Poe Dameron #25 got me thinking about the FO Light Cruiser (FOLC?) again. It’s my new favorite small ship. In the comic, a FOLC is engaged against the Resistance Black Squadron.

• The Light Cruiser uses both laser and munition anti-fighter weapons, great justification for a 2-die anti-squadron battery. (More on this later.)

• FOLC is accompanied by 8 TIE’s. In past issues, FOLC Enshado had TIEs and Shuttles. A single Gozanti can only support 4 TIEs. I think this is enough justification to give the FOLC a squadron value of 2.

The two points above fit the FOLC functionally between the Raider and Gozantis. That raises the question, what other traits should it have in Armada to definitely fit in that design space?

My suggestions:

• 3 Hull. The comics show two FOLC’s destroyed. 1 rammed by a stolen TIE. 1 succumbed to focused fire from T-70’s. It isn’t durable, but anything less than 3 hull would be useless.

• 2 shields front. 1 shield each on the sides and rear. The T-70’s exploited a weakness in the FOLC’s rear shields.

• Front and Side Batteries: 1 Red, 1 Black. We know the ship has lasers and missiles, but they shouldn’t be powerful. In the upgrade bar, I would give the I-class Turbolasers, and the II-class Ordinance. Same batteries on both versions, but one version better at Long Range, the other version better at Close Range. Rear battery of 1 Red or 1 Blue.

• Upgrade options: Officer on both versions. Weapons Team and Offensive Retrofit on the FOLC I-class to equip Boarding Troopers. A FOLC in the comic launched a squad of jet-pack Stormtroopers. (Which could give Empire a boarding upgrade with a Raid mechanic. A generic Jyn Erso.) The FOLC II-class would have Fleet Support instead of Weapons Team. Ultimately the FOLC is a support ship.

• With an offensive role for the I-Class and support role for the II-class, I’m going to revisit the Anti-Squadron Battery. I would give the FOLC I-class a Red-Black Anti-Squadron, and Blue-Black for the FOLC II-class.

• Navigation - Copy the Gozanti Nav chart. Maybe change a yaw value here or there.

• 1 Command

• 2 Squadron

• 2 Engineering

What do you think of my little FOLCer?

Needs a picture

11 minutes ago, jmswood said:

• Front and Side Batteries: 1 Red, 1 Black. We know the ship has lasers and missiles, but they shouldn’t be powerful. In the upgrade bar, I would give the I-class Turbolasers, and the II-class Ordinance. Same batteries on both versions, but one version better at Long Range, the other version better at Close Range. Rear battery of 1 Red or 1 Blue.

Slap on External Racks and now it has stronger guns than a Hammerhead.

8 minutes ago, BrobaFett said:

Needs a picture

This?

or if we are unlucky this:

I think the second is better. Looks like a mean CR90 rather than the Tom Thumb Star Destroyer.

4 minutes ago, DScipio said:

The image is distorted, but that’s the right ship.

I also forgot defense tokens in the OP.

2 Evade and 1 Redirect.

6 minutes ago, svelok said:

Slap on External Racks and now it has stronger guns than a Hammerhead.

It should. This is an advanced military ship. The Hammerheads were up-gunned antiques.

X-wing has a Tech upgrade for the Sequel Era ships. I would add something like that with this expansion.

1 hour ago, jmswood said:

• 3 Hull. The comics show two FOLC’s destroyed. 1 rammed by a stolen TIE. 1 succumbed to focused fire from T-70’s. It isn’t durable, but anything less than 3 hull would be useless.

Arquitens have been destroyed by 1 tie ramming and they have 5 hull

Wow, they are both hideous designs. Truly awful.

24 minutes ago, ISD Avenger said:

Wow, they are both hideous designs. Truly awful.

What are you on about? Look at those blackout blinds, exhaust grates (or is it solar powered?) and that red on the bridge (?)

1 hour ago, Admiral Litje said:

What are you on about? Look at those blackout blinds, exhaust grates (or is it solar powered?) and that red on the bridge (?)

Judging by the screen name @ISD Avenger , I’m betting the rectangular shape upsets those traingular Imperial sensibilities.

4 hours ago, DScipio said:

This?

I, for one, would love to run a Chibi-class Star Destroyer or two in my fleet.

1 hour ago, jmswood said:

Judging by the screen name @ISD Avenger , I’m betting the rectangular shape upsets those traingular Imperial sensibilities.

True. Although to be fair, it would make an ugly rebel ship as well (although still not surpassed by the AF mk 2)

4 minutes ago, ISD Avenger said:

True. Although to be fair, it would make an ugly rebel ship as well (although still not surpassed by the AF mk 2)

FOLC got hit with the ugly stick. The ugle stick got hit with the Assault Frigate.

6 minutes ago, jmswood said:

FOLC got hit with the ugly stick. The ugle stick got hit with the Assault Frigate.

At least it isn't as ugly as the mk1 Assault Frigate

It should be noted that the "light cruiser" is actually used as a shuttle - the Resurgent has it nestled in its bow, in The Force Awakens:

6 minutes ago, TallGiraffe said:

At least it isn't as ugly as the mk1 Assault Frigate

Heresy

2 hours ago, jmswood said:

Judging by the screen name @ISD Avenger , I’m betting the rectangular shape upsets those traingular Imperial sensibilities.

Yknow, if you are going to call someone out on a name, perhaps one should consider not promoting something vaguely phallus shaped with “wood” as part of ones moniker ?

46 minutes ago, TallGiraffe said:

At least it isn't as ugly as the mk1 Assault Frigate

I was deliberately ambiguous to account for both versions of the ugliest ships I know of in any universe.

43 minutes ago, Ironlord said:

It should be noted that the "light cruiser" is actually used as a shuttle - the Resurgent has it nestled in its bow, in The Force Awakens:

Yes, a FOLC is docked with the Resurgent Finalizer in TFA but it isn’t used as anything. The FOLC operates independently on combat missions In multilple issues of the Poe Dameron comic.

29 minutes ago, Drasnighta said:

Yknow, if you are going to call someone out on a name, perhaps one should consider not promoting something vaguely phallus shaped with “wood” as part of ones moniker ?

“Wood” is not inherently phallic in shape. It is a raw material, or a forrested area. In the case of my screen name, a reference to the latter. You can extract a euphemism from from my screen name if you like, but that says more about you than it does about me.

7 minutes ago, jmswood said:

Yes, a FOLC is docked with the Resurgent Finalizer in TFA but it isn’t used as anything.

The Incredible Cross Sections book for TFA specifically says "Crew transfer shuttle (docked)"

5 minutes ago, Ironlord said:

The Incredible Cross Sections book for TFA specifically says "Crew transfer shuttle (docked)"

Another source. Another role. That supports placing FOLC functionally between a Gozanti (militarized transport) and a Raider (purpose-built military corvette.)

Or possibly stat it as something like a more heavily armed/armoured Lambda?

31 minutes ago, Ironlord said:

Or possibly stat it as something like a more heavily armed/armoured Lambda?

I appreciate the tidbit from the TFA reference book. It’s helpful, but it hardly defines the ship.

Don’t get tunnel vision on the term “personnel shuttle.” The term is vague and without scale. A Resurgent-class, a ship twice the size of an ISD, would need larger craft to transfer personnel effectively. That doesn’t mean those support craft are nothing more than transports.The comparison to a Lambda ignores the size and capabilities of the FOLC. Even a Sentinel-class shuttle would be dwarfed by the FOLC.

It's also possible that the artist creating the FOLC used the imagery of the personnel shuttle, but made it actually larger.

Given the known length of the Resurgent, is it possible to estimate the dimensions of the shuttle, from the rails it is resting on, at the bow of the Resurgent?

1 hour ago, Ironlord said:

It's also possible that the artist creating the FOLC used the imagery of the personnel shuttle, but made it actually larger.

Given the known length of the Resurgent, is it possible to estimate the dimensions of the shuttle, from the rails it is resting on, at the bow of the Resurgent?

Fair enough. I’m sure there’s a way to do it, but I’m not that tech savvy.

I still find the First Order using Dissident -class Light Cruisers ironic though I don't know if either class pictured are the Dissidents .