Wednesday 20 May 2015

Unseen Lurker

THE CHANY-CLASS STRIKE SUBMARINES EMERGE FROM THE DEEP


The Russian Coalition receive reinforcements for their underwater armada this week, as I have finished the first squadron of Chany-class Strike Submarines. These sinister vessels carry powerful Fore Cannons that pack a punch even at long-range - something the Russian Coalition has always lacked. Combined with being able to hide beneath the waves, this new vessel is the new hidden sniper of the Russian fleet.
The Chany-class Strike Submarines
I intend to use all six of the Submarine models as Strike Submarines to get more value for my money - tokens can show their status as underwater or surfaced
Fifty points brings a nasty weapon in the form of the 5/5/3/3 Fore Cannons, bolstered by Hunter (Surface +1) and Pack Tactics (+2) and Piercing Munitions. At RB4, a full squadron can throw out ten shots hitting on threes, that will cause a Critical roll even if only a single point of damage is caused - enough to concern anything up to a Battleship! At closer ranges, this only goes up to a maximum of fourteen, which while respectable is not enough (in my mind) to warrant closing quickly and risking them - keep these ships at arm's length!
Deceptively simple to paint, the actual model of the Submarine is basically a tail and an armoured hull with two guns - no time-consuming Ablative Armour or massively engine stacks. The colour scheme of the Chany-class Strike Submarines takes cues for the Pesets-class Submarines in my fleet
The most difficult bit of these models is making them look interesting without adding colour - small splashes of orange rust and the vivid blues of the ocean help with this - other scheme involving reds and blues will not have this problem
At close range, however, the vessel does carry three Reckless crew - a full squadron will be a significant threat to enemy shipping, though perhaps best for finishing off or softening up opposing vessels rather than Capturing and Prizing them. Their movement of 10" is more than respectable, and I already expect to use them as a late-game surprise, after their sniping has wounded some enemy Mediums.
A squadron of Strike Submarines on the hunt
Defensively, the Chany-class Strike Submarines are fantastic. DR4/CR5 with Ablative Armour, HP3 and all the defensive bonuses of hiding underwater will make these ships incredibly difficult to shift with conventional weaponry. Low AA and Reckless crew may make them weak against boarding, so as said before keep them back until later in the game. CC4 is ridiculous, however, and will be very helpful against enemy torpedoes.
The Submarines sit between the Cruisers and Corvettes in size, as befits a non-Capital Medium vessel with three HP
The more I look at the stats for these ships, the happier I am - they have all the toys, with great guns, good armour, speed and boarding threat. I will be making use of at least one squadron of these monsters where I can, and sometimes two! Practise will show the truth of it, but at the moment I think they will be 150pts well spent.
An upcoming post will feature a painting guide on these vessels and their watery scenic bases
Overall, the current plan would be to keep them back firing at long-range, and then sweep forward to cause havoc with their boarding parties in the later stages. Hidden underwater and with their strong armour, they should be able to survive the early turns unscathed, while pouring highly accurate ordnance in the enemy Medium and Large vessels. I look forward to using them in a game soon!

Thanks for reading,

George

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