How do the different factions play?

[Andrewchristlieb]

Well as the title says how do they all play? I like some of the models and would like to paint some but I would like an idea of their play styles strengths weaknesses etc before I buy any (incase they actually ever get played lol). Thanks!

[Andrewchristlieb]

Hey also are there any rules for custom models? Iirc FA has some so I figured this would be about the same! And if anyone has some inspirational pics they feel like sharing I'd live to see some more of these in the showcase . Thanks!

[orangetom]

Well, I know with the EotBS, they can be very versatile, we have models that can do some long range, and other models that are better close up and in the opponents face, Prussia, likes to be very Boarding heavy, FSA is a very long range army, KOB is a mid range army, CoA is a Mid to close depending on what you field, the models need to really work together, simply for the fact that there models cost a little bit more, RoF is a mid to close range army. But really it comes down to how you play them, and how you field them.

I don't know how to post pictures, once I do I shall!

[RandomBrit]

I primarily play as the Kingdom of Britannia but i have played against the other factions enough to have an idea as to their play style. I'm sure other people can add to the below list.

Kingdom of Britannia- Torpedoes as far as the eyes can see. Pretty much every naval vessel is armed with large numbers of torpedoes which work from range bands 4 - 2. The Brits work by firing torpedoes from far off until their optimum range of range band 2. However, once the enemy is in range band 1 the Brits only have their turrets to rely on which are relatively weak compared to the other factions. Thus torpedoes are the main stay of the British arsenal but they are fired in fixed channel which can lead to some interesting maneuvering in order to line up a shot. The up side is that torpedoes can still fire at full strength even when the ships start taking hull damage. In addition the medium and large naval vessels of the KoB have access to shield generators which allow them to tank damage.

Empire of the Blazing Sun- Rockets. Like the Brits, the Empire has a weapon system that can still fire at full strength even after taking hull damage. The bonus for the Empire is that their rockets can set fire to enemy vessels upon successfully damaging the previously mentioned enemy vessel. This fire has the potential to kill enemy marines if left unfixed. The Empire can use this to their advantage as they are one of two forces that have a larger number of marines which they can use to board and capture enemy vessels. The weakness that the Empire suffers is that of a lack of shields which means that they are guaranteed to loose several ships while closing in on the enemy. However, they do have a higher movement value than every other fleet apart from the Prussians who are on par in terms of speed. Also to help allow the Empire ships to reach the enemy without sinking in a blaze of glory all ships in the fleet have a higher crit value which means that it is rarer for Empire ships to blow up after a lucky shot.

Prussia- In a lot of respects the Prussians are similar to the Empire of the Blazing sun. They have fast ships, large numbers of marines, and a distinctive lack of shielding. The only shield generators available to both of these factions are equipped to to their large vessels. Where Prussia differs from the Empire is that they don't have much in the long range fire power, but they do have have several close range options. Prussian turrets function at best at range bands 2-1 as well as their secondary weapon system, the tesla coil. This weapon usually has a lower number of attack dice but if it manage to score a point of damage then 1 marine is killed on the enemy vessel.     

Federated States of America- Turrets! The FSA have the best turrets in the game when it comes to long range fire power. At range band 4 the large FSA ships can throw out a superior amount of fire power which allows them damage and destroy enemy ships as they close the distance. In addition to this the FSA have a DR which is one point higher than all of the other fleets and helps the FSA ships to avoid damage. On a personal note this can be very frustrating since i have lost track of the number of times that i have scored just enough hits that would normally guarantee a point of damage on any other fleet than the FSA but due to their higher DR i fail to cause any damage what so ever.

 Covenant of Antarctica- An interesting fleet, they have a large number of shield generator equipped vessels which also have the MAR of Inventive Scientists which allow the CoA to reroll one of their shield generator dice. This allows CoA to tank a lot of damage as they close the distance between themselves and the enemy fleet. The CoA primarily relies on turrets to damage their opponents but they also have a pretty powerful broadside on several of their ships. Personally I consider the CoA battleship to be a pocket dreadnaught due to the amount of fire power it can unleash. Also of note is the CoA particle cannon which is equipped to their dreadnaught and battleship. The particle cannon fires at 12 inches and has the ability to hit not only the ship it is aimed at but also any ship that is in a line directly behind the intended target be it friend or foe.

The Republic of France- I have only played against this force twice so i am not well versed in its tactics. From what i have seen they are a mid range force like the KoB but without shield generators to protect them against incoming fire. To compensate for this several of their ships have the retardant armour MAR which cancels out the first exploding dice 6 which is rolled against it. The French also have several ships which can hover just above the surface of both land and sea. The French battle ship is cheaper than any of the other factions but does not appear to be as heavily armed either.

Hopefully this brief description is of some use.

[Andrewchristlieb]

Thanks thats just what I was looking for! The CoA and FSA sound like they would be right up my alley in terms of play style hum.... now how to make it look like $90 is going towards my wifes birthday and not ships... lol