The Commodore Cannon & Crew

BOOM! Head Shot!

Basic Info

Mercenary - Although it is a Mercenary model, this unit refuses to work for any Faction.

Abilities

• Commodore only
  • Template:Construct
  • Template:Officer
  • Template:Focal Point
  • Template:Heavy Artillery

• Crewmen only
  • Template:Tough
  • Template:Fire!
  • Template:Gunnery

Weapons

• Commodore
  • Cannon - ranged weapon with a variable range, AOE and POW
    • Template:Attack Type
      • Template:Cannister Shot
      • Template:Cannon Ball
      • Template:Incendiary Shot

• Crewman
  • Hand Weapon - 0.5" reach, POW 3, P+S 8 melee weapon
  • Pistol - 8" range, POW 10 ranged weapon

Theme Forces

• Template:The Irregulars - only if Shae, Bart, Fiona or Rahera are leading the force
• Template:The Talion Charter

Thoughts on The Commodore Cannon & Crew

The Commodore Cannon & Crew in a nutshell

The Commodore cannon commands respect as the most feared artillery piece in the game thanks to its 20" slam. With Shae's feat, Rockbottom's Money Shot and Dougal's Double Powder Ration, it can slam something 25" away at RAT 10. It can light blast-immune troops on fire to boot.

Combos & Synergies

• Captain Phinneus Shae gets it into position with his feat and can protect it from incoming fire with Phantasm, which he should. (Note that Coup de Main does not affect the speed of the cannon due to the wording of its rules. The cannon itself does not activate so it is unaffected by the spell.)
• Lord Rockbottom grants it Money Shot. If you take the cannon, you should have Rockbottom.
• Master Gunner Dougal MacNaile grants it Artillerist (if using the blast shot) or 2" extra range on his mini feat turn. Among Rockbottom and Dougal you can get the cannon to a casual MAT 12, POW 20.
• The Galleon can power-lifter the Commodore on turn 1 and possibly even on turn 2, giving the Commodore the ability to get into range without giving up all shooting.
• Move up your Hermit and have him apply his -2 ARM aura, then slam him in the back with the cannonball to get him an extra d6" forward. His Ancient Shroud will mean he only takes 1 damage. Maybe you can even slam him into an enemy small-based model and knock it down.
• Steelhead Ironhead - He can crane it 2". You only get this combo with a privateer caster in Irregulars and have to bring in the Ironhead with Nemo4.
• Fiona the Black - -2 ARM on enemies makes the shots even more powerful and Occultation can protect it.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• Kill either the crew or the gun and the whole unit dies.
• Lacks protection against ranged attacks and is easily sniped.
• Canister shot looks amazing, but realistically given the speed it moves, it’s in serious danger if it’s using this attack type.
• Models with special rules for hit re-distribution (Shield Guard, Sucker!, Sac Pawn, etc) will easily make your shots wasted.

Tricks & Tips

• The possibilities are endless. Run a low DEF model in front of the caster and slam it over them. Slam an enemy heavy into another from downtown. Be on the lookout for ideal targets.
• Limited Employment is not like a Bond. To put the Commodore in a theme force, you need to have a caster the Commodore is willing to work with and a theme that allows the Commodore (so only Irregulars and Talion).

Other

Trivia

• Sculptor: Aragorn Marks
• Released in Pirates of the Broken Coast (2007)
• The cannon is named for the former Commodore of the Talion, whose cruelty caused Shae and the crew to mutiny against him. Bosun Grogspar chained him to the cannon and fired it until he died. His remains still hang from the barrel.