Hello again! If you remember from last time, I discussed all 7 battlecruisers from the core factions. This time, I’m going to be taking a look at the battlecruisers from the various minor powers and supporting factions. As a slight modification, I’m going to be relying on excerpts from the applicable fleet guides vice the custom cards I used last time, since there have been new ORBATS released since the last time the cards were updated. Here we go!

Black Wolf

The Black Wolf Nemesis class is one of the larger vessels these mercenaries have access to. At first glance, it’s stats are reminiscent of the Russian Azov, given its short range primaries. However, this comparison is superficial, as the overall weapons mix on the Nemesis is very different. Given that its primary and secondary guns are only good out to range 2, the Nemesis is definitely a close-range brawler. The internal Kinectic Generator will certainly help with that, as will the Ablative Armor. The crew is Stoic, with no option to upgrade, so this ship isn’t exactly a prime boarding platform. So, what options does a player have? Well, they both involve swapping the rockets for another generator, either a Dilation Field Generator or a Guardian Generator. Dilation Field is an interesting choice, as it could potentially degrade a large amount of your opponent’s shooting. However, it will require some skill to use, and once the enemy gets close, they will be able to maneuver for a clear line of sight, especially with their smaller ships. The Guardian generator, though it costs 10 more points, seems like a more reliable choice here. So, overall, the Nemesis looks like a ship that wants to get in and mix it up at close range, but which also carries the tools needed to keep itself and any consorts with it alive as it closes.

Chinese Federation

The Chinese Federation’s Guan Dao battlecruiser is, at first glance, nothing remarkable. It boasts reasonable firepower, with three main turrets putting out respectable firepower (a bit better than the KoB Lord Hood, as a matter of fact). Likewise, those shots have the Concussive munitions type, thanks the CF’s universal rules. The Guan Dao also has broadsides, though they are a bit weak. The speed of this ship is poor, at only 6″ and with no inherent options to improve it. Defensively, the Guan Dao benefits from Rugged Construction, again due to the CF’s universal rules, and also from the Isolated Systems MAR, which will help it shrug off Critical effects. The only option available for the ship is to raise its 6 AP from Conscripted to Defensive, which may or may not be helpful. Overall, the range of its weapons and the slow speed of the Guan Dao suggests to me that this ship is designed to hold back and do most of its work at RB 3 and 4. Even with Rugged Construction and Isolated Systems, I’m not the Guan Dao will really survive long enough to get to RB 1 in a lot of cases, thanks to its slow speed.

League of Italian States

Next up is the LoIS Minerva-class battlecruiser. This ship is impressively equipped; she has 4 turrets, enabling her to put out good long-range AD (8 at RB 4, and 13 at RB 3), and devastating firepower at closer ranges. Those guns have High Angle, enabling them to shoot at flying models even at RB 1. That should keep those pesky airships away! The ship lacks any secondary weapons, however it does benefit from the Close Quarters Gunnery (ignore the -1 To Hit modifier for shooting primaries at RB1) MAR due to the LoIS universal special rules, so this doesn’t matter as much. Defensively, the ship comes with an Internal Shield (3) generator, which is certainly nice, and has access to the Isolated Systems MAR, thanks again to the LoIS universal rules. The ship also carries a Calcification Generator, which it can project out to RB 3 thanks to its Node Projector. Mobility on this ship is pretty good, too, with a 10″ Mv value and the Hit and Run MAR. To top it all of, the Minerva’s crew is Elite, too! On the down side, there are no options for this ship; it is a take it or leave it proposition. Even so…wow! This is a very flexible, cost-effective ship. I would say this ship’s primary role will be medium-range fire support, to include using the Calcification Generator to soften up an enemy ship for other units to board. However, the ship can also do some respectable long-range sniping, close range brawling, and even board in a pinch. Probably the most effective battlecruiser in the game, pound for pound.

Conclusion

And there we have it! This rounds out the 10 battlecruiser designs that have been introduced to DW so far. They are an intersting mix, some being jacks of all trades, others being seeming narrowly focused on one task. In general, they all seem to be pretty good options for bolstering a portion of your fleet, acting as a surrogate centerpiece model for a few other squadrons to build around. Until next time!