Okay, there's a lot of misconceptions...

about the Nova. Like the "can't fire all it's guns at the same time" thing. Here's the real deal according to Agents of Gaming.

A Nova-class Dreadnought, Beta Model, carries 18 Medium Laser/Pulse Arrays and 4 Mk. I interceptors. The interceptors can fire offensively as anti-fighter weapons (or if an enemy ship is REALLY close, as weak anti-ship weapons. But it's like firing on a cruiser with 20mm anti-aircraft guns) or they can form the "energy web" that makes the godawful flying bricks Earth Alliance churns out survivable against all but the Minbari and First Ones. The Energy Web makes the ship harder to hit, effectively reducing its radar cross section to a limited degree.

Now the Laser Pulse Arrays (or LPAs) are another story. They're the huge double cannons that are so prominent on the Nova. Despite their size, they are indeed weaker than the smaller fore and aft guns on an Omega. This is because compared to the Omega, they're old, primitive weapons. They were designed before the Narns sold weapons technology to Earth and before the Minbari Live Fire Exercise (popular slang in some circles for the Earth/Minbari War) which spurred Earth into doing some hardcore R&D, efforts which culminated in the Omega.

How powerful are the LPAs? They're about 33% less powerful than the heavy lasers and pulse cannons on an Omega. They're also shorter-ranged weapons, but they have the advantage of being faster-firing.

A Nova CAN fire all its guns at once. Unfortunately, it's reactor isn't up to the task of maneuvering it worth a good goddam. If the Omega is a slow pig, the Nova is a ten-year-dead pig. It's thrusters are also rated higher than the reactor can provide thrust for. So to get full thrust out of a Nova, you have to shut some other things down and reroute power.

Armor wise, it's pretty much on par with an Omega. Structurally it's slightly inferior to an Omega... Less durable internally, probably due to older and inferior materials.

In case you're wondering, the Nova Alpha carried 18 Medium Lasers instead of LPAs. It predated the Dilgar War and pulse cannon technology was a direct result of Dilgar technology captured during the war.