Warship Build Special — Word of Blake Fleet

This post also includes instructions for the Mule Dropship and the Eagle Frigate.

After last week’s post, I’ll now continue to share the main space fleets for my Blake’s War AU BattleTech project. As stated before, I’m using OPR’s Orion’s Gate ruleset because it allows me to craft these fleets with a simple system that gives me enough limitations and freedom at the same time to make a neat conversion over from BT’s lore. Beyond the systems listed here, all vessels also have a Turret, which I classify as their secondary weapons, and we all know BT ships have LOTS of secondary weapons.

It’s all for fun and hopefully it provides you some entertainment.

This week I’ll be sharing the Word of Blake fleet. The Blakists, as they are known, believed they would bring back the mythical Star League of old. However, the actions of the Great Houses made them feel betrayed and thus they unleashed a holy Jihad against the House Lords to make them comply to their wishes. Although the core Blakist forces was made of professional, even enhanced, soldiers, most of the troops they used were a mishmash of mercenaries, local militias, and bandits that in one way or the other aligned with them. Their fleet is meant to reflect this a bit.

It is formed by four fighter squadrons, mostly meant to dash into critical locations for map control, four dropships, and three escorts. This fleet does not have capital ships. They main strategy is to use the Union dropships and the Vincent corvette to board and take over enemy assets, while the rest of the fleet strikes from afar to keep the rest of the opposition at bay.

Two of the dropships are the aforementioned Union dropships. These have Boardind Pods to take over enemy vessels using the BattleMech company they carry aboard.

The other dropship class present is the Mule, with two of them here. These are civilian-class transports that were modified with a Torpedo launcher to snipe at enemy units. While not the most precise weapon, it keeps the fragile Mule far from most enemy attacks.

Then we have the escort-type vessels. Let’s start with the classic Vincent. This is a lightweight ship with a large internal volume, as it was meant as a transport back in the Star League era. Built in the hundreds, many would survive up to the 31st century and even new ones would be made. As their fleet goes back to that bygone era, the Blakists retain large numbers of these ships. In space combat they are a prime boarding vector, using Barracks, Boarding Pods and even Boost Pods to launch the troops they carry inside from further away. Combined with the Union dropships, it is a very dangerous foe.

The Lola III destroyer is another Star League classic design. It is equipped with a Torpedo launcher in the front and a Missile Cluster launcher on each broadside, making it a large missile boat meant to either destroy or incapacitate enemy assets from afar.

Finally, the Eagle frigate is the most unique of the lot. Built by the Free Worlds League in the mid-31st century, a few vessels of this class would be ordered by the Word of Blake, given the faction’s connections to the League. During the Pesht crisis, these frigates would be the core of the Leaguer fleet sent to intervene in the region. As a result, many fell in the hands of the Blakists as the situation degradated.

It is a through and through escort vessel. The front equips a Railgun, and each broadside has a Cannon array. It is meant to rush into the enemy ranks, blasting with the railgun from afar, and then get in the middle of the enemy fleet, firing with the side guns and secondary weapons until something breaks. I really like how this one turned out!

This fleet is a very dangerous one, although a one trick pony of sorts. If the opposition manages to defend itself from the boarding actions, then the Blakists will lose badly. However, if they manage to capture one or more enemy vessels, their power will grow while the enemy’s will diminish, granting them the victory.

Next week we’ll visit the Clanner side of this conflict. They are the other specialized faction, being more of a shooty fleet.

Until then, Happy Holidays and a wonderful New Year