My new GM gave me +7SP in addition to the players' points. Give me opinions/ideas.

Aeternum Excubitor - Dictator-class cruiser

Essentials
Jovian Pattern Class 4 Drive
Miloslav H-616.b Warp Engine
Emergency Field
Multiple Void Shield Array
Flight Command Bridge
Vitae Pattern Life Sustainer
Voidsman Quarters
Deep Void Auger Array

Supplemental components
Cargo Hold and Lighter Bay
Barracks
Pilot's Chamber*
Small Craft Repair Dock*
Manufactorum*


Weapon Slots
Jovian-Pattern Landing Bay
Jovian-Pattern Landing Bay
Best* Sunsear Las-Broadside
Best* Sunsear Las-Broadside
Mars-Pattern Torpedo Tubes

looks good though if PF is low carrier might not be a good route yet.

I like placing macrobatteries in the prow. Remember that they can shoot 180 from that slot, giving you extra oomph. Sunsears will not be enough when fighting cruiser sized ship. In this configuration you can fire only one weapon, each side.

good point you bring Amaimon not a huge torp fan myself anyway

My new GM gave me +7SP in addition to the players' points.

Good lord, why?

I like placing macrobatteries in the prow. Remember that they can shoot 180 from that slot, giving you extra oomph. Sunsears will not be enough when fighting cruiser sized ship. In this configuration you can fire only one weapon, each side.

270 degrees, if you want to be technical (3 Arcs).

I'd get rid of the cargohold & lighter bay myself, you'll have plenty of spaces for small crafts I should think, and it should be possible to use that space for something better. I was always a fan of the Trophy Room myself.

The sunsears are marked as Best - can I ask what upgrades have been chosen for them?

GM was favorable with having the Manufactorum assist in the small craft repairs. Even more if I scavenge destroyed ships for rare metals and components for fueling the workshops with needed parts for the small craft being restored.

I could swear prow guns were only for the front arc?
My plan was to lay back and shoot torps (stupidly high range) & dispatch the fighters and bombers, avoiding broadside combats.

Do Lances also have such arcs?
I am considering changing prow, and the sunsear broadsides for Hecutors.

Prow is just the front arc. Dorsal is the one that shoots in three arcs. I've never ran a carrier before, but it always seemed interesting. I can never get away from the Reinforced Ram / Power Ram combo pack. Combine that with my crazy navigator with stacking the deck on full blast and I am adding 8 armor to the front and my light cruiser is doing 27 plus d10 plus d5 damage. Then while I am stuck there...next turn we board. Its my one two punch that we use over and over again...

Light Cruiser and higher hulls can mount Prow weapons that fire like Dorsal weapons.

I went with a Lance weapon at the Prow for the Blessed Enterprise. While I like Torpedoes I think both torps and attack craft will bleed you dry early on.

If you're playing with RAW then I think you'll be fine with just the broadsides, the bombers should do most of the damage.

Marwynn pretty much has it right,

Cruisers of all kinda (ie. including Light, Battle or Grand) can fire Prow Weapons in 270 degrees, namely front, port and starport arcs. The big exception is Torpedoes, which only fire in one arc. There is also a few other weapons (ie. God's Bane Lance) with such limitations.

Smaller ships (Frigates, Raiders and transports) with prow mounts may fire weapons from such mounts only in the front arc.

This information is all on p. 219 of the core book

I also agree with the rest of Marwynn's comment, except to point out that the effect of your bombers depend heavily on your skill at Command - most most RTs should do decently well.

That is awesome news for us, that is probably the worst news ever for the poor gits that are standing between my lord captain and something shiny...

I might suggest putting the carrier bays both on one side, and putting both of the broadsides on the other side, so that you still have a cruiser-strength broadside. I might also suggest downgrading the broadsides to standard macrobatteries to free up power and space for secondary components.

Using the off-side asymmetrical sunsears with flight bays turns your cruiser into a standoff monster. If you replace the torpedoes with a sunsear macrobattery, this would mean that you could hit someone in, say, your starboard arc with three sunsear macrobatteries and two bombing runs. You would be vulnerable on the portside, of course- I might suggest an Empyrean Mantle and swapping out the auger array for the passive array from Hostile Acquisitions, then possibly try to obtain (through gameplay) a Cypra plasma drive for maximum stealthing.

Alternatively, extended supply vaults if your GM is one to make you worry about such things.

.... If you replace the torpedoes with a sunsear macrobattery, this would mean that you could hit someone in, say, your starboard arc with three sunsear macrobatteries and two bombing runs. .....

This would be great Annaamarth if they were using RAW. If they are using Mathhammer, then not so much. Either having Torpedoes or a Lance would be best when converting to Mathhammer. Also, having the Torpedoes gives the added benefit of a longer reach on most targets (especially stationary ones).

No idea what rules they are using though.

If Mathhammer, replace a sunsear with a lance. I'm just modifying the loadout as originally presented, however.

I had never considered kitting out the ship so that one side is meant for combat and the other side is for safely launching flyers...I am a fool! But then again we have never used a full cruiser for a PC ship

I had never considered kitting out the ship so that one side is meant for combat and the other side is for safely launching flyers...I am a fool! But then again we have never used a full cruiser for a PC ship

Too easily outmanouvered, I won't do this.

It is risky, especially against highly maneuverable foes, but if you can swing an escort frigate with Plasma or Melta batteries to screen for you, it becomes much less so. They work well in combined arms.

Fascinating! Our Light Cruiser normally gets around in a small flotilla of ships. So we do generally have solid support ships on hand to help out. I will consider this further...

Iconoclasts make for a great screening element. Just saying.

For a really nasty 80 pt ship, consider the following Lunar cruiser:

Lunar-Class Cruiser, starts at 60 SP

Standard Jovian 4 power plant, nothing special.

Miloslav Warp Drive, Belecane Gellar and Warpsbane hull for rapid and safe(ish) Warp transit.

Multiple void shields, ship master's bridge, vitae life sustainer and Voidsmen crew quarters, basic cruiser stuff.

M-100 Auger array, save on power and SP.

Pilot chambers to improve small craft rolls, barracks to improve boarding, tenebro maze because.

Bombardment cannons fore, 2x bombardment cannons starboard.

2x Jovian bays portside.

Comes out to 80 ships points exactly, and leaves 20 power and 3 space- plenty of room for growth, at least power-wise. The Bombardment cannons are going to wreck havoc with anyone who decides to destroy the carrier, and all you have to do is point your starboard side at them and let them come to you. Anyone who wants to stand off at a greater range can, they just suffer the wrath of your bombers.

If playing Mathhammer rules, replace the starboard bombardment cannons with Mezoa lance batteries. This means you have flexibility of engagement (prow bombardment cannons will punish anything in the forward arcs) but anything that gets in your starboard arc suffers Mezoa strikes- short ranged but great damage for lances, same range profile as the bombardment cannons. Really, all lances are the same size (unless they've been errata'd and I don't remember) so you can swap out for your preference, but I like the Mezoas. This variant does cost you 16 power but actually frees up 2 space though, leaving a more balanced design growth-wise. Same number of shippoints.

Edit: Oh, and if you want to free up more SP for other components, remove the Warpsbane hull, swap out the Bellecane for a standard, and that frees up two more SP for other usage. Like the small craft repair dock and the cargo hold and lighter bay. I might rather sack the hold AND the pilots chambers in favor of the manufactorum, and take support craft instead of assault craft. Use the support craft to mine asteroids of basic minerals, use the manufactorum and the small craft repair bay to make repair parts and fill out your squadrons. You lose the bonus from the Pilots Chambers but... oh well? And you have four strength worth of "aux craft," so spend two on support craft and one each on aeronautica bombers and fighters, and suddenly you have a ship that can take a world.

Actually, I think I like that last variant even better. Bombardment cannons, sustaining small craft, aeronautica fighters and bombers. I think I just built an Astartes Strike Cruiser.

2nd Edit: Fixed a number. Also, I don't think that Strike Cruiser variant works without using high quality components- Oh well, something to build towards!

3rd Edit: I think the Strike Cruiser does work, but it leaves no space. Would love for someone to check my work. Also, done editing now. Jeez.

I love that strike cruiser build! All you are missing is drop pod bays and tons of power armor! I am a huge fan of bombardment cannons...

Final build:

Jovian Pattern Class 4 Drive
Miloslav H-616.b Warp Engine
Gellar Field
Castellan Shield Array
Flight Command Bridge
Vitae Pattern Life Sustainer
Voidsman Quarters
BG-15 Assault Scanners

Cargo Hold and Lighter Bay
Barracks
Manufactorum* (GM will provide bonus to Small Craft repairs and will allow constructing some with time)
Small Craft Repair Dock*
Pilot's Chamber*

Sunsear Las-Broadside
Sunsear Las-Broadside
Sunhammer Lance Battery
2x Hangars (from Dictator build)

Temperamental Warp Engine, Stoic, from Age of Rebirth (1 Archeo - CastellanArray)

A beautiful ship...I am sure her deeds will be terrible to behold!

A fine vessel to cut through the expanse.

It's a fine ship, love those Castellan shields.

That's a lot of firepower, and it'll be exceptionally nasty in Mathhammer games. While it is assuredly not the design I'd have used, I have no doubt that it will bring death to your enemies and wealth to your holds.