Enriched by the font of knowledge unlocked by the New Learning, the Sultanate has been revitalised as a world power. Also, new secret friends of the Sultanate have explained that all is not quite what it seems in this Dystopian Age.

You can find the reinforcements for your budding Empire fleet that are mentioned in your blog at your FLGS or online today.

A greater threat than the petty, sabre-rattling Great Powers exists, and it is the duty of all to oppose this dark curse before it destroys the world. 

How the Sultanate plays

The Sultanate’s navy are as emblematic of the Great Power’s martial prowess as of its aesthetic perfection. Defending the interests of Sultan Mustafa the Golden and funded by the shadowy House of Gold, no weapon is too expensive and no esoteric technology out of reach. All of which is to say nothing about the otherworldly gifts bestowed by the mysterious Order.

As the third Dystopian Wars faction to make the move from Launch ORBAT to a brand-new full ORBAT, the Sultanate’s fleets have seen a few exciting changes to make them worthy of their ruler’s global ambitions. This blog will guide you on this faction’s playstyle, providing you with advice on how to make the most of your existing collection, or to tempt you into collecting a new fleet in the Sultan’s name.

Much as they are in Armoured Clash, the Sultanate are a fast, highly manoeuvrable force that punches extremely hard, and can be devastating at close range. Their ships are amongst the most agile in the game, further enhanced by their use of Portals, allowing them to move into and out of Reserve as the situation dictates. In the hands of a skilled Admiral, this ability to be in the right place at the right time makes them almost unstoppable.

However, this speed and manoeuvrability come at a price. Sultanate ships are neither the biggest nor the toughest that can be found on the seas of the Dystopian Age. Rather, speed is their armour. To keep moving is to stay alive; it is a mantra that will serve any Sultanate Admiral well.

Portals

Perhaps the greatest change in this new ORBAT concerns the use of Portal Markers and Portal Generators. The ability to shape the Play Area by generating physical obstacles that deal Damage and Disorder is extremely powerful, as we discovered with the Empire’s Magma Cast Generators. Therefore, a few adjustments have been made to how Portal Markers work.

Whilst Portal Markers still Block and Obscure line of sight, ships can no longer Collide with them. Rather, vessels that pass through them simply gain a level of Disorder. Once this is resolved, a roll is made, determined by the ship's Mass, to see if the Portal remains open. This small adjustment means that Sultanate Admirals can’t simply drop Portals in front of the enemy to cause Collisions (a frequent issue in the Launch ORBAT), but neither can the enemy guarantee the removal of a Portal.

The rules for Portal Generators remain much the same. However, gone is their ability to explosively collapse Portals! After all, Portals are intended to serve as passages through realspace, not bombs. Instead, Admirals can use these Generators to simply remove Portal Markers, causing nearby models to gain a level of Disorder. 

However, that is not to say this previous ability is no longer available to the Sultanate. Enter the Portal Generator Array. In addition to placing and removing Portal Markers across a wider area, this Array can use an action to implode a Portal, often to dramatic effect! On a successful Crew Check, a Sultanate ship can choose to gain up to three levels of Disorder, in exchange for dealing an equal amount of Damage on all ships close to the imploding Portal. Obviously, this is no small risk, and will require careful use of actions to mitigate this risk. However, the ability to put up to three points of Damage on a group of enemy vessels at once can swing the battle in your favour when employed at the right time. 

Units belonging to the Order have a particularly potent affinity with Portals, and this is no more evidenced than in a new Special Rule: Cor Caroli Raiders. As you might gather from the name, this nasty ability allows your ships to launch Boarding Actions utilising Portal Markers rather than the usual 4". Worse still for the enemy, such is the terrifying nature of the holy Cor Caroli that this action not only requires the enemy to make a Crew Check, but if they fail said Check? Your opponent cannot make a Resistance Roll.

Battlefleets

The Sultanate Faction Battlefleet will be the foundation of your Force, boasting a range of powerful Flagships, along with stalwart mainstay units such as the Iskandar Cruiser and Temir Frigates. However, some Flagships give you the option of “unlocking” additional ships to add to your fleet as mainstay vessels, making an Egyptian or Turkish-themed Force all the more possible. As for its Battlefleet Bonus, you will find yourself rewarded for eschewing your default Gun Batteries, and instead embracing the Sultanate’s more exotic weapons, such as Particle Beamers and D Cannons.

The sinister Order, meanwhile, receives the Allshard Order Aethernautic Battlefleet as a Specialist Fleet, led by a Retaj Portal Ship and accompanied by a range of Order vessels that can spread Disorder through their Terrifying (Order) special rule. Powerful Judgement Lances will serve as your standard weapons across this Battlefleet, making Order ships a nightmare to deal with up close. In fact, its Battlefleet Bonus allows you to do just that, with Order ships using Portal Markers to disappear into Reserve before immediately returning to the Play Area as though the unit was Deploying from Reserve. 

For those players who seek to take to the skies, the Balik Kartali Air Fleet allows you to field an entirely airborne Specialist Battlefleet. With an array of Turkish options to pick from, you can have flying cruisers armed with Heavy Gun Batteries supporting incredibly fast and agile smaller vessels. As for its Battlefleet Bonus, you’ll find your Patrol units punching extremely hard, far harder than your opponent might expect: when Patrol units attack, you can draw a Victory & Valour Card and add the card's Value in Bonus Dice to the Action Pool.

Rounding out these Battlefleets are the Crimson League Privateers. Representing the technologically advanced forces of Princess Scheherazade, this can be taken as either a Main Battlefleet for your Sultanate Force, or as a Mercenary Battlefleet for any other faction in the game. In addition to its powerful airborne flagship, the Princess’ connections allow you to take underwater Enlightened units. Her access to superior engineering also gives this Battlefleet its bonus, giving you the ability to remove Critical Damage Effects from models in your Force the moment they activate.

Small Scale (1000 point) list

This small-scale force is an ideal list for Admirals new to Dystopian Wars, or for those looking to play the Sultanate for the first time. It uses the new Sultanate Starter Set as well as two boxes of the Sultanate Frontline Squadrons.

Leading your Sultanate Faction Battlefleet is the powerful Mehmed Command Cruiser, its catamaran-style Ikili hull boasting two Pala Railguns as well as the potent Portal Generator Array. The opportunities for Portal generation continue with a trio of Iskandar Cruisers, each with its own Portal Generator and a powerful Heavy Hardpoint. The Bayezid Grand Cruiser is another Ikili hull ship which, paired with its Heavy Shield Generator, means that it can give as much punishment as it can take. This makes it ideal for supporting the smaller vessels such as your Çelik Destroyers and Temir Frigates. These ships, surprisingly potent for their size, swarm the enemy to bring their massed firepower to bear against a single, isolated target. Their high Speed also means they are equally good at flanking the enemy Force, before slipping in to cause carnage with their broadsides.

Medium Scale (2000 point) list

Once you have mastered your small-scale Force, you’ll be ready to lead your Sultanate Fleet into larger conflicts. First, you’ll want to add the Khartoum Battlefleet and Egyptian Frontline Squadrons to expand your Force to 2000 points. Forming a second Faction Battlefleet, these additions really lean into the speed and manoeuvrability of the Sultanate.

Your second flagship, a Khartoum Heavy Battleskimmer, brings mid-range devastation with a plethora of devastating rocket batteries. Meanwhile, your adaptable Mandjet Heavy Skimmers can be configured with rocket batteries or close-range weaponry, taking full advantage of their tremendous manoeuvrability, while your Mesektet Skimmers and Hashashin Fast Skimmers bring the same high levels of speed to your Force.

As hovercraft, all Egyptian units also enjoy the Amphibious property, allowing them to cross islands and ground hazards with ease, meaning few areas of a Play Area are denied to them. Furthermore, their Elevated property makes them immune to Submerged weapons, so no more worrying about torpedoes! Complimenting the power of your units is a trio of potent Fleet Doctrines. To the Sultan I Commend Myself allows you to more easily pass critical Crew Checks; The Sultan’s Hammer can give the Mehmed Command Cruiser’s guns a devastating boost when they need it most; The Thirteenth, meanwhile, is ideal for keeping your Egyptian units operating at the peak of efficiency. 

Large Scale (3000 point) list

By now, few Admirals will be able to match your prowess, with a series of glorious victories for the Sultan behind you. And as your reputation grows, so too must you steel yourself for larger challenges. The time has come to recruit the help of the esoteric and sinister Order. With the addition of a Retaj Battlefleet, and boxes of Order Exemplar Squadrons and Order Colossus Squadrons, your ability to manipulate space and reality to suit your own machinations will be unparalleled. The Retaj Portal Ship allows you to Weave additional Portals each turn, as well as violently collapse them around enemy vessels. Given its brutally high levels of close-range firepower, it can either bear down upon the enemy or use Portals to draw line of sight against the enemy from anywhere on the Play Area. With the Cor Caroli Raiders, it can also make use of the Portals to launch brutal assaults aboard enemy targets from afar.

The Carolus Destroyers and Lesath Exemplar Cruisers, meanwhile, are perfect for using the Order’s Battlefleet Bonus of Aethernauts, moving through Portals in a single Turn to close in on your opponent, where their Terrifying (Order) property will immediately start spreading Disorder amongst the enemy ships. If this closeness to the enemy puts your Order ships at risk, remember that careful positioning of Portals can give your units a safe exit into Reserves. As for your Vitruvian Colossi, these present some of the most powerful offensive units in your Force, flying across the Play Area to confound the enemy with a range of esoteric attacks. With their Portal Generators, you will be able to weave up to six Portals every turn, affording your fleet unparalleled manoeuvrability.

Closing Thoughts

With their high speed, esoteric weaponry, and effortless manipulation of the Play Area through Portals, the Sultanate are an easy faction to play with, but hard to master. However, persevere with them, and your victory will be all but assured, as the glory you bring to the Sultan is reflected back on you.

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