Dagger
BPV: 50 / 1 Crew
The Dagger is a nice Medium fighter. Its weaponry is accurate although only
provides average damage. Its 20-shot missile launcher provides a serious
punch, and its DR of 3 provides serious protection. It should be noted that
the 2 and 6 crits on the ship result in no additional damage, so the Dagger's
survivability increases by that much more.
Glaive III
BPV: 104 / 2 Crew
The Glaive III replaces one of the Missile Launcher with a Gungnir (F).
Now I must admit that my favorite Glaive tactic is to move between two fighters
and do full 10 missile strikes to each one (NOTE: Don Dennis, ICE SD editor
supreme has informed me that a single Gunner may only lock-on with one missile
launcher per turn) so the Glaive III does not allow me to perform this.
Otherwise it is a nice fighter. It's high Drive for its size is mitigated
by its low Defensive Value. Of course, the Gungnir is a great torp stopper,
so along with its high decoy supply and generous PD (1-6[2]), the Glaive
III should be fairly immune to torp strikes. It really shines if your opponent
is armed with Revenges. Use the Gungnir to screen an important ship from
the incoming Mk. 50 onslaught.
Hammer
BPV: 60 / 2 Crew
I really like the Hammer. It looks really sleek and has a flexible armament.
It costs the same as a Death Wind, but has an additional crew member manning
the 360° Mjolnir. It has average Drive, DV, and DR, but it carries an impressive
amount of torpedoes allowing its use as a strike platform. It does lose
the torps pretty quickly on the damage track, so do not hang on to them
longer than three turns or you will find your Mk. 20 supply running low.
The ever-present Ion Ram makes another appearance and provides its traditional
long range / high damage effectiveness. The Mjolnir provides an almost guaranteed
hit, with an alright damage for a small weapon.
Hound
BPV: 19 / 1 Crew
The Hound is a very nice light fighter. The Impulsegun provides higher damage
than most ships in its class and the twin Mk. 20 torps add a nice punch.
Its Defensive Value is average (14), as is its Damage Reduction (2), so
the Hound will probably not last the entire fight, but it can withstand
a salvo or two. Use standard attrition fighter techniques with the Hound.
Iceberg
BPV: 207 / 6 Crew
The Iceberg has taken the mantle of most fearsome gunboat from the Betafortress
as far as I'm concerned. At first glance it looks impressive but not truly
fearsome. But then you play it once and its strengths are evident. DR of
5 all around shrugs off most attacks from stub fighters and this DR lasts
for at least a few turns before degrading. Its Defensive Value is only an
11 so it does get hit alot, but with that kind of armor, who cares? Its
Drive is great (11) allowing it to maneuver away from most other gunboats.
As for its armaments, its dual Ion Rams should be considered its primary
armament. As for its gauss projectors, I view these weapons as a constant
source of average damage, in that it will not cause a glorious amount of
damage in one volley, but it will steadily wear down your opponent. The
quad autocannons are great at 24 hexes. Assuming the Drive Restriction does
not prevent you from shooting, it can chew up your opponent before he can
get you in range of his guns. A good torp missile load provide well rounded
armament. Did I mention the 1-8[6] point-defense? I love this ship.
Longboat
BPV: 921 / 12 Crew
The Longboat is easily the most powerful Warhound in the SD universe. With
a large torpedo bay and massive types of weapons, it's hard to pinpoint
a single way to use the Longboat. Torpedoes fall away from the Point-Defense
and the Mjolnir. Its Bifrost Cannon is incredibly impressive in its damage
potential (a possible 60 points!), even though it has a very restricted
arc. Point the Longboat towards a target and bear down on it until it blows
up.
Pit Viper II
BPV: 17 / 1 Crew
Well, you will never intimidate someone in a Pit Viper, although the PV
II can make your opponent think twice. It has a high DV, very high Drive,
and an average DR (2). Its weapon is just a twin Pulse Laser. Its only redeeming
feature is its 3 Mk. 30 torps and its low cost. Two Mk. 30 torps can completely
destroy a Night Hawk, giving the Pit Viper II an impressive one-shot capability.
So, find a target, maneuver your Pit Viper II to where the Mk. 30 torps
can hit it in one turn, drop them and then use the PV II as a target.
Spirit Rider III
BPV: 20 / 1 Crew
The Spirit Rider III removes the two torpedoes and adds two Splatterguns.
Without the torps, the Spirit Rider III is relegated to chasing down fighters
and punishing them. The additional rule about flying in a specific planet's
atmosphere is useless, but the Rider III can be used efficiently. Remember
Medium+6 damage will crush any Pit Viper or Blizzard you encounter.
Storm and Storm II
BPV: 90 and 100 / 3 Crew
The Storm ships are interesting in that the rear arcs have more damage potential
than the front arcs, more so with the Storm II's Ion Ram. Their DV is low
(12), but their defensive capabilities are impressive. They have a DR of
4, allowing them to push away most Pulse Laser hits, and the number of decoys
and amount of point-defense is simply amazing. Any torpedo strike must contain
at least 4 torps in order to even stand a chance of connecting. The greatest
difference between the two Storms is the damage track. The Storm has a critical
on the fourth hit giving it a tremendous Achilles heel, while the Storm
II has its first crit at the 21st hit. This should make the choice between
the Storms obvious, although the Storm II has an opponent's choice weapon
hit on the 15th hit which usually destroys the Ion Ram or a missile launcher.
If possible with the Storms, lead with their rear.
TBD Platform
BPV: 210 / 5 Crew
As the first outpost in Silent Death, and coming a couple of months before
Space Junk, this ship caused a little bit of confusion in its debut. The
first rule to learn when using or fighting an outpost is that their weapons
all have a 360° arc. You cannot sneak up on an outpost. The second rule
to learn is that they have NO drive so even a quad Laztube can blast them
without Drive Restriction penalty. This fact makes them very vulnerable
to attacks, especially from Warhounds. The TBD platform was designed to
hold off attacks from fighters, so its weapons are not in the Warhound class.
The Turbo Laser provides gunboat defense while the missiles and Splatterguns
provide fighter defense. Torps and a Meld Laser finish off its armament,
allowing it to hit a large variety of targets. Realize that this is a scenario
ship, so it is not something you would typically bring into a battle. If
you use the optional mine field rules from Space Junk you can adequately
defend the TBD Platform, otherwise, its just a matter of time. A quick note,
the Decoys and PD in the box are incorrect and should be ignored. The PD
operates exactly like Warhound PD, not fighter PD.