Plus I've got some buddies who don't play X-wing that are really interested in Armada so hopefully things are looking up...come on tax time!

What has made your buddies stay away from X-Wing?

I'm curious where the untapped market is for Armada players. There's a number of my X-Wing community who are declaring that they're not going to get into Armada, and I want to see where I might gather more people for Armada from outside that community.

Here is one to throw you for a loop.

Flames of War player looking to release his inner Star Wars fan. I think X-Wing and Armada are the two games Star Wars Gamers have been looking for since the orginal three movies came out. While Armada does look to be a bit pricer on the starting end I think it will even out like most games seem to do over the long haul and it is no worest than starting a 40K or FOW army. At least in X-Wing and I am gonna assume Aramada will be the same in that the figures you get from the start you can still be using 10 years down the road and they will still put up a fight.

Well when I saw the Borg Cube and DS9 for Attack wing at a LFGS I was like wow!

Is it just me, or does Tarkin's ability look AMAZING?

it's not just you....it DOES look amazing. But then at almost half the cost of a Victory class, it probably should be!

Yeah, and how much does Tarkin's ability cost -- relative to a Gladiator?

I think that with X-Wing's immense (and growing) popularity, FFG is figuring that they can sell an up-market product that prices somewhere between X-Wing and WH40K. It looks like a lot of the game pieces are a bit more high end than in X-Wing - e.g. the bases, movement 'flight stick', and command dials with plastic containers. Assuming a proportional mark-up, they can probably make more money on Armada, and they have X-Wing as a gateway drug, while still having it as a place where the poorer gamers can continue to hang out.

Yeah, I think the price isn't as bad as you might think at first glance (at least that is what I am telling myself and my friends).

Compare to Warhammer: I really, really (really,really, really!) want to play Warhammer Fantasy, and I have for a very long time, but the price has always prevented me. For years I have almost jumped in, but have balked at the cost. Think of it compared to Armada: To get both factions in Armada (wave one and core set) would cost you about $200 online, and they come prepainted except for fighters. To buy two new, tournament-ready Warhammer armies would cost much, much more than that, and would require a massive investment in paints, supplies, etc. to have it looking tabletop worthy. Not even close in terms of value, not to mention time investment for painting and assembly, which as a father is an even bigger concern for me.

As far as X-Wing, Armada is much more expensive per piece, but maybe not so much more expensive in the long run if you think in terms of fleet size. You need one core set for Armada (whereas most people get two in X-Wing) and are more likely to get away with one of each expansion (whereas most people get many in X-Wing). If you are buying three, or four, or eight TIE fighters, is it really cheaper than a single Victory? Of course, you don't have to buy that many TIEs, but you get the idea. I think in the long run, many people will end up spending as much or more on X-Wing as they would have on Armada.

Now, affording both at the same time is a difficult proposition, which is why I have dropped out of X-Wing spending altogether. I'm not saying Armada is cheap, but it isn't a bad investment or vastly overpriced game compared to similar products, and I agree with Mikael that it might fit a nice little niche for wanna-be miniatures gamers who couldn't afford GW prices...Those codices?! I mean seriously! You pay an exorbitant price for a book that will promptly be replaced with a new (read: even more expensive) edition...(or maybe not if you like Bretonnia.)

On a side note, Warhammer Diskwars is an incredible game for people like me! If you are also interested in WH but can't pay GW prices, take a look! Rant over. Aramada resume.

Yeah, once upon a time, I played Warhammer. I had about 6 full armies. Then the codex and or main rules would get re-done. The armies would need expanded or completely redone.

And the rules were generally not very well written.

I now look for games that stand the test of time. I look forward to playing X-Wing until I fall over dead -- in about 60 years. Here's hoping Armada earns a spot on that list

Yeah, once upon a time, I played Warhammer. I had about 6 full armies. Then the codex and or main rules would get re-done. The armies would need expanded or completely redone.

And the rules were generally not very well written.

I now look for games that stand the test of time. I look forward to playing X-Wing until I fall over dead -- in about 60 years. Here's hoping Armada earns a spot on that list

Was that once upon a time last week? I could swear you are talking about the way Warhammer still is

Yeah, the fact that your core units could be nerfed or even moved to a different classification (that can happen, right? like move from elite choice to special or whatever) was something that always made the game less appealing to me and helped prevent me from buying in. I didn't want to buy and paint up a bunch of sword masters and build a cool army that I liked only to have them be horrible in the new rules. Those new rules would instead make phoenix guard the hotness, so I would have to buy and paint them...and so on.

Forget Tarkin, I'm looking at Dodonna/D's Pride and the Leia card. Those look awesome to me.

The most recent Game Trade Magazine had Armada's full line listed in it BTW. A single ISD expansion box is $39.95 MSRP. All the main ships look to range between 30 and 40. The CR-90 might have been $20, but I don't recall. Pretty sure the Squad Boxes were. But then again, many of these ships will only need to be bought once. Doing the math rough and quick, it was like $230 for a average 'play set' of Wave 0 and 1 of X-wing, not counting accessories. I'm coming up with like $320 for the full start up of Armada, just buying one of everything? Would be far easier if you split it with a buddy. Which is what me and one of my X-wing mates are gonna do if we can.

And word to the wise. Don't buy games from model company. They don't care about rules any further then how the rules can help sell models. I have a Tau army sitting over here and a crap ton of random 40K stuff sitting on a shelf that permeates the surrounds with obtuse whispers of the horrid idea that moved me to expel money into their undeserving polymers.

Yeah, once upon a time, I played Warhammer. I had about 6 full armies. Then the codex and or main rules would get re-done. The armies would need expanded or completely redone.

And the rules were generally not very well written.

I now look for games that stand the test of time. I look forward to playing X-Wing until I fall over dead -- in about 60 years. Here's hoping Armada earns a spot on that list

Was that once upon a time last week? I could swear you are talking about the way Warhammer still is

I keep in touch with my local GW play group. Keeping informed about the state of the game helps stave off the urge to go back when they release the new hotness. It may look cool, but their rules just lead to hours of arguments.

Forget Tarkin, I'm looking at Dodonna/D's Pride and the Leia card. Those look awesome to me.

The most recent Game Trade Magazine had Armada's full line listed in it BTW. A single ISD expansion box is $39.95 MSRP. All the main ships look to range between 30 and 40. The CR-90 might have been $20, but I don't recall. Pretty sure the Squad Boxes were. But then again, many of these ships will only need to be bought once. Doing the math rough and quick, it was like $230 for a average 'play set' of Wave 0 and 1 of X-wing, not counting accessories. I'm coming up with like $320 for the full start up of Armada, just buying one of everything? Would be far easier if you split it with a buddy. Which is what me and one of my X-wing mates are gonna do if we can.

And word to the wise. Don't buy games from model company. They don't care about rules any further then how the rules can help sell models. I have a Tau army sitting over here and a crap ton of random 40K stuff sitting on a shelf that permeates the surrounds with obtuse whispers of the horrid idea that moved me to expel money into their undeserving polymers.

Dodonna and Leia look like a very nice combo: My Imps will have a tough time deciding which ship to slag first.

Looking at how folks spent on X-Wing, the initial buy in was a bit less -- and it could be spread out over some time. Armada definitely requires us to put our big kid pants on and <shudder> budget . The $100 initial buy in may serve as a barrier to entry for some folks, especially for impulse buyers. For me, the minis look good, and the announcement last fall gave me plenty of time to pull funds from other games for this one.

Yeah, half of my stuff for GW is unpainted. I got a fair amount of it on sale, and before the price bumps.

Oh! To promote this game, we need to get out into the LGS and demo like mad.

I wouldn't worry too much. So far it looks like a lot less than $100 from online places, Amazon being the cheapest so far.

Not sure I can agree with that, the only reference I can find to Armada on Amazon is a book, albeit for $60. I've got mine coming to me from Miniature Market, I can get one of everything for $206.05 with shipping.

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Fantasy-Flight-Games/dp/1616619937/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419883465&sr=8-1&keywords=star+wars+armada

$53.96 on Amazon

$15 cheaper than Miniature Market, though sadly they only have core. I'm in the UK though, so miniature market not really an option regardless. But it's only £46 on Amazon.co.uk

That is kinda sketch. It has no description or picture, just a title. And the list price it is "cutting" cost from is $60 where as we know Armada is MSRP $100. Not saying Amazon or FFG is being sly, I'd bet it's just some miscommunication somewhere but I'd still wait for correct details before paying.

It has the correct product number (ISBN 978-1616619930) and is part of Amazons pre-order price promise. No real risk, maybe just a screw up somewhere. But they do generally honour price errors on pre-orders....this is why I always check them first!

I've pre-ordered many times cheaply, and never run into any issues.

That is kinda sketch. It has no description or picture, just a title. And the list price it is "cutting" cost from is $60 where as we know Armada is MSRP $100. Not saying Amazon or FFG is being sly, I'd bet it's just some miscommunication somewhere but I'd still wait for correct details before paying.

Amazon isn't going to decide "oh, your preorder suddenly went up in price, we're charging you extra" they might cancel it on us, but no, it's not going to screw me over that way