This is why I love this game. The meta is based on the players in your area, not some auto win list like other miniatures game.

In our area a 395 bid was huge. Then one guy started coming with 388 and all hell broke loose. And in our group the bid is to go 2nd not 1st.

Some guys started building lists to go 1st with 399 and 400 points. From what I've read on the forums some groups bid to go 1st. So if my group bid 388 to go 2nd and played in these other groups we would be shorting our fleet points.

I don't think you can really nail down what and how you should bid.

There seems to be a mind game (at least with us) as to what to bid. I myself just cannot bid low like 388. So I started building fleets that go first. And now because of that the bids are starting to come back up again.

If this game was highly unbalanced you would never see this kind of thing.

Point is you can bid one thing in your area, and the next area may have something totally different going on. Only way to know is to get out and play, and watch the "out of game" game develop.

Even how people build fleets has been changing just to beat the guys that always win.

Man I love this game.

This is why I love this game. The meta is based on the players in your area, not some auto win list like other miniatures game.

In our area a 395 bid was huge. Then one guy started coming with 388 and all hell broke loose. And in our group the bid is to go 2nd not 1st.

Some guys started building lists to go 1st with 399 and 400 points. From what I've read on the forums some groups bid to go 1st. So if my group bid 388 to go 2nd and played in these other groups we would be shorting our fleet points.

I don't think you can really nail down what and how you should bid.

There seems to be a mind game (at least with us) as to what to bid. I myself just cannot bid low like 388. So I started building fleets that go first. And now because of that the bids are starting to come back up again.

If this game was highly unbalanced you would never see this kind of thing.

Point is you can bid one thing in your area, and the next area may have something totally different going on. Only way to know is to get out and play, and watch the "out of game" game develop.

Even how people build fleets has been changing just to beat the guys that always win.

Man I love this game.

Me too. I spend most waking hours with about 1/3 to 1/2 of my brain crunching on Armada lists, tactcs, and meta. I'm seriously addicted.

Me too. I spend most waking hours with about 1/3 to 1/2 of my brain crunching on Armada lists, tactcs, and meta. I'm seriously addicted.

I do it at work...

Me too. I spend most waking hours with about 1/3 to 1/2 of my brain crunching on Armada lists, tactcs, and meta. I'm seriously addicted.

I do it at work...

I said "waking hours" didn't I? Unless you think I dream for a living :-)

Me too. I spend most waking hours with about 1/3 to 1/2 of my brain crunching on Armada lists, tactcs, and meta. I'm seriously addicted.

I uninstalled all the games on my phone, now whenever I have time to kill I just open up the list builder and toy around. I've probably built the same list 10 times, but I like to build it again just to remind myself what all the pieces are. Then come up with a counter list... and a counter to that... then a list that is balanced enough to beat all three. Ugh, why don't I have more time to prepare for Regionals!

Hahah.... Same here!

I have many sleepless nights building list after list... I think I MAY have done every permutation!! Hehe

I did lay in bed all night last night trying to think up ways my list (Lyraeus' list) could out deploy MikeMcMann's. The only thing I can think of was a slow roll and overlapping fields of fire, so that no matter where Demolisher ends up and no matter which ship it kills (I can't think of a way to stop the last in first out activation murdering a dude) it has to end up in a position to eat 3-5 attacks backed up by Intel Officer and TRC. That *should* be enough to kill it. But I'm still down a unit. I'd have to try it out a few times and see how it works. But even then I don't have high hopes.

If you are second player, make sure to use your objectives to bolster your points. See if you can set it up so that he hits Admonition as well.

I think I cut both titles from your iteration I can't remember. I need to bid at least 12 points in southern Indiana and that will get me first against almost everyone. But your fleet is like 394 or something absurd.

I was also thinking a center deployment arrayed like a half circle. That way I can turn in either direction to respond to a flank.

I think I cut both titles from your iteration I can't remember. I need to bid at least 12 points in southern Indiana and that will get me first against almost everyone. But your fleet is like 394 or something absurd.

I was also thinking a center deployment arrayed like a half circle. That way I can turn in either direction to respond to a flank.

I dropped Foresight and that gives you a 12 point bid.

Ya that was it! I did the same thing.

Ya that was it! I did the same thing.

It was the easiest thing to drop since Admonition is your go to Crit Tank.

I would love to see how your style of play differs from my own.

I can't come up with a reason to bid lower than 10 points. I just feel like I leave too much out when I do that.

Although I think the metas I play in typically don't run much lower than that for first, so I'm really not compelled to give up those points in search of first player.

It's all about what you are willing to live without. For some lists, a 10+ bid isn't that painful because nothing I can add to it in upgrades will add more than the benefit of going first. Others I am more comfortable going first or second so I don't mind keeping it closer to 400. I almost always bid at least 3 points, thought.

I can't come up with a reason to bid lower than 10 points. I just feel like I leave too much out when I do that.

Although I think the metas I play in typically don't run much lower than that for first, so I'm really not compelled to give up those points in search of first player.

When I bid that low, I am doing it for the choice. Not always about going first or second. To me, it is all about the choice of play.

A second reason is so that if I lose a ship, it is not loaded out for extra points for my opponent

That's true. I will choose second if I have activation advantage (usually against rebels, though) so I get the benefit of my objective.