– REMASTERED –

First Battle
 THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL GAMES WORKSHOP PUBLICATION

The creator of this document is in no way affiliated with

Games Workshop and it is 100% unofficial.

The content within is a fan project and made for personal use only.

Created by Simon Saier;

idea and feedback by Chris 'DoublebaseFanatic' Kraus and Roy 'horizon' Amkreutz

A first game in Battlefleet Gothic can be quite overwhelming – when the rules are scattered
throughout three different official publications and even though my Remastered version has all
changes to the game rules implemented, it's still a daunting 200 pages document.

Hopefully, these 30 pages seem quite more forthcoming, giving a good overview of the game and
encourage you to actually play your first game in the dark void of the 41st millennium!

Most of the art and all rules phrasing has been sourced from Games Workshop PLC and
remains copyrighted by Games Workshop PLC.

Additional art was sourced from the video games Battlefleet Gothic: Armada and Battlefleet
Gothic: Armada II, either as artwork or screenshots and remains copyrighted by Tindalos
Interactive SARL and/or Focus Home Interactive SA.

Please get in touch if I have used anything you would like to be removed.

GW, Games Workshop, Space Marine, 40K, Warhammer, Warhammer 40,000, the ‘Aquila’
Double-headed Eagle logo, and all associated logos, illustrations, images, names, creatures,
races, vehicles, locations, weapons, characters, and the distinctive likenesses thereof, are either
© or TM, and/or © Games Workshop Limited, variably registered around the world. All Rights
Reserved.

This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and
any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental.

Games Workshop Ltd, Willow Rd, Lenton, Nottingham, NG7 2WS

[Link]
CONTENTS
QUICK START RULES�������������������������������������� 4 ORDNANCE PHASE��������������������������������������� 20
What you will need�������������������������������������4 Launching ordnance���������������������������������20
Scale���������������������������������������������������������������4 Moving ordnance��������������������������������������20
3D or not 3D?�����������������������������������������������5 Ordnance attacks���������������������������������������21
Dice rolls�������������������������������������������������������5 Turrets���������������������������������������������������������21
The bearing compass����������������������������������5 Torpedoes������������������������������������������22

SHIP TYPES���������������������������������������������������� 6 END PHASE��������������������������������������������������� 23

Ship data sheets��������������������������������������������6 Damage control�����������������������������������������23
Base size��������������������������������������������������������7 Blast marker removal��������������������������������23

LEADERSHIP��������������������������������������������������� 8 YOUR FIRST BATTLE�������������������������������������� 24

Starting Leadership values�������������������������8 Scenario: Cruiser Clash��������������������������������25
Taking Command checks��������������������������9 Imperial Navy�����������������������������������26
Special Orders����������������������������������� 10 Lunar class cruiser������������������������������������26
Dauntless class light cruiser��������������������27
THE TURN����������������������������������������������������� 11 Chaos�������������������������������������������������28
Who gets the first turn�����������������������������11 Murder class cruiser����������������������������������28
Ending the battle���������������������������������������11 Slaughter class cruiser������������������������������29
Exceptions���������������������������������������������������11
Turn Sequence����������������������������������� 11 HOW TO CONTINUE��������������������������������������� 30
Full rules�����������������������������������������������������30
MOVEMENT PHASE�������������������������������������� 12 Online Community�����������������������������������30
Pre-measurement��������������������������������������12
Move distance��������������������������������������������12 TURN REFERENCE������������������������������������������ 31
Flying bases overlapping��������������������������12
Stacking ships���������������������������������������������12
Turning�������������������������������������������������������13

SHOOTING PHASE����������������������������������������� 14
Range�����������������������������������������������������������14
Fire arcs�������������������������������������������������������14
Target priority��������������������������������������������14
Direct firing: Lances���������������������������������14
Direct firing: Weapons batteries�������������15
Launching ordnance���������������������������������15
Blast Markers������������������������������������ 16
Shields����������������������������������������������� 17
Damage��������������������������������������������� 18
Taking hits��������������������������������������������������18
Critical hits�������������������������������������������������18
Catastrophic Damage�����������������������19
Area effects�������������������������������������������������19
 QUICK START RULES
The rules presented here are an abbreviation of the full rules, intended to be used in
your first few games, preferably in conjunction with the starter fleet lists.
As such, they will not cover everything you can encounter. Whenever you run into any
trouble, try to find the most sensible solution. If you can't agree on a solution, let the
dice decide your fate and move on. Don't get bogged down into a lengthy argument.
It's more fun to continue playing.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED In keeping with this principle, movement

For a start, you will need two or more players, distances are measured from the stem on
with models to represent their ships. You will the ship’s base and distances for firing are
also need a battlefield to fight over. Any firm, measured from the stem of the ship’s base to
level surface will do, such as a tabletop or an the stem of the target model.
area of floor – most kitchen tables will do fine!
The actual base of a ship model represents
You will also need at least one measuring device very close range around the ship, no more
marked in centimetres (such as a retractable tape than a few thousand kilometres. At this
measure or ruler). All distances in this book are distance all kinds of dangers can affect the
given in centimetre, some ordinary six-sided ship itself such as torpedoes, deep space
dice, and a pen and some paper for noting down bomber squadrons, other ships exploding or
damage to ships and other details. asteroids striking. Hence, for the purposes
of the game, if something affects an area
of the battlefield, like the markers used to
SCALE represent torpedo salvoes or the boundaries
Battlefleet Gothic takes some liberties with of an asteroid field, a ship is affected if its base
scale. In short, the ship models are designed is touched, or if a ship moves so that its base
to look good and be nice to paint, but they are comes into contact with the hazard.
not intended to be in scale with anything. To
prevent this becoming a problem in the game
it is assumed that the ships actually occupy the
point in space shown by the stem of their base.

4
3D OR NOT 3D? Re-rolls
As well as being very big, space is also infinitely In some situations the rules allow you a re-roll
wide, high, deep etc. Despite this, Battlefleet of the dice. This is exactly as it sounds – pick
Gothic is played on a flat tabletop. To allow for up the dice you wish to re-roll and roll it/them
the vagaries of three dimensions and the vast again. The second score counts with a re-roll,
distances involved, ships can move and fire past even if it means a worse result than the first.
each other without any risks. It’s easy to imagine No single Special Order or other leadership
that individual ships are just a few hundred test can be re-rolled more than once,
kilometres higher or lower than each other and regardless of the source of the re-roll.
so have plenty of clear space to manoeuvre in.

THE BEARING
DICE ROLLS COMPASS
All dice rolls in Battlefleet Gothic use a A vital instrument in
standard six-sided dice (usually shortened to the game is the bearing
D6). Sometimes you will need to modify the compass, a circular card
result of the dice roll. This is noted as D6 plus template with a hole
or minus a number, such as D6+1 or D6-2. punched through the
Roll the dice and add or subtract the number middle. It is used for two purposes. Firstly
indicated to get the final result. to check the fire arcs of your own ships to
see which weapons they can bring to bear
For example, D6+2 means roll a dice and add 2 against the enemy. Doing so is simple: place
to the score, giving a total between 3 and 8. the template over your ship so that the hole
in the centre is above the centre of the flying
You may also be told to roll a number of dice stand and the two arrows are pointing along
together, which is written as 2D6, 3D6 and so the length of the ship: This places the 90°
on. Roll the indicated number of dice and add quadrants so that one is in front, one is behind
the scores together, so that with a 2D6 roll, two and one is to each side of the ship. Fire arcs
dice are rolled and added together for a score and ship’s gunnery are explained in more
between 2–12, 3D6 adds together the scores of detail in the Shooting Phase section.
three dice for a total between 3 and 18 and so on.
Secondly, it is used to find out what aspect
For example, a 2D6 roll of a 5 and a 3 are added a target is presenting to a ship firing at it. In
together to score 8. this case the bearing compass is placed over
the target in the same way as described above.
Another method used is to multiply a dice by a The aspect of the target is shown by which
certain amount. Thus, D6×5 means the result quadrant faces the firer.
of a D6 roll multiplied by 5, giving a total
between 5 and 30.

Sometimes a combination of these methods may

be used, such as 2D6+5 giving a score between 7
and 17, or 3D6-3 which will total 0–15.

In a few rare circumstances you may be told

to roll a D3. Since there’s no such thing as a
three-sided dice, use the following method for
determining a score between 1 and 3. Roll a D6
and halve the score, rounding up. Thus a 1 or 2
equals 1, a 3 or 4 equals 2 and a 5 or 6 equals 3.

5
 SHIP TYPES
All miniatures used to play Battlefleet SHIP DATA SHEETS
Gothic are referred to as ships (or sometimes Each vessel available in Battlefleet Gothic
vessels) in the rules that follow. Each ship has a complete set of characteristics. These
is an individual playing piece with its own characteristics will tell you how fast,
capabilities. Different ships can have very manoeuvrable, well-armoured and hideously
different capabilities, so they are separated armed they are.
into the following types: battleships, cruisers
and escorts. Name: All ships deserve a name! Well, except
escorts maybe. Ship entries often have a list
Battleships are the largest fighting ships of some of the most famous ships that fought
in space. They can absorb a tremendous in the Gothic War, so feel free to use those or
amount of damage and mount weapon make up your own.
batteries capable of laying waste to entire
continents. These vessels are so huge that Class: Ships are not all the same, so they
they are comparatively slow and ponderous to are listed as belonging to a particular class.
manoeuvre, so they need support from other Different classes may be approximately the
vessels to bring the enemy to battle. same in terms of size and weight but vary a
lot in details. What is basically the same hull
Cruisers are the workhorses of any fleet. They may carry different weapons, bigger engines,
are manoeuvrable, well-armed ships, capable more or less armour, etc. Ships may even be
of operating away from a base for extended converted from one class to another in the
periods. This means that cruisers are used course of a major refit. The two ships shown
for extended patrols, blockades and raiding on the next page are a Lunar class Imperial
deep into enemy held space. In a major battle, cruiser and a Murder class Chaos cruiser. You
cruisers screen the approach of the fleet in will notice that while they are both cruisers
support of the escorts and form the gun line their actual characteristics are different.
once battle begins.
Leadership: A ship’s Leadership value
Escort Ships are the commonest warships indicates how experienced and well trained
in any fleet. They are fast, lightly armed and its crew are and/or how clever and decisive
capable of running rings around heavier its captain is in combat. In a one-off game
ships, which they accompany to protect them of Battlefleet Gothic the Leadership value of
against torpedo attacks and to fight off enemy ships is randomly generated. If the ship fights
escorts. They are also used for independent in an ongoing campaign its Leadership can
actions such as scouting, raiding, protecting improve or worsen depending on how well the
transport ships, and chasing pirates. ship performs.

Note that for reasons of brevity, battleships Type/Hits: A ship’s Type tells you if it is a
and cruisers are often grouped together under battleship, cruiser or escort. Its number of
the general heading of capital ships, a term Hits indicates how big and strongly built
which applies to all ships of both types. its hull is and how large a crew it has. In
Battlefleet Gothic, a ship’s Hits represents how
many times it can be hit and damaged before
it is reduced to a floating wreck (note that Hits
are also referred to as damage points: don’t be
confused – both mean the same thing). Both
cruisers in our example have 8 Hits, which is
average for a cruiser.

6
 Range/Speed: The maximum
NAME: AGRIPPA CLASS: LUNAR LEADERSHIP: 7 range of weapons is shown
TYPE/HITS SPEED TURNS SHIELDS ARMOUR TURRETS in centimetres. In the case
of ordnance weapons which
Cruiser/8 20 cm 45° 2 6+ front / 5+ 2
move towards their target,
ARMAMENT RANGE/SPEED FIREPOWER/STR FIRE ARC such as torpedoes or fighters,
Port lance battery 30 cm 2 Left the speed of the weapon
Starboard lance battery 30 cm 2 Right is shown rather than its
Port weapons battery 30 cm 6 Left
maximum range. As you can
see, the Lunar class cruiser
Starboard weapons battery 30 cm 6 Right
mounts more weapon systems
Prow torpedoes 30 cm 6 Front than the Murder class but they
all have a shorter range.
NAME: UNCLEAN CLASS: MURDER LEADERSHIP: 7
Firepower/Strength: This
TYPE/HITS SPEED TURNS SHIELDS ARMOUR TURRETS
number represents how
Cruiser/8 25 cm 45° 2 5+ 2 effective a weapons system
ARMAMENT RANGE/SPEED FIREPOWER/STR FIRE ARC is when it shoots – the
Port weapons battery 45 cm 10 Left
higher the number the better.
Special weapons systems like
Starboard weapons battery 45 cm 10 Right
torpedoes and lances have
Prow lance battery 60 cm 2 Front a Strength rating instead of
a Firepower value. In this
case the greater firepower
Speed: The Speed characteristic Armour: The ship’s Armour of the Murder class cruiser
tells you how far a ship moves rating shows how well is counter-balanced by the
in one turn. Vessels can protected it is and/or how lances and torpedoes of the
potentially move faster than difficult it is to damage. Imperial ship.
this but the additional power When the ship is fired upon,
output needed will divert the attacker needs to roll Fire Arc: Weapon systems
energy from weapon systems. equal to or over its Armour may only fire in particular
The Chaos cruiser has a slight rating on a D6 in order directions depending on
edge over the Imperial one in to score a hit. The Chaos where they are mounted on
terms of speed, which gives cruiser has Armour of 5+ the ship. Both the cruisers
it an important advantage in all round, but the Imperial shown mount most of their
combat. cruiser has a heavily weaponry in broadsides on
armoured prow which makes either side of the ship.
Turns: Ships can usually turn its Armour 6+ against shots
just once during their move. from its front.
This characteristic shows how BASE SIZE
sharply it can turn. In this Turrets: In addition to There are two base sizes: small
case both ships can turn up their main armament, (32 mm diameter) and large
to 45°, which is again about most ships carry numerous (60 mm diameter). Any ship or
average for cruisers. small, quick-firing turrets. defence with either 3 or more
These are mounted over the shields OR greater than 10
Shields: Nearly all ships are length of their hull to shoot Hits must use a large size base.
protected by powerful force down incoming torpedoes However, any capital ship can
field generators that can absorb and fighters. Both cruisers elect to use a large base and
or shunt aside incoming hits. mount enough of these is considered to have Tractor
Shields are rated according lighter weapons to have a Fields for free. Tractor fields
to how many hits they can Turrets value of 2. have no effect except making
absorb in a turn before they it easier for the ship to ram
temporarily collapse. Both Armament: This section lists and/or board due to its larger
the ships shown have shields the ship’s main armament base size, in exchange for
capable of absorbing two hits. and its location. being a larger ordnance target.

7
 LEADERSHIP

Even the smallest stellar craft is a marvel of STARTING LEADERSHIP VALUES

engineering, packed with machinery and As mentioned earlier, in one-off games you
technology of the highest sophistication. The roll a D6 to determine each ship’s Leadership
truly massive stellar warships are almost value before the start of the game. Look up the
impossible to comprehend in their complexity, result of the dice roll on the table below to see
with thousands of crew members performing what Leadership value the ship has.
millions of tasks to keep the whole vessel in
working order. It is said that no single man D6 ROLL LEADERSHIP
could fully understand all of the machinery 1 Untried (Ld 6)
and systems that work together to make such 2-3 Experienced (Ld 7)
a vessel function. Nonetheless, it is ultimately
4-5 Veteran (Ld 8)
the captain and crew who will determine how
well a ship performs in combat. A ship under 6 Crack (Ld 9)
the command of an inspiring captain with a
dedicated, well-trained crew can consistently
outrun or outgun enemy vessels.

In Battlefleet Gothic, the expertise of a captain

and his crew is shown by the ship’s Leadership
value: the higher it is, the better the captain and
crew. Leadership is very important, because
ships must test against it if they wish to use
special orders.

8
TAKING COMMAND CHECKS Command check modifiers
To make a Command check, roll 2D6 and Some circumstances will make it easier or
compare it to the ship’s Leadership value harder for a vessel to use special orders. To
(Ld). If the roll is equal to or under the ship’s represent this, there are two modifiers that can
Ld value it has passed the check and goes apply to Command checks, one positive and one
onto special orders. Then move the ship as negative. Under no circumstance can a ship’s
appropriate before moving on to place your Leadership be modified higher than Leadership
next special order. Place a special order dice 10. A leadership check roll of 11 or 12 always
next to the model with the appropriate symbol fails unless SPECIFICALLY stated otherwise.
face uppermost as a reminder. A ship can
never be on more than one special order at a Under Fire -1
time unless specifically described otherwise in If a ship has Blast Markers in contact with its
its special rules. base, it is under fire and suffers a -1 modifier
to its Leadership. Blast Markers are described
With all of the orders except Brace For Impact! more fully in the Shooting section of the rules.
you must make the check in the Movement For now it’s simply worth knowing that they
Phase before moving the ship. Each ship represent weapon impacts, debris clouds, and
may make a Special Order until all are under other impediments to calm and orderly ship
Special Orders or a Command Check fails. operation.

If the roll is higher than the ship’s Ld value, Enemy Contacts +1

it fails the test and may not go onto special Enemy ships on special orders create
orders. Furthermore, once you have failed a anomalous energy emissions which make it
Command check for one ship in your fleet you much easier for the ship to detect them and
may not make any further Command checks react quickly. For this reason the ship gains
to use special orders in the same turn. It can a +1 modifier to its Leadership value if any
be imagined that the delays and confusion in enemy ships are on special orders.
trying to get that particular ship to perform
special orders means that the opportunity For example, the Imperial cruiser Agrippa
has passed for any further special orders to be (Leadership 7) wants to use All Ahead Full orders
issued. to catch up with the Chaos cruiser Unclean. The
Chaos cruiser used Lock On orders last turn so
Once special orders are failed, no more special the Agrippa gets a +1 modifier to its Leadership
orders can be declared except Brace For Impact! value. Rolling 2D6 the Imperial player gets a 2
and 6 for a total of 8 and passes its Command
check by equalling its modified Leadership value.

Other Leadership Tests

Sometimes a ship will have to test against its Leadership value for something other than
using special orders. In these cases the test is for the captain and his crew to pull off a
courageous or difficult undertaking.

For example, a successful test against Leadership is required for a ship to target a specific
vessel. These tests are taken like Command checks by rolling a number of dice and
comparing the total score to the ship’s Leadership value. If the score is equal to or less than
the ship’s Leadership, the test is passed.

Leadership tests can be undertaken even if a Command check for special orders has been
failed earlier in the turn. No modifiers apply to leadership tests – such modifiers are
unique to command checks for special orders.

9
 SPECIAL ORDERS
There are six different special orders and each one allows a vessel to perform better
at something, such as gunnery or navigation, during its turn. A ship or squadron can
only ever be on one special order at a time.

Special orders are declared during the Movement Phase by choosing a vessel or squadron,
declaring the order and rolling leadership, then moving it.

All Ahead Full: Lock On:

Effect: Increased speed, but Effect: Re-roll hit rolls for
must move the full movement lances and weapon batteries
distance. during the Shooting Phase.
Speed: Cruising speed +4D6 cm. Speed: Half to full.
Turns: None. Turns: None.
Armament: Half effect. No Armament: Full effect.
Nova Cannon. Ordnance: Full effect.
Ordnance: Full effect.
Reload Ordnance:
Come to New Heading: Effect: All ordnance is
Effect: Extra turn. All the reloaded.
normal restrictions for Speed: Half to full.
turning apply to the second Turns: Up to one.
turn. This means a cruiser that Armament: Full effect.
moves 10 cm before turning Ordnance: Full effect.
must move at least 10 cm more
before turning again. Brace For Impact!
Speed: Half to full. Effect: The ship gains a
Turns: Up to two. saving throw of 4+ on a D6
Armament: Half effect. No against any damage. Can’t
Nova Cannon. use any special orders at all
Ordnance: Full effect. in its next turn.
Speed: Half to full.
Burn Retros: Turns: Up to one.
Effect: Decreased speed. Can Armament: Half effect. No
make a single turn without Nova Cannon.
having to move forward first. Ordnance: Half effect.
Speed: Zero to half.
Turns: Up to one. Brace For Impact special orders can be
Armament: Half effect. No undertaken ANY time a ship faces taking
Nova Cannon. damage before the actual to-hit result is rolled.
Ordnance: Full effect. Brace For Impact DOES NOT protect against
critical damage caused by hits that were not
saved against normally.
A ship is placed on Brace For Impact! orders
until the end of its next turn, replacing any
other special orders it may be on currently.
If a ship fails to take Brace For Impact! orders,
it cannot attempt to take them again until the
ship, squadron or ordnance wave currently
attacking has completed its attacks.

10
THE TURN
A game turn is both player turns, so a game ENDING THE BATTLE
that lasts eight turns has sixteen player turns. A battle can end in a number of different ways.
Most commonly in Battlefleet Gothic fighting
In his turn a player can move and fight with continues until either one side surrenders, or
all of his ships. has no ships remaining on the tabletop.

In a turn the player performs his actions in the

appropriate phases – the Movement, Shooting EXCEPTIONS
and Ordnance Phases to be precise. There are times when a player will perform
certain actions when it is not their turn, such
as Brace for Impact! for example. It may also be
WHO GETS THE FIRST TURN convenient to interrupt a player’s turn because
Which player gets the first turn of the game can of some event occurring, such as an enemy ship
be determined in a number of different ways. being detected. The thing to remember is that
Normally both players roll a D6 and the player the turn sequence will always continue after
with the highest score can decide to move the interruption as normal.
either first or second. Sometimes the kind of
game you are fighting will decide it for you.

TURN SEQUENCE
1. THE MOVEMENT PHASE 3. THE ORDNANCE PHASE
This is when a player moves his ships. The player Both players may move any Ordnance
begins by removing any special order dice he markers (such as torpedoes) which are still
placed last turn. Next, the player moves his ships on the tabletop, having been launched in a
one at a time. In this phase he may also take previous turn.
Command checks to institute special orders.

4. THE END PHASE

2. THE SHOOTING PHASE Both players may attempt to repair critical
Players may fire at each other’s vessels during damage which has been inflicted on their
this part of the turn. The player can shoot ships. D6 Blast Markers are also removed by
with any of his ships that are within range of the player whose turn it is.
enemy vessels.

11
 MOVEMENT PHASE
1. Choose a ship to move. Minimum Move Distance
2. Move the ship up to its maximum move Ships moving under engines retain enormous
distance. amounts of momentum. If a vessel slows
3. Choose another ship to move. down without the correct preparations, it is
so big that there is a very real chance that its
Note that a player has to move his ships unless structure will be damaged because the whole
they use the Burn Retros special order to of its vast length isn’t moving at the same
remain stationary. speed. Because of this, ships must always
move at least half of their speed unless they
When a ship is forced to stand still, it counts use the Burn Retros special order. Ships who
as being targeted as Defences. Minimum are unable to move half their speed (due to
move distance to not count as defences is at damage, Blast Markers, etc.) must move the
least 5 cm. maximum possible distance instead.

PRE-MEASUREMENT FLYING BASES OVERLAPPING

You may pre-measure movement and range As ships can overlap by flying over/under one
unless all players agree not to. Note: To aid in another it is possible to stack ships. When
pre-measuring, use a couple of empty flying ships overlap it is common practice to remove
bases with bearing compasses dropped over the models from their flying bases. To keep
the stems. things clear, it is usually best to have a few
stemless flying bases around with a straight
line drawn from the central hole to the
MOVE DISTANCE bases edge to indicate direction. If desired,
Ships are pushed through the firmament by numbered contact markers can be used for
the most powerful engines anywhere in the this as well. The drastic weakening of their
galaxy. In space combat, the thrust available shield strength usually discourages this as
to a vessel can mean the difference between described in the section on Blast Markers, but
survival and destruction. it is completely legal.

All ships can move at up to their normal speed.

Speed varies from one ship to another and is STACKING SHIPS
written in its ship profile. Ships can be stacked to follow the movement
of other models. If the models do not
A ship’s normal move may be increased by physically fit where they should be located,
using the All Ahead Full special order. A a contact marker or similar can be used for
vessel’s move can also be decreased in some this purpose. As a rule, ships should only
circumstances during a battle. Damage to the be stacked or overlap as an unavoidable
ship may inhibit the efficiency of its engines consequence of movement or to attain a
and reduce its top speed, and a ship which particular shooting solution and should not be
moves through Blast Markers will be slowed used solely because it is allowed.
slightly by the shockwaves and explosions.
At no time do ships count as moving
simultaneously and must always be moved
one at a time, in any order desired by the
owning player.

12
TURNING
The bigger a ship, the slower it will turn.
While light escort ships are quite agile, larger
cruisers are ponderous beasts. The time lag
between a cruiser applying thrust and turning
is considerable. Battleships take even longer to
manoeuvre.

When ships move they have to travel in a

straight line, directly ahead. However, ships
may make one turn as part of their movement
unless they are using special orders which
prevent them from doing so.

A ship can turn by a maximum of either 45° or

90°, how sharp a turn it can make is included
in the ship’s characteristics. A ship can only
count forward movement made in the current
Movement Phase as part of its minimum
movement before turning.

Large ships have to move a certain distance

before they are allowed to make a turn. The
distance they must travel depends on their type:

• A battleship must move 15 cm before it can

execute a turn.

• A cruiser must move 10 cm before it can

execute a turn.

• An escort ship can execute a turn at any

point in its move.

13
 SHOOTING PHASE
1. Choose a ship to fire. TARGET PRIORITY
2. Check the ship has targets within range. Enemies at close range pose a much greater
3. Check the ship has weapons within fire arc threat than those thousands of kilometres
of the target. away, so a ship will normally target the nearest
4. Resolve firing. enemy ship. However, a ship can always fire at
5. Choose another ship to fire. whatever targets you like if it takes and passes
a Leadership test on 2D6 first.

RANGE Multiple Targets

Measure the range from the firing ship’s stem/ Normally a ship will be in a position where
centre point to the target vessel’s stem/centre only some of its weapon systems can be
point. Then look up the range of the firing brought to bear against the closest enemy.
ship’s weapons on its characteristics: any Unengaged weapons may still be fired at other
weapons which are out of range may not fire. targets, providing that the closest enemy is
shot at as a matter of priority.

FIRE ARCS
Weapons have a limited field of fire depending
on where they are mounted on the vessel. The
different fire arcs are: front, left, right and rear.

Some weapon systems can shoot into more

than one fire arc. For example, many cruisers
have weaponry in a dorsal mount (i.e. along In the example above the Unclean may fire its
the top of the vessel) and dorsal mounts can left arc weaponry against the Iron Duke and its
fire left, front or right. Some weapons can right arc weaponry against the Agrippa.
even fire all round. Some special weapon
systems are area-effect weapons that do not
aim nor are directed at a particular target. DIRECT FIRING: LANCES
These weapons or effects always affect all If a lance weapon system is within range and
around the firing vessel. fire arc of the target simply roll 1D6 per point
of lance Strength. Any dice which score a 4,
5 or 6 hit the target regardless of the target’s
Armour value and cause 1 damage point.

The Agrippa has lances with a Strength of 2. If

the vessel were to fire them, it would roll 2D6 and
score a hit for each dice which rolled a 4 or more.

14
DIRECT FIRING: WEAPONS BATTERIES Gunnery Modifiers
If a ship’s weapons battery is within range Modifiers are applied in the form of column
and fire arc of the target, look up the battery’s shifts. No target aspect or modifier can adjust
firepower on the ship’s data sheet. Then take a shooting beyond the Defences or Ordnance
look at the Gunnery table. columns on the gunnery table.

Find your total firepower on the column on the Common modifiers:

left of the table. Next look across the top of the Target < 15 cm away– shift left
table to find the target type you are shooting at.
Target > 30 cm away – shift right
The target’s orientation is worked out by tracing
the line of fire to its base and using the bearing Intervening Blast Markers – shift right
compass to see which aspect is facing the firer.

LAUNCHING ORDNANCE
Ships armed with torpedoes and/or launch
bays can use ordnance.

Ordnance is declared, placed on the table and

launched at the end of the Shooting Phase from
the ship’s stem.

In the following turns, already launched

By cross referencing the total firepower with ordnance acts in each Ordnance Phase. See
the target type and orientation you will find the Ordnance Phase section for their rules.
out how many dice to roll. Each dice roll
which equals or beats the target’s Armour
value scores a hit.

GUNNERY TABLE
CLOSING CAPITAL SHIPS ESCORTS
MOVING AWAY CAPITAL SHIPS ESCORTS
ABEAM CAPITAL SHIPS ESCORTS
SPECIAL DEFENCES ORDNANCE
1 1 1 1 0 0
2 2 1 1 1 0
3 3 2 2 1 1
4 4 3 2 1 1
5 5 4 3 2 1
6 5 4 3 2 1
7 6 5 4 2 1
FIREPOWER

8 7 6 4 3 2
9 8 6 5 3 2
10 9 7 5 4 2
11 10 8 6 4 2
12 11 8 6 4 2
13 12 9 7 5 3
14 13 10 7 5 3
15 14 11 8 5 3
16 14 11 8 6 3
17 15 12 9 6 3
18 16 13 9 6 4
19 17 13 10 7 4
20 18 14 10 7 4

15
 BLAST MARKERS
Placing Blast Markers Blast Marker Effects
Blast Markers are shown on the tabletop by Movement: If a ship moves through any Blast
placing counters where the event occurs. Markers, it reduces its speed that phase by
They remain in play until they are removed 5 cm (regardless of the number of markers
in a subsequent End Phase. Blast Markers are actually moved through).
placed in the following circumstances:
A vessel is considered to be moving through
• For each hit absorbed by a ship’s shields. Blast Markers even if it is moving away from
Blast Markers it is in contact with at the
• For ships which are reduced to 0 damage as beginning of the Movement Phase.
specified on the Catastrophic Damage table.
A ship with a Shield strength of 0 (i.e. suffering
Blast Markers that are caused by shield impacts, the Shields Collapse critical) which moves
the first Blast Marker is placed directly in through any Blast Markers must roll a D6 once
the line of fire from the shooting vessel, with per turn and takes damage on a roll of 6.
subsequent Blast Markers fanning out around it.
Shooting: If a ship’s line of fire passes through
Place Blast Markers so they do not touch the any Blast Markers (including those in contact
bases of ships nearby but not actually in base with a ship’s base) or it or its targets are in
contact with a ship that took fire. base contact with Blast Markers, it suffers
a column shift to the right on the Gunnery
A ship in base contact with a Blast Marker table.
means the whole ship’s base is affected.
Lances are unaffected.
If a ship moves into base contact with another
ship that already has a Blast Marker but the Blast Markers come into effect immediately
blast maker does not touch its own base, it and so can affect subsequent shooting in the
does not count as having a Blast Marker in same turn in which they are placed.
contact as well.
Shields: If a ship’s base is in contact with any
Blast Markers do not move once they have Blast Markers when it is fired upon, its shield
been placed on the tabletop. Strength is reduced by 1 per Blast Marker.

In this example, two Imperial cruisers are

firing on a Chaos cruiser. Each Imperial ship
scores one hit, so a Blast Marker is placed in
contact with the edge of the Chaos cruiser’s
base facing each of the Imperial ships.

16
 SHIELDS
Each shield will block one point of damage
from hitting the ship. A Blast Marker is placed
touching the ship’s base for each hit blocked
by the shields, to show how much energy has
been absorbed.

Once the number of Blast Markers in contact

with a ship’s base is equal to its number of
shields, no further damage may be absorbed
by the shields that turn. Any further hits will
inflict damage on the ship itself. Once they
have been overloaded the shields may not be
raised again until the ship escapes the storm
of energy blasts and shock waves represented
by the Blast Markers. The shields remain
down until the ship moves away from the Blast
Markers in a subsequent Movement Phase. In the example above the Iron Duke (which
has two shields) is fired on by the Unclean and
Shields are only effective against lances, weapons receives three hits. Two hits are absorbed by the
batteries and nova cannon. Attacks made by Iron Duke’s shields so two Blast Markers are
ramming, bombers and torpedoes get inside a placed in contact with its base. The third hit
ship’s shields, so they provide no protection. scores one point of damage on the ship itself.

17
 DAMAGE
TAKING HITS CRITICAL HITS
When a ship is damaged, note the number of Roll a D6 for each point of damage scored on
hits it has taken on your fleet roster. a ship that was not blocked by its shields. On a
roll of 1-5 the hit causes no extra effects. On a
Once a ship has lost half its damage points it roll of 6 the hit causes critical damage. Roll 2D6
is crippled. When a ship has lost all its hits, on the table below to see what effect it has. Note
it is out of action and a roll needs to be made that you do not roll for further critical hits for
on the Catastrophic Damage table to see if it any damage caused by a critical hit.
explodes in a spectacular fashion or simply
drifts helplessly. In the End Phase, some critical hits can be
repaired. Critical hits that can be repaired are
Crippled Ships cumulative; all incidences must be repaired
A ship which loses half its damage points is before the system is fully operational.
crippled. Being crippled halves (rounding up)
shields, turrets, ordnance and all weapons. Damage from multiple fire criticals is
This effect is cumulative if the ship is braced, cumulative (e.g. 3 fire criticals are scored, the
meaning if a ship is both braced and crippled, ship would suffer 3 points of damage).
its weapons and ordnance are halved
(rounding up) again! If a critical hit is rolled which cannot be applied,
or multiple criticals are rolled for a location that
Crippled ships also reduce their move by 5 cm. cannot be repaired (such as Shields Collapse),
apply the next highest critical hit instead.

CRITICAL HITS TABLE

2D6 Damage Result
2 +0 Dorsal Armament Damaged: The ship’s dorsal armament is badly damaged by the hit.
The ship’s dorsal armament may not fire until it has been repaired.
3 +0 Starboard Armament Damaged: The starboard armament is taken off line by the hit.
The ship’s starboard armament (right) may not fire until it has been repaired.
4 +0 Port Armament Damaged: Heavy damage silences the port side weaponry. The ship’s
port armament (left) may not fire until it has been repaired.
5 +0 Prow Armament Damaged: The ship’s prow is ripped open. Its prow armament may
not fire until it has been repaired.
6 +1 Engine Room Damaged: The engine room is rocked by explosions, forcing all hands
to tend to the reactors. The ship may not make any turns until the damage is repaired.
7 +0 Fire! Roll to repair (extinguish) the fire in the End Phase, if it is not put out it causes
one point of extra damage and keeps burning.
8 +1 Thrusters Damaged: The ship’s thruster assembly is disabled. Reduce the ship’s speed
by 10 cm until the damage is repaired (multiple instances don't reduce the speed further.
9 +0 Bridge Smashed: The armoured fortress around the ship’s captain and his officers is
smashed. The ship’s Leadership is reduced by 3. This damage may not be repaired.
10 +0 Shields Collapse: The shield generators overload and burn out, leaving the ship virtually
defenceless. The ship’s shield Strength is reduced to zero. This damage may not be repaired.
11 +D3 Hull Breach: A huge gash is torn in the ship’s hull, causing carnage among the crew.
12 +D6 Bulkhead Collapse: Internal pillars buckle and twist, whole compartments crumple
with a scream of tortured metal. Just pray that some of the ship holds together!

18
 CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE
A ship with no hits left is effectively out of action. closest target, but it must make a leadership
check normally.
With a mighty capital ship, there is a chance
that the vessel will be destroyed by catastrophic When shooting at hulked ships, use the
damage as its plasma drive overloads or its destroyed ship’s Armour value to roll for hits.
warpdrive triggers. Roll 2D6 on the Catastrophic Roll once on the catastrophic damage table each
Damage table to see what happens. time hits are inflicted by shooting or ordnance
from a given ship, squadron or ordnance wave
Ships that are reduced to zero hits and become (regardless of the number of hits inflicted), not
hulks no longer have turrets, shields or any once for each additional hit inflicted.
other abilities. They also block lines of fire
that pass over their base. When placing an exploding ship’s Blast
Markers, place a single Blast Marker exactly
Hulks cannot be fired upon or boarded by where the ship was, and then place as many
friendly vessels or ordnance in an attempt to Blast Markers from the explosion as possible
deny victory points to the enemy or induce fanning around and in contact with it until
catastrophic damage. Torpedoes that hit a the total number Blast Markers are placed
friendly hulk still inflict hits normally, but without overlapping any Blast Markers.
torpedoes cannot be deliberately aimed at
friendly hulks.
AREA EFFECTS
While enemy ships can choose to fire on a Exploding ships count as an area effect.
hulk, they do not have to pass a leadership Shields work normally, but these effects are
check to ignore one if it is the closest target. A not blocked by line of sight obstructions such
player can fire on an enemy hulk if it is not the as hulks, minefields or celestial phenomena.

CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE TABLE

2D6 Extra
Roll Blast Markers Result
2-6 1 Drifting Hulk: The ship is reduced to a shattered hulk drifting in space. The
wreck moves 4D6 cm forward in each of its subsequent Movement Phases.
Place a Blast Marker in contact with the wreck’s base after each move.
7-8 1 Blazing Hulk: The ship is reduced to a burning wreck with uncontrolled
fires blazing on every deck. In time the fires will either burn out or trigger
a cataclysmic explosion. The wreck moves 4D6 cm forward in each of its
subsequent Movement Phases. Place a Blast Marker in contact with the
wreck’s base and roll on the Catastrophic Damage table again after its move.
9-11 Special Plasma Drive Overload: The ship’s plasma coils overload and explode in a
blazing inferno of white hot plasma. Remove the ship from play, leaving behind
a number of Blast Markers equal to half its starting number of hits. Every ship
within 3D6 cm of the imploding wreck is struck by lance shots with a Strength
equal to half the ship’s starting Damage capacity. Roll to hit as normal.
12 Special Warp Drive Implosion: The ship’s warp drive implodes, ripping a hole in real
space that tears at nearby vessels with horrific force. Remove the ship from play,
leaving behind a number of Blast Markers equal to its starting number of hits.
Every ship within 3D6 cm of the imploding wreck is struck by lance shots with
a Strength equal to the wreck’s starting Damage capacity. Roll to hit as normal.

19
 ORDNANCE PHASE

All ordnance attacks like torpedoes or MOVING ORDNANCE

attack craft are represented by markers that In the Ordnance Phase players move and attack
are moved across the tabletop during each with any ordnance they have launched on
Ordnance Phase. If an Ordnance marker previous turns. Sometimes both players will
comes into contact with a ship or another have to move ordnance so it’s important to
Ordnance marker it will make an attack. know who moves first. In this case the player
whose turn it is moves all their ordnance first.

LAUNCHING ORDNANCE All ordnance has a speed value that dictates

Ships armed with torpedoes and/or launch how far it moves during each Ordnance Phase.
bays can use ordnance. Ordnance is declared, Ordnance attacks are represented by markers
placed on the table and launched at the end of which are moved on the tabletop. Ordnance
the Shooting Phase from the ship’s stem. markers in a wave or salvo must be spread in
contact with each other and cannot be stacked.
Launching ordnance of any amount expends
ordnance for that turn and must be reloaded to Ordnance and Blast Markers
launch again. Ordnance weapons are not shielded like
larger ships, so they may be destroyed if they
Any ship that has either never launched pass through Blast Markers. If an Ordnance
ordnance or has successfully reloaded marker passes through Blast Markers during
ordnance is considered to have its ordnance its movement, roll a D6. The Ordnance
reloaded for as many turns as it does not marker is removed from play on a roll of 6.
launch, regardless of what subsequent special
orders it takes. Ordnance attacking ships with Blast Markers
in base contact must also pass this test, as
Keep in mind that being crippled and/or the ship’s base is under the effect of the Blast
braced still affect torpedo launchers and Marker touching its base (as described earlier).
attack craft bays normally.
Ordnance waves or salvoes only need to make
this test once per movement, regardless of the
number of Blast Markers moved through.

20
SHOOTING AT ORDNANCE ORDNANCE ATTACKS
Ordnance may be fired at in the Shooting Ordnance attacks are always resolved
Phase with direct fire weapons. A ship immediately, including in the Movement
firing at ordnance does not have to make Phase when a ship moves into enemy
a leadership check to ignore closer targets, ordnance. This also allows small torpedo
nor does it have to make a leadership check salvoes from escorts to be used to clear the
to ignore enemy ordnance if it is the closest way of enemy fighters in the Ordnance Phase
target. It must still make a leadership check to so that larger salvoes can get through, etc.
fire on an enemy ordnance marker, wave or
salvo if it is not the closest enemy ordnance Ordnance markers must always attack the first
marker in range. ordnance or vessels they come in contact with.

Weapon batteries firing at ordnance use the

Ordnance column on the Gunnery table. This TURRETS
is because ordnance targets are relatively small Ordnance Defences
and fast moving. Target aspects are not taken Most fighting ships mount numerous weapon
into account, but column shifts for range and systems and turrets for shooting down torpedoes
Blast Markers do apply. Lances and weapons and attack craft during their final attack run. A
batteries both need 6s to hit ordnance because ship’s main armament is simply too huge and
they are such difficult targets. If an Ordnance slow to track ordnance at such close ranges.
marker is hit it is removed from play.
However turrets will fire immediately when
Ordnance touches the ship’s base. Roll a D6
for each turret strength: each dice that scores
a 4, 5 or 6 reduces the salvo’s strength by 1.

A ship’s turrets can fire against every torpedo

salvo that attacks it in an Ordnance Phase.

21
 TORPEDOES
Torpedo Rules Premature detonation
Torpedoes may be launched by a ship with An entire salvo of torpedoes can be triggered
torpedo tubes. These are normally fitted prematurely by the following circumstances:
to the prow of a ship. In Battlefleet Gothic,
torpedo salvoes have a Strength value and a • On a D6 roll of 6 if it moves through any
Speed value, which are shown on the ship’s Blast Markers.
characteristics. The higher the Strength, the
more torpedoes there are in a salvo. The higher • If the salvo is fired on by direct fire
the speed, the faster the torpedoes travel. weapons and any hits are scored.

A torpedo salvo (regardless of strength) is • If it hits another Torpedo marker.

represented with a the original Strength 3
marker with one or more D6 indicating the If a Torpedo marker is prematurely detonated
actual salvo strength. For specific dimensions, it is removed from play.
this marker should be no more than 2.5 cm wide.
No torpedo marker can attack a target more
Place the torpedo marker at the end of its than once per full turn, even if they are
movement in the turn of launch so that it is already in contact with it at the start of the
completely within the correct fire arc. Now Movement or Ordnance Phase.
retrace the markers movement, reducing its
strength and conducting ordnance interactions When launching torpedoes, the torpedo
as appropriate to prevent targeting vessels out marker will technically be in all arcs and may
of fire arc due to proximity, etc. be in multiple arcs until its final position this
movement, especially when targeting ships in
Standard torpedoes move in a straight line close proximity. However, it may not interact
once they have been launched, travelling a with anything out of the torpedoes’ actual
distance equal to their speed each Ordnance firing arc, no matter how close the target
Phase until they have detonated or leave the vessel is to the shooting vessel.
playing area. Unlike ships, torpedoes may
not vary their speed and must make their full When moving a torpedo salvo the centre must
move in each Ordnance Phase. always be in the same point along the line of fire.

If the Torpedo marker contacts a ship’s base When launched, torpedoes do not normally
(friend or foe) it attacks. Roll a D6 for every ignore any targets in front of them, including
point of Strength in the torpedo salvo. Each dice friendly units! However, a ship that is actually
which equals or beats the ship’s Armour value in base contact with another friendly vessel
scores one point of damage. Torpedoes will pass may “shoot through” the friendly ship’s base.
through shields before they impact, so ignore
any shields when applying damage. The torpedo
salvo continues moving after the attack but its
Strength is reduced by 1 for every hit it inflicted.

Example: A Strength 6 torpedo salvo moves in

the Ordnance Phase and hits a ship. 6D6 are
rolled to attack and three dice score hits on the
target. The salvo is reduced to Strength 3 and
continues moving up to its full move of 30 cm. If
any other ships were in its path they would also
be attacked.

22
END PHASE
During the End Phase, players sort out DAMAGE CONTROL
any events which have been set into action Both players can attempt to repair critical
during the turn, such as repairing any critical damage during the End Phase. Repair crews
damage. Some of the Blast Markers are will be working continuously of course, welding
removed from the table, as the energy and up hull breaches, re-routing power conduits,
debris they represent is naturally dissipated. putting out fires and generally trying to keep the
The End Phase is also a good opportunity to ship functioning. To represent this, capital ships
tidy up the table top, count victory points, roll 1D6 per Damage point remaining in the End
check up on scenario victory conditions and Phase. Each roll of a 6 enables the ship to repair
break out the biscuits. The End Phase works one critically damaged system or put out one
in the following order: fire. If the ship has any Blast Markers in contact,
the player only rolls half as many dice as usual
1. Conduct Boarding Actions/Hit-and-Run (rounding up).
attacks (not used in the first game)

2. Attempt to repair critical damage. BLAST MARKER REMOVAL

With time, the debris and shock waves
3. Remove D6 Blast Markers from the tabletop. represented by Blast Markers will dissipate
sufficiently to be of no further impediment to
ships or their weapons. To represent this, the
player whose turn it is rolls a D6 and removes
that many Blast Markers. Blast Markers in
contact with ships’ bases may not be removed.

+++[Link]+++[Link]+++[Link].
DESTRUCTUS+++[Link]+++[Link].45/67
/90.5%+++[Link]’[Link]+++

23
 YOUR FIRST BATTLE
You have now read through the basic and simplified rules of Battlefleet Gothic.
Of course, there are more rules for other aspects of spaceship warfare in the
41st millennium – but now it's time for your first battle!

The scenario "Cruiser Clash" is an The Imperial Navy player has two cruisers
introduction to the Battlefleet Gothic rules. with hard hitting torpedoes that ignore
We suggest you play it several times when shields and feature heavily armoured prows.
you’re learning the rules. Complemented by a faster light cruiser which
still packs a punch with their forward lance
One player should play the Imperial Navy, battery, they favour a direct and aggressive
while the other takes command of the Chaos approach – meeting their enemies head-on.
ships.
The Chaos player has slightly faster ships and
Each player controls three cruisers. guns with more range. Paired with their lower
armoured prow, their goal is to stay away from
close combat fights – outmanoeuvring and
outgunning the enemy at long ranges.

Once you have played a few games and have

become more familiar with the way the game
works, you should take a look at the full rules
and incorporate different aspects in each
subsequent game.

24
SCENARIO

CRUISER CLASH
In this battle, the Imperial Navy and the forces of Chaos have run into each other
near to a system’s jump point. Seeing their hated enemies, they immediately attack.
The side which can inflict the most damage on the enemy will emerge victorious.

FORCES FIRST TURN

Imperial Navy: 2 Lunar class cruisers, Both players roll a dice. The player with the
1 Dauntless class light cruiser highest score may choose whether to have the
first or second turn.
Chaos forces: 2 Murder class cruisers,
1 Slaughter class cruiser
GAME LENGTH
The game lasts until the players have had eight
SET-UP complete turns each or until one fleet has all
Remember to roll for the Leadership values its ships destroyed.
of your ships before setting them up, using
the Leadership table on pg. 8.
VICTORY CONDITIONS
One player rolls a dice. On a 1, 2 or 3 they set At the end of the game, each player scores 1
up in the area marked Fleet A on the map. victory point for each point of damage they
On a 4, 5 or 6 their ships must be set up in the have inflicted on the enemy ships. A player
Fleet B zone. scores an additional point for each crippled
enemy ship, or 3 additional points for each
Next, both players roll a dice. The player with destroyed enemy ship.
the lowest score sets up one of his cruisers
first. The other player then sets up one of For example, if an enemy ship suffers 5 points
his ships and the players alternate deploying of damage this earns the opposing player 5
ships until all the cruisers are on the table. points and an additional point because the ship
Ships may be put anywhere in the player’s own has been crippled. Note that you only receive 3
deployment zone, but must be placed facing additional points for destroyed ships – you do
towards the opposite long table edge. not also get the single point for the ship having
been crippled before it was destroyed.

The player who scores the most victory points

is the winner.

25
 IMPERIAL NAVY
LUNAR CLASS CRUISER

TYPE/HITS SPEED TURNS SHIELDS ARMOUR TURRETS

Cruiser/8 20 cm 45° 2 6+ front / 5+ 2
ARMAMENT RANGE/SPEED FIREPOWER/STR FIRE ARC
Port lance battery 30 cm 2 Left
Starboard lance battery 30 cm 2 Right
Port weapons battery 30 cm 6 Left
Starboard weapons battery 30 cm 6 Right
Prow torpedoes 30 cm 6 Front

The Lunar class cruiser forms the mainstay of Battlefleet Obscuras with over six hundred ships
serving throughout the Segmentum and more than twenty ships fighting in the Gothic war. The
uncomplicated design of this class ensures its enduring utility, enabling vessels to be built at
hive and industrial worlds normally unable to muster the expertise to construct a capital ship.
Perhaps the most remarkable example of this is the Lord Daros, constructed at the feral world
of Unloth. The primitive tribesmen dwelling there were influenced to mine and smelt metals
which were then presented for 'sacrifice' at sky temples established by the Planetary Lord. The
raw materials were then lifted into orbit at each vernal equinox. After a period of eleven years
the tribes were rewarded for their effort with the sight of a bright new star moving across the
heavens as the Lord Daros boosted out-system to join Battlefleet Obscuras.

Famous Ships of the Gothic War: Iron Duke, Retribution, Agrippa, Minotaur, Justicar, Lord Daros

26
 IMPERIAL NAVY
DAUNTLESS CLASS LIGHT CRUISER

TYPE/HITS SPEED TURNS SHIELDS ARMOUR TURRETS

Cruiser/6 25 cm 90° 1 5+ 1
ARMAMENT RANGE/SPEED FIREPOWER/STR FIRE ARC
Port weapons battery 30 cm 4 Left
Starboard weapons battery 30 cm 4 Right
Prow lances 30 cm 3 Front

SPECIAL • Improved thrusters (additonal +1D6 cm on All Ahead Full special orders).

Light scouting cruisers like the Dauntless class have always been a feature of Imperial fleets
throughout the Imperium. An ideal light cruiser carries enough firepower to drive off opposing
escorts and enough fuel and supplies to remain away from bases for months at a time. The
Dauntless is a popular class, as fast and manoeuvrable as a frigate but with a ferocious frontal
lance armament. During the Gothic War, the light cruisers Uziel and Baron Surtur were the first
to detect Warmaster Khuzor's fleet near the Formosa cluster and their accurate information
allowed Admiral Sartus to bring the foe to battle.

Famous Ships of the Gothic War: Abdiel, Uziel, Vigilant, Baron Surtur, Havock, Guardian

27
 CHAOS
MURDER CLASS CRUISER

TYPE/HITS SPEED TURNS SHIELDS ARMOUR TURRETS

Cruiser/8 25 cm 45° 2 5+ 2
ARMAMENT RANGE/SPEED FIREPOWER/STR FIRE ARC
Port weapons battery 45 cm 10 Left
Starboard weapons battery 45 cm 10 Right
Prow lance battery 60 cm 2 Front

Before being replaced by Lunar class cruisers, the Murder class cruiser was the mainstay of
Battlefleet Obscurus. Almost five hundred were built between the 33rd and 37th millennia but a
proportionate number turned renegade, joining the forces of Chaos. Armed with several decks
of the best plasma cannon batteries ever produced by the Adeptus Mechanicus, this class is a
formidable opponent at long range, with engines powerful enough to keep out of range of lesser
armed enemy ships. Several of these vessels combined can cripple the largest battleships and it
was a force formed from the Doombringer, Steel Fang and Monstrous that destroyed the Imperial
battleship Relentless Persecution (brought in from the Ardekka Sector) during the closing
actions of the Gothic War.

Famous Ships of the Gothic War: Doombringer, Deathblade, Steel Fang, Monstrous, Unholy
Dominion, Plagueclaw, Despicable Ecstasy

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 CHAOS
SLAUGHTER CLASS CRUISER

TYPE/HITS SPEED TURNS SHIELDS ARMOUR TURRETS

Cruiser/8 30 cm 45° 2 5+ 2
ARMAMENT RANGE/SPEED FIREPOWER/STR FIRE ARC
Port lance battery 30 cm 2 Left
Starboard lance battery 30 cm 2 Right
Port weapons battery 30 cm 8 Left
Starboard weapons battery 30 cm 8 Right
Prow weapons battery 30 cm 6 Left/front/right

SPECIAL • Improved thrusters: moves a total of +5D6 cm on All Ahead Full special orders.

The Slaughter class cruiser utilises a Scartix engine coil, that provides the ship with a thrust
considerably more powerful than any other vessel's. When the Dutiful, a Slaughter class cruiser,
laid down in 126.M34, turned renegade and bombarded the Sethelan forge world, the design
for the Scartix coil was destroyed. Some think the attack had the sole purpose of preventing
the construction of any more vessels of this design. The Dutiful was re-named the Soulless by
Admiral Dorez for this despicable deed and was mercilessly hunted across Imperial space for the
next seven millennia. It was finally destroyed during the Orar Raid, when its plasma drives were
wrecked by the Imperious, a Mars class battlecruiser.

The Killfrenzy has a fearsome reputation and is so named because of its peculiar broadcasts. In
every encounter, the vessel has transmitted a single continuous message across all frequencies –
KILLFRENZY KILLFRENZY KILLFRENZY ... The ship's captain, believed to still be Abraham
Thurst, shows an incredible disregard for the safety of his ship, continuing to fight in several
battles despite suffering crippling damage.

Famous Ships of the Gothic War: Deathskull, Killfrenzy, Soulless, Heathen Promise

29
 HOW TO CONTINUE
As stated at the beginning, the rules in this document are only a simplified
version to give you an overview of the game. If you had fun, it's time to give you
some pointers for your way into Battlefleet Gothic.

FULL RULES • BFG:XR: extended and revised rules which

Games that are dropped by the creators/ adjusts fleet lists, some of the core rules and
manufacturers but loved by the community contains entirely new rules and ships.
tend to develop a new life after their ‘death’.
• Battlefleet Heresy: Set during the Horus
Battlefleet Gothic received lots of new and Heresy, this ruleset sees mostly Space
exciting content after it was officially cancelled Marines fighting each other, expanding
in 2013. As such, there are four major ways into their rules into different chapters.
Battlefleet Gothic at the time of writing.
• BFG2020: A ruleset focused on incorporating
Official/semi-official rules an Alternating Player Activation mechanic
The official rules according to Games into BFG.
Workshop are the original rulebook and the
Armada expansion, both in their revised digital So where should you start?
versions. There is also the 2010 Compendium, If there is already a BFG player group in your
a community-based project which worked area, you should adapt to their used ruleset. If
closely with Games Workshop and many of the you're a new group starting out, I suggest you
original game designers. While not officially read through the official rules once, then take
recognized by GW, it is still widely considered a look at the fan-made rules and see what they
official by the community, as it contains change and why. And after that, you decide.
important fixes, updates and brings in rules Make it your game!
and fleets for (then) officially produced models.
Rules hub
Being three separate documents, that often A good way to keep track all the different
override and/or contradict each other, they may rules for BFG is probably the rules post from
be a valid but irritating way to learn the game. horizon over on the Specialist-Arms forum.
My way of learning the game this way resulted
in the Remastered books (Rulebook and soon to Scan or click/tap the QR code for
be released Fleets). Every new player that has to quick access.
struggle a little less learning the game with the
Remastered books made all the work worth it.
ONLINE COMMUNITY
Homebrew/Fan-made rules While there are still active online forums, the
As stated above, the community didn't just majority of online wargaming communities
quit the game after its official end. has switched to Facebook groups and/or
Discords servers.
There are countless additions and
modifications to the rules to be found, Discord: Scan or click/tap the QR
which range from changing some aspects of code for an invitation.
the game to creating new ships and fleets;
and finally there are three major full blown Facebook: Scan or click/tap the QR
community-created rulesets that offer code to request access to the group.
alternative entry points.

30
TURN REFERENCE
MOVEMENT PHASE (PG. 12) ORDNANCE PHASE (PG. 20)
Ships must move in a straight line between After the turn it was launched in, ordnance
half and full speed per turn. They may make moves in both player's Ordnance Phases.
one turn during their movement.
Shooting at ordnance required a 6 to hit with
A cruiser must move 10 cm before it can weapons batteries and lances.
execute a turn.
Ordnance ignores shields and attack as soon
Before moving, they may make a Command as they make contact with a ship's base.
check to go on a special order.
Ships may fire at incoming ordnance with
If a ship moves through any Blast Markers, its their turrets (pg. 21) and roll a number of D6
speed is reduced by 5 cm. equal to the Turrets value. They hit on a 4+.
Each hit reduces Torpedo strength by 1.

SHOOTING PHASE (PG. 14) Torpedoes (pg. 22) travel their full move in
Ships must shoot at the closest target within a straight line and attack the first ship they
a weapon's fire arc, unless the ship passes a come in contact with (even friendly ships).
Leadership test first.
Roll a number of D6 equal to the current
Weapons batteries use the Gunnery table on strength of the salvo. A roll that scores equal
pg. 15 with the following modifiers and hit on or over the target's Armour value causes one
a dice roll that scores equal or over the target's damage. Torpedoes that miss carry on moving.
Armour value:

Target < 15 cm away– shift left END PHASE (PG. 23)

Target > 30 cm away – shift right Both players can attempt to repair critical
Intervening Blast Markers – shift right damage. Roll a D6 for each hit remaining on
the ship. A score of 6 can repair one critical
Lances always hit on a 4+. damage.

Each time a ship is hit, place a Blast Marker Blast Markers in contact halve the number of
(pg. 16) in contact. If the Blast Markers in dice rolled (rounding up).
contact equal the Shields value (pg. 17), each
additional hit causes one point of damage. The active player rolls a D6 and removes that
many Blast Markers, that are not in contact
For every hit that inflicts damage to a ship, with a ship.
roll a D6 and on a score of 6, roll 2D6 on the
Critical Hits table on pg. 18.

If a capital ship is reduced to 0 Hits, roll 2D6

on the Catastrophic Damage table on pg. 19.

Ordnance is launched at the end of the Shooting

phase, but it moves in the Ordnance Phase in
subsequent turns.

31
 – REMASTERED –

+++[Link]+++[Link]+++ This booklet provides you with

Man has learned to embrace war as its religion, simplified and re-structured
billions take up arms against a galaxy of foes. rules for new players just starting
Great ships sail the void, their guns charged to rain out or as a simple guide for
death upon the enemies of the God-Emperor. experienced players to show this
fantastic game to new recruits.
This the Age of the lmperium. A time of war and
carnage among the stars, of great fleets and mighty Intended to work with the
armies, selfless heroism and blackest infamy. digital starter set.

A game set in the universe of