Shadow point - Technical discussion and Analysis thread

[Ford Prefect]

Really have to thank you for doing this Connor. You've always been a bastion of rational analysis and exceedingly helpful in regards to technical details.

[Stormbringer]

This also suggests (as other sources have) they are considerably more destructive than normal shotguns or other projectile weapons (comparable to bolters in terms of raw damage, really.)

There is a description in one of the novels, one of the Shira Calpurnia series I believe, where there is a rather detailed description of Arbites employing shotcannon. Most shells do indeed have an explosive tip and other rounds even go so far as to have what amounts to a rocket assist. Either or both of these would go a long way towards explaining how they can impart so much momentum and why they are comparable to bolters. The latter because a bolter is essentially a launcher for miniature rocket propelled grenades.

I would caution you that boltguns/bolters are a class of weapon, not a singular design. Those carried by a Space Marine are considerably more powerful weapons than anyone else can use.

Seventeen capital ships, including two battleships, and twenty escorts was considered by Ravensburg to possibly be the "largest single naval force" gathered together for battle since the Horus Heresy. This is probably greatly exaggerated, given the scale of battles in other section of the Imperium (MacCragge comes to mind)

He may not be wrong. While the time line was (and I believe still is) some what muddled, the Gothic War was considerably before the Battle of Maccragge. I don't know whether they formally decided it was the 12th (or precusor to the 13th Black Crusade) or just close, the Gothic Sector War did tie up a considerable portion of the Segmentum Fleet and others.

Given the mention prior of "hundreds" of vessles in battlefleet gothic, its curious that the lost of frewer than three dozen vessels woudl be telling, unless seventeen capital ships represented a substantial chunk of his "capital ship" capability (Which it might.)

A good deal of it was concentration issues. Battlefleet Gothic was spread out considerably trying to cover the business it needed to at this time and of course Warp travel is unpredictable at best. As we see in the opener to this book and the previous book, a good deal of the fleet was operating in relative penny packets which meant Abbadon's warfleet could easily achieve local superiority where he chose. This meant that in turn they either ceded the objective or went down fighting.