Some of the "not-so often seen" ships...

[Abraxas]

Well, a lot of people on here play as the Centauri because of their plethra of ships... including me. I am designing some 5 pt. fleets and I want to know about some of the ships I don't usually see or hear about.

- Maximus

- Morgath

- Altarian

- Eutarian

- Secundus

- Octurian

So does anyone have ANY stories about these ships? Good or bad?

I hear about the Prefect and Teretious to the point I bleed from my ears... but I never hear ANYTHING about these ships. I know the Haven and Kuati don't show up cause they suck... but what about these other ones?

Thanks.

 

[WickedE]

The Octurian is a magnificent centerpiece and wedge ship. Just fling it into a formation and watch the Brevari hit the fan.

The Maximus, in squadron with others, packs enough Twin Particle Array goodness to dismantle any ship with Hull 4, and batter anything at Hull 5. If in a Six Ship Squad with a Secundus at the helm, that's a demolition crew. Other than that, the Secundus never really struck me as impressive EXCEPT in squadron with Maximus.

The Elutarian is best at higher priorities when you can at least get two or three of them for maximum bombardment power. They're TOUGH too at hull 6, so they definitely have staying power.

 

[LordClinto]

I personally can only think of good things to say about the Maximus. I think it's the best skirmish choice in the Centauri fleet, if not one of the top 10 skirmish choices in the game.

High speed (10"), 2/45 turns, Hull 6, Interceptors 1, a whole mess of TL AD + turreted AF guns. I wouldn't make a Centauri fleet without taking 2 or more.

 

[Goldritter]

The Octurion is a killer.

I´ve lost all games when my opponent field one (or soemtimes two) Octurions.
It have much firepower Combat Laser, Matter Cannon and Twin Particle Array and it soak up a lot of damage.
And the Command Bonus is a reason, why youre Enemy has only the Initative if you really roll very bad.

It´s one of the best War-Level Ships in the Game.

 

[Reborn]

Woot, having read this thread I know what I'm going to take in the next ACTA tournament.

 

[Morgoth]

The Elutarian I have found to be a good support ship, that precise weapon is a real help, plus it takes a real battering before going down. I have also found the Altarian to be a good brawler too, again its tough and has good all round firepwoer - works well in conjunction with the Elutrian. I like to have quite a few of the Altarian and its variants, after all the Magnus is a good ship, mixing them all up keeps the opposition guessing.

The Maximus is a good ship, huill 6 is alwyas good, yes it has short ranged weaponary but onc it closes its huge amount of twin linked AD are real good.

I have used the Morgrath and found that in campaigns if it survives it can really be quite good with a couple of refits. And that beam is always useful too.

The Octurion.... need you say more.. great ship. I personally think its one of the best ships of its priority.. nasty beam, great secondary weaponary too!!

The Secundus is quite a useful ship that doesn't seem to see enough use due to the fact that the Primus and Tertius are excellent ships and have good beams. I have used it a couple of times as an assault ship as the amount of troops it carries is excellent.. 10!! Plus you never need never have to CAF as all its weaopns are twin-linked - and its main array if it hits is nasty!!

 

[Triggy]

Woot, having read this thread I know what I'm going to take in the next ACTA tournament.

I tried an Octurion and 2 Maximuses in my first Mongoose tourney (ItF) and they did OK except for one thing...in three out of the four games I suffered a weapons offline critical on the Octurion! That basically took the Octurion out of the fight before it had done anything in two of them and instantly lost me all three games However, that was bad luck and in an average tourney I'd only expect that to happen one time (or fewer) - much the same as luck for any other set of ships. One of the tricks to rememer is to jump out if you're about to die as you can often still win the game on what you've already killed.

And yes, the Octurion is fantastic at annihilating fleets as it has peerless all-round firepower - essential if you're taking a War PL ship in a Raid PL game.

 

[Abraxas]

The reason I ask is because I got an Altarien and I want to use it (I think it looks neat) and the thought of all that AD on a Secundus makes me yelp with joy.

I am surprised I don't see the Elutarian at all. It's a powerful ship with superduper range... and I simply never see it. Maximuss look like fun considering the AD involved... but I like Vorchans (I love the way they look) so much better and I hate having to decide.

The Morgath is almost never around.

I guess people don't play in big enough games to use the Octurian.

I want to use this 5 pt. raid fleet:

1 Secundus
1 Vorchan, 2 Covrans
2 Vorchans
1 Elutarian

My Secundus charges in while the Vorchans tag along. The Secundus would probably take on medium and light ships while the Vorchans A) kill crippled ships or B) swoop in on bigger, less maneuverable ships. The Elutarian, backed up by a Covran (or 2) will focus on heavy ships, hopefully critting them out of the game with the precise torpedos.

I may replace the Elutarian with an Altarian or a Magnus... but I don't know if I want to. I am also thinking of replacing one covran with some breaching pods.

Does this sound OK? What do you all think?

 

[Celisasu]

The reason you don't see a lot of these good ships is because they're ONLY good ships. Not great ships. Which is what the Tertius, Prefect, and Corvan are. Not counting bad ships such as the Vorchan and Haven and whatnot here. You wouldn't see those even if the Tertius and Prefect went away.

 

[Silvereye]

My Secundus charges in while the Vorchans tag along. The Secundus would probably take on medium and light ships while the Vorchans A) kill crippled ships or B) swoop in on bigger, less maneuverable ships.

A big waste of the Vorchans. They have speed 14, and two turns, so use it. Don't hobble them by using them to support a Secundus. Now if you can time it right, the Secundus could be attacking from the front, and the Vorchans from the side/rear.

The Elutarian, backed up by a Covran (or 2) will focus on heavy ships, hopefully critting them out of the game with the precise torpedos.

Potentially workable.

I may replace the Elutarian with an Altarian or a Magnus... but I don't know if I want to. I am also thinking of replacing one covran with some breaching pods.

Because the only weapons in your fleet that are not Twin-Linked are 1 Balistic Torpedo launcher and 3 Plasma Accelerators, I would consider replacing both the Corvans with something else. Razik/Sentri wings will provide you anti-fighter protection (via dogfight), or a Maximus might make an interesting escort for the Secundus/Elutarian.

Ok, you really can't fault the Corvan as a Patrol vessel. Decent weaponry, and a Sentri flight. Stealth 4+ to boot. Just might be worth keeping them as patrol level attack ships.

 

[Voronesh]

I only possess an Octurion, and that for a reason. Yer its centerpiece of any Centauri fleet....

BUT:

It has very good firepower, what you may lack at pure beaminess compared to a pair of Primus (or Tertius for that matter) you gain maximum close range firepower instead. Yes a pair of Tertius might outclass a Octurion for frontal firepower, but they dont have an ini bonus, and they will die if subjected to a flanking maneuver. An Octurion can fight back, VERY effectively when flanked. (Yer overall 2 Tertious are better, 6 times out of 10 but they are just too good for nice gaming).

The Maximus is a great littler sucker at skirmish. Present the enemy ship he doesnt even want to shoot. WS really meet their match, when their BIG ugly laser misses 50% of the time, against such a little ship, and their secondary battery gets intercepted.......ofc a Maximus wont be able to target a WS that often, but as fleet support they really shine. They cant take the fight deep into the enemy fleet like a Vorchan, but thats an advantage too, they wont stray from protecting the Primus either ^^.

Both are really good reliable vessels, cant go too wrong with them. The others i have been looking at, but not really playing. The Elutarian seems good, btu only when you can buy at least a pair or more, without putting too many eggs into a single basket.

 

[Abraxas]

My Secundus charges in while the Vorchans tag along. The Secundus would probably take on medium and light ships while the Vorchans A) kill crippled ships or B) swoop in on bigger, less maneuverable ships.

A big waste of the Vorchans. They have speed 14, and two turns, so use it. Don't hobble them by using them to support a Secundus. Now if you can time it right, the Secundus could be attacking from the front, and the Vorchans from the side/rear.

That's exactly what I mean. Use the Secundus like a giant hammer and the Vorchans like a (big, sharp) pick axe from the side. Guess I should have made that clearer.

The Elutarian, backed up by a Covran (or 2) will focus on heavy ships, hopefully critting them out of the game with the precise torpedos.

Potentially workable.

Oh goody.

I may replace the Elutarian with an Altarian or a Magnus... but I don't know if I want to. I am also thinking of replacing one covran with some breaching pods.

Because the only weapons in your fleet that are not Twin-Linked are 1 Balistic Torpedo launcher and 3 Plasma Accelerators, I would consider replacing both the Corvans with something else. Razik/Sentri wings will provide you anti-fighter protection (via dogfight), or a Maximus might make an interesting escort for the Secundus/Elutarian.

Ok, you really can't fault the Corvan as a Patrol vessel. Decent weaponry, and a Sentri flight. Stealth 4+ to boot. Just might be worth keeping them as patrol level attack ships.

Yeah... I guess I don't need the re-rolls from the Covrans with all my TLness and I could use the points elsewhere, I suppose, for a more dedicated warship.

Howabout a wing of Raziks and a wing of breaching pods?

Final possible fleet:

1 Secundus
3 Vorchans
1 Elutarian
4 flights of Raziks
4 Breaching pods

-Anti-cap ship with the Elutarian and Vorchans.
-Anti-escort ship with the Secundus and Vorchans.
-Anti-fighter with the gross amount of AD I can throw into empty arcs and the Raziks.
-Boarding action fun with the breaching pods and Secundus.

 

[Hash]

I wouldnt spend extra on breaching pods when you already have the Secundus and the oodles of troops on board and buying a wing of fighters isn't necessary if you re-think your selection a little...how about

Points 1 & 2: Secundus
Points 3 & 4: 4 x Vorchats
Point 5: Elutarian

The Vorchat is only a little but slower than the Vorchan but better armed and carries a fighter as well so you don't need to buy a seperate wing. (You would have 5 fighters which is probably best as 5 Raziks as an antifighter role)

TBH though the Secundus is going to be of limited value against opponents with many Hull 6 ships (a common occurrence in tourney fleets!)

If I was going for a Centauri fleet that excluded the "great" ships (i.e. Tertius, Prefect and Sulust) I would go for:

Magnus x 1
Magnus x 1
Dargan x 1
Darkner x 1 + Maximus x 1
Darkner x 1 + Corvan x 2

You will have 6 flights of fighters (again Raziks are probably a better bet than Sentri's)

Considerable "Beam Team" strength and, unlike a Prefect heavy fleet, will have good maneuverability and ships with rear-arc weaponry for those that manage to get behind you...

Still I sympathise with the Vorchan, it's a lovely model but there are other Centauri choices that simply seem better for the points...

 

[Target]

How bout
1 Balvarix
2 Magnus
2 Darkner
Thats a wee bit different.
10 Sentri's with fleet carrier, just in case you want to attack ships with them??? ( I use them to attack hull 6 ships ) otherwise raziks, maybe a mix.
PS: Sentri's probably don't work that well, but the Balvarix is one tough ship, they will probably target it & let the Darkners live a turn longer.

 

[Abraxas]

How bout
1 Balvarix
2 Magnus
2 Darkner
Thats a wee bit different.
10 Sentri's with fleet carrier, just in case you want to attack ships with them??? ( I use them to attack hull 6 ships ) otherwise raziks, maybe a mix.
PS: Sentri's probably don't work that well, but the Balvarix is one tough ship, they will probably target it & let the Darkners live a turn longer.

I'm all for using the "red-headed step children" of the Centauri fleet... but that takes balls to use the Balvarix as your centerpiece. I mean the Darkners will be dead by turn 2 or 3. The Magnuss a little later.

Meanwhile the fighters are innefectual against capital ships and the Balvarix becaomes the de-facto war cruiser. With weak flanks and poor maneuverability it should be mince meat by a pair of ANY escorts...

Am I wrong? Pescimistic?

 

[Target]

It all depends on the range of your opponent, if you can hold or move your darkners out range, so your Mangus & Balvarix can close to Anti Matter range. Remember your optimal range is 20 for beams, 15 for Anit matter cannons, 8 for Twinlinks. Keep your fleet together & use their firepower to cover each other. Don't rush your Darkners ahead , hard with their speed & is tempting. Try to limit what your opponent can fire at. Missles will make a mess of this fleet probably but then Sags can't take fighters unless they getting sneaky & putting AF missles on a Arc on various ships.
The Balvarix can hold up for a while hopefully letting your other ships do the damage even the Balvarix has 8 AD 15" AP,DD weapon which isn't to be laughed at, Your Darkners should be able to stop anyone elses escorts flanking even then it's not a problem cause flanking ships are fast and always overshoot & the Balvarix can face either way to let rip. Thats the problem with speed, sure you can close but the can't stay in slow ships weak arc's hence why no one uses Vorchans. They close into range of every weapon, can't dish it out anymore, speed past & get anihilated by multi arc ships. Speed is over rated. Wouldn't consider this fleet a winner all the time but should be able to hold it's own. No fighters should get through your screen.
All this easier said than done though.
If you are concerned about losing the darkners, I would use a Beam Team.
I use the Sulust as it's such nice model & the stats are good, killable although it has to many hits. once had 10 crits on 1 & wasn't crippled or skeleton crewed, might been one over on each, couldn't do anything but was still alive.
Primus is a must. That leaves you 1 raid pt to spend else where which most people use on Corvans.
I side issue of this post is speed isn't actually a big bonus, it can more a hinderance.

 

[Morgoth]

if you insist of using the Vorchan models you have, I would also suggest the Vorchat War Raider, - good all round firepower and still maneovrable, those extra twin links are really useful, means you can mix it up a bit whilst flanking.

 

[locarno24]

I love the sound of this as a fleet.....in fact I may have to make this up...
odd....never really looked that much at centauri (I got put off by the 'beam team' and the amount of flak everyone takes for fielding centauri beam teams)

The 'wrecking crew' sounds a fun tourney fleet to play (the maximus is how I wish the vorchan did play...), and up it to include 3 bombardment destroyers and a second secundus and you have a 10 point campaign fleet..

Bit shy on fighter support but given that every ship has massive amounts of flak and hull 6, who cares?

 

[CheesyRobMan]

I think it's been mentioned, but worth pointing out that the Maximus is the only basic Centauri ship with AF weapons. This comes in handy against certain opponents... *cough*EA*cough*

 

[locarno24]

True, but they usually carry a good selection of twin-linked fire in most arcs - capable of bringing down normal fighters that have to remain in close proximity to keep hitting you.

(although, as Triggy notes, bring along breaching pods in force and the beam team don't like it up 'em, Mr. Mainwaring, Sir.)