Heart of Leviathan: Here Come the Light Cruisers

By Mitch Reed

Many of our steady readers may be aware of a great new game called that many of our NDNG staff helped play test. The first wave of the game came with the big battlewagons of the dreadnought era and now the game includes the light cruisers which played a major role in the war doing everything from commerce raiding, blockade operations and scouting for the main battle fleet.

The light cruisers were part of our original play test and we loved playing these fast ships with their deadly torpedoes. Game wise they add so much to the flavor of the game and I feel gamers will love this addition to the game.

During the original play test the German’s had the light cruisers SMS Dresden and SMS Emden which faced off against a British battleship and while many would think that the bigger ship would just have its way with the smaller cruisers, that was far from the case. The cruisers have deadly torpedoes which we actually had to nerf a bit to balance the game and their speed and low cost makes them a great weapon to play in the game.
Cruiser Operations
The cruisers are all about speed and hitting hard. They gain some new orders such as the ability to Zig-Zag which allows them to change the side of the maneuver template they are on after they move. They also can Sprint which gives them extra movement, so with their base speed of 7, they can over a lot of sea in short period of time. Cruisers also get a unique movement template which allows them to perform a 180 degree turn when they move.The biggest plus for the cruisers is their ability to use secondary weapons such as torpedoes and mines. Torpedoes come in two flavors, 21” and 18” and when either of them hits they automatically cause a critical hit and two hull damage, ouch. The main difference between the two is that the 21” fish travel at speed 6 for twoturns and the 18” travels at a speed of 4 and keeps moving for until it scores a hit or leaves the table.

They are a not an unlimited resource, you can purchase four reloads for 16 points or two reloads for 8 points. Both types cost the same, and before you think that is a mistake there is a method to this madness since they play differently ion the game. In the play test the torpedoes did the same amount of damage but you can fire them off every turn and they kept running until they left the table, so they were like little machine guns on the sea.
The mines are also pricey, you can get up to six of them for 18 points, however when a ship hits one you roll a red die and take the damage or a critical hit depending on your roll. They become obstacles that just cause fits for the bigger and slower battleships.
The cruisers also can lay smoke which can give you some cover in the wide open see.

The Ships
In the game cruisers shoot their Blue dice at Range 1 and their Black dice at range 2 and cannot shoot beyond that range. This is opposite from the bigger ships which shoot Black dice at close range and Blue at range 2.
The SMS Dresden and Emden are Dresden Class light cruisers built in 1907 and have 5 hull points and a speed of 7. At Range 1 and 2 they get a broadside of three dice which does not give them the same fire power as their British counterparts.
The Town Class (Weymouth modification) light cruisers the HMS Weymouth and HMS Falmouth have the same speed and hull strength as the German ships but they get a broadside of four Black dice at range 2.
Missions and Advanced Rules
We at NDNG are working with the developers to produce an expansion pack of missions and new rules which these light cruisers feature prominently. This is still a work in progress and when we have more information, I hope will allow us to share the details with you.
So, if you want to expand your Heart of Leviathan collection or get into the game now, pop on over to the website here and place your order.
See you on the high seas.
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