Observations on the French

So I had the opportunity to test out my French fleet at 600pts on Monday evening and so far I really enjoy them! They do feel a little tougher that the Covenant of Antarctica which is a refreshing change. By tougher I mean not so vulnerable to boarding. This is in great part because of their increased Ack Ack and the ability of their Tiny Flyer Fighter wings to combine their AA pool with their parent model when in CAP against boarding actions.

Thank Gawd!

I was starting to get really tired of constantly being boarded.

Anyhow, so is the breakdown of the little force I took:

1 Mk II Magenta Pocket Battleship w Heat Lance & Cloud Generator: 160pts
1 Couronne Battle Carrier: 140pts
3 Marseille Cruisers: 165pts
4 Lyon Frigates: 100pts
1 Epaulard Submarine: 35pts

Including TFs this was 9 activations with 5 of them generating cards.

Here is what I noticed:

Heat Lances: They are great! Though I was admittedly playing them incorrectly. What I was doing was taking 2x the starting HP of the target rather than 2x the DR... For the most part this didn't translate into many more dice on the targets that I did shoot at so I don't think that it was a major game changer. Having the Heat Lances as Redoubtable was a tremendously helpful MAR to take advantage of too. Having 2 of them together with the Pocket Battleship and the Couronne is an added benefit and pairs them together nicely.

Couronne: This is a staple in any fleet, I can already tell. It just begs to be thrown into the fray of things. What with the Heat Lance, 360 degree rocket battery and a healthy broadside this ship can dish it out while providing a nice support platform for Tiny Flyers with the Combat Launch MAR.

Pocket Battleship: DON'T forget to take a Cloud Generator! And if you do, DON'T forget to activate it! Otherwise it's pretty easy to hurt this puppy as it doesn't have Retardant Armour and that can make a difference!

Marseille: So far they are kind of lacklustre, though admittedly I did not pay for the Retardant Armour upgrade which I imagine will help their survivability tremendously. I'm going to reserve judgement on them for now.

Lyon Frigates: Having that additional DR makes them all  the more survivable and so far I've seen them perform quite well! For 25pts with 3AA a piece they can really wreak havoc against TF wing.

Epaulard Sub: Honestly, I don't know why people are bitching about this unit. I originally took it as a 35pt activation to get an extra card and it ended up being my star performer! sitting back at up to RB4 and lobbing 4 dice of mortars at a target is a really nice ability for such a cheap unit! My Epaulard even managed to get a lucky critical and take out a Rhine Carrier in my first battle! Plus it's a submarine! who doesn't love that?!

Anyhow, really loving the flavour of the fleet so far. I'm anxious to test it out at 1000pts and see how she performs at higher point value games.