UCM Heavy Cruiser and Cruiser Overview

Part 2 of the UCM! 

Here we are, ready for the UCM Heavy Cruisers and Cruisers! Well lets get right down to it!

Light Cruisers:

Osaka-class Light Cruiser:

The Osaka is one of my favorite ships. As a Light Cruiser it fills a role of a flanking ship that has a good weapon. It has a group of 2-3 so you HAVE to take 2 at the minimum. They are cheaper than their tougher brother the Rio and suffer for it in the Armor but they make up for it in Speed. With a 10" thrust they can keep up with frigates and are great at dodging Front Narrow arcs.

 New Cairo-class Light Cruiser:

The New Cairo is the Berlin's little brother. They are fast attack Burnthrough ships that can come in from a flank and mop up pretty good.

Rio-class Cruiser:

 The Rio has a bit more firepower than the Osaka and it is tougher which is always a plus but for 17 points it is iffy. The Rio is a great ship to add to a group or to have two of. The Heavy Mass Drivers (that is what they were called in the beta) are 3+ with 2 shots for each one. This means that the Rio is consistent!

Berlin-class Cruiser:

Like the Rio, the Berlin is a tougher, slower version of its Light Cruiser brother. Same rules apply though the Berlin is better suited to snipe things with the assistance of the Lima-class Frigate.

San Francisco-class Troopship:

The second key ship for most every list. Where as you always want Strike Carriers (I think 2 full groups but that could change), the San Francisco gives you access to Bulk Landers and Defensive Batteries that can shoot enemy dropships and bulk landers out of the sky (if you hit). All In all I recommend 1 Troopship per 750 points of play at the very least.

Madrid-class Cruiser:

The Madrid is special, it is the CHEAPEST!!!! Cruiser on the market because it is not highly offensive (:thumbs up to the chart:). The Madrid wants to stay in a location and bombard areas. Now while some would look at it and see it as trivial, there are missions that require you to destroy clusters so this ship can provide that needed destruction!

Seattle-class Fleet Carrier:

 The Seattle is a fine carrier. It only launches 3 fighters or bombers a turn but they can turn games around. Those Fighters can add pivotal Point Defense to a ship and the bombers can take out crippled and limping targets. It also has the pair of Heavy Mass Drivers which I like to pair with Osaka's and Rio's so that a flanking group can move about and strike where needed.

Moscow-class Heavy Cruiser:

If the Rio is the Big Brother of the Osaka, the Moscow is the Eldest brother, and boy does he get cranky! Now I am not a fan of Weapon's Free ships, now while I see the use of a ship like this to take down multiple ships, they are just not me. This ship is good though and can put a lot of pain onto any target!

St. Petersburg-class Heavy Cruiser:

The St. Pertersburg is like the Moscow but to me, a bit weaker. Now it is a good ship, it suffers from needing to go Weapon's Free AND that dominant Front Narrow Arc. Give it a try and let me know what you think though. I will try it in the future I think.

Thoughts:

The UCM have one of the better selections of all around ships. They can do a mix of everything and it wont cost an arm and a leg. This is important as an Admiral and will require you to think about what you are building and why it is needed. 

As always, have fun, let me know what you think and get those boots on the ground!


All images of ships with points are owned by Hawk Wargames (C) 2016