War at Sea
Allied Nations
- Australia
- Brazil
- Canada
- France
- Greece
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Poland
- Soviet Union
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Allies stat table
Axis Nations
Neutral Nations/Installations
Sets
- War At Sea
- Task Force
- Flank Speed
- New Starter
- Condition Zebra
- Set V (Fleet Command)
- Surface action
- First Strike (Forumini Expansion Deck A)
- Infamy (Forumini Expansion Deck B)
- Battle Line (Forumini Expansion Deck C)
- All Hands on Deck (Forumini D)
- Action Stations (Forumini E)
- Dead Reckoning (Forumini F)
Unit Card:
Set - Rarity - Number
History:
Reviews:
Lobukia
Finally! As admitted, this is the Scharnhorst as he should have been. Longshot 6 and torpedo defense have long been considered appropriate for the ole Scharny, so the game designers gave these to the other "ugly sister", the Gneisenau. The result is a bargain battleship that can tangle with Italian and modernized battleship row vessels and still have plenty of guns to mess up cruisers and destroyers that threaten. The Gneisenau is the perfect answer to the Alaska and Repulse… yet can still deal with the smallest and largest (albeit carefully) Allied vessels. Longshot also has the ability to fire after the vessel is damaged (unlike Extended Range), so keep that in mind, both when fielding and facing this ulgy sister.
Anonymous
This unit is certainly better than the Scharnhorst, and the extra cost is worth it just for the torpedo defense. Longshot 6, however, is a special ability that I have never managed to use successfully. Rolling 11 dice is almost never enough to defeat the 8 armor of most BBs, much less the 9 armor of a Rodney or King George V class. Maybe you could occasionally succeed with longshot against armor 7, like that of the HMS Repulse. So the Gneisenau is certainly better than Scharnhorst, and it is a fine battlecruiser in general, but I don't think it can in any way handle the bigger BBs.
Aran55633
Then don't use the Gneisenau against bigger battleships and use the Longshot to take a quick shot against enemy carriers…
Now then, simply compare it to the Fuso or the Royal Oak and you'll see that, for 41 points, this is a good battleship, though I don't think it's quite as good as Lobukia seems to believe. It is well rounded, and for 41 points is quite good. By far the best option Germany has when they can't spare 55 points for Tirpitz or Bismarck.
*Edit* Monty is right, I cannot read. That’s a bit unfortunate for Gneisenau, but that that range 6 potshot is still useful. You might be able to knock out an opposing battleship’s ER.
montyburns1982
The card says clearly long shot 6 can only be used against battleships….
Crissie's Critiques
This is the better of two middle-priced Kriegsmarine Battleships (the other being the Scharnhorst) Compared to the Scharnhorst, it picks up the much needed Torpedo Defense ability as well being as one of two ships in the game to have Long Shot 6 Ability (the other being the HMS Warspite) in exchange for an increase in price of only three points. Long shot 6 is a great, slightly underrated ability that gives the chance to knock off an opponent's battleship's extended range before the engagement really begins. outside of this effect though, everything on this unit is what you would expect it to be, average main guns, range three secondaries as well as tertiaries, average armour, and extended range four. In summary, Gneisenau can, if you hit your long shot, tip the tides of battle before it starts, and if you miss, you still have one of the most capable 40 point battleships on your side. CC Rating: B+
Plastic Figure Notes:
Aran55633
The sculpt is the same as Scharnhorst, and is quite good. Even though I don't care for the paint, it's a nice-looking piece.
