Zannah said:
Executor-Class Ships aren't battle stations though, and still large enough (As are Sunhammers and Darksabers, both technically ships and both capable of firepower on death star level).
Well when it comes to firepower I still doubt their ability and the sufficiency of their numbers. Destroying planets might be one thing, but does it give you a tactical advantage in combat against other ships? Planets aren't particularly manoevrable after all, but ships are.
Zannah said:
Besides, the Exterminatus is (to my knowledge) the worst weapon available to the imperium of men. On the other hand, the firepower to burn through a planets crust, extinguishing all organic life in the process is something even the relatively small Imperial-Class star destroyers can do. (they still deserve their name after all).
Well, not really the "worst". But more like the "most infamous". It's a sort of last resort, scorched earth tactic that they employ when they consider a world to be "lost" to heresy or some alien influence. Inquisitor Kryptmann also employed this strategy heavily against the Tyranids in order to deprive them of potential sources of bio-organic material for them to use to sustain their hive fleets.
But ships most definetly use more heavy hitting weapons. It's just that they are more intended to be used against local targets employing void shields (which demand a lot of energy to penetrate).
Also Exterminatus is something even the smaller ships (frigates) can achieve, depending on what methods they employ (virus bombs or cyclonic torpedoes).
As torpedoes go, there is also a kind which can shatter the planet (much in the way that the strike from a Death Star does) which burrows into the planetary core and detonate at the core. (these are used against planets that lack a sufficient atmosphere to burn)
Zannah said:
While the fight might be pretty onesided infantry wise, since there's more Space Marines then there's Sith, and there's probably more Guardsmen then there is Stormtroopers (though the latter are easier to make), with the Imperium of men having forgotten most of it's tech thousands of years ago, the Galactic Empire definately wins when it comes to toys (and uniforms) - and would win in the long run, through superior ressources and maneuverability.
I wouldn't judge the tech to quickly. Sure most drones of the Adeptus Mechanicus don't know much about how technology actually works, the Magii certainly does (even if the greedy bastards keep it a secret to make themselves indispensable), but the technology that they do frequently employ is pretty impressive stuff. When it comes to shielding it is equal to or even superior sometimes than the ones in Star Wars and as for weaponry... Well, let's just say that the Imperium of Man is pretty fond of the addage "if something is worth doing, it's worth OVERDOING!"
(or as the Imperial verion goes: "If something is worth doing, it's worth dying for" XD)
I mean, just take a look at the pictures posted. You can't barely even see the weaponry of your average Star Destroyer, yet you can definetly make out some pretty huge macro-cannons, lance weapons, nova cannons and other nasty things even from a great distance.
Also, in regards to lightsabres that only the jedi and sith seem to use, almost every imperial officer carries an equivalent of it (the power sword, which basically does the same damage). And when it comes to counteract "The Force" there are Primaris Psykers and Space Marine Librarians (as well as the occasional daemonhost that some radical Inquisitors might use). Personal forcefield generators are also heavily employed by important figures in the Imperium of Man (Space Marine Terminators all have them).
The part about maneuverability is interesting though, because it depends largely on where the factions fight. I mean, in the Galaxy of the Imperium of Man, ships travel through the warp (which is unstable to say the least) and that would probably serve as a nasty surprise for Star Wars vessels. ("What? Daemon creatures attacking our hull and possessing our crew!? Are you shitting me?! :O)
But the same thing doesn't seem to happen in that galaxy "far far away", so the warfleets of the Imperium of Man wouldn't face the same problems that they usually have to deal with with warp storms and spacetime related freak accidents and the like, ultimately making their warfleets more manuevrable than before.
As for the uniforms, I have to disagree. The uniforms and battlegear worn by the stormtroopers of emperor palapatine just doesn't have enough skulls and aquilas on them.
Zannah said:
Sorry for the slight derail, but the fangirl inside me needed to get that out
(though realisticly, with both empires being staffed entirely by xenophobic nutcases, chances are they'll find common ground)
That is a very real possibility. I'd expect some political fallout since one side doesn't take to kind to the other not bowing down to their ultimate dictator, but since there are so many aliens to exterminate they could find some civilized middleground.
