So I'm just starting to putz around with Armada, and there's one thing I haven't had enough experience to really know - how do you use those black dice ships effectively? I'm really eyeing the MC30c's. I think Mothma plus a decked out Foresight torpedo frigate would be fast, hard to kill and deadly. But how can you guarantee that you're going to be lined up for that perfect shot at close range? Do people block the enemy flight path, giving their opponent a round of shooting plus that free damage point to make sure they can unload next turn? Is it all guesswork and luck? The bigger ships are fairly easy to predict in where they're going to move, given that they can only turn one click unless they flip a Navigate dial. But the medium and small ships must be pretty hard to track down.

Anyone have any advice for a newer player looking to roll some black-die heavy lists?

So I'm just starting to putz around with Armada, and there's one thing I haven't had enough experience to really know - how do you use those black dice ships effectively? I'm really eyeing the MC30c's. I think Mothma plus a decked out Foresight torpedo frigate would be fast, hard to kill and deadly. But how can you guarantee that you're going to be lined up for that perfect shot at close range? Do people block the enemy flight path, giving their opponent a round of shooting plus that free damage point to make sure they can unload next turn? Is it all guesswork and luck? The bigger ships are fairly easy to predict in where they're going to move, given that they can only turn one click unless they flip a Navigate dial. But the medium and small ships must be pretty hard to track down.

Anyone have any advice for a newer player looking to roll some black-die heavy lists?

Go out and Do It

Seriously.

Something to remember is that the Black Die range is very short... But even that said, its a substantial portion of the entire range spectrum.

Maneuver is already so limited for all ships and speeds that its often very difficult to, say, get into Blue Range for yourself, but make sure you're going to be out of Black Range for an enemy given all of their possible movements.

Shooting, overall, is relatively short ranged.

There are a few different ways you can do it, depending on who has more ships, which player you are, and board position.

The easiest, and what I like to try for if I'm running MC30's specifically: be Player 1 and have more ships than the other guy. If both of these are true, you can move the ship you want to shoot with last on one turn, and then activate it first the next turn. This guarantees that they can't move before you get to take the shot. In this case, all you have to do is be good enough at driving your own ship to get it lined up for that shot.

Unfortunately, you can't always be Player 1. You might even want to build around your objectives, which would mean you'd want to be Player 2. In this case, what you're looking to do is hold two or more ships under threat at the same time at the end of the round, so that regardless of which one they activate first, you'll get a good shot on at least one.

Another option for getting the shot as Player 2 that takes a little bit different kind of skill is to predict where your target is going to be after activating, and threaten them at both spots. Say your target is right along the edge of the table facing the corner. You know they'll have to turn hard to avoid the corner or they'll go off the board, so park yourself just inside the turn they have to make, so you can threaten the place you know they have to go.

What about that unfortunate circumstance where you're both Player 2 and the other guy has more ships? This is the hardest situation for getting those close-range shots, and you'll often take some long-range fire before you get your return fire in, but you can still do it. The best tactic is to try to position yourself ahead of him, with your guns pointed where he's going, and make him come to you. If you can cover all of his movement options with deadly fire, you've won the positioning fight by making him come to you. That part is one of the biggest skill differentiations in this game, IMO: not only the ability to place yourself exactly where you want to be when you want to be there, but to predict where your adversary will be and leverage that knowledge to force him into a disadvantageous position.

I consider them drunk Gladiators, as they are just as fast but not nearly as easy to get into position, and you don't have Demolishers wonder shot.

I agree with above, move them last for a turn or two to set up, getting one or two into a firing position for the next turn on an already activated ship. Or better, 2 activated ships, so that if your opponent is first player he has a hard choice to make. Also, the titles are almost an auto include if you want them to survive at all,and with mothma they take a hell of pounding to kill.

MC30s really work well with a few other ships and first player initiative. Move last, get in close and open up.

The trick to these small ships is playing them very aggressively, but not so aggressively that they become the dominant threat. So have them advance with another critical threat to divert firepower away.

In the case of the MC30, you have one huge benefit at speed 3 with one of the best natural maneuver setups in the game at 0-1-2. Also, the 0-1-1-0 of speed 4 is excellent for a head on charge that sidesteps into a double arc at the last moment.

The Raider has a similar threat profile at close range, but a smart way to run it is as anti-squadron support for a bigger threat. If you run it just behind or to the side of an ISD you can hit fighters attempting to surf it forward, and be in a place to make a big attack early the next round, or pin a ship in place for your bigger threat to hammer on.

As first player you dont have to move him last necessarily. Move him after the ship you want to target has moved and after nearby threats have moved. This may or may not mean moving last.

I like to have CR90A jainas light to "waste" activations as necessary. Your opponent cant alter their plan to much on the basis of what that tiny hard to catch ship is doing. Plus it might get a few shots out during the game. Ineffective use of resources in some ways, but makes play easier

Just move your ship directly towards the enemy - thats the way I get black dice in range

So be first and last player whilst running an MC30, you probably want 4 ships?

I,m coming round to the idea of expanded launchers as an upgrade, 4 black plus 1 red is pretty good, plus if you can get a double arc, it's insane, starts getting pricey though!

So be first and last player whilst running an MC30, you probably want 4 ships?

I,m coming round to the idea of expanded launchers as an upgrade, 4 black plus 1 red is pretty good, plus if you can get a double arc, it's insane, starts getting pricey though!

Use the Torpedo Frigate--7 points cheaper. Plus, what you really want out of that extra die anyway is an accuracy, which you have double the chance of getting on a blue. No whiffs is just gravy.

So be first and last player whilst running an MC30, you probably want 4 ships?

I,m coming round to the idea of expanded launchers as an upgrade, 4 black plus 1 red is pretty good, plus if you can get a double arc, it's insane, starts getting pricey though!

Use the Torpedo Frigate--7 points cheaper. Plus, what you really want out of that extra die anyway is an accuracy, which you have double the chance of getting on a blue. No whiffs is just gravy.

6 points. . . Scout frigate is 69 and the Torpedo is 63 points.

So be first and last player whilst running an MC30, you probably want 4 ships?

I,m coming round to the idea of expanded launchers as an upgrade, 4 black plus 1 red is pretty good, plus if you can get a double arc, it's insane, starts getting pricey though!

Use the Torpedo Frigate--7 points cheaper. Plus, what you really want out of that extra die anyway is an accuracy, which you have double the chance of getting on a blue. No whiffs is just gravy.

6 points. . . Scout frigate is 69 and the Torpedo is 63 points.

Thanks. Math is hard.

So be first and last player whilst running an MC30, you probably want 4 ships?

I,m coming round to the idea of expanded launchers as an upgrade, 4 black plus 1 red is pretty good, plus if you can get a double arc, it's insane, starts getting pricey though!

Use the Torpedo Frigate--7 points cheaper. Plus, what you really want out of that extra die anyway is an accuracy, which you have double the chance of getting on a blue. No whiffs is just gravy.

6 points. . . Scout frigate is 69 and the Torpedo is 63 points.

Thanks. Math is hard.

Harder in this game compared to X-Wing or IA for sure.

Thanks for the feedback, all! It seems that if I want to run this list, playing game after the game is the key to getting it down pat. But you all provided me with great feedback for starting out.

And the math is definitely harder than X-Wing, but I'm an old Warhammer/WH40k player, so lots of math is what I'm used to.