And the claim that it prevents familiarity is rubbish, if its the FFG mats there are only 2 options, so if you buy them then you can definitely get familiar with the Death Star / Yavin map. By that logic they need to say that only the "FFG Starfield" map is elligible.

If this rule is enforced, I plan to buy them and get familiar with both so as not to be at a disadvantage actually.

It's not an issue IMO. They can make whatever rules they like for their events but I don't see it being enforced heavily.

I think the intention is to get those who don't have mats yet to look at FFG's mats first. Now if FFG helped TO's get the Mats they need for an event that would be cool.

Otherwise this is a TO issue, so if you're not a TO I wouldn't sweat it.

From the Tournament rules that have just been published:

If playmats are used, only official FFG X-Wing™ Playmats are allowed.

This is to guarantee a consistent experience for players and prevent any advantage players may gain from familiarity with a particular map. Two X-Wing Playmats laid side by side meet the requirements for a Star Wars: Armada play area.

What do you guys think? Fair? Or a move to stifle the 3rd party market?

Edit: do you have an issue with having to play across two mats as opposed to one 3x6 mat?

I think this rule is mostly in place to prevent the odd scenario in which people know exact distance based on certain maps... specifically the Death Star Surface map, which is very geometrical and can give some players an advantage.

However, it is ALSO a bit of a point to bolster FFG's playmat sales I'm sure. Granted any TO would likely allow all maps to be used EXCEPT maps like the Death Star Surface. I have both FFG mats myself so I'm fine either way.

Well teh star field map seems pretty balanced (hard to mesure anything) but with the death star map I guess you could mesure and memorise distances based on the death star/Yavin/moon.

I'm saying "third party nerf".

About 90% of the games I play will not be tournament games, and I am sure that is true for the vast majority of future Armada players as well, so this rule doesn't really effect much at all.

I think this rule is mostly in place to prevent the odd scenario in which people know exact distance based on certain maps... specifically the Death Star Surface map, which is very geometrical and can give some players an advantage.

However, it is ALSO a bit of a point to bolster FFG's playmat sales I'm sure. Granted any TO would likely allow all maps to be used EXCEPT maps like the Death Star Surface. I have both FFG mats myself so I'm fine either way.

Isn't premeasuring allowed in Armada? I'm not seeing how a player can gain a real advantage by knowing distances if both players are allowed to measure them anyway.

My thoughts exactly Vlad, I was rewatching Armada vids today and the staff running the demo states pre-measuring is allowed.

Yeah, if it wasn't allowed, I could actually see a purpose to the rule. But knowing distances isn't actually an advantage when you're allowed to just measure them anyway.

It's not about distances for you, it's distances from a given position. You can pre-measure for your own movement, but the tournament rules specifically ban triangulating using two rulers. This is especially important with fighters if I want to land in just the right spot to say lock up two opponents fighters or to just barely avoid them and fire on an opposing ship. If I can't whip out a second ruler but I already know distanced between points on the map, there is a small chance I would have a massive advantage depending on where the battle was taking place on the mat.

Anyone here a TO? And if you are are you going to go out and buy all the FFG mats needed for a tournament? If the answer was no to either of these questions this is not an issue for you.

It is more for the large events that reps from FFG run and they provide the tables and Mats for you. Now they can say sorry you can't use your own mat so please use the one we provided for you.

Is that bad? Not IMO.

It's not about distances for you, it's distances from a given position. You can pre-measure for your own movement, but the tournament rules specifically ban triangulating using two rulers. This is especially important with fighters if I want to land in just the right spot to say lock up two opponents fighters or to just barely avoid them and fire on an opposing ship. If I can't whip out a second ruler but I already know distanced between points on the map, there is a small chance I would have a massive advantage depending on where the battle was taking place on the mat.

I still don't think it seems that significant an advantage to be worth banning all other playmats because of it.

I'm also figuring that most of my games will be home games rather than tournaments, so it probably won't directly affect me too much. But it still seems like a bit of a jerk move on FFG's part, espeically in regards to X-Wing, where players have been buying playmats produced elsewhere for a long time now, and now they're suddenly told that they're illegal for tournaments.

It's not about distances for you, it's distances from a given position. You can pre-measure for your own movement, but the tournament rules specifically ban triangulating using two rulers. This is especially important with fighters if I want to land in just the right spot to say lock up two opponents fighters or to just barely avoid them and fire on an opposing ship. If I can't whip out a second ruler but I already know distanced between points on the map, there is a small chance I would have a massive advantage depending on where the battle was taking place on the mat.

I still don't think it seems that significant an advantage to be worth banning all other playmats because of it.

I'm also figuring that most of my games will be home games rather than tournaments, so it probably won't directly affect me too much. But it still seems like a bit of a jerk move on FFG's part.

Explanation of the issue as I see it aside, I overall have to agree you.

Actually, I agree. Some 3rd party mats may have obvious marker points at certain distances. Such as stars at certain points and so on. For tourny play I can understand the move.

The idea that you need a game company to tell you how to run a tournament is silly.

This is a bad move by FFG. Forcing TOs' to buy a load of mats when they already have enough perfectly good ones is very unfair - for even the smallest size tournament (8 players) this will mean spending at least £120, add in venue hire and it means entry fees are so high that no-one enters or the TO loses a ton of money.

Ultimately, the TO will either ignore the rule, or not run tournaments. Either way this just makes FFG look like money grabbing #?$@%!^. I have just lost some respect for this company - how sad, especially one day after enjoying their latest product so much

This is a bad move by FFG. Forcing TOs' to buy a load of mats when they already have enough perfectly good ones is very unfair - for even the smallest size tournament (8 players) this will mean spending at least £120, add in venue hire and it means entry fees are so high that no-one enters or the TO loses a ton of money.

Ultimately, the TO will either ignore the rule, or not run tournaments. Either way this just makes FFG look like money grabbing #?$@%!^. I have just lost some respect for this company - how sad, especially one day after enjoying their latest product so much

It does not say you have to use playmats only that if playmats are used they have to be ffg ones. I don't know any game store that has a heap of playmats sitting around. I don't use them for 40k, warmachine or x-wing. I think they did this because you don't know the size or type of material the 3rd party play matts will be. Honestly who cares? The to can just say no body uses playmats at all. Feel like I'm in a crazy house with this forum. Its only for premier competitive tournaments eg store champs, regionals, nationals and worlds and it isn't a requirement. Ps with the price of this game are you really going to buy a playmat over another ship or fighter set?

O ps I am a to and I like the fact ffg has set a standard. It means I don't have to go and single out people because the stuff they brought with them isn't up to standard. It means the day isn't ruined by someone thinking the to is a bad guy and out to get them. Plus I can't really see what is wrong with playing this game on the tables that the game stores which run these events have all their other games played on. Hope this doesn't sound to aggressive. Up late with my daughter whose teething

Anyone here a TO? And if you are are you going to go out and buy all the FFG mats needed for a tournament? If the answer was no to either of these questions this is not an issue for you.

It is more for the large events that reps from FFG run and they provide the tables and Mats for you. Now they can say sorry you can't use your own mat so please use the one we provided for you.

Is that bad? Not IMO.

Maybe that's how it works in the States, but I know a TO who is now facing exactly that dilemma, obey the rules for the regional and national tournaments and have to find a way to cover buying all new "official" mats (I.e. Charge players more) as opposed to using the mass of mats that had already been bought for x-wing tournaments, or going "stuff you" to the rules and using what he already has.

I wonder if ffg realise these mats are not even available in Europe yet

I'm personally fine with some sense of standard accross the competitive scene, in fact I'd almost encourage it, I just wish it wasn't so constricting on what said standard is. Or expensive.

Like, if FFG said all mats must be made of x material, and if not one of ours must be verified by judges at the event before it's used to make sure it's not like readily usable to give information advantages, that would be fine in my books. But it's the specific detail of it being one of there mats that makes this a little hard to stomach.

But then again, I'm an old 40k player, I should be used to companies making slightly poor choices to sell more product

Just a thought, but seeing as the FFG official mats seem to have very poor availability outside of the US and I am under the impression that component legality is arbitrated by national distibutors in "rest of world" locations why don't us non-american X-winger's contact the people actually responsible for our higher level tournament organisation and say that these new rulings are unacceptable under present conditions? Can't comply with the new rules if we can't get our hands on the kit, and does anyone have any faith in FFG in house production to produce supply sufficient for worldwide demand?

"Its a moneygrab"

First negative Thing is see from FFG. Hope they dont turn to the dark side of marketing.

To me that has nothing to do with compatitive fairness - players could agree to not fight on their brought/own mats. Problem solved.

Plus: a 6x3 mat is much more playable than two 3x3 mats.

Plus: a 6x3 mat is much more playable than two 3x3 mats.

Aye, when we've done that for Epic X-Wing the mats havea tendency to drift apart as the game progresses.

Looks like just a plain and simple method to generate more revenue to me.

Can't hurt a guy for a trying to make a buck.

Like many other said, TOs do what needs to get done in order to have a Tourney. Play Mats are not going to hold anyone back except at official Tournament like GENCON or similar where FFG is doing the work.

To be honest, I was going to put down $ for a play mat for Armada ( I don't do X-Wing) but when /I realized that Armada play area was 6x3 and the X-Wing play mats were 3x3, I said F it. I rather just get the right 6x3 play mat from some other 3rd party vendor, and I still am going to do so.

Anyone here a TO? And if you are are you going to go out and buy all the FFG mats needed for a tournament? If the answer was no to either of these questions this is not an issue for you.

It is more for the large events that reps from FFG run and they provide the tables and Mats for you. Now they can say sorry you can't use your own mat so please use the one we provided for you.

Is that bad? Not IMO.

Maybe that's how it works in the States, but I know a TO who is now facing exactly that dilemma, obey the rules for the regional and national tournaments and have to find a way to cover buying all new "official" mats (I.e. Charge players more) as opposed to using the mass of mats that had already been bought for x-wing tournaments, or going "stuff you" to the rules and using what he already has.

I am willing to bet if TO's contact and talk to FFG they will find that the situation is not as bad as it appears. And if enough TO's contact and talk to FFG there will be either a change in the rule or a clarification.

FFG still really really want TO's to run events and tournaments so they are not going to screw TO's just to sell some mats.

So if you are a TO contact FFG to get some answers before freaking out. If you are not a TO don't worry so much, I doubt there will be issues once this gets figured out.