The Storm Begins: The Rense System Navy

SeerK Here. Well February has been a busy month for everybody. Sorry for the lack of updates. Job

hunting and gaming malaise has left me doing a lot of stuff other than writing. Although we will still be covering 40K on occasion, we are kind of changing gears on Craftworld Lansing. The writers and many at our FLGS do not like the direction things are taking with 40K.

IN fact my Eldar have been sitting on the back burner for quite a while now. I have been playing quite a bit of Firestorm Armada and I am eagerly awaiting the release of Spartan Games ground based combat game Planetfall, which is set in the Firestorm Armada Universe. With the 40K malaise in full force I decided I am going to start talking about the Fleet I run in Firestorm Armada. In fact there is going to be a lot of Firestorm Armada coverage from now on. I have talked about it a bit in the past, but the other writers and I are going to be delving in deep with it. This means tactics, battle reports and our general musings on the game. That said, Lets dive into Firestorm Armada.

In The game you take command of a fleet of warships from one of the many factions available. Ultimately the faction belongs to either the Terran led Kurak Alliance or the Dindrenzi Federation Led Zenian League. As with most war games, you build a fleet using a point system. The game also uses a force org of sorts. It is a Tier system made up of three levels.

Each Tier contains different types and sizes of vessels. Tier One Vessels are the largest ships in the fleet. These range from Dreadnoughts, currently the largest vessel you can field, to Squadrons of Heavy Cruisers and Battleships. Tier two vessels are generally mid sized capital ships. Typically your fleets Cruisers and destroyers occupy this slot. Tier three vessels are the smallest. Frigates, Corvettes and Escort vessels occupy this tier. Each tier has a minimum number of vessels that must be taken and a maximum number that can be taken. This minimum and maximum can change based on the point level of the game.

The number of squadrons available increase as you play higher point level games. There are basically 3 different “Force Org” charts based on the point level of the game. The first is for games up to 800 points. This is known as a “Patrol Fleet”. 801 points to 1200 points is a “Battle Fleet”. 1201 points and above is known as a “Grand Fleet” Sometimes ships can move to different tiers at higher point levels. For example, when you are playing an 800 point game Heavy Cruisers may be in Tier 1. If you play a 1000 point game they may be now Tier 2. Each fleets ships are generally in the same Tier, but there are some differences. For example, I play the Rense System Navy which is part of the Zenian League. In 800 Point games and below I can take a Battle Carrier as my Tier 1 choice. If I was using the Ryushi Fleet, part of the Kurak Alliance, at the same level I could not take a Battle Carrier as a Tier 1 choice. I could only take a Battle Carrier as a Tier 1 choice in games above 800 points. I know it sounds a bit confusing, but there is a chart that is specific to each fleet in their Fleet manual. I wanted to do a brief overview before I dived into my fleet and the ships it contains. Over the next few weeks I will be going in depth on the Ships of the Rense System Navy, the leader and enforcer of the Zenian League.

The Rense System Navy is a sub faction within the Dindrenzi Federation. Originally formed to guard the new Capital world of Ravens Citadel after the destruction of the original Capital world of Dramos at the hands of the Terran Alliance. As time went on the Rense Navy became the personal strong arm of the Federation Chairman. The crews and commanders of the Rense Navy are the best and the brightest. Drawn from all across the Federation, they patrol the federation and strike deep into alliance territory on missions of subterfuge and intelligence gathering. The Rense Navy has the best ships in the Federation, as they are a joint venture between the Dindrenzi Federation and the Mega Corporations of the Directorate.

Many of the members of the Rense System Navy are also devout members of the Church Of The Dramos Angels. This religious organization formed after the destruction of the world of Dramos. Dramos is a major center point for the Federation. With their forces being driven back during the second succession war the Terrain Alliance unleashed a nuclear holocaust upon the world of Dramos. The Dindrenzi Federation had won its independence from Terra, but at a very high price. The Rense Navy has the honor of guarding the millions of Pilgrims that flock to the blasted world of Dramos.

Basically the Rense Navy are the Zealots of the Dindrenzi Federation and its members are the ones really driving the current hostilities against the Terran Alliance and their Kurak Alliance allies. Although it is a Zenian League fleet it has at least 2 ships in each tier and can act as a fleet by itself. From what I have seen most of your Kurak Alliance and Zenian League member fleets have to work with other members to work as a cohesive fleet. The Rense System Navy can stand on its own.

Their Ships are as follows

Tier 1

Banshee Class Dreadnought

Spectre Class Battleship

Argus Class Carrier

Tier 2

Spook Class Cruiser

Cerberus Class Heavy Cruiser ( can be Tier one depending on point level)

Phoenix Class Destroyer

Tier 3

Bulwark Class Frigate

Siren Class Escort

I am going to start from the bottom and work my way up. Next time I am going to be talking about the workhorse of my fleet. The Bulwark Frigate. Despite its class and size it packs a punch and when used properly it can knock out vessels well above its weight class. So next time the Bulwark, doin work!

Until then...

Blood Runs, Anger Rises, Death Wakes, War Calls!!!!

And Always

REMEMBER DRAMOS!!!!!