I'm an x-wing and IA guy, but I have a chance to pick up an entire fleet of two of everything from wave 1 for cheap, but I'm not sure I want to take the plunge...

The X-wing scene is big here, and I enjoy painting and collecting the IA figs while it's gaining steam, but Armada doesnt have a big footing here, and most players are getting out of it. So what are it's strengths? Weaknesses?

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

1. You can buy one of each expansion and still have a reasonably competitive army for tournaments.

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Tactics and strategies in waves. It is an easy to learn complex game that feels like it should.

It is a challenge and is fun across the board.

Honestly?

Best ship combat game I've ever seen; a modern version of Battlefleet Gothic. If you like X-Wing but feel like it's a bit too basic, this is a way, way better version.

Honestly?

Best ship combat game I've ever seen; a modern version of Battlefleet Gothic. If you like X-Wing but feel like it's a bit too basic, this is a way, way better version.

Having played Battlefield Gothic, Firestorm Armada, Halo Fleet Battles, and the like, this game feels like it should.

The depth of the game is like the Oriental game Go

I'm an x-wing and IA guy, but I have a chance to pick up an entire fleet of two of everything from wave 1 for cheap, but I'm not sure I want to take the plunge...

The X-wing scene is big here, and I enjoy painting and collecting the IA figs while it's gaining steam, but Armada doesnt have a big footing here, and most players are getting out of it. So what are it's strengths? Weaknesses?

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Don't get it unless you pair up with someone who also wants to get involved or is already involved...else you will be a lonely dude with sweet models.

The Xwing clan won't want to depart from Xwing because they have so much 'invested' in it. Plus its learning a new game and not being immediately good at it...so that in of itself is a deal breaker.

Play if you are sick of Turret Spam.

Stay away if you are said Turret Spammer and Idolize Super Dash listing. ***(I want to clarify that IMHO, the efficiency curve in Xwing is at a point where there are a handful of lists that are worthy of playing regardless of your collection. Armada is fresh and new and not yet soiled by the inevitable Power Creep that gets its grips on all game we love. Armada is fresh and new, and it feels that way too.)***

Armada is a different speed. It isn't zingy like Xwing. You will have a fair idea where ships will manuever to...within reason.

The best reason to play is if you think Star Wars Capital Ship fighting souinds sweet. But I can't emphasize enough...you need a partner in crime before you can build a community.

X wing is just a few small ships armada is Capitol ships!!!!!!!!!! With a bunch of fighters if you wish. What else can you want besides Capitol ships! And one of the best fleet games ever

X wing is just a few small ships armada is Capitol ships!!!!!!!!!! With a bunch of fighters if you wish. What else can you want besides Capitol ships! And one of the best fleet games ever

I like asking people what they want to be more. An Admiral of a fleet of star killing ships or a pilot of some tiny star fighter.

Armada is a very good game and I like it, but one major con I've noticed (and others too) is that the games are LONG. That's not really an issue in casual play, but in tournaments its pretty crazy. Especially when you're playing at least three rounds. I think there would be a lot more turn out at events if the games weren't this time consuming.

Armada is a very good game and I like it, but one major con I've noticed (and others too) is that the games are LONG. That's not really an issue in casual play, but in tournaments its pretty crazy. Especially when you're playing at least three rounds. I think there would be a lot more turn out at events if the games weren't this time consuming.

You play X-Wing exclusively eh?

For me the 45 minutes to hour and a half for a game is not that long. Then again I come from 40k where an hour and a half is a short game.

Star Destroyers.

It sounds like you're already a Star Wars junkie so you've already got a good reason there.

Two of everything will give you a reasonable variety of ships for two players. Obviously you need someone else to play with but they wouldn't also have to buy in.

Star Destroyers.

Everyone else hits most of it.

How cheap? It might be cheap enough to buy it, try it, and turn it around on eBay if you don't really like it.

Armada is a very good game and I like it, but one major con I've noticed (and others too) is that the games are LONG. That's not really an issue in casual play, but in tournaments its pretty crazy. Especially when you're playing at least three rounds. I think there would be a lot more turn out at events if the games weren't this time consuming.

You play X-Wing exclusively eh?

For me the 45 minutes to hour and a half for a game is not that long. Then again I come from 40k where an hour and a half is a short game.

If I played X-Wing exclusively I wouldn't have Armada.

I play both....but X Wing is losing ground a bit.

Two different games really.

Dogfighting OR Naval Combat...ill take the more epic of the two.

Armada is a very good game and I like it, but one major con I've noticed (and others too) is that the games are LONG. That's not really an issue in casual play, but in tournaments its pretty crazy. Especially when you're playing at least three rounds. I think there would be a lot more turn out at events if the games weren't this time consuming.

You play X-Wing exclusively eh?

For me the 45 minutes to hour and a half for a game is not that long. Then again I come from 40k where an hour and a half is a short game.

If I played X-Wing exclusively I wouldn't have Armada.

IMO: I think people are getting sick of waiting for the new waves to come out. It is always hard at first. That said I have just as much fun as X-wing and it brings that epic feel to the combat. Especially with Wave II around the corner.

IMO: I think people are getting sick of waiting for the new waves to come out. It is always hard at first. That said I have just as much fun as X-wing and it brings that epic feel to the combat. Especially with Wave II around the corner.

Don't worry about needing a 'partner in crime' before you buy in. Players come and go, and even if you're the only one who buys some Armada stuff at the moment, one day someone else will be around the play with. If nothing else, someone else locally might be more keen to buy in if they know there's already at least one local player.

Is Armada for you? Well, it depends. It's a bit top heavy. You only get four or five ships, but working out what to do with them and how to sequence your actions each turn can be time consuming. It's a lot of fun, but it's not fast paced like X Wing.

For instance, the simple act of attacking can go something like this:

Which arcs do I attack from? Do I have gunnery teams that let me use the same arc twice? Do I have Ackbar, who encourages me to use flank arcs only? Does the mission objective allow me to attack from the same arc twice? Do I attack squadrons or ships? Do I attack from the same arc twice, once at ships and once at squadrons?

Then once you roll the dice you have to consider your modifications. Do I utilise any of the number of abilities that allow me to modify dice? What about the number of abilities that let me hinder the opponents use of defence tokens, or the number of abilities that allow use of defence tokens that falls outside the core rules (like Electronic countermeasures for instance).

And that's just for attacking. You've got maneuvering to consider, commands, arcs of fire... there's a lot going on.

I like it a lot. I don't know if the game will scale that well though, since there's so much to consider with every model. I think about 600 points will be the maximum you could comfortably play without spending an entire day.

Having said that, it CAN be fast paced if you play with no (or only a few) upgrades.

Ah this is tough! I mean, I love star wars and strategy.

Are there good links to videos for armada? Tutorials or games?

If I do get it, I'll end up playing in a store tournament and massing at sullust this weekend haha.

DOO IT! Star destroyers are awesome!

Nothing tough about it. Once you play you are hooked. Most videos unfortunatly only deal with the core set which is not as complete of a game experience.

Nothing tough about it. Once you play you are hooked. Most videos unfortunatly only deal with the core set which is not as complete of a game experience.

Tourny report Good articles. I havn't seen too much content involving post core set, but that may be cause I am too busy playing the game myself to care... Either way, a game for any wargame/star wars fan.

To be honest, I've played x-wing for a long time. I left right at the beginning of scum, and came back a few months ago. I think that X-Wing has swelled far too big in that time. There are too many upgrades and too many tactics now. You can get really convoluted lists, and it's hard to be a casual player in the setting. What Armada offers is, basically a far more straightforward system. The game is, at this point, much more rooted in the fundamentals, like X-Wing was when it first started.

Another thing is this: X-Wing is very fast paced, and more just a bit stressful. Every turn, you've got half a dozen decisions to make, and messing up even one of them can ruin your game. In Armada, it's far less crucial to make moment-to-moment decisions. However, your long-term strategy is far more important. In X-Wing, you constantly have the problem of "What maneuver is he going to do? If he does that one, I need to do this. If he does that one, I should do this." Then you end up just having to guess at what they're going to do. With Armada, you have a general idea of what your opponent is going to do, which makes your decisions easier.

These things together, in my opinion, makes Armada a much more fun, casual game to play.

Objectives.

Most games will still be all about blowing things up, but different missions give different priorities. And some times, you don't even have to engage your enemy to win. This should keep each game fresh.