Inquisitorial Ships

[Knobby2]

Akuro there youve given a reasonable explanation which has a lot of plot hooks and you can elaborate on it, also a light cruiser isnt beyond the means for a full conclave too have between them

its just where you see inquisitors having battleships theyve paid for, doesnt make sense and even too the most successful inquisitor it would be near impossible too crew, run, supply and make sure you have the funds constantly for it

[Koval]

Knobby, that book would be Relentless, which was actually pretty cool.

@Koval- I agree that they shouldn't have free access to huge ships, with the definite hard limit being at the light cruisers, which should be a rarity. That said, it is not beyond the reach of an affluent or ambitious Inquisitor. But then again, we're talking about the possibility here.

Purely to rock the boat, Ambition-class cruisers are largely built for private individuals (although I imagine the waiting list is horrendous, not to mention that the time it takes to build one can probably be counted in decades). While it's in the context of Rogue Traders, it's by no means impossible that an Inquisitor has the wherewithal to get one. That I generally stop at frigates (with the earlier exception notwithstanding) should be no real hindrance to other people bringing bigger things to the table provided they can be justified well.

I'm not saying every Inquisitor gets handed a ship when they get their badge. I'm saying that one way or another, they have the ability to claim a ship as fitting. Should they do so, its up to them to make it work right.

Possible example of what you mean, though do tell me if I've misinterpreted you:
Lady Eliesa Schwertwald, Ordo Xenos (aforementioned tank-chair Inquisitor), has her Dictator. It's been decommissioned at least once, and is still technically in the service of her local Conclave despite her having owned it for seventy years.
However, she also maintains extremely good ties with the Imperial Guard (those regiments active in her immediate region of space, at least) and the local battlefleet in her sector, and has earned the respect of at least one Deathwatch kill-team.
She's also pushing 300, and has held her rosette for about three quarters of that time, so she's old enough to have taken part in the Damocles Crusade (and she did, as an Interrogator; I've changed that from Nimbosa, as nobody seems able to make their mind up on when that was). She hasn't exactly been idle in the centuries since then; she's been sufficiently active to have formed those good ties the hard way.
And unlike a lot of Inquisitors that are also nearing their fourth century, she's neither crazy, nor courting Radicalism (I think she's a moderate Amalathian but I don't remember. Moderate something-Puritanical, anyway). She just prefers kicking multilasering alien backsides instead.
She's also fond of knitting.

All things considered, Schwertwald's probably earned that Dictator...

its just where you see inquisitors having battleships theyve paid for, doesnt make sense and even too the most successful inquisitor it would be near impossible too crew, run, supply and make sure you have the funds constantly for it

Indeed, logistics is something a lot of people expect to just happen without sparing a second thought as to how. A Cobra, for example, needs a crew of 15,000 (per Into The Storm) to run effectively -- that's the same as the population of Ely. This goes up to somewhere around 25-30,000 for your average frigate, to 60-70,000 for most light cruiser designs, to just shy of 100,000 for most cruisers (the equivalent of putting Worcester in space). What with grand cruiser crews being like sticking Exeter or Ipswich in orbit at between 100,000 and 140,000, you can probably imagine that running a battleship is like having Luton or York drifting around in the cosmos, just as a rough guess. Truly scary, and truly impractical.

[Knobby2]

Ahh, i shall go and find that book now

I did read in this thread earlier that someone modified his torpedo tubes because of the cost, this is one of the better examples of logistics I have seen, Many of the problems i see are that a fair few inquisitors work covertly or on fringe worlds and nothing states guess who's here than an imperial cruiser, fringe worlds would also be very ill equipped too deal with anything bigger than  light cruiser assuming they were inline with current imperial tech (I use that last statement very loosely)

And personally I'd like too see ipswich in space

[Akuro Adenn]

To be fair, it is far from the only ship the conclave has. It is, however, the only Light Cruiser not named to an established Inquisitor Lord. This is because of some of her job description, as well as the fact that the conclave has more resources than most. She's also far from a greenhorn, with about 50 years of hard experience as a full Inquisitor. Before the conclave got to it, it was a derelict among many that were refitted with the Inquisition in mind.

@Koval- You indeed did capture what I meant. She got it through hard work, and has kept it through that. How she's kept the upkeep going can be explained by her conclave technically owning it (which is the same deal with the above example from me). And someone may want to do some actual space/population comparisons for the ships, but those numbers seem pretty spot on to me.

I think another thing that most people seem to be overlooking is that a precious, precious few are even going to have something that can peek into space, and most are going to be under the control of the planet's government. If that's been infiltrated, corrupted, or even turned rebellious, the Inquisitor is going to be needing backup either way about it. Seeing as they'd be using various landers rather than trying to drydock the ship on the surface, it'd be tucked out of the way in most scenarios. Someone actually having a clue about an Inquisitor because of their ship should either be a fellow Inquisitor similarly equipped, or a massive plot hook for a campaign.

[Kaled]

Personally I'm of the opinion that the Inquisition - and by that I mean Ordos, Conclaves, cells, cabals etc should own ships - rather than Inquisitors (although there are always going to be exceptions). But there's certainly going to be a lot more Inquisitors than there are Inquisitorial ships. As someone mentioned above, sometimes a ship owned by the Inquisition will be on 'permanent loan' to a particular Inquisitor, but that Inquisitor better remember whose ship it really is, because other Inquisitors will - and there will always be those who see misusing Inquisitorial resources as a step on the road to heresy.

As for the class of an Inquisitor's ship - the only real criteria is that it should be appropriate for what they want it for. An Inquisitor who just needs a way to move between systems didn't ought to have a warship if a transport would do. But if they need to prosecute a Rogue Trader who has a cruiser then they may need to requisition their own cruiser. I also think it's wrong that people say it's easier to justify their Inquisitor having a Destroyer, Frigate or Light Cruiser - these ships all have their role in a fleet and for Inquisitors to keep requisitioning them just weakens the Navy and compromises the defence of the Imperium. Just because the ships are smaller doesn't make them less important and it shouldn't make it easier to justify an Inquisitor having one.

[Koval]

I also think it's wrong that people say it's easier to justify their Inquisitor having a Destroyer, Frigate or Light Cruiser - these ships all have their role in a fleet and for Inquisitors to keep requisitioning them just weakens the Navy and compromises the defence of the Imperium. Just because the ships are smaller doesn't make them less important and it shouldn't make it easier to justify an Inquisitor having one.

There is, however, the scenario in which the ship was either decommissioned (in which case the Navy isn't going to care as much as if it were an active vessel), or "recovered" from either the enemy or a space hulk. I have a couple of characters for whose ships "taken from someone else" is in full effect. Having said that, one of these characters* generally holds to your line about requisitioning Navy vessels, and takes a very dim view of those that do so.


*Macauley; being as she's an Istvaanian, she's going to take the "compromises the defence of the Imperium" bit especially seriously (the destruction of the Ferox Est notwithstanding, mind).

[Kaled]

There is, however, the scenario in which the ship was either decommissioned (in which case the Navy isn't going to care as much as if it were an active vessel), or "recovered" from either the enemy or a space hulk.

The Navy might not care so much, but recommissioning, refitting and recruiting a new crew for a ship isn't exactly cheap, and while an Inquisitor may technically have the authority to order it done, it seems more likely that it would be more politically expedient for them to persuade the Conclave or Ordo to request it on their behalf and then loan the ship to the Inquisitor for the time that they need it. It seems to me that Inquisitors are always going to scrutinise how their peers exercise their authority and requisitioning a warship without a good enough reason is likely to be seen as a misuse of that authority.

To be honest, over the years I've read of lots of Inquisitors on the forums who have their own warship as well the corresponding 'justifications', but it's extremely rare that I've found it convincing. Just because someone has been an Inquisitor for a long time doesn't seem like a good reason. Neither does them having close ties with the Navy or leading some crusade - in that case it seems more likely they would use a ship as a base of operation, but it hardly seems a good reason that they have to have their own ship. I've not really kept track, but I get the impression that a far higher proportion of Inqusitor PCs have ships than Inquisitors in GW fluff. In almost every case I feel it would make more sense for the Inquisitor to acquire a ship when they need one rather than permanently have their own. It makes more sense that the Inquisitor has their own ship if they are working in an area that does not have good transport links such as the fringes of Imperial space. It makes little sense to me that they need their own ship when they're in a crusade that already has a whole fleet of ships. And just as sometimes and Inquisitor will wear power armour and carry a boltgun, but in other situations they'll carry a stubber an wear inconspicuous civilian clothes, so too will an Inquisitor sometimes need a battleship but other times they'll need a light transport. Since it's pretty inconcievable that they'll have a range of ships in their collection, it makes more sense for most Inquisitors to borrow whichever ship is most appropriate for the current situation - and I imagine that the Ordos will have just such a range of ships for use by their members.

[MarcoSkoll]

I've already listed some of my character's ships way back on page 1, but to go over their ownership:

Marco's ship, the Ynys Mon, is largely one he's got Arden Holf in an arm-lock, offering amnesty for a very long list of crimes (which include some of the modifications to the Ynys, which has been somewhat rewritten since my first post) while he and his ship serve the Inquisitor. Arden doesn't hugely mind - a large pay-cheque and more than enough excitement for an ageing man.

Lyra's is a ship that was gutted by combat and recovered by her mentor - and while it's now basically hers now he's retired to a position as the semi-official head of the Ordo Perditus in the Carthax sector, it's understood that "ownership" is somewhat conditional.

So yeah, I've sort of headed down the route of "borrowed" rather than owned.

~~~~~

On a note of servitor crews, it is largely assumed that the crew of these ships is sort of a mix - as with anything really.

However, by the time of (the much delayed) "Ad Vitam Aeternam" story in the 44th Millennium, the Ynys' crew has only about 200 humans remaining, with all tasks that can be given to servitors done so. By that time, Jax is in a lot of people's bad books, and thus as few people as necessary are trusted to be on ship. (With a very, very brutal terminate on sight policy for anyone or anything unrecognised.)
I could certainly imagine sufficiently paranoid Inquisitors doing the same, although it does mean limiting the ship somewhat.

[Akuro Adenn]

In the end, it doesn't matter too terribly much. Its a part of the inquisitor's backstory, something that is arguably irrelevant to most people- they'll be allowed what they're allowed, and as it isn't likely to have much a difference, people can choose to ignore it if they have that big a problem over it. Just like any section of somone's fluff, in the end its their call. If you don't like it, then fine. Pack up and move on, instead of trying to bend someone to your ideals.

[Kaled]

On a note of servitor crews, it is largely assumed that the crew of these ships is sort of a mix - as with anything really.

Another thing to note is that as a servitor is partially organic it is still going to require some amount of sustenance, and while it may not need as much food or care so much about what food it gets, a ship crewed mostly by servitors is still going to need a food supply. It's also going to be more dependant on the AdMech than most ships.

Just like any section of somone's fluff, in the end its their call. If you don't like it, then fine. Pack up and move on, instead of trying to bend someone to your ideals.

To some extent I agree. But I do think people generally need to give a little more thought to their Inquisitor having a ship than they currently do. All too often people post on here and say that their character has his own cruiser or WS 90 or something else that seems excessive, and they say it's justified, but what they mean is that they've justified it to themselves, which is a whole different thing to convincing other people. Assuming they're not just posting their character on here to basically say 'look at my character, isn't he great', but are instead posting them to get feedback which will let them improve their stats and background (which I think is why most people post characters on here), then if someone sees something that they do not think works (either in terms of background or rules) they should question it. To 'pack up and move on' without commenting isn't particularly helpful in those cases. And given that Inquisitor is a narrative skirmish game, a characters background is important as it can shape the way the game turns out - it may be irrelevant in many games, but in some it could be hugely important. But at the end of the day if someone says 'I don't care what you think, I'm giving my character a cruiser / WS 90 / some other excessive thing' then there's no point flogging a dead horse and we should just let them get on with it.

Oh, and since no one else has said it - Akuro
Welcome to the Conclave

It's always good to see new members - why not head over to the community forum and introduce yourself.

[Charax]

Ah, the age-old problem of "Why can't my Inquisitor have a battleship?"

Generally, it comes down to the "Rocks are not free, citizen" effect - a full Imperial ship being seconded to an Inquisitor over any prolonged period is one that isn't being used to defend the Imperium, or transport soldiers, or move vital supplies (like food!) or whatever other task is going on. The Administratum generally doesn't plot these supply routes for frivolity's sake, so even one ship becoming an Inquisitor's personal toy could have grave consequences - not least of which would be drawing the attention of other Inquisitors, Inquisitors for whom weakening the infrastructure of the Imperium by taking a ship could be seen as a grave heresy...

people can choose to ignore it if they have that big a problem over it. Just like any section of somone's fluff, in the end its their call. If you don't like it, then fine. Pack up and move on, instead of trying to bend someone to your ideals.

So what's the point of posting a character's background here at all? After all, someone saying "Wow, that's flawless work, you're the best writer in the universe, go work for Black Library" is significantly less useful than someone giving reasoned, constructive criticism. If people doing the latter should "pack up and move on", then the former certainly should - the forum would get very tedious if all we saw was sycophantic fawning over how utterly plausible and brilliant everyone's work is.

On a note of servitor crews, it is largely assumed that the crew of these ships is sort of a mix - as with anything really.

Urgh, servitor crews, one of the things I absolutely detest, and I was very disappointed it showed up in Rogue Trader (Although they handled it better than Damn Abnett did).

Yes, most reasonable people would assume that a servitor crew wouldn't be total - after all, someone needs to maintain the damned things! the only vessels I can realistically see being made up of significant crews of servitors are dedicated Mechanicus vessels - teeming with techpriests, but using servitors for most menial tasks. I guess some of the very, very smallest craft could reasonably survive with a 80%+ servitor crew, but even then they'd need maintenance (the Imperium isn't known for building things that last - especially when they're not from very intact STCs) and they'd negate one of the advantages of small craft, their reaction time.

[Dolnikan]

The bckground of a character is the most vital part, the stats and other rules are only there to translate that background to the game, not the other way around. Inquisitor is a narrative wargame which is about characters, meaning people with a history and a personality, not about bland, faceless soldiers sent to fight like in larger-scale wargames. To me, ignoring a character's background is immensely difficult, it is who are on the table.

Here on the board only one of my characters, inquisitor Semplice, has his own ship. It is a merchant ship, and not much more. He has taken it quite a while ago and now uses it because he is on the run from his peers.

In a given sector there are between 50 and 75 warships according to Battlefleet Gothic. This is a very small number of ships, if inquisitors take even a few of those in permanent use that is a large proportion of the strength of the sector fleet, and of the secotr defences. Especially if it concenrs one of the rare capital ships. But even a mere destroyer is a rare thing, and a few inquisitors taking one of those for their own use also significantly weakens the sector fleet.

[Kaled]

Is there any background on the Navy decommissioning ships? I know I've seen it mentioned somewhere, but I forget where. Given the fairly small number of ships they have (compared to the amount of space they have to defend) and the amount of time it takes to build a ship, it seems unlikely there'd be many decommissioned ships for an Inquisitor to requisition. On top of that, the Inquisitor is going to have to compete with others who also want to recommission the ship - such as Naval reserves, Rogue Traders, Chartist captains and other Inquisitors/Inquisitorial groups.

[Dolnikan]

The most I can remember is about decommisioned ships is that there was a little bit about old ships in an article about reserve fleets. But, ships will be in constant use for milennia, when they get heavily damaged they get refitted. Many capital ships have been in service for thousands of years, if not from the foundation of the Imperium. If one would get his or her hands on a decommisioned capital ship it would most likely not be one of the recent classes, an old Murder is much more likely. And even those are still in use b the naval reserves and some of the sector battlefleets.

Only when a ship has been utterly destroyed will it be removed from the roster, even a completely gutted ship can be used as the base for a new one. Building a ship is a time-consuming process, especially capital ships can take dozens of years, and more than that for the even bigger ones. There also is an immense cost involved, not only from the immense amount of metal that will be needed but also the skilled labour and the legions of tech-priests.

[Knobby2]

Decommissioned ships are stored in mothballed reserve fleets kept in a permanent state of readiness for war anchored at the mass star ports such as port maw or cypra mundi, but in times of war crews from destroyed vessels or hurridley recruited crews are assigned too them causing many spooks and such,

So if an inquisitor had a reserve fleet ship it would be rather old even by imperial standards, have a very inexperienced crew and be exceptionally hard too maintain without the proper facilities, reserve fleet ships have a higher proportion of accidents and spooks also happen due too this,