The Ships Of Blackstone Fortress
Ever wondered what a Kroot Ship looked like? Well you’re in luck because we’re taking a look at all 6 of the ships from Blackstone Fortress. These are the person rides of the explorers and it says a lot about where they are from and who they are – check it out!
There are a total of 8 explorers for Blackstone Fortress (or 9 if you count Rein and Raus as two different options). To get to the Blackstone Fortress, they have their own transport ships. Functionally, each ship has two sides – a facilities side and a support side. The side the players choose the side they wish to have available for their expedition into the Blackstone Fortress and that can really impact how you play through your scenario.
Today, we’re going to take a look at each of their ships that are included it the game. It’s interesting to see how each ship borrows different design atheistic from their parent faction. Let’s star with the Rogue Trader Janus Draik’s ship:
Vandguard looks very similar to other Imperial vessels we’ve seen in games like Battlefleet Gothic. It has the same “nose” plate as well as the Imperial Aquila up front. It does have some weapons and appears to be able to hold it’s own in a fight – or perhaps make a fighting escape if the need arises. It’s ability allows the player to Roll the Blackstone dice (which is the D20). This can have an additional impact on your expedition in the the Fortress as you can see.
The Traveller is Espern Locarno’s ship. You can see that while it still has the Aquila on the top of the ship, it’s got a very different look than the other Imperial Ships we’ve seen. It’s interesting to see an Imperial Navagator’s ship vary that much from the more traditional design elements for Imperial Ships. It appears to be more rounded and less “Gothic” looking on the whole.
In game it allows you to essentially revive a player with Summon Aid. I have a feeling that could be extremely handy for a mission into the Blackstone Fortress…
Clarion is the ship for the Ministorum Priest Taddeus the Purifier and his fellow zealot Pious Vorne. It shares a lot of similarities to other Imperial ships and has an Inquisitorial Seal on the side. The “nose” section is the same design and even the aft wings/engine design is reminiscent of Imperial design. I would like to point out the side of the ship has giant stained-glass window sections and also there is a brazier on top of the ship which appears to be lit. That’s right folks, this ship is on fire – IN SPAAAACE!!!
The ability is the Excuciation Chamber. Again, you can roll the Blackstone dice and it can net you an additional clue card. How did you get that clue? It’s better not to think about it.
The Long Hauler Gamma-3-ß is the ship for UR-025 and the ratling twins Rein & Raus. This ship has a giant Mechanicus symbol on the side and it gives us a good indication of the design philosophy of the Mechanicus ships. Now, this is a long-hauler, so it’s clearly a cargo transport ship. Large engines, a boxy design, and what appears to be a massive door on the front for loading and unloading cargo – it’s all about the function over form.
In game this ship can help you score some additional archotech cards from the discovery deck. Hey, at least we know why these guys are here (it’s for the loot).
Amallyn Shadowguide’s ship is the Steed of Mathurir – a classic Aeldari design, it’s rocking the Biel-Tan colors and has the iconic Aeldari sail on it as well. This sleek design is clearly a xenos ship and very different from the others.
In game, the ship will help you to discover clue cards. It’s also one of the few ships where rolling low is a GOOD thing. It also gets better the more clues you have which is an interesting twist on that mechanic.
Kravv’cha’to is the ship of the Kroot Merc and Tracker Dahyak Grekh. This is one of the few ship designs we’ve seen for the T’au empire and it belongs to a Kroot space explorer! It would make sense that a Kroot ship would borrow a lot of the elements of the T’au vehicle design but this is the first good look we’ve gotten of it. Maybe we’ll see more of these in the future…
In game the Kravv’cha’to allows an explorer to resolve the Isolated challenge card. If you successfully resolve the challenge, you get to start the game with a discovery card and an inspiration point as well.
Those are the ships for the explorers of Blackstone Fortress – which one catches your eye?
