Quick list question - IN

[Talos]

Hey guys,
Have been wanting to play the following list for a while, but I believe it's not legal on the armageddon list. Question is two-fold:
1) Assuming its legality (whether true or false), is this a balanced fleet?
2) More importantly, since the points add up fine, how opposed is the general community on fleet list modifications? As in, if the person asked you in advance to play it would you let them? In this case, its basically just adding the retribution to the armageddon list...I own no SM vessels, so there's no worries or uber-synergy or anything.

Ld 8 Amdiral +1 Reroll 75pts
1 x Retribution Class Battleship 355pts
2 x Lunar Class Cruisers 180pts x2=360pts
2 x Mars Battlecruisers 260pts x2 =520pts
5 x Falchion Class Frigate 175pts
Total: 1485pts

General strategy is lunar's and retribution to the front, soaking up fire and firing dispersal torpedoes until closing to pummel things with their broadsides, ideally shotgunning to start off the exchange. The battlecruisers would lag behind a little, supplying offensive/defensive ordnance, support long range lance/battery fire and softening up targets on the way in with their Nova's. Finally the falchions hang near the mars to protect against flank attacks, or dart in for a killing blow if necessary. They deployed near the front at first so that their 5 ordnance markers can be used defensively, hopefully allowing the mars' buddies to launch offensive waves at first. My thought is that this will disorient/surprise players expecting IN defensive ordnance only and possibly force them to backpedal, making my ordnance generally more useful. Have been toying with the thought of dropping a falchion and adding targeting matrix to both mars vessels to help in their long range support.

Thoughts?
 

[afterimagedan]

I like the list though I'm not sure it's legal. I would fill out the points with 2 prow rams for the lunars and one for the Retribution.

[Talos]

That's what I thought. It just seemed like a really cool combination, and I wanted to know if people in general would be opposed to playing against it. Like I mentioned, it's basically just the armageddon list with a different battleship.

[AndrewChristlieb]

I dont think anyone wokld bat an eye at a retribution in the list during friendly play. It seems like a good balance of weapons but be careful with your squadroning as your pretty limited on the number of ships with two battle cruisers and a battleship. That ret really needs to screen the Lunars so they are less likely to both be forced to brace. The falchions are a good choice for the Mars, once theyre in range their single torps can focus on whatever ships your bombers have already softened (and likely they will not be able to fire turrets at the torps too).

[Sigoroth]

I would not allow it. Not because it's unbalanced but because the different fleet lists have their own set of pros and cons, and allowing a 1:1 ratio of CBs to CAs is a very large 'pro' for the Armageddon fleet. I would not allow any of the 'cons' to be ignored.

However, having said that, there is actually a way to include that Ret without buying another 3 battleships. Include it as a SM VBB. While this list doesn't technically have access to VBBs, this is likely simply because it came out before VBBs. In the new SM section it says that any SM fleet can have a VBB in place of a regular BB and it can be argued that an Armageddon fleet list is a SM fleet list.

This will give it SM rules, cost an extra 35 pts, and give up 100% VPs at crippled and 150% at destroyed. On the up side you get a good, cheap, FC and cheap re-rolls.

[Talos]

Good points all around Sig. Thanks for the legal loophole, that was well thought. I just need to drop one falchion and voila! That works out fine.