Again with the misguided comparisons. X-wing is not an easy button. Please refrain from commenting if you have little experience with both games.

Look, it's not wrong to say that the perception is that X-wing is easier to play (I don't even know how one would determine if this is true or not) and easier to start (this is true in $ terms).

I'm not saying that means it is correct, but I am saying it is what people believe. Part of the bar to overcome with recruiting people into Armada is understanding this and knowing how to persuade them anyways.

Don't take the quote out of context. He was not saying that X-wing is easier to pick up (which I would agree with), he was saying that X-wing is easier to play competitively, that instead of getting good at Armada, you could just hit the easy button and play X-wing, because it's basically just a guessing game.

Armada is a tough sell especially when there already knee deep in X Wing and don't have unlimited games funds.

I prefer Armada for sure, but as a realist, I know if I want to play against human beings locally, I'm most likely breaking out X Wing.

I won't lie, once my endless overtime at work ends, I may start a league if my FLGS is willing to buy us a kit. Right now I'm too swamped at work to organize one and barely able to attend the local-ish Regionals.

Dear FFG:

Please organize another "win free awesome ships" event when the Liberty and Interdictor come out.

I never saw a more frenzied, widespread attempt to get into the game than Sullust.

Suddenly feel very lucky! I'm still relatively new to Armada, but in the past few months have got involved at a shop in Sheffield (shout out to Wargames Emporium - a really welcoming place and friendly community), which hosts X-wing and Armada nights on a Monday. I can usually count on two to four players being there - of course, X-wing players outnumber us, but I put that down to a combination of relative cost, age of the game and variety of ships to choose from.

This weekend a local shop is holding a tournament, and there are 32 players coming down (I've seen several people from here going, so I look forward to meeting you). For many it's a pretty long journey, but hopefully a bit of networking will enable to find other players closer to them. And from what I've heard, that's substantial growth from previous events, so here's hoping that it will continue to grow.

Your store is hosting a regional tourney thats why your getting 32 players... you'll not get that again for a regular tourney i'm afraid. I'm very much looking forward to it. should be a blast.

The last store tourney I went to at the biggest gaming shop in Norwich UK, we had 4 players and they had travelled in to get there to play, this was a store championship

I think people are being a bit pessimistic.

1st: Armada has been out for 1 year and a few months, X-Wing has been out for 4 years. That gives them a lot of time to create a steady playerbase

2nd: Armada is a game that requires a lot of time to play 1 game. This could mean that more people are more inclined to play inside the comfort of their homes than inside stores.

3rd: Just judging from scores on BBG, Armada is the better game.

4th: This game is, as we all know, quite expensive. How can people like us afford such games as these? You guessed it, we need to work to sustain our hobbies and that might conflict a lot with tournaments schedule, especially if it requires an entire day instead of just a night.

There you have it. Just give it time and keep advertising the game. I'm positive it will pass the test of time and become a classic like Warhammer 40k and others. The only thing that worries me is the lack of big space ships, which might reduce the number of waves we could be getting.

Oh and, one simple thing that can greatly boost the interest for Armada: Post videos on youtube. If you have access to a youtuber with a lot of subscriber, go ask them to play the game. Angryjoe played Armada and absolutely loved it. That kind of thing helps games A LOT.

I really don't think there is a problem with people playing Armada. I'm sure there are lots of people who play it.

I think the 'problem' if you'd call it that, is that most people don't want to play you. And I mean you in the generic sense, not anyone in particular.

I believe most people who buy into Armada play at home, or with their own select games group, and never venture to a store games night or tournament. I think playing at a shop or in a tournament holds no value to them. They don't want to travel to a store to play against strangers when they can play at home against people they know.

The fact that there is low numbers for tournament turn-outs doesn't mean that there is no Armada crowd, it just means the crowd isn't interested in tournaments.

If you want to start playing games against these people, you've got to start working the angles and finding the cracks, not just going to games nights and tournaments. You need to weasel your way into these games groups by word of mouth and some light facebook stalking.

Adding my own anecdotal evidence...

I play at the Team Covenant store in Tulsa and Armada is fading from there too.

They run an Armada league where you score points for playing pickup games but they no longer host Armada tournaments. I suspect the turnouts were poor. I'm an older wargamer and I love the longer style of game play but it's hard to devote an entire Saturday to playing in a tournament.

I recently demo'd Armada at the store for a friend and the game attracts interested people but its hard to get them to try a game even though they are serious Star Wars people.

I've talked with both Zach and Tim Bunn about why the game isn't more popular and the consensus we reached was the time required. You can play 3 games of XWing or 1 game of Armada on league night... most people choose XWing.

J--

Adding my own anecdotal evidence...

I play at the Team Covenant store in Tulsa and Armada is fading from there too.

They run an Armada league where you score points for playing pickup games but they no longer host Armada tournaments. I suspect the turnouts were poor. I'm an older wargamer and I love the longer style of game play but it's hard to devote an entire Saturday to playing in a tournament.

I recently demo'd Armada at the store for a friend and the game attracts interested people but its hard to get them to try a game even though they are serious Star Wars people.

I've talked with both Zach and Tim Bunn about why the game isn't more popular and the consensus we reached was the time required. You can play 3 games of XWing or 1 game of Armada on league night... most people choose XWing.

J--

Stop marketing to players who don't want to put the time in. Warmachine, Dropzone Commander, Warhammer (all forms), Infinity, etc all take longer to play. These are popular games that take 2 hours or more to play. They are high tactical games that require complex thought and play. X- Wing and games like that don't require that level of play. Sure they have their own levels of complexity but they are almost an order of magnitude below that of any game I listed prior.

Bring people in from a different aspect. Don't just demo, thrown together the new 4 player scenario and let people control a small force

Very true, Armada is much more of a wargame than X Wing is. So if you want more players, you need to hit the wargaming crowd, not the X wing/Board game/Card game crowd.

Very true, Armada is much more of a wargame than X Wing is. So if you want more players, you need to hit the wargaming crowd, not the X wing/Board game/Card game crowd.

If you are going to hit the Boardgame crowd, make sure it is the one who plays 3-4 hour games. Be careful there though. The Boardgame crowd likes to play at home more often than at a game store so while you may hook them they may never come out to play.

Very true, Armada is much more of a wargame than X Wing is. So if you want more players, you need to hit the wargaming crowd, not the X wing/Board game/Card game crowd.

If you are going to hit the Boardgame crowd, make sure it is the one who plays 3-4 hour games. Be careful there though. The Boardgame crowd likes to play at home more often than at a game store so while you may hook them they may never come out to play.

Which is fine, you've just got to work on getting an invite to the home-group gaming session

locally it's not strong in the Montreal area either, maybe max 8 players at the few tournaments hosted, what irks me is that this year i decided that i would devote myself more to Armada than X-wing, then they anounced the spring kits which as an imp player suck balls, but i was like ok no biggie, then they announce Regionals and the X-wing and Armada are on the same day, and Armada gets no releases so my interesst wanes, dunno if i will sell the stuff off.

locally it's not strong in the Montreal area either, maybe max 8 players at the few tournaments hosted, what irks me is that this year i decided that i would devote myself more to Armada than X-wing, then they anounced the spring kits which as an imp player suck balls, but i was like ok no biggie, then they announce Regionals and the X-wing and Armada are on the same day, and Armada gets no releases so my interesst wanes, dunno if i will sell the stuff off.

Do you play non-tournament games at all? It seems to me a lot of people gauge the success or popularity of a game on how many people go to tournaments, which is a pretty narrow metric IMO. I'm willing to bet there's lots of people in your area playing Armada that are completely uninterested in playing in a tournament. Maybe try and break into that gaming scene?

Locally, there hasn't been a single Armada tournament. Ever. Yet I'm meeting a mate on Saturday for a game, and I know there's at least 4 local gamers with sizeable Armada forces. Not seeing people at tournaments doesn't mean the game is dead.

Adding my own anecdotal evidence...

I play at the Team Covenant store in Tulsa and Armada is fading from there too.

They run an Armada league where you score points for playing pickup games but they no longer host Armada tournaments. I suspect the turnouts were poor. I'm an older wargamer and I love the longer style of game play but it's hard to devote an entire Saturday to playing in a tournament.

I recently demo'd Armada at the store for a friend and the game attracts interested people but its hard to get them to try a game even though they are serious Star Wars people.

I've talked with both Zach and Tim Bunn about why the game isn't more popular and the consensus we reached was the time required. You can play 3 games of XWing or 1 game of Armada on league night... most people choose XWing.

J--

Stop marketing to players who don't want to put the time in. Warmachine, Dropzone Commander, Warhammer (all forms), Infinity, etc all take longer to play. These are popular games that take 2 hours or more to play. They are high tactical games that require complex thought and play. X- Wing and games like that don't require that level of play. Sure they have their own levels of complexity but they are almost an order of magnitude below that of any game I listed prior.

Bring people in from a different aspect. Don't just demo, thrown together the new 4 player scenario and let people control a small force

Careful, just because a game takes longer, doesn't make it more tactical. The length of most of these games is a direct result of players taking independent turns. In X-Wing turns are simultaneous, both players planning ship movement at the same time, maneuvers are pre-determined and blind of the opponent, attacks are in pilot skill order. In X-Wing there is significant strategy in ship positioning, sane as Armada, there's strategy in target priority, same as Armada, there's strategy in list building, just like Armada.

The primary difference in game time is that the most time consuming part of any of your mentioned games, planning, is done simultaneously in X-Wing.

All this said, Armada is very heavy in the planning stage. try limiting turn length and overall game length. Most of those games you mentioned have made streamlining a priority for their game developers.

This may have already been said, but I wonder if the 'Take the Station' scenario might make for an attractive introduction to the game. Smaller fleets with no admirals, so not too heavy on upgrades that are difficult to remember. Faster, nimbler ships that feel more exciting to pilot. Four players, so that you don't have quite the same intensity of head to head battle, plus a more sociable feel.

I say this because we'll often have X-wing players wander over when we're in the middle of a game and look on admiringly, but I think they feel that having a go for themselves would require jumping in "at the deep end" (making no judgements on the relative complexity of the two games), when they already have a game they know and enjoy. I'm sure that between myself and the blokes I play with, we could create enough small fleets for people to have a go, and 150 points is a lot less daunting to manage first time.

I would agree with the belief that there is a decent player base for this game that has no interest in playing at a store. I am one of those people. I'm a fairly new player for Armada (this is my first post here - I've been an unregistered lurker since before I bought the game)

When it comes to playing in a store I face some pretty interesting hurdles (which make it unlikely that I'll ever actually play in a store environment) I'll describe them below (of course your should view my reasons as purely anecdotal simply due to the fact that we don't have player data available to us)

1. Transit, I don't drive so transporting my minis via public transit makes for an interesting proposition. I could buy foam liners to protect my figures but that would cut into the money I could use to actually buy minis, and I currently don't see any value with playing in a store environment

2. Playing in a store environment. This would require me to: Know & understand the rules far better than I do currently. Play with strangers. Play in an environment that is busy.

It never really occurred to me until recently that playing games in a store is actually a viable activity. My perception of games played in stores boiled down to MtG or (in games workshop stores) Warhammer. The Warhammer crowd seemed very much like a closed community so I never considered that game as worth the investment (on top of that, when I did consider the space I had for such a game was limited - then I read somewhere that painting minis was a must if I wanted to be involved in a gaming community (which already seemed closed) so I wrote it off.

As it stands currently I'm only playing games with friends (or myself) and still learning the rules, so I haven't really moved on much from the starter scenario in the LtP book (I spent a lot of time pouring over both the LtP book & the RRB and the rules section on this forum to learn the rules) Due to my lack of knowledge of the rules & no idea how a stranger would treat me concerning my lack of understanding of rules I don't consider myself as ready to attempt playing in a store environment.

Busy environment: Stores primary purpose is to sell product, which means potential interruptions from inquiring minds not to mention considerably more background noise than my basement where I currently play (Armada has been permanently set up in my basement since I got my game mat from Deep cut studios a few weeks ago) Which allows for easier discussion with the individual I'm playing with.

3. Value. What is the value to playing in a store environment (see point 2)? I might consider it if I were interested in tournaments, but I'm not. Why would I be? Tournaments cost money to enter and don't really have any guaranteed reward. There is a tournament that my local game store is hosting at the end of june that costs $25 (edmonton, alberta canada - being hosted by Red Claw Gaming) to enter for the price of entry I get an alternate Akbar card. If I place top 16 I get some acrylic tokens. Instead of paying to enter tournament and lose (not to mention it is a regional tournament so that is another strike against me entering) I could use the same money to buy an Imperial raider or(a Neb B/ Corvetter/ Fighter pack)

4. Acceptance. The first thing I do when I buy a game is laminate all the playing cards that come with the game. I choose to laminate cards because it would have cost me close to $100 to buy sleeves for all the Twilight Imperium Cards so I laminated them instead. However I don't know how people will react to me using laminated cards due to it not being the accepted form of protecting cards.

Well, to counter point a little for you just with my personals. CERTAINLY not dismissing your points, because our situations are obviously VERY different, despite being actually fairly Geographically Close :

1) I don't drive, and I live in Calgary. I live in the South of Calgary. I take 2 hours of Public Transit once every two weeks, to go to the Sentry Box, to play Armada. No, its not ideal, but its not.

Also, I'll be honest. Even with my repainted stuff, 90% of it is either in a plastic tray (fighters), or in a Cardboard Box... Just a cardboard box. No foam. Armada stuff is Robust.

2) THAT depends on the Store in question. I can't comment on the Edmonton Stores, as I don't have a card, and its expensive to take the bus up there in Comparison. It also depends on the people in question - and I feel, based on this (and your second point) that you're learning, but you're also not willing to give people a go just yet... Which is okay, but its also very insular. The good thing about the Sentry Box is the Gaming Area is separate to the Stockfloor. We get the occasional person asking "Can I watch?" a little bit, and then doing so...

There's generally softer music playing, and its better than a quiet basement environment to me - we talk all kinds of stuff in the Box Armada League... Even recently when things have been fairly Fire related... Because we can sit down across from each other at the table and play...

Again, its VERY Store Dependent of course... Not everyone is blessed with that sort of environment - but you also won't know until you try....

3).Variety and Dependability. Even outside of a Tournament Environment, playing at a store, with the correct framework, is a good way to guarantee getting games played,and in a variety of formats and lists and opponents... The problem I have, is I have a full dedicated gaming basement... But no-one will come to my house... They'd rather meet at a store, where its safer and where they won't be seeing the same things all the time. We dedicate a certian day (the beforementioned 1 day a fortnight) to Armada, and we go there and play, knowing there will be someone to play against.... Even if we have to take 2 hours of public transit to get there...

The Regional Tournaments are something else indeed... And being an early-time player, I would consider giving them a miss for now... But that doens't mean to dismiss store gaming all over because of it... You'll find with a lot of the mor ebasic tournaments, the price to enter is much smaller, and there are fewer people to play, so there is a greater distribution of prizes...

I mean, also, I run a League with a $5 Buy in... That buy in gets you the "Leading Shots" Alt Art card (only available otherwise in the CR90 expansion) and the chance at further prizes and alt-art throughout the league... Even with more for most losses... BUT, that kit is only available to retailers... Its not something I can run out of my basement... Ergo, Store Gaming - Non Tournament.

4) I honestly doubt anyone would really care... Even if there was, then they're not the sort of person to play against... In a store environment, you do not have to. In a tournament, well, here's a quick hint - beforehand, if you are concerned about acceptance - you contact the person running the tournament and you ask them: "Are Laminated Cards okay?"... In the 99 out of 100 times they say YES... Then you're accepted. If someone else says its wrong, it does not matter, because YOU HAVE JUDGE APPROVAL and they're being a pedantic **** who doesn't deserve a game. Again, it would only come up at a Tournament level, which is separate to the Store gaming level, after all...

Adding my own anecdotal evidence...

I play at the Team Covenant store in Tulsa and Armada is fading from there too.

They run an Armada league where you score points for playing pickup games but they no longer host Armada tournaments. I suspect the turnouts were poor. I'm an older wargamer and I love the longer style of game play but it's hard to devote an entire Saturday to playing in a tournament.

I recently demo'd Armada at the store for a friend and the game attracts interested people but its hard to get them to try a game even though they are serious Star Wars people.

I've talked with both Zach and Tim Bunn about why the game isn't more popular and the consensus we reached was the time required. You can play 3 games of XWing or 1 game of Armada on league night... most people choose XWing.

J--

Stop marketing to players who don't want to put the time in. Warmachine, Dropzone Commander, Warhammer (all forms), Infinity, etc all take longer to play. These are popular games that take 2 hours or more to play. They are high tactical games that require complex thought and play. X- Wing and games like that don't require that level of play. Sure they have their own levels of complexity but they are almost an order of magnitude below that of any game I listed prior.

Bring people in from a different aspect. Don't just demo, thrown together the new 4 player scenario and let people control a small force

Careful, just because a game takes longer, doesn't make it more tactical. The length of most of these games is a direct result of players taking independent turns. In X-Wing turns are simultaneous, both players planning ship movement at the same time, maneuvers are pre-determined and blind of the opponent, attacks are in pilot skill order. In X-Wing there is significant strategy in ship positioning, sane as Armada, there's strategy in target priority, same as Armada, there's strategy in list building, just like Armada.

The primary difference in game time is that the most time consuming part of any of your mentioned games, planning, is done simultaneously in X-Wing.

All this said, Armada is very heavy in the planning stage. try limiting turn length and overall game length. Most of those games you mentioned have made streamlining a priority for their game developers.

Each of those things that you mentioned that are shared between Armada and X-Wing is true. However, there are some differences.

In positioning, you don't have to worry about rams or bumps as much because it won't limit your ability to attack you are also shooting THEN moving which in it self is a HUGE difference between the 2 games.

This means positioning and planning as well as being flexible in your target priority are far more different than in X-Wing. It is the same for other war games when you compare them. As for list building, it is different between the 2.in X-Wing, you can run lists others do and do well just by your experience. However in Armada, you can't just jump for a MSU build to a squadron build and expect to do the same. The requirements on experience in Armada is far different than X-Wing. That also means that Armada is far more balanced than X-Wing. We don't have flavor of the release in Armada. Ships so far have not produced a single flop. People state the VSD is horrible yet it has won a regionals with a triple VSD list so in the end it will come down to experience.

I would agree with the belief that there is a decent player base for this game that has no interest in playing at a store. I am one of those people. I'm a fairly new player for Armada (this is my first post here - I've been an unregistered lurker since before I bought the game)

When it comes to playing in a store I face some pretty interesting hurdles (which make it unlikely that I'll ever actually play in a store environment) I'll describe them below (of course your should view my reasons as purely anecdotal simply due to the fact that we don't have player data available to us)

1. Transit, I don't drive so transporting my minis via public transit makes for an interesting proposition. I could buy foam liners to protect my figures but that would cut into the money I could use to actually buy minis, and I currently don't see any value with playing in a store environment

2. Playing in a store environment. This would require me to: Know & understand the rules far better than I do currently. Play with strangers. Play in an environment that is busy.

It never really occurred to me until recently that playing games in a store is actually a viable activity. My perception of games played in stores boiled down to MtG or (in games workshop stores) Warhammer. The Warhammer crowd seemed very much like a closed community so I never considered that game as worth the investment (on top of that, when I did consider the space I had for such a game was limited - then I read somewhere that painting minis was a must if I wanted to be involved in a gaming community (which already seemed closed) so I wrote it off.

As it stands currently I'm only playing games with friends (or myself) and still learning the rules, so I haven't really moved on much from the starter scenario in the LtP book (I spent a lot of time pouring over both the LtP book & the RRB and the rules section on this forum to learn the rules) Due to my lack of knowledge of the rules & no idea how a stranger would treat me concerning my lack of understanding of rules I don't consider myself as ready to attempt playing in a store environment.

Busy environment: Stores primary purpose is to sell product, which means potential interruptions from inquiring minds not to mention considerably more background noise than my basement where I currently play (Armada has been permanently set up in my basement since I got my game mat from Deep cut studios a few weeks ago) Which allows for easier discussion with the individual I'm playing with.

3. Value. What is the value to playing in a store environment (see point 2)? I might consider it if I were interested in tournaments, but I'm not. Why would I be? Tournaments cost money to enter and don't really have any guaranteed reward. There is a tournament that my local game store is hosting at the end of june that costs $25 (edmonton, alberta canada - being hosted by Red Claw Gaming) to enter for the price of entry I get an alternate Akbar card. If I place top 16 I get some acrylic tokens. Instead of paying to enter tournament and lose (not to mention it is a regional tournament so that is another strike against me entering) I could use the same money to buy an Imperial raider or(a Neb B/ Corvetter/ Fighter pack)

4. Acceptance. The first thing I do when I buy a game is laminate all the playing cards that come with the game. I choose to laminate cards because it would have cost me close to $100 to buy sleeves for all the Twilight Imperium Cards so I laminated them instead. However I don't know how people will react to me using laminated cards due to it not being the accepted form of protecting cards.

Hmmm all valuable points. In my area it would likely go something like this.

1) I live in Portland Oregon where we compete with New York city for the best public transit in the US.

2) Half the fun is learning against new opponents. We all make rules mistakes (unless you are Drasnighta ;P)

3) This is the hardest part. How much value do you put in playing against new opponents where you don't know how they think or play as well as you do your normal play partner?

4) Laminate away! I don't own a lamination machine so I but the FFG sleeves. I have a binder, etc. I don't care as long as you tell me if you are using proxies and such. This is "Command Casual Armada" after all. Try out the tournament see if you like it. If you lose you lose, we all have. Heck I never won a tournament till wave 2. I am not the best player here. I consider myself decent compared to people like Truthiness, JJ Juggernaut and Clontroper5. Still it will be fun to play clontroper5 at the Tacoma Regionals in 16 days. . . Yes. . . Fun indeed.

I would agree with the belief that there is a decent player base for this game that has no interest in playing at a store. I am one of those people. I'm a fairly new player for Armada (this is my first post here - I've been an unregistered lurker since before I bought the game)

When it comes to playing in a store I face some pretty interesting hurdles (which make it unlikely that I'll ever actually play in a store environment) I'll describe them below (of course your should view my reasons as purely anecdotal simply due to the fact that we don't have player data available to us)

1. Transit, I don't drive so transporting my minis via public transit makes for an interesting proposition. I could buy foam liners to protect my figures but that would cut into the money I could use to actually buy minis, and I currently don't see any value with playing in a store environment

2. Playing in a store environment. This would require me to: Know & understand the rules far better than I do currently. Play with strangers. Play in an environment that is busy.

It never really occurred to me until recently that playing games in a store is actually a viable activity. My perception of games played in stores boiled down to MtG or (in games workshop stores) Warhammer. The Warhammer crowd seemed very much like a closed community so I never considered that game as worth the investment (on top of that, when I did consider the space I had for such a game was limited - then I read somewhere that painting minis was a must if I wanted to be involved in a gaming community (which already seemed closed) so I wrote it off.

As it stands currently I'm only playing games with friends (or myself) and still learning the rules, so I haven't really moved on much from the starter scenario in the LtP book (I spent a lot of time pouring over both the LtP book & the RRB and the rules section on this forum to learn the rules) Due to my lack of knowledge of the rules & no idea how a stranger would treat me concerning my lack of understanding of rules I don't consider myself as ready to attempt playing in a store environment.

Busy environment: Stores primary purpose is to sell product, which means potential interruptions from inquiring minds not to mention considerably more background noise than my basement where I currently play (Armada has been permanently set up in my basement since I got my game mat from Deep cut studios a few weeks ago) Which allows for easier discussion with the individual I'm playing with.

3. Value. What is the value to playing in a store environment (see point 2)? I might consider it if I were interested in tournaments, but I'm not. Why would I be? Tournaments cost money to enter and don't really have any guaranteed reward. There is a tournament that my local game store is hosting at the end of june that costs $25 (edmonton, alberta canada - being hosted by Red Claw Gaming) to enter for the price of entry I get an alternate Akbar card. If I place top 16 I get some acrylic tokens. Instead of paying to enter tournament and lose (not to mention it is a regional tournament so that is another strike against me entering) I could use the same money to buy an Imperial raider or(a Neb B/ Corvetter/ Fighter pack)

4. Acceptance. The first thing I do when I buy a game is laminate all the playing cards that come with the game. I choose to laminate cards because it would have cost me close to $100 to buy sleeves for all the Twilight Imperium Cards so I laminated them instead. However I don't know how people will react to me using laminated cards due to it not being the accepted form of protecting cards.

To be honest mate, I felt EXACTLY the same as you, for all the same reasons. Underneath it all, I was just nervous to turn up as a relative beginner to play people who I feared would have played a lot more than me and potentially be dismissive. Eventually plucked up the courage, and the only thing I regret is not having done it sooner.

The kind of guys who play this are welcoming, generous and supportive. I've yet to meet someone who's been rude or unkind. I made them aware that I was a relative beginner, and they went above and beyond to help me get to grips with the game. And the one thing I've never felt is judgement; I was worried about turning up with my cardboard box in a sports bag (I too had to take public transport - I just use the original plastic moulds, and find them more than sturdy enough), only to find a guy who brought most of his gear in a Christmas tin. Most stores organise their gaming sessions in an evening, so it's quiet and relaxed, and mine charges £1 for an evening of gaming. There are few ways to have that much fun for a £1!

Honestly, I cannot recommend highly enough just taking the plunge. I get a lot more out of the game (which isn't cheap, let's be honest) by playing it regularly.

Again with the misguided comparisons. X-wing is not an easy button. Please refrain from commenting if you have little experience with both games.

Look, it's not wrong to say that the perception is that X-wing is easier to play (I don't even know how one would determine if this is true or not) and easier to start (this is true in $ terms).

I'm not saying that means it is correct, but I am saying it is what people believe. Part of the bar to overcome with recruiting people into Armada is understanding this and knowing how to persuade them anyways.

Don't take the quote out of context. He was not saying that X-wing is easier to pick up (which I would agree with), he was saying that X-wing is easier to play competitively, that instead of getting good at Armada, you could just hit the easy button and play X-wing, because it's basically just a guessing game.

I actually agree the x-wing is the "easier" game. Its sort of designed that way and is dictated by a rock paper scissors meta (at least locally) it is very akin to 40k where what you bring and who you are matched up against dictate your chances of win lose and its much harder to out play an opponent due to the core game mechanics. There are fixed variables in x-wing such as dice and maneuver dial. X-Wing is easier to pick up, netdeck a list, and have success with. It is part of the reason I got away from it.

Armada is a much more strategic game and has more depth and variables. Sure someone can netdeck a winning list but without understanding the mechanics and finesse of command dials and using the maneuver tool they will still lose. There are a few locals who play the latest greatest winning list and go 1-2 at tournaments. they simple don't understand armada. They wreck face in x-wing.

Saying X-Wing is an easier game isn't an insult either. I like the challenge and mini games involved with making the desicions required to win a game of Armada. I found X-wing was a bit more dicey and list dependent.

As for the topic at hand. my LGS has 4 players my buddy and I and then another pair of friends. The second pair of friends have been playing for a few months and refuse to play anyone but each other or come to tournaments despite wanting any left over alt art cards. They play every game together and get super salty as they take it far too seriously. The last tournament I ran, 1 person showed up.

I love armada, it is by far my favorite Minis game to play, but it in no way can sustain my gaming appetite alone, there just is't a meta for it.

I love armada, it is by far my favorite Minis game to play, but it in no way can sustain my gaming appetite alone, there just is't a meta for it.

I really feel like there should be a yet at the end of that sentence... But perhaps I am a dreamer.

I would agree with the belief that there is a decent player base for this game that has no interest in playing at a store. I am one of those people. I'm a fairly new player for Armada (this is my first post here - I've been an unregistered lurker since before I bought the game)

When it comes to playing in a store I face some pretty interesting hurdles (which make it unlikely that I'll ever actually play in a store environment) I'll describe them below (of course your should view my reasons as purely anecdotal simply due to the fact that we don't have player data available to us)

1. Transit, I don't drive so transporting my minis via public transit makes for an interesting proposition. I could buy foam liners to protect my figures but that would cut into the money I could use to actually buy minis, and I currently don't see any value with playing in a store environment

2. Playing in a store environment. This would require me to: Know & understand the rules far better than I do currently. Play with strangers. Play in an environment that is busy.

It never really occurred to me until recently that playing games in a store is actually a viable activity. My perception of games played in stores boiled down to MtG or (in games workshop stores) Warhammer. The Warhammer crowd seemed very much like a closed community so I never considered that game as worth the investment (on top of that, when I did consider the space I had for such a game was limited - then I read somewhere that painting minis was a must if I wanted to be involved in a gaming community (which already seemed closed) so I wrote it off.

As it stands currently I'm only playing games with friends (or myself) and still learning the rules, so I haven't really moved on much from the starter scenario in the LtP book (I spent a lot of time pouring over both the LtP book & the RRB and the rules section on this forum to learn the rules) Due to my lack of knowledge of the rules & no idea how a stranger would treat me concerning my lack of understanding of rules I don't consider myself as ready to attempt playing in a store environment.

Busy environment: Stores primary purpose is to sell product, which means potential interruptions from inquiring minds not to mention considerably more background noise than my basement where I currently play (Armada has been permanently set up in my basement since I got my game mat from Deep cut studios a few weeks ago) Which allows for easier discussion with the individual I'm playing with.

3. Value. What is the value to playing in a store environment (see point 2)? I might consider it if I were interested in tournaments, but I'm not. Why would I be? Tournaments cost money to enter and don't really have any guaranteed reward. There is a tournament that my local game store is hosting at the end of june that costs $25 (edmonton, alberta canada - being hosted by Red Claw Gaming) to enter for the price of entry I get an alternate Akbar card. If I place top 16 I get some acrylic tokens. Instead of paying to enter tournament and lose (not to mention it is a regional tournament so that is another strike against me entering) I could use the same money to buy an Imperial raider or(a Neb B/ Corvetter/ Fighter pack)

4. Acceptance. The first thing I do when I buy a game is laminate all the playing cards that come with the game. I choose to laminate cards because it would have cost me close to $100 to buy sleeves for all the Twilight Imperium Cards so I laminated them instead. However I don't know how people will react to me using laminated cards due to it not being the accepted form of protecting cards.

First off, Welcome

I would get you and your buddy together and play at the store. See if there is a local facebook group for that store, or even a page and just ask when their armada night is. Check out the store play a game against a comfortable opponent and see if you can just get some feedback. Some of the other players may show you how you are doing x or y wrong or just give you tips to improve play or try new fleet designs.

I am a big fan of playing at LGSs. All my current IRL friends I have met at my LGS. Been to weddings, cons, vacations together. I suggest everyone go to the LGS a few times, the worst thing that happens is you learn something new and make new friends.