Towards the end of last year, some of us in the North Kent Legions Imperialis group started talking about Battlefleet Gothic. A few of us had either played it in the past or were interested in starting. And as a result, last night I was able to haul Battlefleet Vastus out of drydock and launch it into the Void to bring the Emperor’s retribution to the filthy Xenos!

We played a small 1,000 point game, since it’s been at least fifteen years since I last played, and five years for my opponent, James.

My fleet:

  • 1x Retribution-Class Battleship Invictus
  • 1x Mars-class Battleship
  • 2x Dauntless-class Light Cruiers
  • 3x Cobra Destroyers

James’s fleet:

  • 1x Explorer (Gal’leath) Class Battleship (Bor’kan Configuration)
  • 1x Hero (Lar’shi) Class Cruiser (Vash’ya Configuration)
  • 1x Emissary (Il’porrui) Class Cruiser (Bork’an Configuration)
  • 1x Protector (Lar’shi’vre) Cruiser (T’olku Configuration)
  • 3x Orca (Kass’l) Class Gunship
  • 2x Castellan (Kir’shasvre) Escort
  • 2x Warden (Kir’la) Class Gunship

I had low expectations from this game, due to my rustiness, and also to the fact that the T’au fleet outmatched mine in every category (ship count, hits, shields, turrets, launch bays). My only advantage was in weapons range, which didn’t count for much because we started the game only 60cm apart, meaning that James (who took the first turn) was able to get his fleet into weapons range straight away.

However, due to some incredibly good dice rolls, I was able to reduce his Lar’shi cruiser to a hulk in my first turn, and the sheer resilience of Invictus, which shrugged off the vast amount of ordnance his other capital ships could produce, allowed me to concentrate my fire and methodically cripple or destroy the rest of his fleet over the next few turns.

Invictus was reduced to a single remaining hit before trying - and failing - to disengage, but managed to survive long enough to successfully disengage, denying him the VPs from destroying it, and the rest of my fleet also disengaged in relatively good order.

In the end, I won the game 378 VPs to James’s 176.

In-game pics below. Expect more BFG content in the near future!

My Cobra destroyers, initially isolated on my left flank, they loosed their torpedos and then turned to rejoin the main fleet in the centre.
In the vicinity of the gas giant, both fleets took advantage of the planet's gravity well to improve their manoeuvrability and gain better firing positions. The Hero (top left) was a drifting hulk at this point.
Having crippled the Explorer and forced it to disengage, Invictus was able to split her devastating weapons batteries to port and starboard, while the Dauntless cruisers targeted the escorts that buzzed around my fleet's flagship.
With the enemy fleet in disarray, the ships of Battlefleet Vastus accelerate away in order to disengage out of sensor range.
Invictus, Retribution-class Battleship, flagship of Battlefleet Vastus