Battlefleet Gothic Battle Report: Convoy

Mission

In convoy, a fleet is trying to protect a convoy of transports through an enemy blockade.  The enemy is spread out thin to catch the convoy, so there might be a chance to punch through the blockade.  In this scenario, the defender takes 100pts for every two free transports.  The attacker recieves random forces from a table, on which they get D3 + (transports/2) rolls.

Forces

Alan – Imperial Navy

Lunar class Cruiser

Dauntless Light Cruiser (Torpedoes)

Dauntless Light Cruiser (Torpedoes)

Four Transports

Four Transports

Eric – Chaos (Got 5 rolls on chart, rolled 6,5,5,5,1)

Carnage class cruiser

3 Idolater escorts (lance boats)

3 Infidel escorts (torpedo boats)

3 Infidel escorts (torpedo boats)

2 Dreadclaw Assault boats

Setup

Primary Biosphere, medium planet, 2 moons.  Planet was in lower left corner.  Moon 1 in upper left, moon 2 almost in exact center of board.  1 gas/dust cloud high center.  2 Asteroid belts lower right.

Deployment

I deployed my marker beacons in a “W” shaped pattern with the Carnage class cruiser in the middle and the Infidels on the ends.  Alan’s convoy came on from the left.

Turn 1 Imperial Navy

Alan brought in his 3 warships and no transports.  One was close enough to reveal the closest beacon, 3 Infidels.  2 were destroyed, the third on BFI.

Turn 1 Chaos

Revealed Assault Boats, which hid behind the medium planet.  Surviving Infidel moved behind main Imperial lines.

Turn 2 Imperial Navy

Alan brought on his transports.  He moved up and turned to get line of sight to shoot the last Infidel.  Infidel failed check to BFI, but amazingly survived.  Assault Boats and boarding torpedoes attack transports, with no effect.

Turn 2 Chaos

Farthest marker revealed as 2nd Infidel squadron.  Fails to All Ahead full.  Lone Infidel attempts to board transport.  Tie causes neither ship to be removed.

Turn 3 Imperial Navy

Fleet moves up to engage, fires at Infidel Squadron 2, no effect at extremem range.  Dauntless cruisers reload ordnance.

Turn 3 Chaos

All remaining markers revealed.  Chaos forces engage Imperial fleet, do minor damage.  Lone Infidel reloads ordnance, fires, kills one transport with Boarding  Torpedoes.

Turn 4 Imperial Navy

Dauntless cruisers lock on, fire on Idolaters and Infidels.  One Idolater destoyed.  Transports fire on lone Infidel, no effect.

Turn 4 Chaos

Carnage class cruiser moves throught imperial lines, draws bead on transports, destroys one.  Infidel squadron fires torpedoes, kills one transport.  Idolaters also kill one transport.

Turn 5 Imperial Navy

Imperials bring forces to bear on escorts.  BFI rolls make only one Infidel die.

Turn 5 Chaos

Further shooting reduces imperial transports to 2.  Game ceded.

Analysis

Convoy is HARD.  It is almost impossible for the convoy to make it if the enemy has rolled well, and the bigger the game the better they can be.  The defender is better off with smaller ships like the Dauntless or some escorts.  The attacker needs to essentially ignore the main lines and get through to the transports.  If the defender rushes ahead, this is actually easy.  The defender needs to slow it down and blast anything that comes close.