Strike cruiser, Falcions. So expanding this into basically some smaller groups:

Emperor (Sharks) w/ Fleet Admiral (nuff said, the core of your fleet and provides the bulk of your ordinance) hold off on determining to place the Admiral on this ship, as it already receives a +1 to leadership the Admiral may be better placed elsewhere.  420 pts

Strike Cruiser w/ 3 Nova frigates (used to flank or run down cripples/ escorts) this could take on full cruisers if you want but id limit it to ones you know you have the advantage against also good for late game boarding actions where you know you have a strong chance of winning. 295 pts

Armageddon and Tyrant (range upgrade) (your power hitters) good mid range firepower means you wont suffer against long range foes so much and you will still shine upclose, torpedoes can be used to disrupt the enemy while your closing and as a shotgun. 430 pts

Gothic w/ 5 Falchions (the finishers) a play on the old school Gothic/ Sword combo this group is the one you would use to finish the job your Geddon and Tyrant started, target damaged ships or lone cruiser sized vessels using the manuverability of the Falchions to get favorable lock on situations, torps as with the Geddon/ Tyrant plus you can use single torps from the Falchions to snipe fighters/ torps. 355 pts

Just my take on this of course. Your options for fighters/ bombers drops but you get more ships and your not at such a disadvantage up close, the Emperor is the perfect support vessel for this style fleet sitting near by and providing cover fire/ cap but remember to keep it close you can be 45-60cm back from the main fleet and still do its job but your more likely to get cut off and your fighters will not be able to properly cover the rest of the fleet.

[ElectricPaladin]

One thing - I actually can't take three Novas. The Allies rules in the FAQ say that you can only take one allied ship for every three ships of the same class already in the fleet. So, I'd need to have nine Imperial Navy escorts to take three Novas... and that's going to be rough. However, I can use Firestorms, who have nearly the same loadout, to escort the Strike Cruiser.

I also definitely see how Gothic and Falchions are a great combo. So much guns, and all at the same range... wonderful.

I also see the utility of the Armageddon. Again... that's a lot of guns, and very versatile. However, I'm not as fond of the Tyrant. I know the broadsides is a strategy, but it seems like it would be a hard one to pull off. I think I prefer ships that can pull off a powerful broadsides, but aren't dependent on it, and the Tyrant is, very nearly completely so. How about the Dominator, or a second Gothic instead? They seem more versatile.

[ElectricPaladin]

For the record, that list would be:

Fleet Admiral

Emperor Class Battleship w/Sharks

Armageddon-Class Battlecruiser

Gothic-Class Cruiser x2
Space Marine Strike Cruiser

Falchion-Class Escort x5
Firestorm-Class Frigate x3

... and that leaves me with 10 spare points I can't figure out how to spend.

[horizon]

Then those 10pts just be....
You could add a power ram on the Gothics (5pts, is extra ramming dice).

@Jimmy,
the Firestorm is always the lesser choice
Even without your ' weird'  Fixed forward rules.

[AndrewChristlieb]

Sorry, Armageddon fleet list was what I was going off of. It allowes you to take SM and Imperial in combined forces. The Novas were a fluffy choice really more than anything, firestorms would work but their lances are (F) fire arc which limits it a bit more. Im a bit confused on the Tyrant comment, all Imperial cruisers are dependant on their broadsides and the Tyrant complements the range of the Armageddon although the Dominator would be an acceptable alternative I perfer two nova cannons as a minimum tho if theyre taken. Gothics are great in moderation but enmass they suffer due to the low dice to hit and need an accompaning ship or escorts to reach their potential.

You could do
Emperor sharks fleet admiral reroll (445)
2x Armageddon (470)
Strike cruiser/ 3 x Firestorms (265)
Gothic/ 4x Falchions (320)

[ElectricPaladin]

Im a bit confused on the Tyrant comment, all Imperial cruisers are dependant on their broadsides and the Tyrant complements the range of the Armageddon although the Dominator would be an acceptable alternative I perfer two nova cannons as a minimum tho if theyre taken

Yeah... actually, I'm not sure where I was going with that. It made sense at the time.

So, you recommend a pair of Tyrants instead of a pair of Gothics? Or one Tyrant (to hang out with the Armageddon) and one Gothic (to hang out with the Falchions)?