Put simply the Chaos fleet is a hard hitting fleet that can put out a lot of firepower and ordinance for decent points amounts. It is also a pretty quick fleet to boot. The main grunt of the Chaos fleet comes from its stellar cruisers and in reality none of their cruiser options are poor. All are quality ships that can hold their own against all comers. While there are no poor cruisers in the fleet there are some standout performers and one of them is the Slaughter for me. The Slaughter is a powerful and fast cruiser that for the punch that it is packing is cheap too. At 165 points it is one of the cheapest ships of the line and with a whooping strength 14 weapons battery to one side (plus lances), it can dish out a fair amount of punishment. It is the fastest of the chaos cruisers as well, with a very impressive 30cm range. It is this speed and firepower that makes me use the Slaughter class in all my fleets, regardless of the size of the battle. It is a great ship in smaller engagements as its firepower can pretty much outgun most other ships and its speed means it can keep pace with some of the other quick fleets like the Eldar and Necrons too. Additionally, its speed means it can be incredibly useful in scenarios like ‘the bait’, ‘the raid’ or ‘convoy’. But where I have found its greatest use is in larger engagements and specifically – flanking. The Chaos fleet cruisers are a powerful force to be reckoned with and don’t rely as much on overlapping fire as the Imperial and Tau fleets do. It means that cruisers can be allowed to roam a bit more and I have found the Slaughter the best class to do this with. Firstly its speed means that it can outstrip its fellow cruisers and so can be left isolated if trying to keep it with other ships of the line. Therefore, I like using it on the flanks to outflank more bunched up opponents and give an extra dimension to fleet engagements. If you are keeping it with other ships then you rob the ship of one of its greatest assets and in reality should probably look to swap in another class like the Murder if keeping your fleet together. When used in a flanking capacity there are several key points: Firstly, no admiral likes ships outflanking them and causing problems behind their lines. The Slaughter is perfect for this as its speed will mean it quite often can and will get behind an enemy fleet and attack the vulnerable rear. If left unchecked then it can do damage against even battleships and gives you an extra edge in movement and overlapping fire. It can also be used as a distraction from the main bulk of a Chaos fleet which likely have stronger and point juicy ships to target. But having a group of outflanking ships can make your opponent think whether to leave them or try to prevent them from getting in behind. Honestly I don’t overly mind if a cruiser is crippled or destroyed that’s worth 82/165 victory points respectively if the bulk of my fleet is left alone. I have found most opponents cant ignore a ship trying to outflank them and especially one that can put out the firepower of the Slaughter and this has helped me in plenty of battles. Additionally, this class has a special rule - +5d6 for the AAF rolls which can make them go from way outside a battle to in the thick of it crazy fast For mean the Slaughter is the very reason why a Chaos fleet does not need light cruisers. It is far more versatile that a light cruiser in the fleet would be. However, it does have its drawbacks. Its speed can be a blessing but also a curse. If not used properly it can end up being left out on its own, isolated, either picked off or totally ignored, making it a useless ship sitting on the wings. For this reason in larger engagements I typically like to use two Slaughter class cruisers together in a squadron. They can support each other and will cause a serious headache for any opponent with a weapon battery value of 28 coming their way, plus lances. Tasty. It also only has 30cm range guns, meaning that it needs to get in close to its enemies. It then suffers from only having 5+ armour all round and therefore can be made an example of and blown to bits before it can do any damage. These drawbacks aside this cruiser can and will provide great versatility and when its cheaper than its Imperial counterpart (Lunar) it should be a go to ship.
It strengths more than make up for its deficiencies in my eyes.
5 Comments
White_Crow
4/17/2019 04:25:09 am
In bigger fleet engagements, this ship is also a powerfull escort hunter. Most escorts are slower or just as fast as the slaughter. A good multi use ship
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Tom
4/25/2019 08:05:32 pm
Agreed, it's an all round top class ship.
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Huval
5/14/2019 04:01:35 pm
What about the firestorms ?
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Tom
5/14/2019 04:06:49 pm
I assume you mean do a tactica on using firestorms? I can certainly do that.
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Huval
5/15/2019 12:35:32 am
Yes, exactly! Leave a Reply. |
AboutHere are some tactics that I have found useful for each of the fleets in BFG. The more I play the more I will update. Some of the community also have provided tactics for ships/fleets Archives
February 2022
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