Hi there...

I want to play armada but I am going to have to collect both sides as my co-gamers are very cheap/poor. How is this for a 3 step purchase plan for a basic beer'n'pretzels setup? There will be 2-3 months between each wave of purchases. Will the rebels and imperials be balanced all the way through? Will there be power combos in what I have?

Stage 1:

1x Core box

1x AFII

1x Gladiator

1x Rebel fighters

1x Imperial fighters

Stage 2:

1x VSD

1x Neb-B

1x CR90

1x Rebel fighters

1x Imperial fighters

Stage 3:

1x Box'o'scum

1x ISD

1x MC80

1x MC30

2x Raider

That sounds like a sensible plan.

At Stage 2, one might consider dropping the extra fighters (1 pack of each is enough if you don't mind the occasional proxying) for a second Gladiator. And you'll definitely want a second AF2 at some (early) point.

That sounds like a sensible plan.

At Stage 2, one might consider dropping the extra fighters (1 pack of each is enough if you don't mind the occasional proxying) for a second Gladiator. And you'll definitely want a second AF2 at some (early) point.

I did exactly your stage 1 and 2 minus the extra fighters and I'm very happy with the purchases

A second AFMK2 isn't needed at all. It's good if you enjoy it, but a single one is enough in terms of list building flexibility.

I really can't comment on Wave 2 to be honest. You really might not need an extra Raider

I would swap something from stage2 for ISD and MC80. With such rich stage 1 you have enought to field them nicely into a game without whole game pivoting around them.

And they are sooo epic.

Stage one and two are exactly how I bought mine and it worked out great. That gives you time to play with each ship in stage one and see how you really like them it may even change how you want to buy stage two you may want two glads instead of a second Vic for example. Great plan you have

I personally recommend the second Assault Frigate. It gives you plenty of options on builds and comes with Advanced Projectors which is an amazingly fun card you will want 2 of (one for both sides or two on one side.

Also include a second maneuver tool and Dice pack in there somewhere.

Hey D5,

Welcome! Nice of you to take one in the wallet for the group. (I'm in a similar boat, i.e. "why should I spend a fortune on ships, I'll just use yours.")

I'm talking off the top of my head here, but I'm thinking that you will be missing out on some important cards and commanders. In particular, I think you need to get the VSD, CR90, and the Neb B first. You may be thinking, they already come in the core set, but as I recall the cool cards are in the solo sets. I think your group will probably have more fun when you can field 2 VSD's with upgragrades against a couple of Nebs and CR90s.

Once you have broken those in a few games, add the Gladiator and the Assault Frigate. I'm also thinking that it would be helpful in teaching the game, just my two cents.

R

.

Buy extra dice

Buy a core set while they are still $40 shipped

Extra dice and movement tools are highly recommended. They keep the game going faster and you can pre-build the movement tools to represent different speeds which helps with the clutter on the table.

Hi there...

I want to play armada but I am going to have to collect both sides as my co-gamers are very cheap/poor. How is this for a 3 step purchase plan for a basic beer'n'pretzels setup? There will be 2-3 months between each wave of purchases. Will the rebels and imperials be balanced all the way through? Will there be power combos in what I have?

Really, if you're buying the stuff, you shouldn't worry about combos. If your friends want certain combos, they're perfectly free to buy the ships/expansions needed for said combos.

As for your plan, I can't see anything wrong with it. Sure, things can be OPTIMIZED, but that means buying more stuff... but I think you're trying to get this game on a fixed budget so it'll have to be your player's tactics that will be flexible.

One thing to consider as well --- do you plan to play at 180 points? 200? 300? The points cap can affect fleet builds greatly!