Just thought I would share....

Any ideas about what sorts of rules I could use for Armada...?

Its all good. We have been using the flat ones from attack wing. Generally with planets you have 2 options. Flat template that is treated as any other obstacle but simply obstructs line of sight but causes no damage on overlap. Or you could use your 3D solution and say they are objects that totally block line o sight and destroy ships that overlap them. Thats how we have been going anyway.

Look great. How about a tutorial on how you did them?

Here are the rules our local group has been using for planets. Taken from our collection of optional house rules.

Planets can be represented by any round object that works on the playing surface. My suggestion is to obtain a Styrofoam half-sphere from a crafts store (or cut a full sphere in half). This can then be painted with water-based or other foam safe paints to represent any sort of planet you want. You can use any size you want. Small ones are planetoids or large asteroids. Optionally you could even designate that one of the edges of the playing area (the 3’ sides probably) represent a planet.

Planets obstruct fire completely. No shot can be trace through a planet. If a ship overlaps a planet at the end of movement (collides with it) the ship suffers one face-up damage card regardless of shields and one point of damage per point of speed that the ship was traveling (shielding can be used against this extra damage). It is treated as a collision with another ship so the overlapping ship is backed up one movement point (or more) until it no longer overlaps the planet.

Squadrons never overlap planets; but they can use the atmosphere of the planet to provide some cover. If a squadron is in base contact with a planet any shot it takes, and any shots taken at it count as obscured, unless the firing unit is another squadron that is in base contact with the same planet. This represents that the engaged squadrons are involved in dogfighting within the atmosphere of the planet. The planet will still prevent firing through the body of the object so they will have to be relatively close (no shooting a squadron on the far side of the planet).

NOTE: Some ships are undoubtedly able to land on planets. Doing so in a battle would be tantamount to committing suicide. The ship would slow to speed zero and not be able to use defensive tokens and it would probably have to drop its shields. Thus landing a ship is not allowed during the course of a battle.

I don't want to be negative, but aren't these planets way too small? I thought about making some planets myself, but to make them to scale they would be the size of my house.

The planet models you made look really good though, especially the earth world with the clouds. Nice paint job.

Heh, yeah to scale, there shouldn't be planets but asteroids certain... still do we really know what the scale is to poo-poo such a nice looking set?

Maybe an extra yaw inward when going around it, like a gravity slingshot?

faceup damage card if touching... remove ship from play if you fly into one

Hey all,

Just thought I'd mention... we used planets in game.

Damage is one face up card.

They DO obscure fire. This actually ended up being big, as an MC80 with exactly one hull left dipped behind a planet and out of the line of fire of an oncoming victory:)

They also force any ship starting within short range to click the movement tool one more click at the "one" spot towards the planet.

They are neat additions, with a little new strategic use:)

Has anyone used that gravity effect to pull a slingshot manuever?

Actually, I did use the gravity effect to sneak a speed 2 only-one-hull-point-left MC80 barelllyyyy into cover so a Victory wouldn't finish her off! It ended up being a really neat moment in the game.

Has anyone used that gravity effect to pull a slingshot manuever?

"Admiral, there be whales here!"

I don't want to be negative, but aren't these planets way too small?

Of course. But their primary function is to create a more interesting battlefield.

You should have little Ion Cannons on them that can fire at the bad guys and little targets to shoot at for VP.