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Ok, since we were sort of highjacking the SM fleets thread, we're moving the discussion of the Excorcist GC here to this thread.

Personally, I feel that it has good potential, but is underpowered.

I believe that increasing point cost and giving it an extra point of launch per side would not only make it more attractive as an alternative to the Mars, trading the Mars' superior firepower and armor for better launch ability and hit points on the Exorcist.

Dictator 220pts
8 hits
2 shields
3 turrets
prow armour
prow torpedoes strength 6 - speed 30cm
port/starboard weapon batteries strength 6 @ 45cm (L / R)
port/starboard launch bays strength 2 - fighters/bombers

Excorcist 230pts
10 hits
3 shields
3 turrets
port/starboard weapon batteries strength 8 @ 45cm (L / R)
port/starboard launch bays strength 2 - fighters/bombers

Mars 270pts
8 hits
2 shields
2 turrets
prow armour
prow Nova Cannon
port/starboard weapon batteries strength 6 @ 45cm (L / R)
port/starboard launch bays strength 2 - fighters/bombers
dorsal lance strength 2 @ 60cm (LFR)

The basic profile
The Excorcist gains +2 hits and +1 shield compared to the Dictator & Mars. So more survivability for the excorcist by a large margin.
With the dropping of the prow armour on the Excorcist it loses flexibility in fleet setup: For the Dictator/Mars going prow on or abeam means no change in hit chances from enemy batteries. The Excorcist should only be abeam.

The Mars is an oddball with the dropping of a turret. Small issue but it's there.

weaponry
All have the same attack craft capability.

The Excorsist gains +2wb over both cruisers. It has the same range as the Mars and +15cm to the Dictator. Good for a carrier as it likes distance.
Now the Dictator has the asses of 6 torps. 6 torpedoes is more then 4 batteries extra at +15cm.
The Mars gains a Nova Cannon and 2 dorsal lances to be the best long range carrier.

So we keep a direct between the Excorcist and Dictator. All stats seen the +10pts is easily warranted. The Dictator has one unique trait: torps + attack craft on a single IN ship (synergy).

Fleet Doctrine
The key factor.

Dictator in a pair alongside a Retribution. Prow on, traditional Imperial Navy. Torpedo Wall.

Mars is great ship for smaller engagements as leading vessel.

Excorcist is great along Vengeance, Oberon, Emperor. Ships that benefit of going abeam as well.

Except that a great deal of successful IN strategy seems to lean toward massed nova cannons rather then a torpedo wall. (see recent activity on BFG mailing list re: limiting the number of NCs)

Not having one in the current environment is a serious drawback. Further, as a GC, Exorcist should be viable as a lead ship in small engagements, in the same manner as the Styx, but is crippled compared to the Mars in this respect.

Massed NC? You've been reading too much flybywire ideas at the SG forum. You read the batrep? It is skewed, he has had more scatter luck then everyone else in +10 years of BFG playing together (read the SG forum for a great post by Eudaimon in limiting the NC thread).

So far no one is buying a limit on NC and no one want is except flybywire.

The NC is a psychological weapon, not a damage potential.

Torpedoes are better. Guns as well.


The Exorcist can very well take care of its own in small battles with only little support.

Sorry, I've been getting plastered like that too, including a session where all 9 Icon got wiped by NC before I could close.

I'll toss out one more reason: the mini isn't WYSIWYG with existing stats. Styx has L6 and four LBs modeled on it. Mars has 2 LBs modeled on it and L 4. Excorcist has 4 Lbs modeled, but can only Launch 4. (more of a minor irritation of mine, but...)

And on of these days I'll have to visit this SG forum everyone talks about.

You know, to me one of the biggest fleet-building problems with the IN is trying to get some sort of AC capability into a low-point game (100 points or less). IN carriers are, in general, expensive, and since the Mars and Dictator are really no stronger than any other cruiser you may have out there they can be neutralized fairly easy.

For this reason, in a small game I find the extra survivability of the Exorcist to be worth 10 points. As for the Mars, I just find it too expensive.

If I'm playing a list of 100 points or less I probably have 2 Falchions for the versatility.

lol... 100pts games... Can be fun if executed well.

Ofcourse we do know RD meant 1000pts.

I feel the Exorcist is priced appropriately.

Oops, yeah, there should be an extra 0 in there!

Field_Mouse wrote:I feel the Exorcist is priced appropriately.

For it's current stat line, yes. What I'm saying is the stats should be improved and the price increased slightly to balance this.