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.

What is a newb friendly fleet to try out for BFG? Actually I'm a newb at Spaceship/Naval games in general. A friend showed me Starfleet Battles once... this doesn't play like that does it?

No, not at all. SFB is all about a detailed duel between between a handful of ships (one or two per side). BFG is much more about larger battles. A typical game has a battleship, 3-4 cruisers, and and around 6 small ships called escorts on each side. To accomplish this, the rules for BFG are much more simplified and streamlined than what you find in Starfleet Battles.

So, I would say that the best starting fleet in BFG would be Chaos, followed by Imperial Navy, for the following reasons:

1. Mechanics: Both of these fleets don't have any racial traits that "break" the core mechanics of the game. Eldar have a fancy movment system, Tau overload on attack craft (fighters and bombers), Orks have random weapons strength, etc. In a way, these two factions represent the baseline that other factons depart from, and as such playing them are a good way to get familiar with the fundamentals of the game.

2. Models: Only Chaos & IN have plastic cruisers. This helps with cost, as well as offering plenty of opportunities for conversion.

3. Variety: these two factions have the most different classes of ships across all types (battleships, cruisers, & escorts), which means they have the most flexibility in list construction. The IN actually has a bit of an edge here, since (depending on the fleet list) they can actually take Space Marine and AdMech allies, and even certain classes of Chaos ships. If, after all that, you still want more classes of ships, see #2 .

Overall, Chaos is probably a bit easier to start out with than IN, because Chaos ships are well armed and faster. This makes this faction a bit more forgiving of tactical errors than the Imperials. That being said, I still think either would be a good choice for a beginner.

Ruckdog wrote:No, not at all. SFB is all about a detailed duel between between a handful of ships (one or two per side). BFG is much more about larger battles. A typical game has a battleship, 4 cruisers, and and around 6 small ships called escorts on each side.

Thats exactly whats in my army list.

Yeah, i would agree with Ruckdog, Chaos or IN to start off with as their both dependable, I would lean more towards IN as once you've got the hang of it you generally have more choice with customising your army.

I think IN and Chaos have same kind of options in the long run.


But, yes, both are ideal starters. Followed by Tau.