Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

A few of us are just getting into BFG and I'm having difficulty telling the difference between the various cruiser load outs. It seems that most of the ships are the same actual model with different bays, but the ship data sheets have illustrations rather than images of the bays, and I don't know which bays are which.

Does anyone know of a good 'model guide' or 'ship guide' for BFG ships. I just want to be able to tell the difference between X class cruiser and Y class!

I don't have a guide handy, but the general rule for Imperial Ships:

If the art looks like a pair of turrets, that is a lance bay.

If the bay has a horizontal line of squares running across the middle of it, it's a weapons battery.

A paired line of horizontal black squares- launch bays.

For Chaos ships:

A turret set either on top of the hull or a pair inset onto a section below the top of the hull are lances.

A section full of what looks like two or three rows of little pillboxes is a weapons battery.

Launch bays have a swooping line of square openings that are open towards the prow.

Does that help any?

Does something like this help?

 AegisGrimm wrote:
If the art looks like a pair of turrets, that is a lance bay.

If the bay has a horizontal line of squares running across the middle of it, it's a weapons battery.

A paired line of horizontal black squares- launch bays.

I think that this pretty much sums it up.
The drawings in the book (those pictured) are quite clear between the 3 above.

Look at the profile for the Imperial Dominator cruiser in the rulebook: that are weapon batteries.

Look at the profile for the Imperial Gothic cruiser in the rulebook: that are lances.

Look at the profile for the Imperial Dictator cruiser in the rulebook: left launch bays, right weapon batteries

Look at the Oberon in above image, from left to right:
Launch Bays, Lances, Weapon Batteries

 ArbitorIan wrote:
A few of us are just getting into BFG and I'm having difficulty telling the difference between the various cruiser load outs. It seems that most of the ships are the same actual model with different bays, but the ship data sheets have illustrations rather than images of the bays, and I don't know which bays are which.

Does anyone know of a good 'model guide' or 'ship guide' for BFG ships. I just want to be able to tell the difference between X class cruiser and Y class!

Just FTAOD, which fleets are you using?

The turrets that are actually visible are Lance batteries. Regular gun batteries are the little square things(the guns are too small to actually model). Launch bays are fairly obvious. Torpedo tubes are small holes on the flat prow of an Imperial Cruiser.

There are also 2 prow bits for standard imperial cruisers. One looks like the gun and the other is a spear looking thing. The gun is a Nova Cannon, the spear is the standard prow bit.

As for telling the difference, just look at its statline. There are only 4 areas a weapon can be mounted. Port, Starboard, Prow, or Dorsal. Look in the appropriate areas for the telltale weapons.

On some ships, particularly Space Marine ships, you can't really see any weapons specifically. The only obvious weapons you can see on a Marine ship are the Bombardment Cannons and the Launch bats.

 ArbitorIan wrote:
A few of us are just getting into BFG and I'm having difficulty telling the difference between the various cruiser load outs. It seems that most of the ships are the same actual model with different bays, but the ship data sheets have illustrations rather than images of the bays, and I don't know which bays are which.

Does anyone know of a good 'model guide' or 'ship guide' for BFG ships. I just want to be able to tell the difference between X class cruiser and Y class!

I am also London based and have a couple of BFG fleets / equipment - where do you play out of interest?

Aegis Grimm (great name by the way, my Ork Big Mek is Dakka Grimm)
Those ship profiles you posted are great. Thanks a lot man!

Here are the old assembly instructions that came with the BFG box set...it only covers the IN and Chaos cruisers that were mentioned in the original rule book, but hopefully you find them helpful:

Man...I really miss those models...

The only vessel which is depicted wrong in that sheet and in the rulebook is the Chaos Slaughter. It doesn't match with the weapon layout statwise. But... whatever.


Great nostalgia booklet. Still have it as well.