So, was talking to an opponent who noted for me that there are lots of bids in Armada:

Bid for initiative - First player / Objective

- (Col: Bid for second, asteroid control)

Q: How much does it help to be first? It seems like first player is always the one who gets to choose the arcs and the shots and put up double arcs. Being second usually seems to mean for me that I only get shots that are given to me, not active striven for by myself.

Ship # bid - Using ships for extra activations to control what moves when.

Question: Does this only matter if you are first player?

Squadron bid - What squadrons to gain control over squadron fight?

Do you take all rounders, say As or Bs, or do you take concentrated squadron killers like Han and Wedge?

Do you find your games will devolve into squadron combat at some point or do you find that your ships fly away?

Is it worth it to fly at speed3 with just ships and totally ignore the squadrons?

What do you think is most important? Do you find that one play style gives you higher damage or consistent control?

I dont worry about the bid for first/second that much anymore. During the coreset stuff as an imperial player it was very important i felt to be first player. Now its not so much of an issue. I build the fleet I want and if i have points left over I dont spend them for the sake of spending them.

having more ships can be very powerful, but it seems the golden number is 2 ships more than your opponent. It lets you control the enemies target opportunities. The last game i played i had 2 ships my oppnent 4. He could move other ships out of my range, and then I would have to activate my ships and move into his range. Its part of the cat and mouse game that is armada. the all ships build's biggest strength is its number of activations.

Squadrons are sparse, I am all in on squadrons however. As an imperial player I build dog fighting set ups (interceptors, TIEs, Howlerunner) and then add rhymer so they can also shoot at ships. It works well when in the dog fight and also harassing enemy ships and dropping shields so I can land a kill shot.

The most important thing is having fun.

that being said, the game is at a point where we are seeing damage being dialed up with large ships, and also defense being dialed up. In a game with only ever 6 turns, its hard to judge which is better. If you go for all the defense and draw similar you will get a 5-5 split. If you go all the offense and they do the same you may see someone get tabled or a similar split depending on how well players are at peice trading and not giving away too much. The control aspect is a it newer to the game in wave 2. Things like Tractor beams open up all new potential for shenanigans. Will it work in a 6 turn game? thats the ultimate question. The last game I played I only won because it was 6 turns. If there is another turn I fly off the table and my VSD gets destroyed and i lose hard.

So, was talking to an opponent who noted for me that there are lots of bids in Armada:

Bid for initiative - First player / Objective

- (Col: Bid for second, asteroid control)

Q: How much does it help to be first? It seems like first player is always the one who gets to choose the arcs and the shots and put up double arcs. Being second usually seems to mean for me that I only get shots that are given to me, not active striven for by myself.

Don't forget Objective bidding as well, as 1st/2nd determines who chooses Objectives and which objectives are being selected from. Which presents its own dilemma, by being second you force your opponent to select one of your objectives(and you should have a plan for how to play all 3 of yours) and you get a bigger bonus from it. But if you feel like you always need an assault objective for example(maybe your list is just made to take a pounding and dish one out but be relatively immobile.) then selecting first would be beneficial (+the other perks of going first)

So, was talking to an opponent who noted for me that there are lots of bids in Armada:

Bid for initiative - First player / Objective

- (Col: Bid for second, asteroid control)

Q: How much does it help to be first? It seems like first player is always the one who gets to choose the arcs and the shots and put up double arcs. Being second usually seems to mean for me that I only get shots that are given to me, not active striven for by myself.

Don't forget Objective bidding as well, as 1st/2nd determines who chooses Objectives and which objectives are being selected from. Which presents its own dilemma, by being second you force your opponent to select one of your objectives(and you should have a plan for how to play all 3 of yours) and you get a bigger bonus from it. But if you feel like you always need an assault objective for example(maybe your list is just made to take a pounding and dish one out but be relatively immobile.) then selecting first would be beneficial (+the other perks of going first)

I'm getting blown up by Corvettes too lol. So its not like getting bopped by sheer ISD or Ackbar dice.

The only time I've seen caring about objectives is to first make sure the ones you choose all are good for you. I've chosen terrible ones many times. But the other is rocks. If you had a rock plan, and your objective makes the rocks do different things (the one where you put tokens on top of them) well. That AINT GOOD.

I dont worry about the bid for first/second that much anymore. During the coreset stuff as an imperial player it was very important i felt to be first player. Now its not so much of an issue. I build the fleet I want and if i have points left over I dont spend them for the sake of spending them.

having more ships can be very powerful, but it seems the golden number is 2 ships more than your opponent. It lets you control the enemies target opportunities. The last game i played i had 2 ships my oppnent 4. He could move other ships out of my range, and then I would have to activate my ships and move into his range. Its part of the cat and mouse game that is armada. the all ships build's biggest strength is its number of activations.

Squadrons are sparse, I am all in on squadrons however. As an imperial player I build dog fighting set ups (interceptors, TIEs, Howlerunner) and then add rhymer so they can also shoot at ships. It works well when in the dog fight and also harassing enemy ships and dropping shields so I can land a kill shot.

The most important thing is having fun.

that being said, the game is at a point where we are seeing damage being dialed up with large ships, and also defense being dialed up. In a game with only ever 6 turns, its hard to judge which is better. If you go for all the defense and draw similar you will get a 5-5 split. If you go all the offense and they do the same you may see someone get tabled or a similar split depending on how well players are at peice trading and not giving away too much. The control aspect is a it newer to the game in wave 2. Things like Tractor beams open up all new potential for shenanigans. Will it work in a 6 turn game? thats the ultimate question. The last game I played I only won because it was 6 turns. If there is another turn I fly off the table and my VSD gets destroyed and i lose hard.

Can you talk about what you'd take for squadron groups. En masse and also for sparse? (say under 50 points)

Also can you talk about why 2 ships is so critical?

I dont worry about the bid for first/second that much anymore. During the coreset stuff as an imperial player it was very important i felt to be first player. Now its not so much of an issue. I build the fleet I want and if i have points left over I dont spend them for the sake of spending them.

having more ships can be very powerful, but it seems the golden number is 2 ships more than your opponent. It lets you control the enemies target opportunities. The last game i played i had 2 ships my oppnent 4. He could move other ships out of my range, and then I would have to activate my ships and move into his range. Its part of the cat and mouse game that is armada. the all ships build's biggest strength is its number of activations.

Squadrons are sparse, I am all in on squadrons however. As an imperial player I build dog fighting set ups (interceptors, TIEs, Howlerunner) and then add rhymer so they can also shoot at ships. It works well when in the dog fight and also harassing enemy ships and dropping shields so I can land a kill shot.

The most important thing is having fun.

that being said, the game is at a point where we are seeing damage being dialed up with large ships, and also defense being dialed up. In a game with only ever 6 turns, its hard to judge which is better. If you go for all the defense and draw similar you will get a 5-5 split. If you go all the offense and they do the same you may see someone get tabled or a similar split depending on how well players are at peice trading and not giving away too much. The control aspect is a it newer to the game in wave 2. Things like Tractor beams open up all new potential for shenanigans. Will it work in a 6 turn game? thats the ultimate question. The last game I played I only won because it was 6 turns. If there is another turn I fly off the table and my VSD gets destroyed and i lose hard.

Can you talk about what you'd take for squadron groups. En masse and also for sparse? (say under 50 points)

Also can you talk about why 2 ships is so critical?

with the 1/3 pts in squadrons rule you usually take 2-3 ships. I want to try 2 ISDs cuz their ISDs

En Masse squadrons i run 3 interceptors 3-4 Ties howlrunner, rhymer, vader, advanced at 400pts. less than that drop a tie and vader. advance just protects your aces for a turn.

low squadron count i dont know as imps. prolly vader and mauler/fell but with pre-measuring its easy to counter fel. Imps wants squadrons en mass due to swarm......its right in the name.

rebels can fly 2 or 3 aces so usually be ok with a command or token here or there.

Have more ships. Go first. Prosper.

Have more ships. Go first. Prosper.

That is my main strategy. Take at least 4 ships load them up and take objectives that if my opponent gives me second player punish them

I usually try to leave a 30 point bid or so. I usually get initiative of I want it.

30 pts wow but when I think about it there are some games I have had where I spent 30pts on upgrades I forgot about or did not use so I guess it's not that bad

When playing rebels, I find that having more ships and putting in a 9 point initiative bid is key to success, as Imperial players will often buy an extra TIE fighter and go for 399 points in my experience.

As Imperial, I build for 400 points. It feels wrong if imperials are quick off the line. They are too fat.

30 pts wow but when I think about it there are some games I have had where I spent 30pts on upgrades I forgot about or did not use so I guess it's not that bad

No, I'm just kidding.

I usually try not to leave any bid/ minimal bid.

I build the list I want, mine includes Squadrons and lots of small ships as a Rebel, I spend every point I can and try not to leave anything for a bid, I pick my objectives as well as I can, and then I let the fates decide first player.

Having a good bid is nice but to be honest it doesnt seem to be a game breaker most of the time. What i really like about armada is both players have an advantage. One gets to move first with initiative and the othet gets a boost with objectives unlike x wing.

During the sullest event i was outbid all three games and i still won all of them. So long story short it is beneficial to choose to be first or second but either way both players have perks.

With a good number of games under my belt, I think the importance of an initiative bid varies based on list composition and goal, just as basically every other factor does.

Is your list built in such a way that it really NEEDS to go first/second? Bid is important for you.

Did you build more of an all-comer, less specialized list that can hold its own even in disadvantageous circumstance? Bid might not matter to you at all.

I wish I *could* give you a general rule of thumb here. As many times as I've played games where initiative was hugely important... I've seen an equal number of games go to the second player due to excellent objective/list synergy.

This game is too **** *balanced* to call it one way or the other.

What makes a list require first or second player?

It seems like gladiators prefer first. Though interestingly I think the gencon special only bids 2 points and is unlikely to get it.

I'm also more comfortable going second with obj and second player bonuses with a 3 guppy list. Since they have to move in order anyway.

What makes a list require first or second player?

Objective dependence, or reactivity vs proactivity.

For instance, a squadron heavy list can absolutely obliterate a ship heavy list when it comes to victory points with either the Precision Strike or Superior Positions objective.

Or, perhaps you're running a lot of Victory star destroyers that are powerful, but require you to deploy reactively in order to make them count. Superior Positions is another great objective for this, but simply going second at least ensures your opponent is going to have to commit his first ship before you will.

Going second with a list that has a lot of squadrons and a small, inexpensive ship lets you delay your deployment until your opponent has committed to their own, then you can counter-deploy at leisure, which can counteract them having initiative.

What makes a list require first or second player?

Objective dependence, or reactivity vs proactivity.

For instance, a squadron heavy list can absolutely obliterate a ship heavy list when it comes to victory points with either the Precision Strike or Superior Positions objective.

Or, perhaps you're running a lot of Victory star destroyers that are powerful, but require you to deploy reactively in order to make them count. Superior Positions is another great objective for this, but simply going second at least ensures your opponent is going to have to commit his first ship before you will.

Going second with a list that has a lot of squadrons and a small, inexpensive ship lets you delay your deployment until your opponent has committed to their own, then you can counter-deploy at leisure, which can counteract them having initiative.

I love these ideas. Can you elaborate with some examples?

I'm a very offensive, go-get-them player. I need some help with visualizing reactive and defensive play.