Hi all. I haven't yet bought into this game because I had a few concerns over some gameplay elements. I've watched a lot (A LOT!) of reviews on YouTube, however there is very little discussion of the fighters.

I've seen the fighters described as a 'mini-game', or something that sounds quite detached from the overall objectives. In my head, fighters should be critical to the success of a combat mission, even for larger vessels.

I would appreciate the community sharing their experiences with using the squadrons in this game, specifically regards to:

• Effectiveness in combat
• Clear definition of combat role according to fighter type
• Thematic feel
• How they relate to larger ships - i.e. can a swarm of TIE Fighters or X-wings take down a large ship?

Thanks all!

EDIT: I'm also slightly concerned that there are very limited number of unique squadrons (pilots?) for each fighter type. The choice of TIE Fighter, Howlrunner and Mauler seems a bit limiting to me, not to mention the weirdness of the naming. Shouldn't the units be named 'Black Squadron' etc.?

• Effectiveness in combat

Different squadrons are better in different ways, but all are effective in one way or another. Different speeds, attack dice and special rules mean that every squadron has a place in the game.

• Clear definition of combat role according to fighter type

The four key squadron special rules Counter, Bomber, Escort and Swarm really do help make sure that the different types of craft all operate in different and thematic ways.

• Thematic feel

The addition of names pilots and the way in which key fighters from the films are represented and differentiated on the table top really helps give you the right feel for starfighter combat in the Star Wars universe.

• How they relate to larger ships - i.e. can a swarm of TIE Fighters or X-wings take down a large ship?

Yes, yes they can. Squadrons left unchecked can ruin anyone's day.

fighter combat is short, sweet, and incredibly decisive very quickly

they're all very effective, and while the one red die from an X-wing doesn't seem like much the fact is cap ships won't do much with anti-squadron batteries unless they're specialized 2-dice ships (Escort, afmk2 A, glad 2) means that unescorted ships are just taking extra damage that can add up very quickly

ships have a varying degree of specialization.

X-wings, A-wings, and tie advance are the biggest generalists, at home at tackling either target but less cost effective than bombers against capital ships (therefore, more cost effective against squadrons).

Tie Fighters are odd in that they share the worst anti-ship battery (blue die without bomber) but they're also the cheapest squadron in the game, and that 50% chance adds up surprisingly fast (not cost effective though, still very much an escort for cap ships). Tie Interceptors are hyper specialized anti-squadron with high speed, lots of anti-squadron dice, counter, and swarm. They're also the single worst cost-effect squadron against cap ships.

The Y-wing, B-wing, and Tie Bombers are dedicated bombers with horrible anti-squadron batteries for their cost (the B-wing have a decent armament but being incredibly expensive). These guys are there to hammer cap ships, and if you can bring enough to bear they start racking up incredibly significant damage. A squadron command of bombers will add far more dice against an enemy ship than a CF command would.


Bombers won't kill ships by themselves since they generally require squadron commands (only other way to stick close to enemy ships and shoot is to stick to the front and get overlapped, letting you place them around the ship again), but they'll pull an incredible amount of weight. For imperials especially, tie bombers (with rhymer) are the only means of adding intimidating long range firepower - although instead of blasters, you're shooting bombers. For rebels, bombers are about the only thing that can stay in close range of a victory and not get eviscerated (not only that, but victories suck at shooting squadrons )

Good to know.

I only have the core set atm and not to sure what to get first. (i just can't afford to get everything at once)

Looks like fighter packs the Glad and Assault will be where I start

would definitely recommend the packs, they're some surprisingly great value for the cost

also been really enjoying the Assault Fatties, probably the single least painful ship to learn the game with

Reading up on some lists, I'm getting a little concerned at the number of fleets that drop fighter support almost entirely in favour of the larger ships such as VVVG and 5 x CR90.

Reading up on some lists, I'm getting a little concerned at the number of fleets that drop fighter support almost entirely in favour of the larger ships such as VVVG and 5 x CR90.

between your super shiny new big Star Destroyers or your tiny little deformed fighter squadrons, which would you rather slap on the table first ?

CR90s are special because of how fast they move, but Victories without anti-squadron support are not terribly difficult to take out piece-meal with squadrons. It's easier with rebs, though, because

1. their squadrons are more balanced, and thus can pour damage on capital ships without sacrificing anti-squadron utility. Whereas the tie interceptor has a measly 50% chance of dealing one damage, the rebel A-wing has 75%.

2. their ships are faster and can keep Victories at arm's length where they're far less effective

3. Victories are large, slow buggers which make them perfect targets for bombers (large base + slow speed will give you a turn or two of bombing even if you can't move and shoot)

theoretically, the VVVG skew is going to plow right through other victories since...well they have more victories and imperial non-bombers don't have nearly as much of an anti-ship presence to pile on significant damage. Bombers, though, especially with rhymer hurt

Reading up on some lists, I'm getting a little concerned at the number of fleets that drop fighter support almost entirely in favour of the larger ships such as VVVG and 5 x CR90.

points wise squadrons have more hitpoints, more anti squadron dice and more damage against ships compared to ships.

I just briefly compared a B-wing and a AF2 A which both fire for one turn were the AF2 A is able to fire both broadsides and all dice (optimum case)

AF2 A:

6 red and 2 blue => 6*6/8+2*6/8 = 48/8 = 6 damage per shot. cost/damage = 81/6 = 13,5 points cost per damage.

B-Wing:

A B-wing inflics 14/8 damage per shot for 14 points so thats 8 points per damage and turn.

so the AF2 A costs about 170% of the B-wing in terms of damage potential.

B-wings for the price of one AF2 A bring ~29 hull poins were the AF2A only brings 5+12 shields = 17. same ratio here you get 170% of out of the B-wings from what you would get from the AF2A.

Its even far more in favorite of the squadrons if you compare anti squadron dice. big disadvantage of squadrons is if they get cought bunched up by ships anti squadron dice multipliing the ship dice effectiveness.

so bottom line is that if you dont bring squadrons youre pretty much f.. if the enemy brings bombers. ofc there are other things that play in as well like you probably will need squadron command dials to use them effectively and such but those points which you put in squads have realy high value in terms of damage potential and hitpoints. I dont see how not using near max points in squads is a good idea. im kinda glad its like that because those 33% points in squads make the table look nicer imo.

I've seen the fighters described as a 'mini-game', or something that sounds quite detached from the overall objectives.

Whoever said that can't have played the game properly; fighters are an integral part of the game. When properly supported by capital ships (via the Squadron command, upgrades, etc.) they can be deadly and bring down even the largest ships if you have enough of them. Consequently, fighter screens are really important for your ships' survival, and the way in which fighters interact and engage is very thematic.

Bringing 2 AF2a's and an escort frigate and keeping them at speed 3 for the entire game means that unless they have rhymer, you can basicly outrun most fighters/bombers if said craft are not deployed and moved optimally every turn. Although more testing on this "speed 3" doctrine is required... (Help me out here)

I've seen the fighters described as a 'mini-game', or something that sounds quite detached from the overall objectives.

Whoever said that can't have played the game properly; fighters are an integral part of the game. When properly supported by capital ships (via the Squadron command, upgrades, etc.) they can be deadly and bring down even the largest ships if you have enough of them. Consequently, fighter screens are really important for your ships' survival, and the way in which fighters interact and engage is very thematic.

I suppose it depends on what they mean by "dettached"

trying to get squadron superiority is its own little mini-game which ships can contribute to (esp escort frigates), but it does occur off slightly to the side. It makes sense thematically as squadrons engage each other first.

Problem is, when that little game is over with, the winner is going after enemy ships

Bringing 2 AF2a's and an escort frigate and keeping them at speed 3 for the entire game means that unless they have rhymer, you can basicly outrun most fighters/bombers if said craft are not deployed and moved optimally every turn. Although more testing on this "speed 3" doctrine is required... (Help me out here)

it's hard to maneuver precisely when you're going that fast (not theoretically, I know from practice ), so if bombers (without Rhymer) are no longer an issue, the opposing capital ships and a far more deadly foe (the table edges ) will be

Outside of a straight death match, which I recommend not playing in most cases, Objectives will shift your focus. Fighters play a very important role in this part of the game. Bombers can provide a strong deterrent for light capital ships as area denial. Every use for fighters is situational though.

Lists that lack the ability to defend against fighters such as the VVVG, will find a new pain in the way of unrelenting bomber squadrons. 10 flights of Y-wings takes 60 combined hit points to shoot down. The VVVG list brings a less then stellar 4-5 Anti-starfighter dice a turn. Even with 2 attacks each, they would have to hit with every single dice, every turn in order to rid themselves of the fighter threat. Obviously there are limitations commanding this pile of flights, but the enemy will pay. Unbalanced lists will pay for their limitations.

Before wave 1 hit, fighters were a straight forward game. Move to engage enemy fighters, leftovers of the winner hit capital ships. With 4x the fighter options of before, both sides now have many options. The fighter game has evolved into a it more of a calculated risk as you attempt to get bombers through the fight unscathed, or interceptors into the fight earlier then ever before to try and throw off the enemy plan.

Unique squadrons although cool, are not the focus of the game as this is a capital ship fight. Each one has a unique ability that fits within their expected capability for the most part, and adds some flavor. I think 5/side is already more then enough, since you would have to use all your fighter pts of a 300 pt game to field them all.

Anyway, long ramble short, I think my games since wave 1 have already changed dramatically because of fighter combat, and its new found flexibility. I bought 4 packs for each side just so I could have the options. So IMO they are going to remain an essential part of the plan.

Lists that lack the ability to defend against fighters such as the VVVG, will find a new pain in the way of unrelenting bomber squadrons. 10 flights of Y-wings takes 60 combined hit points to shoot down. The VVVG list brings a less then stellar 4-5 Anti-starfighter dice a turn. Even with 2 attacks each, they would have to hit with every single dice, every turn in order to rid themselves of the fighter threat. Obviously there are limitations commanding this pile of flights, but the enemy will pay. Unbalanced lists will pay for their limitations.

Not quite correct. Amsuming all Y-Wings are in two facings of each ship and every dice is a damage, those Y-Wings are gone the first turn shooting - Capitals can fire at all squadrons in range per hull section firing AA. Still, it is highly theoretical and requires both extreme bad luck from the rebel, extreme incompetence from the rebel, extreme good luck from the imp and extreme skill from the imp. But AA by capitals isn't as bad as everybody says.

EDIT: I'm also slightly concerned that there are very limited number of unique squadrons (pilots?) for each fighter type. The choice of TIE Fighter, Howlrunner and Mauler seems a bit limiting to me, not to mention the weirdness of the naming. Shouldn't the units be named 'Black Squadron' etc.?

One thing to remember is that Armada isn't 'X-Wing with Capital Ships', it's 'Capital Ships with Fighters'. Capital ships are always going to be the main focus. The game doesn't really need a dozen different named pilot-led squadrons for each type, especially given the limits on points assigned to squadrons. Two or three each is probably plenty, again because the focus isn't fighters.

And the naming is quite good. Wedge and Luke (both X-Wing) are coincidentally both Rogue (or Red) Squadron.

I understand that they have multiple arcs, but they also have limited range, and will obstruct each other in many cases. Obstructing ships have provided me with great cover. I am not saying anti-squadron capability is terrible. But if you play smart, your fighters should be able to mitigate much of that AA-fire.

Of course. While Rebel AA might be capable of dealing with (a few) TIE squadrons, Imperial AA is more complimentory to a fighter screen, due to (yet) fewer ships with worse AA and stronger enemy squadrons.

EDIT: I'm also slightly concerned that there are very limited number of unique squadrons (pilots?) for each fighter type. The choice of TIE Fighter, Howlrunner and Mauler seems a bit limiting to me, not to mention the weirdness of the naming. Shouldn't the units be named 'Black Squadron' etc.?

One thing to remember is that Armada isn't 'X-Wing with Capital Ships', it's 'Capital Ships with Fighters'. Capital ships are always going to be the main focus. The game doesn't really need a dozen different named pilot-led squadrons for each type, especially given the limits on points assigned to squadrons. Two or three each is probably plenty, again because the focus isn't fighters.

I think its two folded and very cleverly done by the designers.

On the one hand the single fighter squad is just very point effective which in the usual min/max idea would suggest to stack those.

On the other hand the focus isnt fighters because you can only bring 1/3 of the points AND they have this squishy/rogue/skirmisher dynamics. You cant "focus" loads of them to a single spot because then you will eat multiple very effective AA AOEs and the fighters are done with.

So they seem to be used optimally if you do not focus on them in space but rather have a few of them like everywhere buzzing around the capital ships which is very thematic and doesnt steal the show of the ships which appear to be harder, or at least more concentrated in hitting. The exception maybe being that initially you want to flock them around your ships which are able to assign commands to them without being cought in enemy AA.

i think this game design aspect is a rare case in comparison to other games and noteworthy well done mechanics.

I think fighters are complicated and this early in the game simple lists are going to be common tell people feel confident.
At this point I don't think they are mandatory in builds but you can't build a list without keeping them in mind.

Au contraire. A Rebel needs to be able to counter things like Rhymer - without Fighters it is hopeless. An Imperial needs to deal with the rebels abundance of bombers - thus he needs fighters, as the rebel squadrons are too sturdy to let only the ships AA deal with them. Builds without squadrons might be effective, but they are depending on a low-squadron-numbered opponent.

Those builds will have their place, even in tournaments, but they will be niche-builds, which may very likely be missmatched.

Fighters are definitely a key part of this game. The squadron command a capital ship issues is actually the most powerful command (as it vastly increases total attack power), and gaining fighter superiority with bombers on the field will crush any star destroyer, once it's TIEs are down.

But I like how fighter efficiency is a sort of resource you need to play with. It makes winning a fighter engagement more based on tempo and resource allocation (what fighters to where? Mutual escort support? Squadron Command orders? Etc) than a simple head on head engagement.

It feels very fitting. Tiny little gnats buzzing around star destroyers, yet dangerous when allowed to be.

Plus, my third game as Rebels I won from a losing situation, because Luke broke past the fighter screen, bombed a Star Destroyer's engines and caused it to careen through some asteroids to it's death before it could finish off my remaining Corvette

Lists that lack the ability to defend against fighters such as the VVVG, will find a new pain in the way of unrelenting bomber squadrons. 10 flights of Y-wings takes 60 combined hit points to shoot down. The VVVG list brings a less then stellar 4-5 Anti-starfighter dice a turn. Even with 2 attacks each, they would have to hit with every single dice, every turn in order to rid themselves of the fighter threat. Obviously there are limitations commanding this pile of flights, but the enemy will pay. Unbalanced lists will pay for their limitations.

Not quite correct. Amsuming all Y-Wings are in two facings of each ship and every dice is a damage, those Y-Wings are gone the first turn shooting - Capitals can fire at all squadrons in range per hull section firing AA. Still, it is highly theoretical and requires both extreme bad luck from the rebel, extreme incompetence from the rebel, extreme good luck from the imp and extreme skill from the imp. But AA by capitals isn't as bad as everybody says.

Don't forget though if your ships spend all of there time shooting at fighters they aren't shooting at ships. Also I usually try to keep my fighters between my ships and my opponents ships so I am not giving him extra shots from hull zones he couldn't otherwise use.

Fighters are definitely a key part of this game. The squadron command a capital ship issues is actually the most powerful command (as it vastly increases total attack power), and gaining fighter superiority with bombers on the field will crush any star destroyer, once it's TIEs are down.

But I like how fighter efficiency is a sort of resource you need to play with. It makes winning a fighter engagement more based on tempo and resource allocation (what fighters to where? Mutual escort support? Squadron Command orders? Etc) than a simple head on head engagement.

It feels very fitting. Tiny little gnats buzzing around star destroyers, yet dangerous when allowed to be.

Plus, my third game as Rebels I won from a losing situation, because Luke broke past the fighter screen, bombed a Star Destroyer's engines and caused it to careen through some asteroids to it's death before it could finish off my remaining Corvette

While as a loyal imperial I am appalled at such brazen terrorist attacks on our braved armed forces, I must say that's a beautiful kill.

As to the OP's question. This is a good example of how important fighters are to the flow of the game. Keep in mind that some of the critical hits in this game are so horrifyingly bad to draw (and none of them are particularly nice), that even one bomber capable fighter getting a clean shot at a vulnerable cap ship can change the entire complexion of a game. That alone makes them a credible threat and an important element of strategy.

Take for instance the Life Support Failure critical. If that gets drawn the affected ship loses ALL its command tokens and can't take more until the crit is removed, which on low engineering cap ships (like CR90s) is pretty much impossible. That's a serious blow to the utility of a ship. Command tokens are too important for that to be a comfortable result. In fact that very crit result cost me a Gladiator in my last game because I couldn't repair it enough or adjust my speed enough without the tokens in time to get it out of harms way and my command dials were not set to do either at the critical moment (I really needed the navigate token to accelerate out of the kill zone it was in).

That's just one example of the havoc an uncontested fighter could wreak, basic damage points aside. And with all but one of the rebel fighter types having bomber capability, if you don't consider them a threat,

you are probably grievously (cough cough) mistaken.

It ends up seeming like a mini-game because most players are going to take their own fighters to try to neutralize possibilities like that. Thus the fighter scrum (which is often bloody and decisive, especially with character squadrons) starts, and it becomes a game of maneuvering, timing, and hoping enough of your fighters survive to become the threat the opponent was trying to prevent (or that you kill enough of his to eliminate that threat to you).

Fighters can be... odd to think about. In particular the mechanic of activating, moving, and then utterly killing an entire fighter squadron with reprisal being the exception, rather than the rule, can be considered unusual.

There are a few axies of consideration I see when thinking about fighters:

Activation Order. If your fighters are activating first the squadrons can move and possibly eliminate an enemy squadron before it has the chance to attack. As long as you are going first you have the chance to reduce the firepower of enemy squadrons that will fire back. The counter keyword helps distinguish interceptors from normal fighters, but I can understand the sentiment of this being a normal rule rather than an exception for all fighters.

Weaponized capital ship appendages. Fighters aren't really fantastic on their own... being forced to move OR attack regulates them to the role of space speed bumps. In order to be truly effective they need to have a capital ship nearby to activate them. Because then, the fighters help do damage, exhaust defense tokens, and become difficult to hit targets that the capital ship exploits for more damage. Two B-Wing squadrons that jump up and wipe out shields, followed up by a Salvation attack, is a good example.

Pinning. The opposite of the above, you want fighters for the simple purpose of being "There" to prevent enemy fighters from engaging you. This means using A-Wings as anchors to keep the TIE Bombers from firing, or enemy Interceptors from rolling one blue die per attack against your capitals. So even taking two A-Wings can be useful if you can drop them in the middle of a TIE Swarm, because at least for a small time you're preventing all those fighters from simply moving and shooting at your capital ships.

Thanks everyone for your replies, very informative. It does seem odd that fighters can only move OR attack in their turn, without help from a capital ship, but it sounds like they are indeed useful. From the descriptions given, it seems like fighters handle exactly as they should in a Star Wars context, which is a great thing.