Big Freighter (thanks moffzen)

By Corellian Corvette, in Star Wars: Armada

https://youtu.be/JmD-HlPAVTw?t=1118

and also at 19:24 you see it dock, and at 21:03 you see to docked, and 23:07 you see it fall to it's death :D

And like all good things in starwars, it can explode!

(Hopefully time embedding works on this forum, if not use the times :P)

Edit: not going to include like 4 video links of the same video, so just fast forward/skip

What do you guys think of this ship?

I thought at first: No, I don't like it, it is too much zeppelin

Then, I was like, I appreciate the amount of zeppelin involved in the design of this ship. It actually looks quite good! :D

I might hunt around for a 3d model of this and use it for senarios or something. I can see it being the size of a guppy, but a tad bit longer :o

Whales escorting whales! And my lore would have this ship as the supply/tanker for my squadron, supplying my capitals with fuel and food/water and air for extended operations, so basically a mobile base. (oh, would treat it as a CR90 with double health and maneuverability of a Victory)

Now, if big transport ships were added to the game, what ones would you want? How would you incorporate them?

I think i'd use them just as scenario goals. They really dont add anything to a fleet fight.

Strategically they would provide vital logistical support of course, but tactically they're a liability.

Maaaaybe some small ones could be refitted as EW ships by the Rebels, but i never liked that justification. I'm not sure it was supported in any canon (Legends or otherwise), but FFG needed to do something to make the Gallofree useful in X-Wing. I could be wrong there though.

But yeah, scenarios for me. Perfect to recreate evacuation defences, convoy raids, planetary assaults, and so on. Really gives those fleets something to fight over.

Decided to elaborate on why i dislike the "EW ship" justification. I realise the Rebels were resource strapped. However, they DID have access to various Corvette and larger sized ships. Now sure....transports of all sorts were cheap. However, they had godawful sensors and EW as standard, so would require a total refit and upgrade. They had horrifically bad defences, yet EW ships provide fleet support so were at some risk. They were slow, requiring a fleet to keep pace with them.

It would take less work and be more effective in every measurable capacity to refit a CR-90 or other corvette class ship, which already has military grade electronics, engines and shields.

Edited by Extropia

I think i'd use them just as scenario goals. They really dont add anything to a fleet fight.

Strategically they would provide vital logistical support of course, but tactically they're a liability.

Maaaaybe some small ones could be refitted as EW ships by the Rebels, but i never liked that justification. I'm not sure it was supported in any canon (Legends or otherwise), but FFG needed to do something to make the Gallofree useful in X-Wing. I could be wrong there though.

But yeah, scenarios for me. Perfect to recreate evacuation defences, convoy raids, planetary assaults, and so on. Really gives those fleets something to fight over.

Decided to elaborate on why i dislike the "EW ship" justification. I realise the Rebels were resource strapped. However, they DID have access to various Corvette and larger sized ships. Now sure....transports of all sorts were cheap. However, they had godawful sensors and EW as standard, so would require a total refit and upgrade. They had horrifically bad defences, yet EW ships provide fleet support so were at some risk. They were slow, requiring a fleet to keep pace with them.

It would take less work and be more effective in every measurable capacity to refit a CR-90 or other corvette class ship, which already has military grade electronics, engines and shields.

If your talking about the battle of endor, you could say that a transport doesnt take that much of a crew to run (like 3-10 maybe) which is a lot less than a corvette, and they could probably even be slaved to a larger ships controls, while it takes I think over a hundred to man and run a CR90. Plus, due to lack of complex military equipment, or high performance anything, they probably were a lot cheaper to buy/build. Buying a river barge is a lot cheaper than a military/coast guard cutter (I think). So stick some basic and rudimentary/cheap jamming equipment or some defensive measures like a chaff equivalent and bam! Cannon fodder!

Maybe they were their to take hits and be decoys, or just stand in-between enemy fire and ship zones that were regenerating.

I have to think though that it was the manpower difference that makes the case. Less than a dozen people on a GR75, or over a hundred on a CR90.

I think manpower was a real limiting factor for the rebel alliance, this can be seen on even the big bulk cruisers like the MC80 liberty varient. Something like only 6 thousand crew including marines, while a Imperial Star Destroyer has nearly that many in just officers :P

35k is a lot of people to man that mile of keel.

And yes, of course scenarios/objectives

Like, player two needs to baby a big bulk freighter off the board edge to the marked hyperspace zone (using cardboard chits of course! Always need MOAR CARDBOARD TOKENS!) while player one tries to destroy it. At the end you tally up the points, +100 to player one if they killed it, or +50 to player two if they succeeded in escaping.

Or you need to escort a fire-ship to the station and if it reaches the station remove it from play. Stop the rebels from destroying the fleet supply depot! (Or you have marines raiding a supply depot, and you need to defend the ship for 5 turns until everything is looted and it can escape to hyperspace.

Huh, maybe the transports at endor could of been fireships... if the coreshot plan with snubfighters doesn't work, keep ramming the explosive laden GR75's into the same place on the deathstar until you have blasted a whole to the core or something. :P

Or hit a star destroyer in the bridge. If asteroids can do it, we can too!

Edited by Corellian Corvette

Fair point on the manpower, it does have that as an edge i hadnt thought of.

Actually, one thing that they could be used for would be fire ships or bomb ships. As you say, they are super cheap, and there's certainly plenty of evidence of Rebels using unmanned ships on kamikaze runs (and of course at least one famous manned run killing the Executor). Couple of heavy freighters filled with baradium would ruin even a Star Destroyers day if it didnt realise what was happening in time.

Well fleets don't just line up and shoot at each other for no reason. I imagine a lot of battles revolve around interdicting supply convoys or transfers, and such battles would be perfect for that sort of ship.

it is too much zeppelin

No such thing!

it is too much zeppelin

No such thing!

Zeppelins.png

it is too much zeppelin

No such thing!

Zeppelins.png

I was going for this...

2886339902_057f74750c.jpg

I've gotta a whole lotta love...

such a great game.....

I think this is where Armada can have fun. They definitely can make a transport ship and make the draw of it including additional objectives (that may or may not require the transport). To me, this is where you could justify anything grav-well equipped and add a new ability or game mechanic (like adding turns or something).

I think transport ships would be cool and posted a pic of th xwing transport next to the fleet. It looked pretty good. I think cheap transports would be a ram fleet so it would need a rule: un armoured-if this ship collides with another ship only this ship takes damage.