Ministry Monitor

''St Dominic's station is thick with crowds. A brass band plays. The cause of the excitement is an unfamiliar locomotive in Imperial blue. A delicate, gleaming craft whose elongated nose houses an array of lenses. A top-hatted official from the Ministry of Public Decency is delivering a speech. "...the first of a fleet of new Monitor-class locomotives! They will be Her Majesty's watchdogs, scouring the skies for the enemies of Albion!"''

Ministry Monitors are the latest vessels in Her Enduring Majesty's arsenal. Answering directly to the The Ministry of Public Decency, they begin appearing in Albion and The Reach after visiting London for the first time. Their deployment in the Winchester War spurs the Tacketies to respond in kind. They are more common in the Reach when the Stovepipes are in the ascendant, very common in Albion especially near Perdurance and the Mausoleum, and rare but occasionally spotted in Eleutheria. Certain smuggling prospects which warn that the destination is closely watched probably increase the spawn rate of Monitors near the destination; this may be the only time that Monitors spawn in Eleutheria.

Description
''The Monitor's hull is curved to deflect incoming rounds, but its plating is much lighter than that of a London dreadnought. The bridge is cramped, crammed with state-of-the-art sensory equipment. You put your eye to the main scope, and it flings your sight through the Monitor's precisely-aligned lenses and away to a distant stretch of the sky. The stars are bright and close. You step back, bumping into a control panel. "Careful," warns a watchful crewman, "that's the gun." Just one? you ask. He grins. "Oh, she only needs the one."''

Ministry Monitors are swift locomotives that fires a fast projectile that deals 9 damage. During firing, their line of sights can be seen in a form of a line. They are initially neutral to the player until fired upon, and will also immediately become hostile if the player is carrying any contraband.

If you can surprise them, Monitors are good targets to take on in the mid to late game. Closing and unleashing your salvos into their long sides is a good tactic. Their armour is relatively weak and while their projectiles are accurate, fast and painful, if you are at close range you can destroy the Monitor before it can turn to fire on you. Their loot is relatively valuable given the ease with which you can destroy them particularly if you have unlocked smuggling and can sell contraband, or if you are looking for the chance to obtain Cryptic Benefactors or Unlicensed Charts.

A Ministry Monitor, Defeated
''The Ministry's Monitors are delicate, elongated vessels housing a telescopic array of lenses and sounding-devices. In addition to aiding the Revenue Men in tracking smugglers, they perform other, less public, services for Her Majesty.''

Interactions