Additional Rules
Battlefleet Gothic
Imperial Relentless Class Cruiser
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Even before the Horus Heresy swept across the galaxy and nearly brought the human race to its knees, evolving tactical doctrine was bringing about changes in ship design. A new kind of capital ship was born in the vast shipyards of Mars that replaced the typical prow gunnery with armor plate and torpedo tubes, giving these new ships an armored beak that was nearly impervious to massed weaponry and arming them with the kind of ordnance that heretofore was relegated only to battleships and their ilk. Known as the Mars class, the powerful ship was so revolutionary it coined the term Battle Cruiser and became the template that would revolutionize the Imperial fleet.
Unfortunately, after the fires of treachery subsided, word of the victory brought about by the benevolent Emperor’s most noble sacrifice spread throughout the galaxy on the flames of righteous retribution. The victors were left with a fleet that was rent in two, and endless volumes of priceless technology and expertise was lost to the Imperium forever. A design originally intended to replace heavy cruisers now had to be used to replace a great portion of the entire Imperial fleet, and though various light cruiser designs were rushed into production to fill the gap, they could never meet the tactical requirement that could only be met by a front-line cruiser. As such, the Mars hull template was duplicated en-masse, with their decks equipped with whatever weaponry could be hastily assembled or salvaged from the shattered Imperial fleet. It was in these times that out of the ashes of destruction the venerable cruisers of the Relentless class were born.
Because at the time suitable main weaponry reserves and forges were only coming back on line, there was an acute shortage of the kind of weaponry suitable for interstellar warfare. To compensate for this, the Relentless cruiser design resorted to a heavy reliance on easy-to-construct missile weaponry instead of precision gunnery. This attempt to maximize the missile load-out of Imperial capital ships greatly increased the prow weapon strength at the expense of broadside firepower. Gun decks were converted into extra storage magazines to keep replenished its many prow tubes, bringing to fruition a cruiser design that is capable of unleashing nearly battleship-level torpedo salvoes. A fearsome adversary when adequately supported in fleet engagements, it found itself outmatched in the growing number of smaller, protracted battles that typified engagements with pirate raiders, subversive Chaos incursions and attacks by the elusive Eldar. As Imperial tactical doctrine continued to evolve and the forge worlds of the Imperium refined their ability to craft starship weaponry, this vessel began to fall into disfavor, and many surviving examples were converted to the newer Tyrant specification as advances in super-fired plasma weaponry brought these kinds of capital ships into the fore. Very few Relentless-class vessels remain in service, but those few that continue to ply the stellar void still acquit themselves with valor when put to task. The Relentless cruiser Aegis brought low the renegade cruiser Savage Anger during a fierce engagement at Great Loch in 971.M40, and the Admiral Drake, while relegated to training duties, was one of the few ships to survive the attack on Halemnet Base in the beginning of the Gothic War in 143.M41, serving with valor in one engagement after another as Abbadon’s Black Crusade took hold of the Gothic Sector.
| Name | Type/Hits | Speed | Turns | Shields | Armour | Turrets | Points |
| Relentless Cruiser | Cruiser/8 | 20 cm | 45o | 2 | 5+ (6+ Prow) | 2 | 180 Points |
| Armament | Range/Speed | Firepower/Strength | Fire Arc |
| Port Weapons Battery | 30 cm | 8 | Left |
| Starboard Weapons Battery | 30 cm | 8 | Right |
| Prow Torpedoes | Speed: 30 cm | 8 | Front |
Famous Ships:
Aegis, Admiral Drake
Date: 04/09/2003
Submitted by: Nate Montes