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.

So Hive Fleet conversion project aside, I've started assembling my cruisers from the box set.  How does this look to start?


Chaos:
Acheron
Carnage
Slaughter
Devastation

IN:

2x Dominator/Tyrants (I was given an extra one, and made the prow weapon swappable)
Mars
Lunar
Gothic

I am not sure about the status quo, but for chaos, I find the styx to be quite nasty.

In fact, that was the first ship I built when going for the chaos cruisers.

For imperial, I would say looks good to me. Gothic was first choice when building my imperials.

Swap the Carnage for the Styx then? That's gives me the Acheron and the Slaughter for shooting, with the Styx and Devastation as carriers.

I like the Murder class cruisers. They have tremendous firepower. You really have to work the cruisers together in a chaos fleet. You use the lance ships after the firepower ships drop enemy shields and try to cripple them that way.

Careful with some of the advice here.

1. Only start with one Heavy/Battlecruiser each until you can expand your fleet. Or your fleets will not be legal. Avoid Acheron and Styx combinations - you cant support it without an extra two basic cruisers.

2. Also watch your pallets with Imperials. You cant have two Dominators or tyrants (or an Overlord) without deploying a Gothic for each one unless you get some weapons pallet sprues from elsewhere. The best way to get extra weapons battery pallets is to buy an Apocalypse class battleship, (an Emperor will do). An Apocalypse will allow you to build three Dominators or Tyrants, an Emperor one - without requiring Gothics.
Chaos fleets can also have pallet shortages depending on what you take.

My suggestion:

Chaos
Hades, Murder, Devastation, Slaughter

You get one carrier for support, one heavy cruiser, can build these ships from what you have available and its a good combination. Later add more Murders and the Acheron. Strongly consider the Repulsive and Despoiler designs early in your fleet build. Follow up with Infidel as your escort of choice.

Imperial
Mars, Dictator, Lunar, Lunar, Lunar /w Nova Cannon

You have one battlecruiser (the maximum so far) eight launch bays and your Lunars can be modified in small numbers to accept nova cannon, thus holding back your need for dominators. Lunars are better than Gothics or Tyrants as they mix the firepower - you will find this useful in game. Dominators are a solid design though and are your basic nova cannon vessels, but can be replaced with upgraded Lunars. Definately go for a battleship next - and save the left over weapons pallets. If you want four weapons battery pallet cruisers I recommend getting an Overlord first before anything else. You need the 60cm range guns badly, more so than nova cannon. actually I would stop after the next plastic cruiser and buy as many Dauntlesses as you can afford instead. They are cheap and lethal. The Imperial escort of choice is a Sword, the rest are more easily replaced by massed cruisers (instead of Cobras) or Dauntlesses (instead of Firestorms).