The Ramilies class star fort has formed a vital lynch pin in Imperial strategy since the earliest days of the Great Crusade. It was designed, according to Mechanicus legends, by the hitherto unknown Artisan Magos Lian Ramilies from STC materials captured in the purgation of the 'Stone World', Ulthanx. The Hyper-plasmatic energy conduction system used by the Ramilies is barely understood by the Tech Priests in current times, but thanks to the STC system it is still reproducable and has guaranteed endurance of over 3,000 years. The greatest advantage of the Ramilies by far is that it powerful generators can erect a warp-bubble over the entire structure enabling it, with the aid of seventeen navigators and an attendent fleet of tugs, supply ships, war ships and system craft, to enter the warp and be towed to different star systems. This operation, always perilous, has resulted in the loss of over twelve hundred Ramilies Stars Forts in their ten millenia of service to the Emperor. However each journey has shortened Imperial campaigns by years at a time by allowing the Imperial fleet to move repair, command and resupply facilities right up to the front line, saving its ships lengthy return trips to temporary supply bases or full repair dock facilities far behind the warzone.

The Ramilies itself is heavily armed as befits its role and fully capable of fighting off a fleet of attackers if need be. On occasion they are commandered to be placed as permanent orbital bombardment emplacements over embattled worlds, or act as part of the defences of a vital system. At any one time Cypra Mundi will include between six and eight of these gigantic fortresses as part of its orbital ring. Some are used as Adpetus Mechanicus deep space research facilities for projects too secret to be placed near any inhabited world. Others have gone to the Inquisition to be used as hidden fortresses for that clandestine and all-powerful organisation. Over the centuries blasphemously altered rebel star forts have been sighted sighted likewise supporting Chaos renegade fleets. Such abhorrence is attached to these twisted parodies that they are pursued doggedly by Imperial Navy Captains, but the last acreditted destruction of one was in the Tauran Annulus in M.39. Ork raiders have captured partially crippled Ramilies at least six times, most memorably in the notorious 'Skaggerak incident' during the Segmentum Obscurus fleet review of 975.M41.

The Ramilies star fort is so large that its weapons, hits and defences are divided up into four 'quadrants' representing the different sides of the space station. When the star fort is fired upon determine which quadrant the firing will hit by tracing a straight line from the stem of the firing ship to the center of the fort. Likewise when ordnance hits it will be resolved against the quadrant of the fort it moves in from.

Nova Cannons and Armageddon Guns can score a 'full on' D6 hits only against the quadrant most under the centre hole of the marker when it hits.

All damage and criticals only affect the quadrant that they are inflicted against unless specifically noted otherwise. Quadrants are crippled individually once they are reduced to 6 damage points. Once a quadrant's hits are reduced to 0 any further hits plow into the drifting wreckage and do no further damge, treat that quadrant of the fort as an asteroid field from now on.

Hit and run raids are likewise resolved only against the quadrant they are directed at and will not affect other quadrants.

The Ramilies cannot be boarded by ships. Whole regiments would be needed.

Damage control is also undertaken individually. To all intents and purposes the four quadrants function as individual stations placed 'back to back'. The fort itself is only destroyed once all four quadrants are reduced to 0 damage points.

Unlike most defences, the command control and communications of the Ramilies is superior to even that of a Warship. To represent this a Ramiles can use the following combat orders:

Reload Ordnance, Lock On, Brace For Impact.

Ramilies are also typically manned by experienced personnel, so their Leadership is rolled as for capital ship. A Ramilies also has a single command check re-roll which may be used when it attempts to roll special orders. Fleet commanders may be placed aboard a Ramilies, in which case their own Leadership value is used by the fort and the fort's reroll is added to the commanders own rerolls so that it can be used throughout the fleet.

The internal communications of the Ramilies mean that its different quadrants can use different squadrons can use different special orders. For the purposes of issuing special orders to the Ramilies the owning player can effectively divide the quadrants up into squadrons and then issue special orders to each in turn.

For example, the player wishes to issue Reload Ordnance orders to the north and east quadrants, while Locking On with the the south and west. Only two command checks are made for the two pairs of orders. If later in the turn the player needed to Brace For Impact he could do so with a single quadrant only, leaving the rest free to reload or lock on again next turn.

Weapons mounted on the central Basilica count as operating under the special orders of all of the quadrants, so it entirely possible for them to be locked on, reloading and braced all at the same time. Brace for Impact orders will halve the firepower and ordnance strength of the Basilica weapons as normal.

Individual quadrants have their own ordnance and will run out on doubles as normal. basilica weapons are considered to have an unlimited supply of torpedoes and never run out.

Each quadrant has its own shields, when blast markers are placed put them in contact with the appropriate edge of the fort's base. In the End phase D6 blast markers are removed from the whole of the Ramilies fort, not D6 blast markers per quadrant.

Friendly ships in contact with the Ramilies model can halt their movement just as if they were in a gravity well. If they wish to turn they may use Burn Retros special orders without taking a command check to do so. If a ship is in contact with one of the four interquadrant docking piers it can fully dock.

While fully docked a ship it gains an extra four dice when rolling for damage control during a battle and can restock ordnance if it has run out by remaining in contact with the pier and successfully using reload ordnance special orders for two consecutive turns, being reloaded on the third turn. Even while fully docked the ship is still targeted and attacked separately to the fort, although it counts as being in close formation with the fort for massed turret fire with the benefits and dangers that brings.

For more detail see p7 of Warp Storm.

Some of the larger defensive platforms like space stations and the Ramilies have multiple hits. When it comes to taking damage defences with multiple hits work just like capital ship. They can suffer criticals just like capital ships and get crippled once they have lost half of their damage points. Remember that critical hits against the Ramalies only affect the quadrant they are scored against unless the result specifically states otherwise.

A Ramilies can be deployed as an orbital defence or, in appropriate scenarios such Planetary Assault, Exterminatus, Surprise Attack, or Hunter Prey as a replacement for a planet. In such scenarios orbital defences may be sited within 30cm of a Ramilies class Star Fort. A Ramilies is bought from the fleet's points, rather than defences to represent its rarity and importance. Ramilies may only be used by prior agreement in competitive games (it's unlikely to be ambushing you in the middle of a fleet engagement after all), but can prove to be a good 'surprising find' for players in Umpired scenarios.

The Ramilies is available to Imperial and Chaos Fleets. Special scenario's can be devised to represent Orks and Eldar using a captured Ramilies.

In a campaign a Ramilies can only be gained by a commander of eleven or more renown by making a dedicated appeal needing a 5+ to succeed. Alternatively the commander may surrender control of one forge world or Hive planet and be granted a Ramilies by way of replacement. A Ramilies generates repair points equivalent to a pirate base and players can attempt to attack it in the same way as a pirate base. In addition to generating repair points the Ramilies enables one capital ships or escort squadron withdrawn for full repairs to return before the start of the players next game on a D6 roll of 4+.

If a Ramilies is found it can be moved to try and prevent further attacks on it. If the owning player decides to move his fort he must roll a D6. On a roll of 1 the fort is lost in the warp and must be struck from the roster. On a 2 or more the fort relocates successfully and must be found again before it can be attacked.