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)?
No, I think you were right. The Tyrant is poo. Andrew is correct in that all IN cruisers are dependant upon getting their broadsides but the Tyrant not only sacrifices firepower to gain its range, at an increased cost no less, but it also abandons its only strength to do so; ie, broadsides. On top of this as a gunboat it performs poorly at range, as it suffers a column shift (as opposed to a similarly ranged lanceboat).
Compare it to the cheaper Chaos Carnage. The Carnage has the same firepower out to 60cm and considerably more firepower at 45cm. The IN can't afford to try to compete in this arena. Therefore the Tyrant would have to be used just like any other IN cruiser, ie, prow on, torpedoes on the way in and trying to get targets in both broadsides. In this role you're basically sacrificing 17% of your firepower for the opportunity to incidentally support the Armageddon when you happen to have a target of opportunity outside the 30cm range. Not a good choice.
If you really want to support the Armageddon with another ranged ship then take another Armageddon, or a Mars, or even an Overlord (now that they're worthwhile).
So, would you consider it worth it to - say - trade in two of my Falchions for the points to switch the Tyrant out for a second Armageddon, a Mars, or an Overlord?
Of the three, I'm most inclined towards the second Armageddon. Mars is pretty ordnancy, and my Emperor covers that. And the Overlord... just doesn't thrill me as support for the Armageddon. I could see it supporting the Emperor ok, though.
That would leave my "combat groups" as:
Emperor --> hanging back
Armageddon x2 --> mid range
Gothic + 3 Falchions --> close range
Strike Cruiser + 3 Firestorms --> close range/boarding actions