The Covenant of the Enlightened stands above the petty power politics that plague the Dystopian Age. Squabbles over borders and trading rights hold no interest for these singular geniuses.
From their Promethean Complexes and Arcologies they sail forth to collect more information and raw resources to further their research. If warships from another polity try to hamper these vital expeditions, the ships of the Enlightened Scientific Custodial Force (E.S.C.F.) are more than capable of defending themselves with experimental and deadly inventions.
Such battles tend to be concluded so quickly that the unfortunate ‘opponents’ usually do not have the chance to appreciate the scientific majesty of the weapons that destroyed them.
How the Enlightened Play
The advanced hyper weaponry of the Enlightened gives them distinct advantages over other Dystopian Wars factions. Most of the available ships have access to Wavelurker, a Property unique to Enlightened vessels, allowing them to pass freely under other vessels and even sink beneath the waves to evade incoming fire.
The iconic Turbo Encabulation Drive, meanwhile, allows ships to punch holes in reality itself, dematerialising in a blinding flash before reappearing some distance away—perfectly positioned to discharge their devastating Enlightened weapons!
One downside of the righteous exploration of scientific mystery is that, on occasion, the fabric of reality can be torn a little too much. As such, over the course of a game, you will build up a Local Anomaly Pool: a pool of dice representing how badly the devices have warped space and time. The more these esoteric tools are deployed, the greater the risk of something going wrong. Each time a unit makes a Turbo Encabulation Drive jump, or uses certain advanced Generators, dice are added to the Local Anomaly Pool, which is then rolled in its entirety. If any Blanks are rolled you will see Disorder (or worse!) spread across your units. As the pool can only grow (unless you have some very specific kit to reduce it), a successful Enlightened Admiral needs to learn precisely when to push that big (presumably red) button.
The new Agora Command Cruiser is equipped with the Localised Anomaly Stabilisation Unit. This potent experimental device is the only option to heal the tears in the fabric of spacetime. It provides a bubble of stabilisation that allows you to employ Turbo Encabulation Drives and advanced Generators without rolling the Local Anomaly Pool, although you still have to add dice to it. Careful positioning of the Agora Command Cruiser will allow you to use these devices safely when needed, you just need to be careful not to store up too much trouble for later.
The Enlightened are the only faction in the Dystopian Age not tied to a specific geographical space. Their Peers rule over Promethean Complexes: a fusion of university, factory, and city state. Their coastal forges manufacture a wide variety of warships, each having its own identity and design philosophy. This approach to construction is reflected in this ORBAT with a list of special Fleet Doctrines that can be bought to reflect a unit’s particular origin. This allows a high degree of personalisation in your fleets, either to mix and match Doctrines to lean into your preferred play-style, or to create a rich and diverse narrative element. Who is your Peer?
BATTLEFLEETS
The Enlightened's Faction Battlefleet gives an Admiral access to the basic building blocks of an all-round fleet. Furthermore it comes with the incredible Peer in Residence Battlefleet Bonus, allowing a ship to repair a Critical Damage every turn.
New for this full ORBAT is the E.S.C.F. (Enlightened Scientific Custodial Forces) Battlefleet. This represents a force drawn from the closest thing that the Enlightened have to a genuine standing Navy. Each Promethean Complex is required to tithe a certain number of standardised ships to the E.S.C.F. and this is reflected in the rule allowing you up to three units of these Mainstay classes instead of two. Its Battlefleet Bonus, Multiple Manufacturers, allows the fleet to purchase two Doctrines, instead of one, to reflect the different Promethean Complexes that have contributed to the fleet.
When it comes to the Specialist Battlefleets, the Exploratory Group is ideal for pushing forward and dominating the midboard, the natural home for those wishing to flood the skies with flying saucers. The Autonomous Research Group improves the complicated, cognition-engine guided automata units that are emblematic of the Enlightened. The Reliable Cogitation Wafers Battlefleet Bonus gives all Automata vessels the Stoic property, allowing deadly Myriapoda Colossi to close the distance whilst suffering minimal reduction in their offensive capabilities.
Some Promethean Complexes have developed a close relationship with the large hunting whales that prowl the Dystopian Age’s seas, and have even taken to… improving upon them. The Cetacean Ops Battlefleet encapsulates this amalgamation of human, aquatic mammalian, and science perfectly. It allows you to take full advantage of the very powerful Physeter Construct and Orca Construct Short Range Squadrons, with the Battlefleet Bonus, All Hail the Whale, recycling extra Physeter SRS tokens to the table every turn.
Whether you are a new Enlightened Admiral who wants to set sail for the first time, or more experienced and looking for inspiration, here are three different Force Lists to consider. Starting with a list for Small Scale games, each subsequent list builds on the previous one, showing how a Dystopian Wars collection can be curated over time.
Small Scale List (1000 points)
This list is built from the Enlightened Starter Set and the Enlightened Frontline Squadrons box. It provides a good mixture of basic Cruisers, the Copernicus Heavy Cruisers bringing heavy firepower and survivability, whilst the Scythe Fighters of the Chatelet Drone Carrier mark priority targets for destruction from Guided torpedoes. The Agora Command Cruiser provides opportunities to manage the Local Anomaly Pool, whilst the Things Science Cannot Predict doctrine makes it easier to block your opponent’s Valour Effects. As to which weapons to mount—the reliability of the E.S.C.F. Heavy Gun Batteries, or the experimental power of something more esoteric—it is really down to your preferences as a true scientific visionary.
Standard Scale List (2000 points)
With the addition of a box each of Enlightened Support Squadrons and Enlightened Advanced Squadrons, the preceding list can be expanded to 2000 points. The Tacitus Assault Cruisers are the close-range brawlers of the Enlightened. Boosted by the Helion Assassin Constructs doctrine, they can board and devastate any target, with careful use of the Turbo Encabulation Drive to keep them out of trouble. Continuing the close range assault theme, Ketos Myriapoda Colossi are perfect for striking at enemy Flagships. To support these endeavours, the Vesalius Cetacean Surgical Ship allows for underwater sabotage and minelaying.
Large Scale List (3000 points)
For larger engagements on a truly epic scale the addition of the Hypatia Battlefleet Set and Aronnax Colossus Squadrons box, makes for a powerful force indeed. With the Exploratory Group Battlefleet, the addition of the Hypatia Generator Ship brings resilience to your line, its Generators buffing nearby units. To synergise with the Colossi introduced in the Standard Scale list, an Aronnax Veriforma Colossus has been included in this second Battlefleet, adding a potent torpedo attack to the mix. This is further supported by shoals of Praxilla Submarines that, although small, provide considerable firepower when massed together. Being able to easily repair damage taken in battle is one of the standout features of this list. The Self-Repairing Hull doctrine increases the durability of the Agora Command Cruiser, whilst a similar ability is extended to any ships with the Boarding Parties property by the Reclamator Repair Bay doctrine.This represents hordes of scuttling constructs, that you may recognise from Armoured Clash, rushing across to the enemy ship to steal the parts needed to fix your own damage.
Final Thoughts
The Enlightened are a powerful, if unpredictable faction, and this lethality can be dialled up to 11 with some calculated risk-taking in battle. Careful use of Turbo Encabulation Drive jumps should see your ships be able to move out of trouble after laying down torrents of fire.
The various units, Battlefleets, and Doctrines offer countless potential synergies with your preferred play style. Experiment, like a true Peer of the Enlightened, and you will quickly find a combination that works for you. Once you have, the future will surely be yours…
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