Specialist Arms Forum
Battlefleet Gothic => [BFG] Discussion => Topic started by: lordgoober on October 27, 2011, 07:59:20 AM
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Ok. If you've been looking at the Events section, you will have noticed that I have added a transport flotilla to the fleet requirements for Adepticon's BFG tournament. However I believe several races don't have transport stats designed for them, mostly the raider races. Now for the orks they would just use the standard rules as they would just use captured transports.
The ones I'm trying to figure out for are the Necrons, Tyranids and Dark Eldar.
For the Tyranids I'm thinking that they would just have specialized drones that would have the same basic stats as a transport but have a spore instead of a shield as would be standard for bugs.
Has anyone made transport rules for the non standard fleets?
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For Necrons why not use the stats for a Dirge Class Raider, but reduce the speed and weapons appropriately. e.g.
Escort/1
Speed: 20cm
Turns: 45
Shields: 6+ Save
Armour: 6+
Turrets: 1
Lightning Arc: 15cm, FP 3, L/F/R
For Dark Eldar I think it would be reasonable for them to use captured Imperial Transports.
As for Tyranids you could just use the stats for an Escort Drone but change the weapons to a single FP3 15cm Pyro-Acid Battery.
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Had the same problem yesterday vs. Necs in a planetary assault. In their fluff the Scythes and Tombships are their transports. So we decided to give the Tombship 4 assault points, and the Scythes two of them. But I'm not sure with this. Thought to give the tombship 3 assault points like heavy transports.
For nids I think to do the same thing. But what for convoi missions?
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Necrons have no need for transports of their own so they wouldn't have any, you could say they attacked an imperial convoy but there were so many people captured they decided to take control of the transports and use them to ferry the prisoners.
As for nids I like what was posted earlier. A bio transport used to store "food" for between planets?
Ork,eldar,imp,chaos,tau all have transports of their own or use imperial anyway.
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I strongly disagree that transports should be any different between the races; this can cause unfair advantages, especially in the scenario you gave us.
Also, many races don't use transports per say. Marines, Tyranids, Necrons, probably even Eldar/DE and Orks...none would use them. Really only IN, Chaos, and Tau would actually use transport ships.
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Tyranids, Necrons, Dark Eldar mostly not. Orks, Marines I'm not sure. For Eldar there are stats and modells. So yes.
Nids have their hives, Necs their tombships. DE are a raider fleet, maybe they have no need for them. But with which ship they transport their booty?
Marines transport their armor and their troops with strike cruisers mostly, sometimes with battle barges. No transports, maybe from Admech?
Orks, hmm I don't know? Maybe the rocks and hulks? Hulks seem to be self-sufficent. So no transports?
And what to do in planetary assault?
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Ah, didn't realize there were Eldar transports. Seems...silly.
Going through the fleets though, here is what I'm 99% sure for transport usage (beyond what warships are already in the fleet):
Imperial: Transports as given
Chaos: Transports as given
Eldar: Transports as given, apparently
Orks: None (Hulks, Roks)
Necrons: None (all their ships)
Tyranids: None (all their ships)
Marines: None (all their capital ships)
Dark Eldar: None (all their ships)
Tau: I dunno
Most fleets' warships double as troop transports, according to the fluffs.
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Orks use imperial transports as a given BBB 1.0, this isto represent them "acquiring" them and bringing whatever loot back/ to be striped for anything useful.
Eldar were the same in 1.0 but people complained that the transports were too slow for the eldar ships (moving only once per turn) so they got their own. This does make sense in that eldar warships are just that and they would require ships for supplies.
Necrons and nids have no need for supply of any kind and therefore would not need ships. Necrons could be explained for having imperial transports (earlier post), but not nids.
Marines use imperial transports. I know from the fluff that the Black Templar have $#!+ loads of them, they may be an exception tho, being an entirly fleet based chapter.
Dark Eldar? im sure they would have transports of some kind use imperial for the same reason as necrons.
Tau v 1.0 ships are all transports... converted to warships, use imperial to represent generic tau transports.
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In the past Forgeworld sold dedicated Tau transports.
However, in origin the Orca was a transport but the Merchant is a transport as well.
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Then every other marine chapter then doesn't use transports. Their capital ships carry all the men and materials and have all the forges and other things they need. Their ships are primarily transport ships anyway; they just happen to be the best in the business ;).
But, if the effort is going to be made to force everyone to have a transport...have all races use only the Imperial versions.
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IIRC I remember reading some rules somewhere that had tau using Merchants as a transport option with just the prow weaponry with no lances or grav hooks.
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I know that I've seen stats for transports somewhere. Most races can be 'rationally' done though.
IN/SM/Chaos/Orks/Tau:
All these fleets have similar enough stats that rationally you can use the same 'standard' transport stats. Orks obviously would use stolen Imperial ones, (some people use 6+/4+ armor instead), chaos uses imperial stylings as well.
Forgeworld obviously has stats for the tau ones, but I never thought that unique stats for their transports were necessary. Honestly in the interest of fairness it is easier to just use the 'standard' ones.
Tyranids would need stats written for theirs comparable to 'standard' transports, and they would need a modification to the 'hive mind imperative' table to make them more appropriate (i.e. running from threats rather than trying to eat them).
Necrons could simply use a modified 'standard' vessel, likely one with some rule preventing it from using AAF, at least to its fullest extent, or perhaps limiting its ability to produce AP etc.
Eldar/De have stats somewhere, and these are decent, never had any issues with either. Given the 'MSM' versions are a bit annoying, I've never lost a game with Orks vs. MSM Eldar who had to get somewhere (MSM vessels are weak when they MUST be out in the open).
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I was just in the shower and was thinking of the necron transport situation.
Here is my base plans.
All necron transports are 20cm base move. 90 degree turn for the escort sized ones, 45 degree turn for the "heavy". AAF is 1d3x 10, only one turn allowed during the move.
escort sized transports 6+ save.
normal transport: 1 strength Lightning Arc. Armed Freighter has dirge weapons, Q-Ship has Jackal weapons (yes that means that it may make a Portal attack)
Heavy Transport: Uses Shroud physical stats with modifications noted above. 5 strength Lightning arc for the weapon.
Necrons may not use Escort Carriers.
Eldar transports are in the 2010 FAQ. 10/10/15 with s1 WB.
Dark Eldar use standard transports.
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Egh, in a competitive environment though I think all races should use the same exact rules for transports, especially (and since) if they will matter for objectives.
Basically, I'd rather be screwed over by the opponent than by the scenario when I bring a balanced fleet.
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These transport rules outside the Eldar ones aren't set in stone yet. I need to have these playtested at some point.
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I also am in favor of standardized transports for all races. (Except CW and Corsair Eldar, maybe, they could use their transports.)
As has been pointed out already, many races do not have transport ships at all, so there's no point in worrying about it not being fluffy. A tyranid fleet with imperial transports attached is no less fluffy than a tyranid fleet with dedicated transports period, so what's the difference? (It could be more fluffy, maybe they're from a genestealer cult!) Also, making up rules that follow the normal ship rules could be hugely beneficial for some fleets. For example, if the Necron transports follow Necron rules, they're way more durable than a standard transport. Are there going to be fewer of them, or they'll be worth less, or what? How will this be balanced?
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Thus is why I'm putting these questions out now. I'm still trying to balance everything out for Adepticon. It's looking more and more though like we will go with the Standardized transports with the exception of the pansy Eldar. Necrons will be disallowed escort carriers though since they don't have fighters.
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They couldn't make use of captured carriers? Not that I really care, but it seems odd that they would not. That aside I think it should probably be limited to standard transport types anyway, no q ships, armed freighters, escort carriers etc. Its already going to be an issue for some people that have never had a need for these ships that now need to collect some so simple is better. On that thought have you considered finding some "house" ships for transports incase someone shows that doesn't have any.
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I'll probably convert up some myself. I guess we could still allow the escort carriers for them.
The transport thing is going to be clearly stated in the fleet construction rules and there will be a side prize for the best transport flotilla.
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Oh, that's good idea! It's always fun to have some incentive to make cool custom models. I know that as soon as I read that my mind switched gears from 'I think this is going to be more trouble than it's worth' to 'I wonder what cool models I can come up with?' ;D
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Yep. While the rules for your transports are going to be standardized, the models you use should be appropriate to your fleet.
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Indeed, standard transports for all.
Background story: a very wealthy (ores, materials, tech, aero, etc etc) transport flotilla had been lost in the warp for millennia. Now it has
returrned to normal space at various locations in a subsystem. And now every fleet wants to get away with parts of it. :)
Alas, this means no transports for alien races but still the option to kitbash any kind of transport being somewhat 'human'.