The next project: Battlefleet Gothic (BFG)

I've always been a big fan of SCI-FI as a genre; and for a long while (that is until I played WOTR), BFG and Epic Armageddon were the only two games made by GW that I was willing to call actual wargames. In fact, looking back through this blog, I see that the first ever Batrep I posted was of a BFG game at the cavs vs John Willis. So BFG in particular, is officially withing my group of 'played' games. I used to have a rule that three wargames rules was about as much as my head could handle - but I now play FOW (I still claim to have forgotten more about this game than many of the Cavs players have learned!), WOTR and Impetvs as well.

With his typical level of enthusiasm, Jason has charged right into spaceship wargaming as a genre. What ensued was reminiscent of last year's episode over choosing a fantasy/historical rule set, which ended up getting us on to Impetvs. After I pointed out that I really couldn't see any point in paying for rules like Firestorm Armada, when the excellent Full Thrust and BFG are both out there, he let on that he actually loved BFG, had sold off heaps of ships for it, and bitterly regretted this! Since John and I had taken to playing with John's fleets made up of GZG ships using the GW BFG statlines, I reckon BFG can be the rules for whatever ship models we settle on.

Jason is adamant that this be Starwars: The Clone Wars. I can see the sense in this, us both being fathers with sons not long into primary school. Already my son thinks the starship models I am looking at on the net look awesome, and just like in the series, so they are perfect for father-son gaming as well.

I called 'shotgun' on fielding the models that looked like Republic cruisers. Jason can go nuts finding odd ship models and converting to make an eclectic Separatist force.

Here is the Republic cruiser:

Here is the Brigade Miniatures model of a battle carrier:

Not the same, being shorter, and squatter, but more than just a 'passing resemblance'!

I had forgotten how much fun I found BFG and have been merrily 'list (or is that just ship?) frothing' to match Starwars ships with ships from one of the official BFG lists. I have settled on the Chaos fleet, since it has the perfect cruiser to represent the Venator class, above. The Devastation class cruiser has four hanger bays (the Venator has a huge fighter load) and then some long range 'lances' (heavy lasers) to model the heavy gun batteries the Republic Cruiser is famous for. I did not want to use a heavier class of ship because in the series you see masses of these cruisers employed, and they are a real workhorse ship.

Other models I am considering are - a Venator converted to be a heavy line-breaker, by removing the hanger bays (using the Chaos Repulsive Grand-Cruiser as the statline) and using the sister ship to the Brigade models Umberto class above, the Milano class dreadnought:

The Republic also had a range of other ships beyond the Venator style precursors to the wedge shaped Star-Destroyers. There were all manner of chunky looking ships of the line, generally referred to as Dreadnoughts. Some of these were larger than ships like the Venator class, but many were smaller. I have my eye on two other ships from the Brigade range - The 'Pommerania class dreadnaught':

This is currently out of stock and being remastered. I hope this happens soon, since this is a suitably functional looking block of a Republic ship. I'd field this using the Chaos Desolater Battleship stat line. The other ship I have my eye on is the Isandlwana class Battleship:

I think this would be great as a gun platform of a lighter class than the Venators. Lighter, but heavily armoured and packing a punch in close. I think the Chaos Carnage class would suit this. These ships are not actual Starwars models but are close enough for me (and the boy too!) and scale well with both the actual BFG models and other ranges out there. I think I need to get an order away for samples of the three ships they do have, to see how much I still like the 'theory', once I have actual models in hand!