Well, after much thought and with some helpful advice, I re-configured the list to be both legal, and what I was looking for in a 1000 point list, and played my first game with it (not my first game of BFG though
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Quote:
Repulsive Despair - 230
Chaos Warmaster Ld 9 - 100
Mark of Tzeentch - 30
Total = 310 / 310
Carnage Revenge - 180
Total = 180 / 490
Carnage Vengeance - 180
Total = 180 / 670
Devastation Deception - 190
Chaos Lord Ld 8 -50
Total = 240 / 910
Iconoclast Squadron
Bandit - 30
Hunter - 30
Thief - 30
Total = 90 / 1000
I found the list to be quite strong, with a decent amount of weapons batteries to do damage, whilst using the escorts and fighter squadrons to either re-direct attacks or protect the exposed flank from torpedo salvos from the squadroned Imperial Cruisers.
I took first turn, and kept my cruisers in a tight formation, with the repulsive centre, with each of the Carnage class cruisers taking position of my Port Prow/Bow and Quarter respectively, at 15cm. The Iconoclast squadron maintained a screen off the Repulsives Starboard side, each touching bases to increase low turret values as well as fully shield the Repulsives large base.
In that first turn, I lumbered in a collumn towards a distant planet.
The Imperial Fleet consisted of 4 Squadrons of 2, each torpedo heavy. They launched their first salvo of torpedos directly ahead of my fleet so that they would intercept in my next ordance phase. The Devastation became handy as not only did I use the escorts to screen the Repulsive, but 4 fighter squadrons were launched an negated all but two of the torps.
In the next phase, the Imperials attempted to Reload but failed their first, so pushed forward, apparantly trying to set up a good line for next turn. The Dev reloaded and the fleet pushed forward, and I unleashed with a strong weapons battery salvo, which combined with lock-on crippled the first ship. I launched fighters, adopting a screen formation with escorts.
He successfully reloaded all ships and pushed for a good torpedo line. Whilst two squadrons took out torpedos, around another 8 got through and destroyed my escorts. By this point though, the Imperials were in a poor position, and my entire remaining fleet opened up. Destroying the crippled, it triggered a warpdrive explosion. After crippling the ship next to it, a few weapons battery hits destroyed that one, pushing a plasma drive explosion, crippling another one.
After that, the Imperials attempted to reload, with only one squadron succeeding, and the other left in a pretty poor position by my reckoning. I was able to use a combination of good anlges and all ahead full to push the 2 carnages and Repulsive around to another heading, with the Dev taking up station and reloading and launching bombers to deliver a strong run against the Imperials destroying another cruiser.
Then came the pain. The Dev was quickly crippled, and I took 3 points of damage on the FWD Carnage.
I was able to push the Dev into low orbit to hopefully save points, and took another gunnery run at now abeam Imperial cruisers. I crippled another cruiser. Being late at night, we decided to call it a night.
At last drinks, he had lost 4 cruisers, to my 3 escorts and crippled carrier.
I took it as a Victory, with all of my Capitals claiming 1 ship already to their name.
Whilst I am pretty sure the intended torpedo rush failed in part to my fleets strong ability to affect force protection (escort and fighters) I think that his whole tactic of whoring torpedoes was flawed.
I just thought I would give you guys an update of how my chaos strike fleet is evolving.