Isn't the Rebellion a hit and run force usually? The only times they meet fleet to fleet are either when they have a trick up their sleeve or desperate. Another thread asked if one side fielding all fighters would be viable and, from a Rebel point of view, shouldn't that be possible?

But my understanding is that you need capital ships to order your fighters to move so they require capital ships. That being said, I kind of wish there was both a way for one side to field all fighters and a significant role to play that gave them a chance. The Rebels did hit-and-hype raids of fighters only and usually were more fighter reliant since they were sans capital ships for so long. Armada is kind of funny in that it reflects a Rebel fighting force not usually associated with them. I'm tempted to say Rebel fighters should get some kind of bonus against capital ships or be given an extra range band to perform in to represent their individualized authority -- being less reliant on the chain of command than Imperial pilots. But such a boost would seem unfair in a match where both sides fielded capital ships (the heart of the game) so I'm ultimately against it.

I'm just saying Rebels had a whole other strategy that used starfighters more and fielded capital ships less often. Even with their smaller sized fleet those were in short supply as well. It's not like the Rebels had fewer capital ships but tons of corvettes as a compromise. They had less all the way around. When Rebel and Imperial fleets did meet, the Rebels either relied on starfighters in a unique way, fought on advantageous ground, had goals beyond destroying the enemy like escaping with secret data, or were otherwise running for their lives. Hell, there was no fleet countering the Empire above Hoth. It would be nice if Armada reflected the difference in force composition and style. Instead it kind of looks like Rebels will get more, smaller ships But the fighters are still kind of meh when that should be a primary power for the Rebels. Because shouldn't fleet to fleet battles be ultimately very rare and decidedly pro-Imperial?

I'm ultimately fine with things but this was just a thought that occurred to me.

(I'm actually somewhat tempted to only get the Neb-B and CR-90 for the Rebels out of wave 1 to keep this theme present, forcing me to build with more fighters. I'd maybe buy the others, like the Assault Frigate MkII, for the cards and then sell the miniature.)

Well, from what we've seen so far, the rebel fighters ARE stronger than the Imperial ones. 3 of the 4 types of rebel starfighers in wave 1 have the bomber keyword making them capable of dealing significant damage to capital ships, compared to 1 of the 4 types for Imperials. And theyre also tougher to take down on average.

Plus, the game comes with multiple scenarios so that it's not just sitting around fighting until there's only one side with ships left. I wouldn't be at all surprised if any of those included unequal forces and/or hit-and-run type missions.

The rebels sent out detachments of the fleet to conduct operations regularly, both to keep the empire off balance, and to season the fleet so it would have the combat experience necessary when the time came for the big one, aka the shot at Palpatine. Also some of the larger rebel sector commands had their own fleets.

While it was probably rare for even forces to run into each other I doubt it was unheard of. Perhaps the Empire was attacking a target and a roughly even force was all that the rebels had time to send to defend it. Or the rebels have discovered a high value target and either they can only spare a fleet roughly equal to the defending fleet or the Empire discovers the attack and an equal fleet is all they have time to assemble. Maybe the rebellion needs to pin the fleet in place to stop it from interfering in a vital operation elsewhere and an equal force is all they can spare or are willing to risk to hold the Imperial force in place.

While it was probably rare for even forces to run into each other I doubt it was unheard of. Perhaps the Empire was attacking a target and a roughly even force was all that the rebels had time to send to defend it. Or the rebels have discovered a high value target and either they can only spare a fleet roughly equal to the defending fleet or the Empire discovers the attack and an equal fleet is all they have time to assemble. Maybe the rebellion needs to pin the fleet in place to stop it from interfering in a vital operation elsewhere and an equal force is all they can spare or are willing to risk to hold the Imperial force in place.

These are all valid reasons for why equal Rebel v Imperial fleets might meet up. But they're still the exception. Rebel forces were typically smaller or had unorthodox goals besides the outright destruction of the Imperial fleet. So it would be neat if the game provided for that at its core.

Well, from what we've seen so far, the rebel fighters ARE stronger than the Imperial ones. 3 of the 4 types of rebel starfighers in wave 1 have the bomber keyword making them capable of dealing significant damage to capital ships, compared to 1 of the 4 types for Imperials. And theyre also toguher to take down on average.

I went back and checked, this is true. The Imperials get a minimum of speed 4 -- 5 for the Squints -- and the swarm ability for both TIEs and Squints alike that allows the Empire to inflect more damage when they outnumber the opposition. The Rebels, though, except the A-wing, all get the bomber ability that allows them to attack capital ships reflecting the Alliance's use of starfighters in fleet engagements. So that's pretty cool. I'll be excited to see if these two designs, swarm for Imperials and bomber for the Rebels, gives their use of fighters a distinct -- and influential -- feel.

You are correct in that the Rebellion almost never confronted the Empire directly in capital ship actions until after Endor.

It DID happen though, as rare as it was.

For the following part, i've tried to ignore any battle that appeared purely in "Empire at War", because that game obviously just threw together battles regardless. If it also appears in a supporting source though, i've considered it fair game.

One of the best examples I can think of or find with a quick look (it's Christmas day, my computer time has been invaded!) is the Battle of Turkana:

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Battle_of_Turkana

This was one of the first times the Empire encountered Mon Cal cruisers, and also the first use of the X-Wing. 10 Imperial-Class attacked 7 Mon Cal, but retreated after the surprise of encountering such a powerful new fighter (they had the strength to certainly win, but they just had no clue what they were facing).

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Battle_at_Jabiim

The Battle of Jabiim is good too. Victory-class and Acclamators assaulting a Rebel base protected by MkII Assault Frigates and Mon Cal cruisers.

After Endor they became a lot more common, and that period is still covered by Armada (and X-Wing) as it's still considered part of the "Civil War era" all the way up to ABY19 when Pellaeon signed the peace treaty. But even in the more immediate aftermath of Endor, fleet battles become more common as the Rebellion/New Republic had to start actually taking and holding territory.

There's plenty there for some nice justification for fights, especially given the relatively small scale battles Armada covers!

One thing I remember is that a common Alliance fleet task force capital ship mix was 2 cruisers, a corvette, and a frigate which sounds about right for Armada once some MC80s are out.

Plus if you remember the game was originally introduced as a skirmish mission based game where the players spend six rounds to accomplish a goal rather than destroy the other side completely. And while I'm sure that six turns is enough to destroy the other fleet depending on the fickle mood of the dice gods it overall short time makes the focus the actual mission. Which is where the quicker and more versatile ships the Rebellion will field will seem to shine more.

I disagree. The only time we see rebels attack without some kind of capital ship nearby is Yavin against the Death Star. Even then there were operating near a base. Rebel ships are capable of operating at medium ranges with out capital ships, but you can't fight an entire war that way. Actually we do see a Rebel Capital ship operate with out fighters, the Tantive IV.

As for the EU, only elite fighter units operate without Captial ships. And even they hop from base to capital ship to replenish their resources.

It's just the balance of attack power the is shifted from Captial ships to heavier fighters that differentiates them. Both sides still require a mix of forces to operate effectively.