De'Aynes Spotters Guide to Gothic

The Chaos Fleet (with Chaos Marines)


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Vessels of the Chaos Fleet

  Grand Cruisers
  • Executor
  • Repulsive
  • Retaliator
  • Vengeance
Heavy Cruisers
  • Archeron
  • Hades
  • Hellfire
  • Styx
Cruisers
  • Carnage
  • Devastation
  • Murder
  • Slaughter
  Space Stations
  • Activated Blackstone Fortress
Battleships
  • Desolator
  • Despoiler
  • Planet Killer
Escorts
  • Iconoclasts
  • Idolators
  • Infidels
 
This is not the complete list, just an initial one to get you started. So, if your vessel is not listed here, send it in and include a reference for where the rules and stats are located.

Development of the Fleet

Chaos has the advantage of being one of the 'first four' - Imperial, Chaos, Eldar and Orks - from the original rule book. Additionally, of these four, Chaos is one of the more 'standard' two fleets, Eldar suffer from a number of special rules and a completely different style of play, while the Orks are a raiding fleet and require a certain special affinity to use. As with a lot of Games Workshop games, Imperials and Chaos are the main protagonists, and so the general feel is that Gothic was tested with these fleets. What this means for us players is that the Chaos fleet feels balanced and well rounded.

Add to this the fact that the Chaos fleet is one of only two which get plastic cruisers, making the main vessels in any fleet less than half of the price of most of the other races, and you have a fleet which is often one fo the first to be picked up by new players, for a good reason. The Chaos fleet is probably also the one which has remained closest to the original concept. While it has had additions since the initial release, these ships have kept very close to the original theme, with no extra class of vessel or ships to fill any original gaps in the fleet (for example torpedoes).

Characteristics of the Fleet

The Chaos fleet is built around its cruisers. More than any other fleet, Chaos cruisers form the centre-point for most fleets, they are strong and powerful vessels, fitting a number of roles well. A Chaos player has better access to fast vessels, with strong firepower and more lances than are generally available. Additionally, the Chaos fleet has strong resource of attack craft, and these are often used to counter strengths in other fleets, such as torpedoes or battleships. However, actually fielding torpedoes is more difficult with the Chaos fleet, with no cruisers able to launch the missiles. The only vessels in the Blue Book able to launch torpedoes, which is smaller than a Grand Cruiser and less than 200 points, are the Infidels. The Chaos fleet is also marginally 'top heavy'. It has no light cruisers, and escorts are taken to fill gaps in the fleet, rather than general support. Instead, a Chaos player is able to take Grand Cruisers, which are a bargain in terms of points. Each part of the Chaos fleet is designed to fill a specific roll, and the vessels excel at this, until they find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time, when they fall apart quickly. In general, the Chaos fleet has a longer reach than average, and is able to adapt to the situation with focussed hitting power and a good speed. However, it does not have the same resilience as the Imperials, and any vessel caught unprepared will be in trouble. For this reason, the Chaos players needs a good understanding of his fleet, its abilities and weaknesses and the tasks that he has set each element of the force.

In general, the Chaos fleet feels like a raiding force. It is able to hit most areas of a typical table within a turn or two. Many of the vessels in a Chaos fleet are at their best when cutting through the centre of the enemy fleet, bring all firepower into the game. The lack of torpedoes, and the use of attack craft as screens due to the sheer numbers, means that Chaos relies primarily on hitting hard and hitting fast. The Chaos fleet breaks up the enemy with torpedoes and striking through the enemy formations, isolating sections of the opposition and destroying them with strong broadsides and lances, before moving back to the rest of the opponents.

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Scribed by: CyberShadow