GENERAL OVERVIEW OF THE CHAOS

Here's some recommendations of some of the strengths and weaknesses of various Chaos ships that I have seen through the course of play.


CRUISERS

Name	Strengths	Weaknesses	Notes
--Slaughter Class Cruiser--	Very fast, heavily armed, inexpensive, easy to build	"short" ranged, too fast	No other class of ship have I seen so often ill used in a Chaos Fleet. Many players get caught up in just how quickly the Slaughter can move and halo them with a couple of escorts and go straight for the enemy's throat ahead of their entire fleet. Of course, the Slaughter does an impressive amount of damage and then gets crippled, reducing it's effectiveness to that of a slightly damp cloth. I have found that a Slaughter is best used by keeping it behind a Chaos Fleet and to use it to follow up attacks rather than by leading them. Only once the enemy has finally closed with the Chaos Fleet does the Slaughter jump into the fray, becoming a immediate mobile reserve. The Slaughter has an impressive amount of weaponry (14 FP from combined fore and side weapons batteries backed up by two lances) and pouncing on a straggler or jumping an annoying squadron of escorts can be crucial during key turns. They can also keep harrying the opponent once a ship is finally crippled, racing past sheltering ships to put the deathblow to these wounded vessels. And what Chaos player doesn't have four lance decks kicking around to build one?
--Murder Class Cruiser--	long range lances, respectable firepower	painfully "average", requires 4 gun batteries to build	The Murder class Cruiser is very much like its Imperial counterpart, the Lunar. One's not bad. Two working in tandem are incredible. If you have one, get a second and keep them working in tandem, even squadron them if you'd prefer (I do!). The long range lances to the fore do not do much until they're backed by a second ship that can reach out that far. A second Murder easily does so, providing the punch of a Gothic class Cruiser but at a 60cm range. If the enemy closes, the combined 20 FP the pair can bring to bear is nothing short of intimidating. The Murder class is a workhorse. It is master of none, but it is a very worthwhile vessel.
--Carnage Class Cruiser--	heavy firepower, good range	no lances, requires 4 gun batteries to build	The Carnage class Cruiser is a wet dream to any player that has been frustrated by the Eldar. With the ability to reach out as far as 60cm with weapons battery fire, it seems almost cruel to those pointy eared gitz. Up close, the Carnage is absolutely brutal with its potential of 16 firepower to one side. The Carnage, however, suffers from some key problems. The first is that it is yet another Chaos ship that requires the use gun batteries to build. Second, some Chaos players find them less effective against seasoned Ork & Imperial players. They are less likely to flinch when the gruesome amount of firepower is brought to bear against their armoured prows. A newer opponent might brace, even at extreme ranges. But against high armour values (6+), the Carnage suffers somewhat. It's key to get around to the rear of an enemy vessel and pound them to dust to get the most out of the ship's guns. Still, for those that like a theme, the Carnage is vicious. Downing your first Eldar Cruiser will make it all worthwhile...
--Devastation Class Cruiser--	long range lances, inexpensive carrier, excellent turret rating, doesn't require gun batteries to build	undergunned at distance	The Devastation is comparable to the Lunar class Imperial Cruiser in overall effectiveness. Both ships launch a similar spread of ordnance (though the Devastation can boast a more versatile variety), and have similar weapons displacements. The Devastation is purely a fleet-support Carrier; a hybrid that sacrifices considerable distance firing that's so key to the Chaos Fleet for ordnance. Just remember what you're giving up when you take a Devastation.

HEAVY CRUISERS

Name	Strengths	Weaknesses	Notes
--Archeron Class Heavy Cruiser--	heavy lance loadout, good turret rating, easy to build	undergunned in one on one duel	The Archeron is a support ship, very comparable to the Gothic Imperial Cruiser. At 45cm, its four lances and 6 firepower which can be brought to bear one one flank does not seem like a lot, but it's substantial enough to bear keeping in mind. The Archeron is, simply put, a poor-man's heavy cruiser. There is nothing spectacular about it, but it does provide the Chaos Fleet with some badly needed lance support.
--Hades Class Heavy Cruiser--	excellent fleet support ship, good forward lance strength, inexpensive for power	requires weapons batteries to build	Everything that held true with the Murder applies to the Hades. The Hades is essentially a 30pt upgrade that provides an extra pair of lances with a traversing fire axis that swings from either side of the ship. At range, this equates to some wonderful closing shots with the enemy, particularly if the Chaos fleet takes its time closing the gap. In ship to ship duels, the lances (particularly when locked-on) can provide that nice knock out punch. When backing Murder or Carnage class ships, the Hades shows its worth.
--Styx Class Heavy Cruiser--	Heavy ordnance, long ranged weapons, good weapons strength	Often forced to be Chaos-Fleet's Flagship	The obvious merits of the Styx is that it allows a Chaos player to easily provide a large amount of ordnance onto the battlefield at an affordable cost. The Styx is a remarkable vessel, with an impressive array of support weaponry with excellent range. This allows it to stay at deliberate range from the enemy while continually launching support elements in the form of either offensive or defensive ordnance. The only catch seems to be that the Styx is somewhat expensive. The cost may not be so readily apparent at first until placing the Warmaster within the fleet. The Styx is a very obvious target for any opponent, especially one that's keen to cripple the ordnance capabilities of their opponent. It often proves key to remove it as early as possible, and if isolated, the Styx cannot endure a duel with what's sent against it.

REGENTS OF THE FLEET

There is nothing, but nothing that can stand up to the massive power standing of a Battleship in Battlefleet Gothic. Over several turns, anything but a rival Dreadnought will be pounded into dust. Their shields and armour and turrets are proof against almost all forms of single attack. Only en masse can they be brought low by the enemy ships. Their appearance are inspirational and frightening all at once. Their timely presence can easily turn the whole course of a game.

They aren't without decided cost, though it's strangely affordable. For the price of two cruisers and the support of three others, a Battleship may be fielded in Battlefleet Gothic. This usually limits there use to games of 1500pts or more and at such smaller games, they, like Titans in Epic, either dominate or never do enough to earn their keeping. Ideally, at 2000pts or more, a Battleship should be fielded though it isn't necessary to do so. They make spectacular flagships and always make their presence felt. Many players include at least one, if only as a centerpiece model. Like a Lord on a Monstrous mount in Fantasy, they don't always hit the field, but they're available now and again.

Without further adieu, the big ships.

ESCORTS vs ORDNANCE

Escorts look wonderful on paper. They are fast, highly maneuverable ships that, when squadronned together, can provide devastating volleys of gunfire. They are also small targets, difficult to hit with even the potent gundecks of a cruiser. Concentrated bursts from a single capital ship might smash apart a single escort caught unawares. It might take the guns of the whole fleet to successfully wipe out 200pts worth of escorts bent on absorbing as much gunfire as possible. Then why do we not see them very often in numbers? Where are the Swords and Iconoclasts that lurk in the wake of enemy capital ships, picking apart their shields so that the gunline can smash the stricken vessel apart? Where are the Cobras & Infidels with their torpedo salvos, forcing apart fleet formations and isolated scattered individuals?

They are put on shelves, in lieu of a preference towards attack craft.

Almost everything an escort can do, a bomber wave or assault boat can do just as well, if not better. Attack craft are harder to hit (last column on firepower chart and requiring 6s to hit with everything but bombardment cannons). They can do catastrophic amounts of damage, bypassing shields, upsetting weapons systems and eliminating the competition in one fell swoop. Escorts die in droves when facing their adversaries, the bombers and assault boats of the enemy. This makes them a better defensive unit too, able to use fighters to counter torpedo ordnance or launch as attack craft to see off marauding destroyers and frigates. The only ships proof against attack craft are Battleships, and then only just.

The ultimate argument in favour of attack craft, is cost. Though carriers do pay a premium for their arsenal of versatility, 250pts of escorts seldom matches up to a single Devastation Class Cruiser. A failed attack run with your escorts costs you victory points. A failed attack run with attack craft is just a test of the enemy's defenses and will likely be followed up shortly.

When designed, carriers were never meant to dominate Battlefleet Gothic. It was hoped and intended that fleet that was dedicated on attack craft could meet and engage any other fleet with considerable competitive success. Such isn't the case. When space-superiority is handed over to an opponent, invariably the rival fleet will spend most of the game on brace for impact orders, is paralyzed to counter the fast moving escorts as its own are vaporized in turn. The line of gunships is forced into a defensive formation and they are picked apart by enemy firepower at leisure.

There has been talk for some time on how to bring the power of the gunships back into the game without overly damaging the core ordnance rules for Battlefleet Gothic. The main aim was to make Escorts a viable choice for the various fleets (other than Eldar). Eventually, an experimental rule has taken shape and it is published in the Gothic 2002 annual. The fleet may have only as many attack craft ordnance markers on the board as it has carrier decks. Take Bill's Fleet as an example. With a Styx and two Devastation (6 decks, & 4 on each of the Devastations), that gives him a total of 14 carrier bays. This means that in any point in time, he may only have a maximum of 14 fighter/bomber/assault boats active on the board.

This prevents carriers from building up impossible to counter waves of attack craft, making the game degenerate into an arm's race where one side hopes that the other will roll doubles on a reload order. Anyone that has faced an Eldar carrier fleet of Doom knows the dangers inherently of entering that pitfall. It becomes a slow game of trying to keep capital ships from moving, keeping distances apart while launching wave after wave of markers for one final, crippling assault while still keeping the hitting power of attack craft in the carrier's arsenal.

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