Ludimus in Londinio is a London-based tabletop blog for veterans and newbies alike, and, in the latest in a long line of Star Wars reviews, has finally gotten round to looking at Armada!

https://ludimusinlondinio.wordpress.com/2015/04/03/deploy-the-fleet-a-review-of-star-wars-armada/

Very nice and enjoyable read, thank you, and +1 for this:

"Yet paradoxically, Armada is somehow far more detailed and deep in every aspect while feeling, and we don’t know how, easier to play."

But, concerning the maneuver snake:

"It’s actually an easy enough system once you have the hang of it, and the fact that the ship can start on the left side of the template but end its move on the right adds another layer given the absence of the boosting and barrel-rolling antics of X-Wing."

Is that right? I thought you always had to use the same side both for start and end, you simply chose the side that allows you to actually place your ship at the target location (as in most cases your ship will only fit on one side without overlapping the snake).

Am I mistaken?

As far as I know, you don't change sides, you must simply make sure you don't end up blocking your own ship's placement.

yea that part was missed, you have to start and end on the same side of the maneuver tool.. without overlapping it.

I definitely agree on the dice. They should have had 4 of each, so you could roll all of them for the xwing.

And the part about the boxed being unbalanced...

The X-wing core didn't give you enough dice either. The X-wing couldn't roll all the dice at range 1 and the Tie defense at range 3. At most you could play a 35 point game I think. So FFG has a habit of not including everything in a core.

Actually using the learn to play rules, I managed to win with the Rebels a few times. You do have a hell of a time actually killing the VSD, but I got it down to 1-2 hitpoints before.

I agree on the ease of play part. X-wings rules are simple, but the gameplay has a steep learning curve. You hit rocks a lot or fly your ships into each other a bunch starting out. Armada's rules are more complicated, but once you got them down the actual gameplay is pretty intuitive and easy. It does help you can measure a lot more.

The learn to play rules are Rebel favored actually (pointwise too). It's when you start using commanders and upgrades when the VSD turns into a killer.

It's pretty painfully obvious this guy doesn't actually have a review copy and is just making it up out of his ass from FFG reviews.

Hence him talking about Tarkin at his old 35pt cost, and not the 38pts he costs now.

See also him talking about how the Rebels are going to have difficulty winning a game, where actually the reverse is true.

I've played 3 games of Armada so far, and I've yet to see a ship actually get destroyed. The Rebels haven't the firepower to touch the VSD unless he does something stupid like ignore Luke Skywalker, and the VSD hasn't the speed, yaw or weapons range for the Rebels not to dance out of the way.

So every game, one of which was done at 200pts, all that happens is that the Imperial player spends his TIE's to keep the X-Wings away. The X-Wings munch them for 50 odd points and a modified win, and the Rebel player spends the game keeping out of the VSD's front arc.

Heaven help the Imperial player if the Rebel player gets an Objective like Intel run or Superior Positions or Dangerous Terrain. Right now a lot of the non-red objectives favour the Rebel player.

It's pretty painfully obvious this guy doesn't actually have a review copy and is just making it up out of his ass from FFG reviews.

I really have no idea what this box is I have in my hand then. It's pretty hefty, says Armada on it and cost me almost £70. Pretty sure that's the same game I've played every night this week.

It's come to my attention that some of the images I've used are now out of date and I'm in the process of updating them. I use stock images from the publishers' websites as, as you can see, I review so much that it would just be impractical otherwise.

As for your comments, very hurtful, simply untrue and just plain uncool to level at a fledgling hobby site trying to make it way just because you might not agree 100% with the opinions expressed. If you'd read and engaged with the review the detail alone I've gone into in terms of discussion is evidence enough, agree with your own opinion though it may not, which I think is the issue here. In all of the games I've played this week the Rebel force was torn to ribbons, with its best outing managing to get 6 hits on the VSD.

As I believe you'd enjoy the evidence, I have plenty of it for you.

For starters you can head over to the UK Armada community I run on Facebook and check out this post from last week, which I've taken the liberty of screen-capping for you:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/skmus0o2jwvvr00/proof2.png?dl=0

The community is at http://www.facebook.com/groups/armadaukirl and the post is still there to scroll down and see. I look forward to getting a membership request from you.

Then there's my order summary from Weekend Warlords, obviously with my address blanked:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/v61bvvq7lh86orj/proof3.png?dl=0

You can also head over to the Hackney Area Tabletop Enthusiasts page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/hackneyaretabletopenthusiasts/?fref=ts)%C2'> have a natter with them - several of their number came over during the course of the evening and my game with another player.

Lastly, from our 'About' page:

"Thus far all games reviewed have been paid for with our own money, and should that ever not be the case you’d be the first to know – and we’d ensure our values remain uncompromised.

What we write is solely our opinions – not those we’ve been sweetened or pressured into giving."

Apologies to the community for what must seem like a lengthy off-topic reply, but I simply put too much work into Ludimus in Londinio to be wrongfully and spitefully accused of not owning the games I review.

We have played an awful lot in the last 10 days or so and obviously am playing a different game than MWard if he finds the Rebels to have an easy time of it !!!

We have played an awful lot in the last 10 days or so and obviously am playing a different game than MWard if he finds the Rebels to have an easy time of it !!!

Ah yeah, forgot to mention that you can also ask this guy ^.

I have seen your rebuttal as well as the pictures you have posted and I am willing to apologise for my earlier comments as I can now see they are untrue.

What initially got me suspicious was the old price tag on Tarkin as well as the inset comment drawing attention to that price tag. Everything beyond that was read in that context which may have shaped my impressions.

I apologise again for this.

Great read will definitely follow them for more armada stuff. I have to say locally the rebels are winning ALOT of games based only on "I killed more tie's than you killed xwings" Generally because the Rebel players have taken to not flying the xwings right at the VSD but instead creating a fighter screen around the Escort Nebulon-B and trying to take strafing on back / side arc with Dodonna's pride.

I have yet to see the VSD actually go down though I managed to put 2 crits on it one game, and 4 hits on it the other game, but it has so much repair it can just remove the crits in 2 turns (I see ALOT of repair gears) or I see alot of upgrades that let them change their dial for a command token (Which are never far when Tarkin is around)

It's pretty painfully obvious this guy doesn't actually have a review copy and is just making it up out of his ass from FFG reviews.

Hence him talking about Tarkin at his old 35pt cost, and not the 38pts he costs now.

See also him talking about how the Rebels are going to have difficulty winning a game, where actually the reverse is true.

I've played 3 games of Armada so far, and I've yet to see a ship actually get destroyed. The Rebels haven't the firepower to touch the VSD unless he does something stupid like ignore Luke Skywalker, and the VSD hasn't the speed, yaw or weapons range for the Rebels not to dance out of the way.

So every game, one of which was done at 200pts, all that happens is that the Imperial player spends his TIE's to keep the X-Wings away. The X-Wings munch them for 50 odd points and a modified win, and the Rebel player spends the game keeping out of the VSD's front arc.

Heaven help the Imperial player if the Rebel player gets an Objective like Intel run or Superior Positions or Dangerous Terrain. Right now a lot of the non-red objectives favour the Rebel player.

Erhm, your experience differs a lot from mine.

If you have been playing at 200 points.

VSD II, Tarkin, Wulff Yularen, Advanced armaments, Hangar bay, Dominator

6 Tie Fighter squadron

Order squadron, have a squadron token, spend both but exhaust Wulff Yularen to not lose the Squadron token, and then spend it, that way you can activate 6 Ties in one go, if you can, against a ship (ideally wait until the corvette comes flanking for this). Suddenly, with dominator you can get 6 blue dice from Ties (50% hit) and 3 Red 2 Blue from the VSD dominator even as a side shot. The Corvette will have a very hard time getting close to you, and the nebulon, keep a straight line towards it.

If the rebel player is aggressive with its Xwings, he won't be able to shoot with the Neb AA against your Tie fighters, and your 6 Tie activation in one go have a big advantadge against the Xwings (Xwings are good, but Ties with the rule swarm gets more average hits than them even withouth howlrunner btw), anyways on squadron vs squadron fights, the one getting the jump has the advantadge, but Xwings desperatly need the Escort frigate AA support to come out well in that exchange.

Order squadron, have a squadron token, spend both but exhaust Wulff Yularen to not lose the Squadron token, and then spend it, that way you can activate 6 Ties in one go

You know there's still a big intractable argument over whether you can use Wulf like this. I'm on your side of things, but a fair few people on the board aren't. The opposing argument is that this usage is a "It doesn't say I CAN'T do it" thing. Which personally I think willfully ignores the fact that FFG went out of it's way to not say it can't do it in the book.

I like the Enhanced Armament on the VSD idea.

I actually think this is the best review of Armada I have read. Good job.

I thought the review was great even though I don't 100% agree with everything in it. I've played several games on both sides and usually squeak out a win with the rebels, though I have won a fair share with the Imperials as well. I do agree that the game will really shine once we get the wave 1 ships. Overall though a very well thought out review with a great deal of information. Well done!

Good review, thanks for taking the time to write it up. I loved this statement as it so accurately reflects my feelings. "Yet paradoxically, Armada is somehow far more detailed and deep in every aspect while feeling, and we don’t know how, easier to play."

My big point of contention is the miniatures. I think the rebels are substandard to awful. Achingly gorgeous is something I couldn't bring myself to say even with a gun to my head.

Order squadron, have a squadron token, spend both but exhaust Wulff Yularen to not lose the Squadron token, and then spend it, that way you can activate 6 Ties in one go

You know there's still a big intractable argument over whether you can use Wulf like this. I'm on your side of things, but a fair few people on the board aren't. The opposing argument is that this usage is a "It doesn't say I CAN'T do it" thing. Which personally I think willfully ignores the fact that FFG went out of it's way to not say it can't do it in the book.

I like the Enhanced Armament on the VSD idea.

Not to derail the thread, but there definitely a case for saying that the spending of the token would resolve the command. If that's the case you couldn't respond your token, and it would be illegal. However there isn't anything in the rules to define the order of this particular action that I've seen, so hopefully ffg will do their FAQ with a more detailed explanation of the command phase.

Back on topic now just wanted to give props to standing up to your review.

I don't know why this is a debate, the rules are pretty clear about when it's appropriate to spend a token. The Tarkin / Wulff combo seems perfectly legal considering you are still using those tokens when they're appropriate.

Hey Zombicide im gonna have to disagree with you there. You are right the rules are pretty clear. It says when you "reveal"a command dial you may spend the squadron token. Key word being reveal. You can not spend the token gained by Wulff because you would have to reveal another command dial to use the fighter token you just gained.. The rules also state that at no point can you have more than one of any type of token that doesnt really mean you cant do the Wulff tarkin combo but it does lend credence to the argument that you cant use more than one of the same token in the same round.